On this day in 1990, Panama’s General Manuel Antonio Noriega, after holing up for 10 days at the Vatican embassy in Panama City, surrenders to U.S. military troops to face charges of drug trafficking. Noriega was flown to Miami the following day and crowds of citizens on the streets of Panama City rejoiced. On July 10, 1992, the former dictator was convicted of drug trafficking, money laundering and racketeering and sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Noriega, who was born in Panama in 1938, was a loyal soldier to General Omar Torrijos, who seized power in a 1968 coup. Under Torrijos, Noriega headed up the notorious G-2 intelligence service, which harassed and terrorized people who criticized the Torrijos regime. Noriega also became a C.I.A. operative, while at the same time getting rich smuggling drugs.
In 1981, Omar Torrijos died in a plane crash and after a two-year power struggle, Noriega emerged as general of Panama’s military forces. He became the country’s de facto leader, fixing presidential elections so he could install his own puppet officials. Noriega’s rule was marked by corruption and violence. He also became a double agent, selling American intelligence secrets to Cuba and Eastern European governments. In 1987, when Panamanians organized protests against Noriega and demanded his ouster, he declared a national emergency, shut down radio stations and newspapers and forced his political enemies into exile.
That year the United States cut off aid to Panama and tried to get Noriega to resign; in 1988, the U.S. began considering the use of military action to put an end to his drug trafficking. Noriega voided the May 1989 presidential election, which included a U.S.-backed candidate, and in December of that year he declared his country to be in a state of war with the United States. Shortly afterward, an American marine was killed by Panamanian soldiers. President George H.W. Bush authorized “Operation Just Cause,” and on December 20, 1989, 13,000 U.S. troops were sent to occupy Panama City, along with the 12,000 already there, and seize Noriega. During the invasion, 23 U.S. troops were killed in action and over 300 were wounded. Approximately 450 Panamanian troops were killed; estimates for the number of civilians who died range from several hundred to several thousand, with thousands more injured.
Noriega, derogatorily nicknamed “Pineapple Face” in reference to his pockmarked skin, died in Panama City, Panama, on May 29, 2017.
Also,
All-time Formula One champ born
Michael Schumacher, who won a record seven Formula One (F1) world championships, is born on January 3, 1969, near Cologne, Germany. In a 16-year Formula One career that began in the early 1990s, Schumacher’s numerous F1 accomplishments also included records for most Grand Prix victories (91), most pole positions (68; the most favorable place to start a race, the pole position is awarded to the driver with the fastest qualifying time for the race) and most career points (1,369; an F1 driver earns points based on where he places in a race).
Schumacher, who was a championship kart racer growing up in Germany, made his Formula One debut in 1991 and won his first race the following year, at the 1992 Belgian Grand Prix. (Individual F1 events are known as Grand Prix races.) Traditionally based in Europe, Formula One, which has been referred to as the world’s richest sport because it costs so much money to participate in, is an elite level of racing in which competitors drive single-seat, open-wheeled vehicles capable of speeds surpassing 230 mph. These cars are typically built by large automakers, known in the racing world as constructors, including Porsche, Ferrari and Toyota. Today, Formula One events are held around the world, with drivers competing for teams that have corporate sponsorship. Formula One racing is governed by the Fédération International de l’Automobile (FIA), which in 1950 named its inaugural world championship driver, Giuseppe Farina of Italy. (In 1958, the FIA awarded its first constructor championship, to the British carmaker Vanwall.)
When he collected his first Formula One world championship in 1994, Schumacher became the first German driver to ever do so. He went on to claim the title again in 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004. With his sixth championship title in 2003, Schumacher broke the record of Argentine driver Juan Manuel Fangio (1911-1995), who won five world titles in the 1950s.
Though he was one of the most talented and highest-paid drivers in recent F1 history, Schumacher, who drove for the Benetton racing team from 1992 to 1995 and Ferrari from 1996 to 2006, was not without controversy. On various occasions, he was accused of bending the rules and unsportsmanlike behavior, including aggressive driving that resulted in collisions with his competitors. After competing in the 2006 Brazilian Grand Prix, Schumacher retired from F1 racing at the age of 37.
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