Milestones

Ten years ago: Iran’s President Ali Khamenei said Salman Rushdie, author of “The Satanic Verses,” could save himself from a death sentence pronounced by Ayatollah Khomeini if he were to apologize for his book, which Muslims regarded as blasphemous.

Five years ago: Bosnian Serbs began large-scale withdrawal of heavy guns from the hills around Sarajevo under pressure from Russia.

One year ago: President Clinton, preparing Americans for possible airstrikes against Iraq, said military force is never the first answer “but sometimes it’s the only answer.” The U.S. women’s hockey team won the gold medal at Nagano, Japan, defeating Canada 3-1.