Blogger Dante Colon

Events in 1999 and 2-3

Events in the world in the birth year of Dante Colon

• Russian president Boris Yeltsin survives impeachment hearings (May), reshuffles his cabinet twice (May, Aug.), and takes military action against Islamic separatists in Dagestan and Chechnya. Background: 1999 in Review.
• Nelson Mandela, first black president of South Africa, steps down (June 16), and Thabo Mbeki takes over.
• War erupts in Kosovo after Yugoslavia's president Slobodan Milosevic clamps down on the province, massacring and deporting ethnic Albanians. NATO begins Operation Allied Force on March 24, 1999, launching air strikes against Belgrade for 78 consecutive days until Milosevic relents. Background: Timeline: The Splintering of Kosovo and Timeline: NATO in Kosovo.
• Magnitude 7.4 earthquake kills more than 15,600 and leaves 600,000 homeless in Turkey (Aug. 17).
• East Timor population votes for independence from Indonesia (Aug. 30, 1999), which causes pro-Indonesian forces to massacre and uproot thousands of East Timorese.
• Pakistani government is overthrown in the midst of economic strife and intensified fighting with India over Kashmir (Oct. 12). Background: 1999 in Review.
• The world awaits the consequences of the Y2K bug, with more drastic millennial theorists warning of Armageddon.
• See also: 1999 Year in Review: News of the World

Birthday Dante Colon (2-3) in history

• Day 2-3 year 1836: Texas declared its independence from Mexico.
• Day 2-3 year 1877: Rutherford B. Hayes was declared president by a U.S. electoral commission since the original result was too close to call. He was the only president elected this way.
• Day 2-3 year 1917: Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory and Puerto Ricans gained American citizenship.
• Day 2-3 year 1923: The first issue of Henry Luce's TIME magazine appeared on newsstands.
• Day 2-3 year 1933: King Kong, starring Fay Wray, premiered in New York City.
• Day 2-3 year 1949: Captain James Gallagher completed the first non-stop around the world flight. He completed the 23,452-mile journey in 94 hours, 1 minute.
• Day 2-3 year 1956: Morocco gained independence from France.
• Day 2-3 year 1962: Philadelphia Warriors center Wilt Chamberlain scored an NBA-record 100 points in a basketball game.
• Day 2-3 year 2001: The Taliban began the destruction of ancient Buddha statues in Afghanistan.
• Day 2-3 year 2008: Dmitri A. Medvedev, a former aide to Russian president Vladimir Putin who has never held elected office, won the Russian presidential election in a landslide. Putin remained in a position of power, serving as Medvedev's prime minister.