This Day in History (2002): Gates gathers top CEOs

From the June 19, 2002, edition of The Arabian Sun

President and CEO Abdallah S Jum'ah was one of 120 leaders of the world's most prominent companies invited by Bill Gates of Microsoft Corp. to attend a global forum on the new economy.

Gates initiated the gathering, the fifth of its kind, as a forum to discuss the latest in the information technology and software industries and their impact on global economic trends.

The two-day meeting was in Seattle, Washington, the headquarters of Microsoft Corp.

Caption for top photo: Abdallah S. Jum'ah talks to two of the world's top technology industry leaders. At left is Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon, and Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft Corp.

Also on this date

2018 — The 10 millionth U.S. patent is issued

2013 — American singer-songwriter Slim Whitman, famous for his Western yodeling style, dies at age 90 in Orange Park, Florida

2005 — Following a series of Michelin tire failures during the U.S. Grand Prix weekend at Indianapolis, and without an agreement being reached, 14 cars from seven teams in Michelin tires withdrew after completing the formation lap, leaving only six cars from three teams on Bridgestone tires to race

1991 — The last Soviet army units in Hungary are withdrawn

1978 — "Garfield" comic strip, originally published locally as "Jon" in 1976, goes into nationwide syndication.

1964 — The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is approved after surviving an 83-day filibuster in the U.S. Senate

1961 — Kuwait declares independence from the United Kingdom

1943 — The Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League merge for one season due to player shortages caused by World War II

1910 — The first Father's Day is celebrated in Spokane, Washington

1862 — The U.S. Congress prohibits slavery in U.S. territories, nullifying Dred Scott v. Sandford

1846 — The first official organized baseball game is played under Alexander Cartwright's rules in Hoboken, New Jersey, with the New York Base Ball Club defeating the Knickerbockers 23-1

1586 — English colonists leave Roanoke Island, after failing to establish England's first permanent settlement in North America