Family member Gabriel McClain

Events in 2001 and 17-4

Events in US in the birth year of Gabriel McClain

• In final days of presidency, Bill Clinton issues controversial pardons, including one for Marc Rich, billionaire fugitive financier (Jan. 20).
• George W. Bush is sworn in as 43rd president (Jan. 20).
• U.S. submarine Greeneville sinks Japanese fishing boat, killing 9 (Feb. 9).
• FBI agent Robert Hanssen is charged with spying for Russia for 15 years (Feb. 20).
• Race riots in Cincinnati continue for several days following a shooting of an unarmed black man by a white police officer (April 7 et seq.).
• Four are declared guilty in 1998 terrorist bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania (May 29). Background: U.S. Embassy Bombings.
• Balance of the Senate shifts after Jim Jeffords of Vermont changes his party affiliation from Republican to Independent. The move strips Republicans of control of the Senate and gives Democrats the narrowest of majorities (50-49-1) (June 5).
• Bush signs new tax-cut law, the largest in 20 years (June 7). Background: Economic Downturn and a Tax Cut.
• Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh executed (June 11).
• Budget surplus dwindles. The Congressional Budget Office attributes this rapid change in the nation's fortunes to the slowing economy and the Bush tax cut (Aug. 22). Background: Economic Downturn and a Tax Cut.
• Terrorists attack United States. Hijackers ram jetliners into twin towers of New York City's World Trade Center and the Pentagon. A fourth hijacked plane crashes 80 mi outside of Pittsburgh (Sept. 11). Toll of dead and injured in thousands. Within days, Islamic militant Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaeda terrorist network are identified as the parties behind the attacks.
• Anthrax scare rivets nation, as anthrax-laced letters are sent to various media and government officials. Several postal workers die after handling the letters (throughout October).

Birthday Gabriel McClain (17-4) in history

• Day 17-4 year 1790: Benjamin Franklin, American patriot, diplomat, and signer of the Declaration of Independence, has died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
• Day 17-4 year 1895: The Sino-Japanese War ended with the signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki.
• Day 17-4 year 1937: Daffy Duck made his debut in Porky's Duck Hunt.
• Day 17-4 year 1961: Supported by the U.S. government, 1,500 exiles made the unsuccessful Bay of Pigs invasion in Cuba.
• Day 17-4 year 1964: Geraldine Mock became the first woman to fly solo around the world.
• Day 17-4 year 1969: Sirhan Sirhan was convicted for the murder of Robert F. Kennedy.
• Day 17-4 year 1970: The Apollo 13 astronauts safely splashed down after their near-disastrous flight.
• Day 17-4 year 1975: Phnom Penh fell to the Khmer Rouge, ending the five year Cambodian war.