European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 1, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse A year of drama world events Gulf War fall of the . Voted top stories of 1991 by Jerry Schwartz associated press writer the enormous bang that began 1991 a the rout of Saddam Hussein a Iraq by a International Force a was the years top news Story according to an associated press poll of news editors and broadcast news directors. And the whimper that ended 1991 a the Swift collapse of the Empire of cards that was the Union of soviet socialist republics a was runner up. The Senate confirmation of . Supreme court Justice Clarence Thomas was third followed by the release of american hostages in Lebanon the recession and the end of the cold War according to the 153 news executives who voted. The rest in order were aids the arrest of an unemployed Milwaukee factory worker in the mutilation deaths of 17 Young men the Middle East peace talks and the video taped beating of a Motorist by los Angeles police. From the top 1. The buildup that followed Saddam a invasion of Kuwait was the top Story of 1990 the subsequent Mother of All Battles was the headline Story of 1991. On Jan. 17, a Day after the United nations deadline for iraqis withdrawal from Kuwait the United states and its allies unleashed More than five weeks of thundering air strikes. On feb. 24, the ground War began. Fears that . Forces would be trapped in the desert Sands choked by Poison Gas were never realized. Instead americans Superior troops and firepower unleashed a punishing offensive that ended feb. 27 with Saddam a army in tatters. The toll 148 american lives upwards of 100,000 iraqis. 2. On Jan. 1,1991, the soviet Union was a troubled colossus beset by economic and ethnic problems but still a superpower. On Jan. 1, 1992, the soviet Union does not exist. In the blink of a historic Eye the 74-year soviet Experiment was swept away by the gang that Putsch straight a a conspiracy of hardliners who took Mikhail Gorbachev prisoner aug. 19 while he was on vacation in the Crimea. They failed to take into consideration Boris Yeltsin who rallied the russian people. When the coup failed and Gorbachev returned to Moscow on aug. 21, everything had changed Yeltsin not Gorbachev was the Central Power. Gorbachev resigned As head of the communist party three Days later and urged that it be disbanded but nothing could Stem the tide. First the Baltic states became Independent and then the remaining 12 republics. 3. Clarence Thomas nomination to replace Thurgood Marshall on the supreme court was seen As a political masterstroke a it would be hard for the democratic Congress to reject a Black nominee no matter How conservative. And Thomas was indeed on the Brink of confirmation when Anita Hill a University of Oklahoma Law professor came Forward to accuse him of sexual harassment a decade ago when she worked for Thomas. The hearings into Hill s allegations turned the nation into a Mega discussion group riveted by discussions of sex and Power right and wrong. Whom to believe Thomas according to the polls and the Senate sent him to the Bench by a vote of 52 to 48. A 4. For 2,455 Days Terry Anderson was held prisoner in Lebanon never knowing when or whether his captors would release him. But then the end of two conflicts a the cold War and the Gulf War a turned the Middle East upside Down and everyone wanted to be on Good terms with the United states. Jesse Turner. The anglican envoy Terry Waite. Thomas Sutherland. Joseph Cicippio. Alann Steen. One by one the kidnappers released their captives. And finally on dec. 4, Anderson a chief Middle East correspondent for the associated press a enjoyed sunlight. 5. There were no Silver linings to the economic Clouds that hovered Over 1991 a they had Long since been converted to currency to bail out savings and Loans or to finance leveraged buyouts in the go go 1980s. In november unemployment stood at 6.8 percent not counting the thousands who had dropped out of the Job Market from discouragement. Ism general motors and other Industrial titans announced heretofore unimaginable layoffs. The deficit was pegged at nearly $400 billion. The Federal Reserve dropped its discount rate to Levels not seen since 1964. Economists debated whether the recession still raged pundits debated whether it was actually a depression politicians just debated a and Bush accused of doing nothing watched As his popularity plummeted. 6. On March 31, the Warsaw pact a the former soviet bloc a dissolved its military Arm. On july 31, Bush and Gorbachev signed a pact reducing Long Range nuclear weapons. On sept. 27, Bush eliminated other nuclear weapons eight Days later. Gorbachev announced his own cutbacks. By years end Russia wanted to join nato. 7. The aids epidemic turned 10 last year nearly 200,000 americans suffered from the disease and 8 million people were infected worldwide. But two victims put the disease on the front Page basketball Star Magie Johnson who retired when he Learned he was infected and. Kimberly Bergalis who died at age 23 after contracting the disease from her dentist. 8. It took a while to count up the carnage in Jeffrey Dah Mcra a Milwaukee apartment. There were 11 bodies but they had been chopped up. There were four Heads in the refrigerator and Freezer plus seven acid washed skulls. In All Dahmer admitted killing 17 males Over 13 years. 9. After four major wars Over 43 years Israel and the arabs Bent to . Pressure. They sat Down to Settle matters. They did t. The first round of talks in Madrid Spain was notable because of the inclusion of palestinians. When the second round in Washington broke in no one asserted anything had been accomplished. Talks were to resume there on Jan. 7. 10. George Holliday was not nominated for an emmy but he is responsible for the most gripping piece of videotape of 1991. It was Holliday an Amateur photographer who videotaped a group of los Angeles police officers assaulting Rodney King 25. They said he had led them on a 100-Mph Chase and had attacked them he denied it and the tape a shown again and again and again nationwide a seemed to Back him s top 10 of 91 by United press International Here Are the results of the 1991 up editors poll on the top 10 stories of the year. Seventy two up client newspaper editors and broadcast news directors voted Between dec. 10 and dec. 17. 1.gnlfwar 2. Cow Apsa of wimp inv Teviat Union 3. On Ronco Thomas Harpas i 111 Roe Ossim door Isloa 5. Bol Oase of a my a last Hast Afos i Gorta Diou Sun has Tahod coup 7. A nth Johnson Rah Ronert his Tost i. Joffroy Balmor needs and in ii Doat Fis 9. Moast Ponco talks opon 10. Kihwan Taxa massacre kids 23science made further gains by Paul Raeburn a science editor in u year of epoch making change in world politics scientific researchers quietly made some history themselves in the struggle against human infirmity and the quest for greater knowledge of the universe. Here Are 10 of the top science achievements of 1991 aspirin wonder drug in a series of Independent studies aspirin was shown to help prevent strokes in As Many As 750,000 americans to reduce the risk of a second heart attack by 25 percent and to Cut the risk of Colon cancer in half. New planet astronomers said they had detected the first planet outside the solar system. It weighs 10 times As much As Earth is about three times its diameter and orbits a dense Neutron Star 20,000 to 30,000 Light years away. Beta carotene a benefits doctors discovered that women who eat one serving a Day of carrots spinach apricots or other foods Rich in Beta carotene a building Block of Vitamin a Cut their stroke risk by 40 percent and their risk of a heart attack by 22 percent. Heart and Ace inhibitors for the first time drugs called Ace inhibitors have been shown to Stop or at least delay the development of congestive heart failure a discovery that could help 1 million americans who Are at risk for the condition because of prior damage to their hearts. Surrogate grand mom a 42-year-old woman in South Dakota became the first . Surrogate grandmother it when she became pregnant with her own twin grandchildren because her daughter could not Bear children. And a California teen Ager with leukaemia got a Bone marrow transplant from her 13-month-old sister who was conceived in the Hope she could provide the donation. Diagnosing genetic disorders for the first time researchers diagnosed fetal genetic disorders including Downs syndrome by simply taking blood samples from pregnant women eliminating possible risk to the fetus. Gene therapy girl a 4-year-old girl who in 1990 became the first person in the United states to receive experimental Gene therapy has improved enough to leave her Home and go ice skating and she has shown few Side effects her doctors said. Cell therapy in experimental therapy lung cancer and leukaemia were effectively treated with a new class of drugs that rather than trying to kill cancer cells converts them into Normal cells. The scent of a Rose biologists discovered a family of genes that explain Why a Rose by any other name would smell As Sweet in a finding that researchers said could provide profound insight into How the brain analyses sensory information. Second aids drug the . Food and drug administration approved a second aids fighting drug using a streamlined approval process that made the drug available to patients who could not tolerate at previously the Only drug approved for treatment of aids. Wednesday thursday january 1/2, 1992 the stars and stripes Page 3
