THIS DAY IN OUR PAST

The following events took place on October 24 in the years identified:

1981:

ROYAL DAD creates history once again; the unbeaten three-year-old colt becomes the first thoroughbred in the 22-year history of Caymanas Park to complete the coveted Triple Crown when he romps the season’s final classic, the 14-furlong Jamaica St Leger. Not since the legendary Mark Twain in 1950 has there been a local Triple Crown winner, and that was during the halcyon days of Knutsford Park.

1994:

A Finnish company is to invest US$96 million to construct facilities for the mounting of a 72-megawatt barge on lands leased by the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) in Old Harbour, St Catherine. The Finnish firm Wartsila Diesel Development Corp, acting through its Jamaican subsidiary, the Jamaica Energy Partners, signs a number of agreements with the JPS and the Ministry of Public Utilities towards the construction of the powergenerating facilities. Specifically, the Finnish firm signs an implementation agreement with the Ministry of Public Service, a 20-year powerpurchase agreement and a lease agreement with JPS, and a Government of Jamaica guarantee for the project.

1996:

Jamaica is cleared by a top scientist of the International Institute of Entomology (IIE) in London, Gillian Watson, as a site not hosting the pink mealybug. After examining two of three samples sent from the island, she reports that “none of the material (samples of insects) examined was found to be the Pink mealybug”.