2000

Today in History 07/28 (Tangshan Earthquake)

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People work to clear up ruins after an earthquake in Tangshan, China, on July 28, 1976 (© Sovfoto/UIG via Getty Images)(1976) Devastating earthquake strikes Tangshan, China
At 3:24 AM an earthquake hits Tangshan, an industrial center in northeastern China. The magnitude 7.8 quake levels the city and will cause over 240,000 deaths and more than 160,000 serious injuries. China’s government will turn down offers of help from outside nations.
The 1976 Tangshan earthquake, also known as the Great Tangshan earthquake, was a natural disaster resulting from a magnitude 7.6 earthquake that hit the region around Tangshan on July 28, 1976, at 3:42 in the morning. In minutes the city of Tangshan, an industrial city with approximately one million inhabitants, ceased to exist. Eight-five percent of the buildings in the city collapsed or were unusable, all services failed, and most of the highway and railway bridges collapsed or were seriously damaged. At least 242,000 people died, making this the third deadliest earthquake in recorded history.
Fatalities: 242,769
Date: Jul 28, 1976
Areas affected: People’s Republic of China
Depth: A: 12.2 km B: 16.7 km
Casualties: 242,769–700,000 dead (3rd deadliest earthquake of modern history)

1976 Tangshan Earthquake
1976 Tangshan earthquake
wiki/1976_Tangshan_earthquake
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(1976) Devastating earthquake strikes Tangshan, China.
Also on this day,

1935 | Stalwart of Allied air power, Boeing B-17 ‘Flying Fortress’, takes its first flight
Boeing sends its new four-engine bomber on a test flight, and a reporter dubs the behemoth, fitted out with multiple machine guns, the ‘flying fortress.’ Before a decade is over, the B-17 bomber will live up to that nickname, with extensive service in the skies over Europe and the Pacific in World War II.
1996 | Prehistoric remains of ‘Kennewick Man’ found on banks of the Columbia
A Paleoamerican skull is accidentally discovered near the Columbia River in Washington, and later, archaeologists will recover most of the skeleton of ‘Kennewick Man’ and date it to around 9,000 years old. Controversy will erupt over his possible ancestry to local Native Americans.
2000 | Kathie Lee Gifford says goodbye to ‘Live!’
After 15 years of bantering with Regis Philbin, Gifford says goodbye to her co-host and their morning TV audience to pursue acting and singing opportunities. The show will continue, with Kelly Ripa taking Gifford’s spot.

Today in History 07/28/17

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress in flight in 1944 (© Galerie Bilderwelt/Getty Images)(1935) Stalwart of Allied air power takes its first flight
Boeing sends its new four-engine bomber on a test flight, and a reporter dubs the behemoth, fitted out with multiple machine guns, the 'flying fortress.' Before a decade is over, the B-17 bomber will live up to that nickname, with extensive service in the skies over Europe and the Pacific in World War II.
The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engine heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps. Competing against Douglas and Martin for a contract to build 200 bombers, the Boeing entry outperformed both competitors and exceeded the air corps' performance specifications. Although Boeing lost the contract because the prototype crashed, the air corps ordered 13 more B-17s for further evaluation. From its introduction in 1938, the B-17 Flying Fortress evolved through numerous design advances.
Maximum speed: 287.01 mph (461.90 km/h)
Length: 74' 4" (22.66 m)
Wingspan: 104 feet (31.60 m)
Passengers: 10
Retired: 1968
Manufacturer: Boeing
World operators of the B-17
Military operators of the B-17
Civil operators of the B-17
Civil operators of the B-17

wiki/Boeing_B-17_Flying_Fortress
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Today in History 05/07/18

Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses WWII veterans on May 7, 2000. (© Mikhail Metzel/AP)(2000) Russia inaugurates Vladimir Putin as president
A former lieutenant colonel in the Soviet KGB, Vladimir Putin becomes Russia’s second president after winning the popular vote. He will wrest tight control of the country’s power structure, as president and later as prime minister, re-establishing the firm authority of the centralized government.
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin is a Russian politician serving as the current President of Russia since 7 May 2012, previously holding the position from 2000 until 2008. He was Prime Minister of Russia from 1999 until the beginning of his first presidency in 2000, and again between presidencies from 2008 until 2012. During his first term as Prime Minister, he served as Acting President of Russia due to the resignation of President Boris Yeltsin. During his second term as Prime Minister, he was the chairman of the ruling United Russia party.
Born: Oct 07, 1952 (age 65) · Saint Petersburg, Russia
Height: 5′ 7″ (1.70 m)
Office: President of Russia (Since 2012)
Spouse: Lyudmila Putina (m. 1983 – 2014)
Children: Katerina Tikhonova (Daughter) · Mariya Putina (Daughter)
Previous offices: Prime Minister of Russia (2008 – 2012) · President of Russia (2000 – 2008) · Prime Minister of Russia (1999 – 2000) · Acting President of Russia (1999 – 2000) · Acting Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation (1999 – 1999)
Highlights
  • 1983: Vladimir Putin married Lyudmila Putina on July 28, 1983; their marriage lasted 31 years till April 02, 2014.

  • 1997: On 27 June 1997, at the Saint Petersburg Mining Institute, guided by rector Vladimir Litvinenko, Putin defended his Candidate of Science dissertation in economics, titled “The Strategic Planning of Regional Resources Under the Formation of Market Relations”.

  • 2000: The first major challenge to Putin’s popularity came in August 2000, when he was criticized for the alleged mishandling of the Kursk submarine disaster.

  • 2008: In April 2008, Putin became the first Russian President who visited Libya.

  • 2008: In a power-switching operation on 8 May 2008, only a day after handing the presidency to Medvedev, Putin was appointed Prime Minister of Russia, maintaining his political dominance.

  • 2012: Putin’s presidency was inaugurated in the Kremlin on 7 May 2012.

Vladimir Putin in KGB uniform
Putin in KGB uniform, circa 1980
wiki/Vladimir_Putin
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(2000) Russia inaugurates Vladimir Putin as president.
Also on this day,
1824 | Beethoven`s 9th premieres
1965 | `Satisfaction` riff
1982 | Raiders head to L.A.

Today in History 01/04/18

New York Jets head coach Bill Belichick resigns at a press conference in Hempstead, NY, on January 4, 2000 (© Al Pereira/Getty Images)(2000) Bill Belichick resigns from Jets after one day
One day into his tenure as head coach of the NFL’s New York Jets, Bill Belichick resigns via a one-sentence handwritten note and a rambling press conference. The football team will struggle for years, while Belichick will quickly move to the rival New England Patriots and go on to win multiple Super Bowls.
William Stephen Belichick is an American football coach who is the head coach of the New England Patriots of the National Football League. Belichick has extensive authority over the Patriots’ football operations, effectively making him the general manager of the team as well. He was previously the head coach of the Cleveland Browns.
Born: Apr 16, 1952 (age 65) · Nashville, TN
Height: 5′ 11″ (1.80 m)
Net worth: $35 million USD (2017)
Coaches: New England Patriots
Spouse: Debby Clarke Belichick (m. 1977 – 2006)
Children: Stephen Belichick · Brian Belichick · Amanda Belichick
Highlights
  • 1977: Bill Belichick married Debby Clarke Belichick in 1977; their marriage lasted 29 years till 2006.

  • 1979: In 1979, Belichick began a 12-year stint with the New York Giants alongside head coach Ray Perkins as a defensive assistant and special teams coach.

  • 1991: Parcells and Belichick won two Super Bowls together (XXI and XXV), before Belichick left to become the head coach in Cleveland in 1991.

  • 2000: After being named head coach of the Jets in early 2000, Belichick resigned after only one day on the job to accept the head coaching job for the New England Patriots.

  • 2009: Until 2009, Belichick split many of the duties normally held by a general manager on other clubs with player personnel director Scott Pioli, though Belichick had the final say on football matters.

  • 2014: He completed his 40th season as an NFL coach in 2014 and won his fifth Super Bowl as a head coach following the 2016 season, surpassing former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Chuck Noll as the only head coach to win five Super Bowls.

wiki/Bill_Belichick
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Today in History 12/09/17

Protesters hold signs and flags in front of the US Supreme Court in Washington, December 11, 2000 (© Steve Helber/AP)(2000) Supreme Court halts Florida recount in presidential race
The US Supreme Court, in 5-to-4 ruling, dashes Vice President Al Gore’s hopes to win the presidency when it reverses a lower court ruling and suspends Florida’s hand recount of votes. This sets the stage for the Court’s final ruling three days later, allowing George W. Bush to keep his slim lead in Florida and win the White House.

Bush v. Gore, 531 U.S. 98 (2000), was a decision of the United States Supreme Court. It resolved the dispute surrounding the 2000 presidential election. The ruling was issued on December 12, 2000. On December 9, the Court had preliminarily halted the Florida recount that was occurring. Eight days earlier, the Court unanimously decided the closely related case of Bush v. Palm Beach County Canvassing Board, 531 U.S. 70 (2000). The Electoral College was scheduled to meet on December 18, 2000, to decide the election.

In a per curiam decision, the Court ruled that there was an Equal Protection Clause violation in using different standards of counting in different counties and ruled that no alternative method could be established within the time limit set by Title 3 of the United States Code (3 U.S.C.), § 5 (“Determination of controversy as to appointment of electors”), which was December 12. The vote regarding the Equal Protection Clause was 7–2, and regarding the lack of an alternative method was 5–4. Three concurring justices also asserted that the Florida Supreme Court had violated Article II, § 1, cl. 2 of the Constitution, by misinterpreting Florida election law that had been enacted by the Florida Legislature.

The Supreme Court decision allowed the previous vote certification to stand, as made by Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris, for George W. Bush as the winner of Florida’s 25 electoral votes. Florida’s votes gave Bush, the Republican candidate, 271 electoral votes, one more than the required 270 to win the Electoral College, and the defeat of Democratic candidate Al Gore, who received 266 electoral votes (a “faithless elector” from the District of Columbia abstained).

Media organizations subsequently analyzed the ballots and found that the originally proposed county-based recounts would have resulted in a different outcome (Bush victory) than a full statewide recount (Gore victory). Florida subsequently changed to new voting machines to avoid punch cards which had allowed dimpled or hanging chads.


wiki/Bush_v._Gore
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Today in History 10/12/17

Experts examine the USS Cole on October 13, 2000, after a powerful explosion ripped a hole in the US Navy destroyer (© Dimitri Messinis/AP)(2000) Terrorists attack an American navy ship docked in Yemen
Upwards of 700 pounds of explosives blast a 40-by-60-foot hole into the port side of the USS Cole as it’s docked in Aden, Yemen. Seventeen sailors will die and 40 are wounded in the bombing of the US Navy vessel, and authorities will suspect the terrorist group al-Qaeda is behind the attack.
The USS Cole bombing was a terrorist attack against the United States Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Cole on 12 October 2000, while it was being refueled in Yemen’s Aden harbor. Seventeen American sailors were killed and 39 injured in the deadliest attack against a United States naval vessel since 1987.
Date: Oct 12, 2000
USS Cole after attack
USS Cole after the attack

wiki/USS_Cole_bombing
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