Vine star Mike Hammontree

Events in 1998 and 17-2

Events in US in the birth year of Mike Hammontree

• President accused in White House sex scandal; denies allegations of affair with White House intern, Monica Lewinsky (Jan. 21 et seq.).
• President outlines first balanced budget in 30 years (Feb. 3).
• US Supreme Court rules line-item veto unconstitutional (Feb. 12).
• Unabomber sentenced to four life terms (May 4).
• Life sentence meted out to Terry Nichols, convicted in Oklahoma City bombing fatal to 168 (June 4).
• Starr Report by independent counsel outlines case for impeachment proceedings against President (Sept. 11).
• Matthew Shepard, gay Wyoming student, fatally beaten in hate crime; two arrested (Oct. 6 et seq.).
• House impeaches President Clinton along party lines on two charges, perjury and obstruction of justice. (Dec. 19).

Birthday Mike Hammontree (17-2) in history

• Day 17-2 year 1600: Italian philosopher and Dominican friar Giordano Bruno were burned alive by a Catholic court after being convicted of heresy. He is also known as an alchemist and proponent of the Copernican theory.
• Day 17-2 year 1801: The electoral tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr was broken by the House of Representatives who elected Jefferson president.
• Day 17-2 year 1817: Baltimore became the first U.S. city lit by gas.
• Day 17-2 year 1864: The Confederate submarine Hunley , equipped with an explosive at the end of a protruding spar, rammed and sank the Union's ship Housatonic off the coast of Charleston, S.C.
• Day 17-2 year 1904: Puccini's opera Madama Butterfly premiered in Milan.
• Day 17-2 year 1972: President Richard Nixon left on his trip to China.
• Day 17-2 year 1996: Chess champion Garry Kasparov beat the IBM computer, Deep Blue, winning the six-game match.
• Day 17-2 year 2008: Kosovo declared independence from Serbia.