Milestones
Ten years ago: President Bush met at the White House with Japanese Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita, after which both leaders sounded upbeat about U.S-Japanese relations.
Five years ago: The Commerce Department reported that its Index of Leading Economic Indicators rose for the fifth straight month.
One year ago: President Clinton unveiled a $1.73 trillion budget claiming the first surpluses in 30 years and pumping billions to schools, health and child care. The government released statistics showing deaths from AIDS fell by almost half during the first half of 1997, a decrease attributed to increased use of powerful combinations of medicines.