Every day the world is bombarded with natural disasters, civil war, terrorism, Newt Gingrich. Out of this vast mess of news, how do we distinguish highlights from the past year? History books are obligated to weigh each event’s effect on the world, but we are bound by no such restrictions. So our 1995 Timeline has one requirement: great quotes.
There’s a reason that journalists secretly rejoice when a source lets loose with a juicy quote: it makes any story a whole lot better. Some newsmakers make a point of supplying reporters with quotes, now known as “sound bites.” More often, the truly great quote is a product of unfortunate spontaneity, obvious lying, hypocrisy, or an utter lack of human introspection. And in the case of Newt Gingrich, all of the above.
Brazil’s government banned cigarette ads from sports and cultural events and from TV every day until 11 p.m. Gilberto Leifert, acting president of the Brazilian advertising industry’s council, whined about the restrictions: “Pretty soon, the Government will ban television interviews with people who are poorly dressed.”
February 3
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Colin Ferguson’s trial for the 1993 Long Island Railroad shootings was, sadly, only shown in exerpts on Court TV due to O.J. Simpson coverage. Ferguson shot 25 people, killing six, and then decided to defend himself. Ferguson’s cross-examination of his own victims was much more interesting than Dream Team bickering. Victim Maryanne Phillips testified that she played dead after being shot once, and Ferguson asked her if that meant her eyes were closed. Said Phillips: “Yes, so you wouldn’t come back and shoot me again.”
For 20 years Sweden has insisted that Soviet submarines are stalking its coast. This year, Prime Minister Ingvar Carlsson had an embarrassing admission: “It’s a sad fact that what was originally stated to be intrusions into our waters has proved to be minks.”
March 15
