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[†]
1998Annalise Basso, American actress[†]
Annalise Basso is an American actress. She is known for her role as LJ Folger in the post-apocalyptic dystopian thriller series Snowpiercer (2020–2022). She started her career as a child actress, appearing in the films Bedtime Stories (2008), Love Takes Wing (2009), Standing Up (2013) and Oculus (2013). From 2014 until 2015, she starred in the television series The Red Road.
1998Anna Kalinskaya, Russian tennis player[†]
Anna Nikolayevna Kalinskaya is a Russian professional tennis player. She reached career-high rankings of world No. 11 in singles on 28 October 2024, and No. 48 in doubles in May 2025. On the WTA Tour, she has won four doubles titles. She also has won one singles title on the WTA Challenger Tour, and seven singles and nine doubles titles on the ITF Circuit. Her best singles performance at a major event is reaching the quarterfinals at the 2024 Australian Open.
1998Juice Wrld, American rapper, singer and songwriter (died 2019)[†]
Jarad Anthony Higgins, known professionally as Juice Wrld, was an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He emerged as a leading figure in the emo and SoundCloud rap genres, which garnered mainstream attention during the mid-to-late 2010s. His stage name, which he said represents "taking over the world", was derived from the crime thriller film Juice (1992).
THE ODD COUPLE -- The chief executives of Exxon and Mobil, Lee R. Raymond and Lucio A. Noto, have markedly different styles, making their proposed alliance seem an unusual match. Page C1.
Sports of The Times column on Sarah Hughes, 13-year-old who just won silver medal in world junior figure skating championships in Zagreb; says she is pursuing her dream of competing in Olympics in highly unusual manner--living at home and taking lessons at nearby commercial skating rink; notes most promising youth athletes leave home to work with celebrity coach or to be near dominant national center; photo (M)
Exxon Announces Plan To Buy Mobil for $80 Billion Exxon, already the nation's largest oil company, agreed to buy Mobil, the next largest, for $80 billion in stock to form the world's biggest corporation.
Article on actor Aasif Mandvi, who portrays five characters about Indian immigrant experience in one-man show called Sakina's Restaurant at American Place Theater; photos (M)
Oil industry executives and even some consumer groups expect merger of Exxon and Mobil, nation's two biggest oil companies, to have no immediate impact on consumers; expect antitrust regulators to insist that combined company sell some operations to keep it from using increased bulk to raise prices; drivers interviewed at gas pumps express concern (M)
New York State agrees to help city of Yonkers to pay $16.4 million to help city build new housing and buy existing homes in white neighborhoods for black and Hispanic families; decision still leaves simmering some of educational issues in desegregation litigation that began in 1980 when Justice Department and later National Assn for the Advancement of Colored People accused Yonkers of intentionally maintaining segregated schools by confining black and Hispanic families in southwestern corner of city; Yonkers Mayor John Spencer and other city and community officials comment (M)
New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, after striving to overhaul New York City's troubled child welfare agency's performance for nearly three years, agrees to allow panel of national experts to assess agency's performance and to issue recommendations and time tables for improving abuse investigations, foster care placements and pace of adoptions; agreement resolves class-action suit seeking court takeover of agency, Administration for Children's Services (M)
MacDonald Communications Corp sells Ms magazine to Liberty Media for Women, new group founded by Gloria Steinem, magazine's original editor and co-founder; group includes Ms editor in chief Marcia Ann Gillespie (M)
Exxon, nation's largest oil company, agrees to buy Mobil, next largest, for $80 billion in stock, to form world's biggest corporation; antitrust regulators will scrutinize merger and probably force sale of some gas stations and refineries; so great are doubts over whether companies will win approval or accept required divestitures that investors send stock prices of both companies down; companies say they would save $2.8 billion annually; about 9,000 workers out of 123,000 worldwide would likely lose their jobs; Exxon chmn Lee R Raymond would add title of president in combined company; Exxon Mobil, as company would be called, would have sales of $204 billion; Mobil chief exec Lucio A Noto would be vice chairman; graphs; photo (M)
New York Rangers defeat Florida Panthers, 5-4, at Madison Square Garden; photo (M)
Ruth Reichl reviews Lespinasse under its new chef, Christian Delouvrier; photo (M)
US will declassify some secret Government documents on killings and torture committed during dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet in Chile; decision to release documents is first sign that US will cooperate in case against Pinochet; Clinton Administration officials say benefits of openness in human rights cases outweigh risks to national security in this case; CIA worked closely with Chile's secret police in 1970's, when over 3,000 people were believed to have been killed; Pinochet was arrested in London on Spanish court's warrent in Oct; England's highest court has denied him diplomatic immunity; case has stirred uneasiness in US diplomatic and intelligence circles; Pinochet photo (M)