1997 - The independent film, The English Patient, (Ralph Fiennes and Kristin Scott Thomas from the movie, above) took the lion’s share of the Oscars, walking away with nine Academy Awards including best picture and best director. Best actor went to Geoffrey Rush for his portrayal of Australian pianist David Helfgott in Shine, while Frances McDormand took best actress for her playing a pregnant police chief in the offbeat crime drama Fargo. It was a night of double honours for veteran producer Saul Zaentz. In addition to winning best picture for The English Patient, he was presented with the Irving G. Thalberg award for his body of work. The English Patient also won best art direction, best cinematography, best costume design, best film editing, best original dramatic score and best sound.
Other important events
1801 - Aleksandr P. Romanov becomes emperor of Russia.
1882 - Robert Koch, German bacteriologist, announces isolation of tuberculosis bacteria.
1958 - Elvis Presley is inducted into the US Army in Memphis, Tennessee.
1972 - Britain takes over direct control of Northern Ireland.
1974 - Uganda crushes coup attempt against President Idi Amin.
1976 - Argentina’s President Isabel Peron is deposed by her country’s military.
1977 - Morarji Desai becomes Prime Minister of India after defeating Indira Gandhi in a general election.
1982 - Bangladesh’s army chief, Lt. General Mohammad Ershad, seizes power in a bloodless coup.
1990 - The last Indian troops in Sri Lanka set sail for home from the eastern port of Trincomalee.
1998 - The European Union declares 11 countries eligible for the euro, the currency that will replace their respective national currencies.
1999 - Nato launches air strikes against Yugoslavia.
2006 - UAE Human Rights Organisation opens doors to expatriates.
2007 - Australia’s Matthew Hayden smashes fastest century in World Cup cricket against South Africa.
2008 - Yousuf Raza Gilani is elected the new Prime Minister of Pakistan.
2011 - Indian spiritual guru Satya Sai Baba dies in his ashram (hermitage) of Puttaparthi, India, at the age of 86.
2013 - Former President Pervez Musharraf returns to Pakistan after four years of self-imposed exile.
2015 - An Airbus operated by Lufthansa’s Germanwings budget airline crashes in a remote area of the French Alps, killing all 150 people on board.
