Timeline May 1998

Events in May 1998 14

• 1915 – 1998 Alice Faye (1915-1998) American actress and singer, 20th Century Fox's top musical star of the late 1930s.
• 1915 – 1998 Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (12 December 1915 -- 14 May 1998) was an American singer and actor who is widely regarded as one of the greatest entertainers of the 20th century. Born in Hoboken, New Jersey, Sinatra began as a big band vocalist, became the first modern pop idol with his bobby-soxer fans of the early 1940s, suffered a catastrophic career collapse, and staged the most remarkable comeback in entertainment history -- winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1953 and then recording the defining albums of his Capitol Records period (1953-1962). His recordings for Capitol -- 'Songs for Swingin' Lovers,' 'In the Wee Small Hours,' 'Come Fly With Me' -- are the summit of American popular song. He founded Reprise Records, led the Rat Pack, became Las Vegas's defining performer and remained culturally dominant for six decades.
• 1948 – 1998 Phil Hartman (1948-1998) Died 28 May 1998, aged 49 Phil Hartman, a comedian and actor known for his eight seasons on Saturday Night Live and his role voicing characters on The Simpsons, was shot and killed by his wife at their home on 28 May 1998. His death shocked the entertainment industry and prompted tributes across television.
• 1998 1998 World Snooker Championship Higgins First Winner: John Higgins; Runner-up: Ken Doherty. Score: 18–12.
• 1998 Second Serie A title Juventus retain the Scudetto in 1997-98 Zidane claimed a second consecutive Serie A title with Juventus in the 1997-98 season. Juventus again reached the Champions League final that spring, this time losing 1-0 to Real Madrid, the club Zidane would join three years later. His consistency across two title-winning campaigns confirmed him as the fulcrum of Marcello Lippi's side.
• 1998 Version 2.0 -- the commercial peak Version 2.0 (May 1998) is Garbage's most commercially successful album -- reaching Number 11 in the US and Number 1 in the UK. 'Push It,' 'Special,' 'I Think I'm Paranoid' and 'The Trick Is to Keep Breathing' (one of Manson's most vulnerable performances, inspired by Janice Galloway's novel of the same name) demonstrate the band's range. The album is nominated for the Mercury Prize and two Grammy Awards. Version 2.0 demonstrates that Garbage can refine and deepen their signature sound while maintaining its commercial accessibility. It sells over three million copies.
• 1998 Theodore Kaczynski sentenced Unabomber receives four life terms without parole Theodore Kaczynski, known as the Unabomber, was sentenced on 4 May 1998 to four consecutive life terms without parole after pleading guilty to a series of mail bombings that killed three people and injured 23 over nearly two decades. He had eluded identification for years despite one of the largest manhunts in FBI history.
• 1998 Eritrean-Ethiopian War begins Border dispute erupts into full-scale war A border dispute between Eritrea and Ethiopia escalated into full-scale war after fighting broke out at Badme on 6 May 1998. The conflict, fought largely over the demarcation of the shared border, killed tens of thousands before a ceasefire in 2000.
• 1998 Alice Faye dies in Rancho Mirage Alice Faye dies aged 83.
• 1998 India conducts nuclear weapons tests Pokhran-II tests make India a declared nuclear power India detonated five nuclear devices at the Pokhran Test Range between 11 and 13 May 1998, ending a 24-year gap since its first test and announcing itself as a nuclear-armed state. The tests triggered international sanctions and sharply raised tensions with neighbouring Pakistan.
• 1998 Frank Sinatra dies in Los Angeles Frank Sinatra dies of a heart attack at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on 14 May 1998, aged 82. His wife Barbara is at his bedside; his children are not present. His reported last words are 'I'm losing.' He is buried at Desert Memorial Park in Cathedral City, California with a Jack Daniel's bottle, a roll of dimes (he always kept dimes for phone calls), a Zippo lighter and a pack of Camel cigarettes. Flags are lowered to half-staff in New Jersey. The Empire State Building is lit in blue. The most important popular singer in American history is gone.
• 1998 Suharto resigns as President of Indonesia Ends 31-year rule amid economic crisis and mass protests President Suharto resigned on 21 May 1998 after weeks of student protests and riots triggered by the Asian financial crisis and decades of authoritarian rule. His deputy, B. J. Habibie, succeeded him, opening a period of democratic reform known as Reformasi.
• 1998 Expo 98 The Last World Fair of the Century A major international exposition in Lisbon that revitalized the eastern part of the city.
• 1998 Pakistan conducts nuclear weapons tests Chagai-I tests respond to India's Pokhran-II Pakistan detonated five nuclear devices at the Ras Koh Hills on 28 May 1998, becoming the world's seventh declared nuclear power in direct response to India's tests two weeks earlier. The tests drew international sanctions and cemented a nuclear rivalry between the two countries.