On this day
Revisit the news, notable people, and historical moments connected to this date.
In 1998, the world population was approximately 6,007,066,690 people[†]
1998Rumer Godden, English author and poet (born 1907)[†]
Margaret Rumer Godden was a British author of more than 60 fiction and non-fiction books. Nine of her works have been made into films, most notably Black Narcissus in 1947 and The River in 1951.
1998John Hunt, Baron Hunt, English colonel, mountaineer, and academic (born 1910)[†]
Henry Cecil John Hunt, Baron Hunt was a British Army officer who is best known as the leader of the successful 1953 British expedition to Mount Everest.
1998Jean Marais, French actor and director (born 1913)[†]
Jean-Alfred Villain-Marais, known professionally as Jean Marais, was a French actor, film director, theatre director, painter, sculptor, visual artist, writer and photographer. He performed in over 100 films and was the lover, muse and friend of acclaimed director Jean Cocteau. In 1996, he was awarded the French Legion of Honor for his contributions to French cinema.
Robert Lipsyte (Coping) column recounts meal at Les Fontaines restaurant in Paris with New York food critic Ed Levine; drawing (M)
Article on New York Jets preparations for game against Buffalo Bills; photo (M)
Most vexing of Russia's problems lie in its Rust Belt, interlocking series of industrial giants now living off barter and choking on bloated work force; many of industries are pillars of communities that have no other reason for being; solving their problems without causing social upheaval will be key test for Russia's new Government, headed by Prime Min Yevgeny M Primakov and staffed with old-style Soviet ministers who have pointedly set out to rescue Russian industry; many fault Pres Boris N Yeltsin's team of young free-market reformers for failing to anticipate economic disarray--and corruption--that followed their lifting of state controls; Magnitogorsk, once largest steel mill in former Soviet Union, is producing less than half raw steel it did decade ago, with same work force; bottom has fallen out of its domestic market as Russian factories that buy steel approach bankruptcy and struggle to sell what Russians either do not want or cannot afford; photos; map; charts (L)
Article on boom in number of corporations using or considering use of computer software programs known as enterprise resource planning; such programs coordinate manufacturer's entire business from time raw materials are delivered to time customers pay invoices; photos; graphs (L)
Awesome Again won the $5.2 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Churchill Downs, beating Silver Charm by three-quarters of a length in a wild finish. Skip Away, the favorite for Horse of the Year, faded to sixth in the last race of his career and missed out on his chance to set a record for career earnings. SportsSunday
ABC's year-old daytime talk show The View is surprise hit with its format of salty talk among group of women representing different generations and life situations; show is brainchild of Barbara Walters, who joins discussions occasionally and conducts interviews; regulars, handpicked by Walters, are Joy Behar, Meredith Vieira, Star Jones and Debbie Matenopoulos; photos (M)
Roseland Property Co, Century 21 Construction and Prudential Real Estate Investors plan to build $27 million rental apartment community, Westwood, NJ; development will include 214 apartments in seven buildings (S)a
Article compares midsize Japanese luxury cars--Acura 3.2TL, Infiniti 130, Lexus ES300, Mitsubishi Diamante; photos (M)
Article on some young 'hip-hop' disk jockeys who are gaining status as night-life personalities; latest is 23-year-old Mark Ronson, spinning records at recent birthday party given by Tommy Hilfiger for his brother Andy; photos; status of deejays has soared thanks to self-promotion, faddishness and evolution of musical genres like hip-hop and electronics; deejays include several children of celebrities, including Drena De Niro (M)
Article describes elaborate process by which corporate America ensures that its executives are well compensated through salaries, performance bonuses, stock options and other means; focuses on whether executive compensation has been distorted over last two decades; charts; photos; graphs (L)
Samuel G Freedman article on revolutionary documentary radio journalist and producer David Isay in light of upcoming WNYC-FM and AM broadcast of two-hour retrospective of his work; Isay's relation with National Public Radio and his success in capturing stories of non-mainstream Americans with little or no narration described; photos (L)
Nov 3 elections represent a setback for social and religious conservatives within Republican Party, but moderates trying to re-establish the party's traditional focus on fiscal conservatism must be careful to do it in a way that does not alienate conservatives, who are among the most active and engaged members of party; photo (M)