News stories from Tuesday April 14, 1981
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- A major space advance was achieved as the United States successfully demonstrated the first re-usable winged spaceship. The space shuttle Columbia rocketed out of orbit and glided to a safe wheeled landing on California's Mojave Desert. John Young and Capt. Robert Crippen of the Navy brought the powerless vehicle to a smooth touchdown at a speed of 215 miles an hour, about twice the velocity of a jetliner landing. One hour earlier, the craft was orbiting at 17,500 miles an hour.
At least 250,000 people had gone to Edwards Air Force Base to watch the space shuttle glide to a landing. The spectators cheered as the Columbia touched down perhaps only 60 seconds after it was first spotted high over the horizon. Americans were jubilant over the flight. The completion of the nation's first manned space mission in six years evoked an outpouring of patriotism and pride and a hotel bellman's shout, "We're No. 1 again."
[New York Times] - Myriad uses for the space shuttle, commercial, scientific and military, were forecast after the nearly flawless voyage of Columbia. A space agency official said the "optimistic" estimate was that the shuttle would fly again under its own power in "less than six months" and ultimately be able to return to space every few weeks.
Continuous operations were in prospect after the Columbia's fiery plunge into the atmosphere and its graceful but tricky landing. The flight was the first for which landing, or splashdown, did not signify mission's end.
[New York Times] - A budget strategy session was led by President Reagan. He directed officials to provide additional information on future spending cuts to the three conservative Senate Republicans who voted against the administration's budget proposals last week. [New York Times]
- The prospect of a long miners' strike increased despite the resumption of contract talks. The coal industry's chief negotiator "flatly rejected" the union's new demands for a "better contract" in place of the proposal that was overwhelmingly rejected last month by the 160,000 striking miners. [New York Times]
- Many young middle-class Americans, raised and nurtured with high expectations, become drifters, eking out an existence from unskilled work. Raised in comfort, they are unwilling or unable to accept the demands of conventional society. Attention has been focused on them by the styles of life of the two young men charged with threatening the life of President Reagan. [New York Times]
- Lebanon's Parliament was shelled as Syrians and Lebanese Christian militiamen exchanged fire. The Prime Minister and 15 legislators were trapped inside the building for at least an hour, but were evacuated unharmed. At least six civilians were reported to have been killed by sniper fire in the same section of Beirut. [New York Times]
- A virtual halt in Soviet military action in and around Poland was reported by Reagan administration officials, reducing Washington's fears of early Soviet-led intervention there. But the officials indicated they would continue to monitor the situation. [New York Times]
- A threat to Indian-American ties is expected to arise from a reported Pakistani plan. Asian diplomats at the United Nations said they expected Pakistan to ask the Reagan administration for a broad pledge of support against aggression from any quarter. Such a pledge would involve Washington in a commitment to consider aiding Islamabad in a conflict with India as well as the Soviet Union and could enrage New Delhi. [New York Times]
- The administration's Africa specialist, Chester Crocker, arrived in South Africa on the sixth stop of a 10-nation Africa tour that is believed to be aimed at reviving negotiations to achieve independence for South-West Africa. Mr. Crocker was told that Prime Minister P.W. Botha would not be able to receive him. South Africa is only two weeks away from a general election. [New York Times]
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Stock Market Report
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 989.10 (-4.06, -0.41%)
Arms Index is the ratio of volume per declining issue to volume per advancing issue; a figure below 1.0 is bullish. | |||||||||||||||
| Market Index Trends | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | DJIA | S&P | Volume* |
| April 13, 1981 | 993.16 | 133.15 | 49.85 |
| April 10, 1981 | 1000.27 | 134.51 | 58.12 |
| April 9, 1981 | 998.83 | 133.92 | 59.54 |
| April 8, 1981 | 993.43 | 134.31 | 48.04 |
| April 7, 1981 | 992.89 | 133.91 | 44.54 |
| April 6, 1981 | 994.24 | 133.93 | 43.11 |
| April 3, 1981 | 1007.11 | 135.49 | 48.68 |
| April 2, 1981 | 1009.01 | 136.32 | 52.57 |
| April 1, 1981 | 1014.14 | 136.57 | 54.89 |
| March 31, 1981 | 1003.87 | 136.00 | 50.97 |