Milestones

Ten years ago: In runoff elections in France, President Francois Mitterrand’s Socialist Party fell short of a majority in the National Assembly. But a right-wing coalition also failed to retain its legislative control.

Five years ago: Reports surfaced that Judge Stephen Breyer, considered a likely candidate to the Supreme Court, had failed to pay Social Security taxes for a domestic employee. (Although President Clinton picked Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Breyer was later nominated as a U. S. justice.

One year ago:f The Treasury Department unveiled a new $50 bill meant to be more counterfeitresistant. Baseball began interleague play, ending a 126-year tradition of separating the major leagues until the World Series.