Chapter 11: National and International Headlines (Spring 1981: Part VI)
Sergeant Foley
Well-known member
REAGAN PARDONS FORMER FBI OFFICIALS
*Wednesday, April 15, 1981: President Ronald Reagan pardoned former FBI agents W. Mark Felt and Edward S. Miller five months after they had both been convicted of conspiracy to violating civil rights of friends and relatives of the suspected members of the Weather Underground terrorist organization.
TRUDEAU REJECTS PROVINCIAL PLAN OF CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES
*Thursday, April 16, 1981: Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau rejected a plan which had been endorsed by the Premiers of eight out of the ten provinces that would've allowed individual provincial legislatures to reject constitutional changes, saying it would turn Canada into a loose confederation.
FUNERAL SERVICES FOR LEGENDARY HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING CHAMPION JOE LOUIS HELD IN LAS VEGAS
*Friday, April 17, 1981: The funeral services for legendary heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis was held inside the Sports Pavilion of Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada officiated by the Reverend Jesse Jackson. Among those in attendance: United States Senator Paul Laxalt (R-NV); Caesar's Palace president Harry Ward; boxing greats Muhammad Ali; Sugar Ray Robinson; Larry Holmes; Floyd Patterson; entertainers Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis, Jr.,; comedian Bill Cosby; Max Schmeling; Gene Tunney; Jack Dempsey; Lou Nova and promoter Don King. Louis' flag-draped casket was then driven to the airport for the flight to Washington, DC., where President Reagan waived the eligibility requirements in allowing the boxing legend to be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia with full military honors.
SPORTS: NEBRASKA WRANGLERS WIN WPBL CHAMPIONSHIP IN LEAGUE'S FINAL GAME
*Monday, April 20, 1981: In the final game of the WPBL, the Nebraska Wranglers defeated the Dallas Diamonds by a score of 99-90 winning the WPBL Championship.
HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING LEGEND JOE LOUIS OFFICIALLY LAID TO REST WITH FULL MILITARY HONORS AT ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
*Tuesday, April 21, 1981: With family, friends including boxing greats and boxing contemporaries in attendance, legendary heavyweight boxing champion Joseph Louis Barrow was officially laid to rest with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.
NABSICO MERGING WITH STANDARD BRANDS
*Wednesday, April 22, 1981: Food producers Nabsico, Inc., agreed to acquire Standard Brands, Inc., in a stock transaction which was valued at around $1.9 billion creating Nabisco Brands, Inc.,
PRESIDENT REAGAN LIFTS GRAIN EMBRAGO
*Friday, April 24, 1981: President Ronald Reagan ended the Grain Embargo which had been instituted by then-President Linwood Holton on 7 January 1980 and which had also restricted the sale of American grain to the Soviet Union following the Soviets' invasion of Afghanistan. In announcing this decision, Reagan said "American farmers have been unfairly singled out to bear the burden of this ineffective policy."
GISCARD AND MITTERRAND ADVANCE TO PRESIDENTIAL RUNOFF ELECTION IN FRANCE
*Sunday, April 26, 1981: In the first round of the 1981 French Presidential election campaign, incumbent French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing and Francois Mitterrand advanced to the 10 May 1981 runoff election, which will be hotly-contested as the eyes of France and the world will be watching quite closely. The winner of the runoff election will take office on 21 May 1981 for the seven-year term.
TENNIS STAR ADMITS SECRET LESBIAN AFFAIR
*Tuesday, April 28, 1981: Professional tennis champion Billie Jean King was sued by Marilyn Barnett, a woman who stated in her complaint, they were lesbian lovers. Initially denying the allegations, King ultimately admitted to the secret lesbian relationship four days later.
PEOPLE EXPRESS POISED TO FLY
*Thursday, April 30, 1981: Promoting themselves as the "No-Frills Airline", the People Express began their low-cost trips to and from its hub at the Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey; tickets for the inaugural flight from Newark, New Jersey to Buffalo, New York State priced only $23.00.
BREAKING NEWS ALERT: UNITED STATES SENATOR HARRISON WILLIAMS (D-NJ) CONVICTED ON FELONY CHARGES OF BRIBERY AND CONSPIRACY
*Friday, May 1, 1981: United States Senator Harrison Williams (D-NJ) was convicted by federal grand jury on felony charges of bribery and conspiracy and was sentenced to three years in federal prison. Williams steadfastly refused to resign his US Senate seat saying, "This despicable injustice has robbed New Jerseyans of having one of two of their United States Senators fighting for them in Capitol Hill."
VOLUNTARY RESTRAINT AGREEMENT ENACTED BY MITI
*Responding to US pressure, the Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) enacted the Voluntary Restraint Agreement (VRA) reducing the number of car sales to the United States to 1,680,000 units.
GRANITE V HONORING VIETNAM WAR DEAD CHOSEN FOR NEW MEMORIAL HONORING VIETNAM WAR VETERANS
*Wednesday, May 6, 1981: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund announced that they accepted the design of 21-year-old architecture student Maya Lin for the new Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
AIR FORCE JET EXPLODES; KILLING 21
*United States Air Force C-135 aircraft exploded at 10:45 while on an altitude of 28,000 FT; All 21 USAF Personnel on board the plane were killed instantly and the wreckage scattered over Frederick, Maryland.
INA NEWS AGENCY REPORTS MITTERRAND WINS FRENCH PRESIDENTIAL RUNOFF ELECTION, DEFEATS INCUMBENT GISCARD IN CLOSE VOTE
*Sunday, May 10, 1981: With a record turnout of 85.85% in the French Presidential runoff elections, Francois Mitterrand of the Socialist Party defeated incumbent French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing of the Union for French Democracy Party, making Giscard the first incumbent French President to lose reelection. Mitterrand garnered 15,708,262 votes (51.76%) while President Giscard garnered 14,642,306 votes (48.24%). Mitterrand will be inaugurated as the 21st President of the French Republic at Elysee Palace on 21 May 1981.
PLAN REVAMPING SOCIAL SECURITY UNVEILED; CONGRESS CONDEMNS THE PROPOSAL
*Tuesday, May 12, 1981: US Secretary of Health and Human Services Richard Schweiker unveiled the Reagan administration's plan of balancing the Federal Budget by reducing social security benefits paid for early retirement from 80% of the full rating to 55%. This proposal was so unpopular both Republicans and Democrats agreed on it: voting 98-0 on a Senate resolution strongly condemning the idea. United States Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI) referred to this proposal "Heartless, Disgusting and Full of Garbage, the American people are going to respond forcefully in the 1982 Midterms."
SPORTS: BOSTON CELTICS WIN 14TH NBA CHAMPIONSHIP
*Thursday, May 14, 1981: The Boston Celtics of the Eastern Conference defeated the Western Conference champion Houston Rockets by a score of 102-91 in Game 6 of the 1981 NBA Finals at The Summit in Houston, Texas before a crowd of 16,121 in attendance; Celtics small forward Cedric Maxwell was named NBA Finals Most Valuable Player; this is the 14th NBA Championship for the Boston Celtics with long storied history and winning championship throughout the years.
*Wednesday, April 15, 1981: President Ronald Reagan pardoned former FBI agents W. Mark Felt and Edward S. Miller five months after they had both been convicted of conspiracy to violating civil rights of friends and relatives of the suspected members of the Weather Underground terrorist organization.
TRUDEAU REJECTS PROVINCIAL PLAN OF CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES
*Thursday, April 16, 1981: Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau rejected a plan which had been endorsed by the Premiers of eight out of the ten provinces that would've allowed individual provincial legislatures to reject constitutional changes, saying it would turn Canada into a loose confederation.
FUNERAL SERVICES FOR LEGENDARY HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING CHAMPION JOE LOUIS HELD IN LAS VEGAS
SPORTS: NEBRASKA WRANGLERS WIN WPBL CHAMPIONSHIP IN LEAGUE'S FINAL GAME
*Monday, April 20, 1981: In the final game of the WPBL, the Nebraska Wranglers defeated the Dallas Diamonds by a score of 99-90 winning the WPBL Championship.
HEAVYWEIGHT BOXING LEGEND JOE LOUIS OFFICIALLY LAID TO REST WITH FULL MILITARY HONORS AT ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
NABSICO MERGING WITH STANDARD BRANDS
*Wednesday, April 22, 1981: Food producers Nabsico, Inc., agreed to acquire Standard Brands, Inc., in a stock transaction which was valued at around $1.9 billion creating Nabisco Brands, Inc.,
PRESIDENT REAGAN LIFTS GRAIN EMBRAGO
*Friday, April 24, 1981: President Ronald Reagan ended the Grain Embargo which had been instituted by then-President Linwood Holton on 7 January 1980 and which had also restricted the sale of American grain to the Soviet Union following the Soviets' invasion of Afghanistan. In announcing this decision, Reagan said "American farmers have been unfairly singled out to bear the burden of this ineffective policy."
GISCARD AND MITTERRAND ADVANCE TO PRESIDENTIAL RUNOFF ELECTION IN FRANCE
*Sunday, April 26, 1981: In the first round of the 1981 French Presidential election campaign, incumbent French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing and Francois Mitterrand advanced to the 10 May 1981 runoff election, which will be hotly-contested as the eyes of France and the world will be watching quite closely. The winner of the runoff election will take office on 21 May 1981 for the seven-year term.
TENNIS STAR ADMITS SECRET LESBIAN AFFAIR
*Tuesday, April 28, 1981: Professional tennis champion Billie Jean King was sued by Marilyn Barnett, a woman who stated in her complaint, they were lesbian lovers. Initially denying the allegations, King ultimately admitted to the secret lesbian relationship four days later.
PEOPLE EXPRESS POISED TO FLY
*Thursday, April 30, 1981: Promoting themselves as the "No-Frills Airline", the People Express began their low-cost trips to and from its hub at the Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey; tickets for the inaugural flight from Newark, New Jersey to Buffalo, New York State priced only $23.00.
BREAKING NEWS ALERT: UNITED STATES SENATOR HARRISON WILLIAMS (D-NJ) CONVICTED ON FELONY CHARGES OF BRIBERY AND CONSPIRACY
*Friday, May 1, 1981: United States Senator Harrison Williams (D-NJ) was convicted by federal grand jury on felony charges of bribery and conspiracy and was sentenced to three years in federal prison. Williams steadfastly refused to resign his US Senate seat saying, "This despicable injustice has robbed New Jerseyans of having one of two of their United States Senators fighting for them in Capitol Hill."
VOLUNTARY RESTRAINT AGREEMENT ENACTED BY MITI
*Responding to US pressure, the Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) enacted the Voluntary Restraint Agreement (VRA) reducing the number of car sales to the United States to 1,680,000 units.
GRANITE V HONORING VIETNAM WAR DEAD CHOSEN FOR NEW MEMORIAL HONORING VIETNAM WAR VETERANS
*Wednesday, May 6, 1981: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund announced that they accepted the design of 21-year-old architecture student Maya Lin for the new Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
AIR FORCE JET EXPLODES; KILLING 21
*United States Air Force C-135 aircraft exploded at 10:45 while on an altitude of 28,000 FT; All 21 USAF Personnel on board the plane were killed instantly and the wreckage scattered over Frederick, Maryland.
INA NEWS AGENCY REPORTS MITTERRAND WINS FRENCH PRESIDENTIAL RUNOFF ELECTION, DEFEATS INCUMBENT GISCARD IN CLOSE VOTE
PLAN REVAMPING SOCIAL SECURITY UNVEILED; CONGRESS CONDEMNS THE PROPOSAL
*Tuesday, May 12, 1981: US Secretary of Health and Human Services Richard Schweiker unveiled the Reagan administration's plan of balancing the Federal Budget by reducing social security benefits paid for early retirement from 80% of the full rating to 55%. This proposal was so unpopular both Republicans and Democrats agreed on it: voting 98-0 on a Senate resolution strongly condemning the idea. United States Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI) referred to this proposal "Heartless, Disgusting and Full of Garbage, the American people are going to respond forcefully in the 1982 Midterms."
SPORTS: BOSTON CELTICS WIN 14TH NBA CHAMPIONSHIP