Deaths on April 7

Georgy Shonin

Died on April 7, 1997

Georgy Shonin, Ukrainian-Russian general, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1935)

Georgy Stepanovich Shonin (Ukrainian: Гео́ргій Степа́нович Шо́нін; 3 August 1935 – 7 April 1997; born in Rovenky, Luhansk Oblast, (now Ukraine) but grew up in Balta of Ukrainian SSR) was a Soviet cosmonaut, who flew on the Soyuz 6 space mission.

Shonin was part of the original group of cosmonauts selected in 1960. He left the space program in 1979 for medical reasons.

Shonin's family hid a Jewish family from the Nazis during WWII.Shonin later worked as the director of the 30th Central Scientific Research Institute, Ministry of Defence (Russia).

He died of a heart attack in 1997.

References

Georgy Shonin

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Events on 1997

19 Jan

Hebron
Yasser Arafat returns to Hebron after more than 30 years and joins celebrations over the handover of the last Israeli-controlled West Bank city.
21 Jan

Newt Gingrich
The U.S. House of Representatives votes 395-28 to reprimand Newt Gingrich for ethics violations, making him the first Speaker of the House to be so disciplined.
5 Feb

The Holocaust
The so-called Big Three banks in Switzerland announce the creation of a $71 million fund to aid Holocaust survivors and their families.
2 Jun

Oklahoma City bombing
In Denver, Timothy McVeigh is convicted on 15 counts of murder and conspiracy for his role in the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, in which 168 people died. He was executed four years later.
1 Jul

Tony Blair
China resumes sovereignty over the city-state of Hong Kong, ending 156 years of British colonial rule. The handover ceremony is attended by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Prince Charles of Wales, Chinese President Jiang Zemin, and U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

Deaths on April 7

Georgy Shonin

Died on April 7, 1997

References

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Events on 1997

Hebron

Newt Gingrich

The Holocaust

Oklahoma City bombing

Tony Blair