On this day
Revisit the news, notable people, and historical moments connected to this date.
In 1997, the world population was approximately 5,924,787,816 people[†]
1997Ellie Bamber, English actress[†]
Eleanor Elizabeth Bamber is an English actress. She won third prize at the Ian Charleson Awards for her 2017 performance in The Lady from the Sea at the Donmar Warehouse. On television, she is known for her roles in the BBC series Les Misérables (2018), The Trial of Christine Keeler (2019–2020), and The Serpent (2021), and the Disney+ series Willow (2022).
1997Erich Eliskases, Austrian chess player (born 1913)[†]
Erich Gottlieb Eliskases was a chess player who represented Austria, Germany and Argentina in international competition. In the late 1930s he was considered a potential contender for the World Championship. Eliskases was granted the title of Grandmaster by FIDE in 1952.
1997Sanford Meisner, American actor and coach (born 1904)[†]
Sanford Meisner was an American actor and acting teacher who developed an approach to acting instruction that is now known as the Meisner technique. While Meisner was exposed to method acting at the Group Theatre, his approach differed markedly in that he completely abandoned the use of affective memory, a distinct characteristic of method acting. Meisner maintained an emphasis on "the reality of doing", which was the foundation of his approach.
Destruction from floods may allow implementation of controversial plan to rebuild Yosemite National Park with fewer intrusions by people; National Park Service officials say preliminary estimates indicate that damage to buildings, roads, sewers, power lines and bridges in park could reach more than $178 million; say roads may be redesigned when park recovers from winter flooding; graph; map; photos (M)
New York Jets president Steve Gutman and owner Leon Hess reportedly will not yield top draft pick to get coach Bill Parcells from New England Patriots; Jets are taking their time in seeking deal on Parcells, who remains their only candidate; photo (M)
Gaza Strip and its nearly one million people have been governed by Palestinians since May 1994 in longest and largest test of Palestinian self-rule; in many quarters, spirit of liberation that followed Israeli withdrawal has given way to sense that oppression continues; much of Gaza's fury remains directed at Israel, whose strict control of borders and trade has amounted to choke hold on an economy where unemployment has doubled since Palestinians came to power; almost as often, although less openly, Palestinian Authority has become target, accused by detractors of punishing critics and enriching its supporters through pattern of arbitrary rule; map; photo (M)
Steep decline in welfare caseloads that began nearly three years ago has accelerated in recent months, offering states larger-than-expected financial windfall and head start in carrying out nation's newly restrictive welfare law; after reaching record high in March 1994, caseloads have dropped nearly 18 percent nationwide, and they have dropped in every state but Hawaii; declines have reached some of nation's largest cities, where concentrations of poor and single-parent families have made rolls hard to reduce; much of decline seems driven by country's economic expansion, but some of it also seems to stem from efforts of many states to place welfare recipients in jobs; many governors are crediting their programs for reduction in welfare caseloads; researchers are uncertain which force is dominant: good times or tough laws; graph; map (M)
Donna Hanover and Deputy Mayor Fran Reiter will participate in all-day conference and convention sponsored by Real Estate Board of New York's Residential Brokerage Division on Feb 7 (S)
Rep John R Kasich, chairman of House Budget Committee, says Republicans should attack unwarranted Government subsidies with equal zeal, whether handouts go to people or companies; he is in forefront of band of Republican politicians seeking to cast off idea that their party is primarily the party of business and to wrest from Democrats the issue of corporate welfare; this is in response to findings of Republican pollster, Frank Luntz, that most people object to idea of corporate welfare; problem is there is almost no agreement on exactly what constitutes corporate welfare; photo (M)
Supreme Court will decide if 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act is constitutional; act seemingly prevents governments from imposing their historical preservation laws on religious institutions; case involves St Peter Roman Catholic Church in historic district of Boerne, Tex; church was turned down when it sought to build addition by Boerne's Landmark Commission and City Council; houses of worship all around country are watching case closely; photos (M)
Insisting Peru will never give in to demands that 300 rebels be freed, President Alberto K. Fujimori said he would resume talks to release 72 hostages at the Japanese Ambassador's residence in Lima. He made the commitment after meeting the Japanese Prime Minister, who has grown nervous about aggressive tactics by Mr. Fujimori's troops. Article, page 10.
Many Americans complain that their health maintenance organization requires them to see primary-care doctor, or 'gatekeeper,' before they can see specialist; Phoenix businessman Mike Shoemaker recently switched his company's 28 employees to HMO that allows visits to specialists without such approval; many other people are demanding same freedom, and they are getting it from growing number of HMO's; some HMO's are charging more for plans that allow visits to specialists without prior permission; graph (M)
Grip Tightens on Hong Kong A panel preparing for Hong Kong's return to Chinese rule later this year voted to scrap the territory's laws that protect civil liberties. Page 8. Is That License O.K.? Click New York State has placed licensing information about 610,000 professionals, including any disciplinary action, on the Internet. Page 31.
New York Rangers defeat Philadelphia Flyers, 4-2; photo (M)
White House acknowledges that it never reviews backgrounds of hundreds of visitors who see Pres Clinton in scores of intimate White House meetings arranged by Democratic National Committee; says background checks are routinely done on other guests to White House; acknowledgment comes after Washington Post reports that Eric Wynn, felon with possible ties to Bonanno organized crime family, had attended Democratic coffee at White House in Dec 1995; he joins list of other questionable figures who were guests of Clinton in meetings arranged by Democratic Party, often as part of effort to reward or encourage contributors (M)