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[†]
1997Charles Kuralt, American journalist (born 1934)[†]
Charles Bishop Kuralt was an American television, newspaper and radio journalist and author. He is most widely known for his long career with CBS, first for his "On the Road" segments on The CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite, and later as the first anchor of CBS News Sunday Morning, a position he held for fifteen years. In 1996, Kuralt was inducted into Television Hall of Fame of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
1997John Zachary Young, English zoologist and neurophysiologist (born 1907)[†]
John Zachary Young, generally known as "JZ" or "JZY", was an English zoologist and neurophysiologist, described as "one of the most influential biologists of the 20th century".
1997NASA's Pathfinder space probe lands on the surface of Mars.[†]
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the United States's civil space program, aeronautics research and space research. Established in 1958, it succeeded the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) to give the American space development effort a distinct civilian orientation, emphasizing peaceful applications in space science. It has since led most of America's space exploration programs, including Project Mercury, Project Gemini, the 1968–1972 Apollo program missions, the Skylab space station, and the Space Shuttle. Currently, NASA supports the International Space Station (ISS) along with the Commercial Crew Program and oversees the development of the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System for the lunar Artemis program.
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New York Public Library's famous Main Reading Room, grand space cherished by generations of writers and scholars, is closing for two-year, $15 million restoration and modernization; photos; 1911 diagram showing seven levels of stacks; entire building will close for one day so that staff and materials can be moved to temporary space; renovations will open up massively dignified room, provide 600 seats and install computer workstations; old book-retrieval system of dumbwaiters, pneumatic tubes and elevator will be replaced by enormous contraption that amounts to conveyor belt; architect Nathan C Hoyt comments; famous research done in room recalled (M)
Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and Gov George Pataki are spending public money on ads claiming credit for one-fare travel on New York City's subways and buses, but hardened riders, amazed that promise is actually being kept, may recall that both politicians were cutting money from mass transit when their re-election campaigns were further away (S)
New Jersey Supreme Court rules that lending institutions can be held liable for consumer fraud, case brought by Jeanne C Lemelledo against Beneficial New Jersey concerning fees for college loan (New Jersey Daily Briefing)
Rear car of subway train derails in tunnel in Harlem, injuring 13 people, knocking over support pillars and twisting rear car into jumbled wreck; photo; map; train was traveling on express track with about 100 people on board, and most of cars were already in station when rear car fishtailed; Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and other officials speculate about problem with track switch, rather than human error; authorities respond by cutting power, stranding hundreds of passengers on other trains in hot, dark tunnels for about 20 minutes (M)
Spacecraft from Earth will land on Mars for first time in 21 years; Mars Pathfinder is aimed at flood plain of Ares Vallis because planet Mars continues to hold strong grip on scientists and others who think that life exists elsewhere and who see Mars as most inviting place to start looking; spacecraft will not be looking specifically for some kind of simple life on Mars, only for clues as to whether it could have existed there and where to search for evidence in future explorations; photos (L)
Michael Frank reviews debut exhibition on downtown Manhattan business architecture at Skyscraper Museum, Wall Street, New York City, and exhibition on Empire State Building at Museum of the City of New York; photos (L)
Northern Ireland braces for July and marching season, series of full-dress pageants commemorating battles of past 300 years between Catholics and Protestants who are still killing each other; as in past two years, people living in nearby Catholic areas of Portadown vow to block Protestants' parade passage through their neighborhood; Portadown was site of violent five-day standoff year ago; map (M)
Drug laboratory, Huntington Life Sciences, declines to turn over 36 beagles to actress Kim Basinger, who began campaign for their adoption; medical test in which dogs' legs were to be broken is canceled by Yamanouchi USA, drug company; dogs are to be given up for adoption (New Jersey Daily Briefing)
Many midsized US cities are increasingly looking for ways to appeal to 46.3 million international tourists who spend $84 billion in US last year; Cincinnati, Ohio, and Memphis, Tenn, for example, have formed alliances with different neighboring cities in an attempt to alter perception many travelers have of their cities; photo (L)
Financial and commodity markets in the United States will be closed today in observance of the Fourth of July. Government offices, banks and many businesses will also be closed. Most foreign markets, however, will be open.
Dow Jones industrial average surges 100.43 points, or 1.29 percent, to close at record 7.895.81; Standard & Poor's 500-stock index also sets closing high, gaining 12.89 points, or 1.43 percent, to 916.92; Nasdaq composite index gains 12 points, to record 1,467.61; table (L)
Grace Glueck reviews newly refurbished and reinstalled galleries of American paintings and sculpture at Brooklyn Museum of Art; photo (M)