Milestones

OPENED. THE MEMORIAL TO THE MURDERED JEWS OF EUROPE, by German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and Jewish leaders from around the world; in Berlin. The memorial, an undulating 19,000-sq-m field of 2,711 concrete slabs, was designed by American architect Peter Eisenman and cost $35 million to build. Although the idea for a memorial was first mooted by German journalist Lea Rosh in 1988, it took 15 years of debate over the design before construction began in 2003. Parliamentary President Wolfgang Thierse said the monument, which is dedicated to the Holocaust's 6 million Jewish victims, is a sign that Germany "faces up to its history."

DISCOVERED. LAONASTES AENIGMAMUS, believed to be a member of an entire family of mammals previously unknown to science; in central Laos. In 1996, scientists from the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society spotted the small, ratlike animal being sold as food in a Lao market. Genetic analysis revealed the animal diverged from other rodents millions of years ago, making this the first discovery of an entirely new scientific family—a classification above genus and species—since 1974. The animal's discoverer, Robert Timmins, calls it a Laotian Rock Rat, and said it could represent "the last remaining mammal family left to be discovered."

UNDER INVESTIGATION. GAUTAM GOSWAMI, 39, former Indian district magistrate, who was named as one of Time's 20 Asia's Heroes in 2004; by officials probing alleged overcharging of $2 million, first reported by the Indian Express newspaper, for food and supplies sent to victims of last summer's floods in the eastern state of Bihar; in Patna, India. Last week, Bihar's top official, Chief Secretary K.A.H. Subramanian, announced he would be filing a First Information Report with the police based on his administration's internal inquiry into the affair, a move expected to trigger a criminal investigation of Goswami and others. The ex-magistrate, who quit the civil service in January, denies all allegations and says that he will fight the case.

DIED. ZHANG CHUNQIAO, 88, the last surviving member of China's notorious Gang of Four, the influential ring of radical Maoists, including Mao's wife Jiang Qing, behind the excesses of Mao's 1966-76 Cultural Revolution; on April 21, in an undisclosed location. When a politically threatened Mao started the revolution to cleanse the nation of "bourgeois remnants," Zhang, his trusted propagandist and deputy, led the effort. The ensuing terror, including the assault and jailing of legions of perceived enemies, ended in October 1976, a month after Mao's death, when Zhang and his comrades were arrested. He was later tried and sentenced to life imprisonment.

DEFEATED. SILENT WITNESS, 5, by stablemate Bullish Luck in the Hong Kong Champions Mile; in Hong Kong. First sold for the bargain price of $39,000, the Australian-bred sprinter has won more than $6 million in career earnings and scored 17 consecutive victories, eclipsing the record of 16 held by champions Ribot, Citation and Cigar. His unlikely rise and winning ways have made the horse an icon in his gambling-obsessed hometown, although the loss means touted trips to high-stakes races in Japan and the U.S. may not happen. "Every horse has to lose," said his owner, Archie de Silva. "We had a good run."

Performance of the Week
MAN U FALL TO THE BEARDED GNOME screamed London's Daily Mail—and others weren't as kind. FANS OF MANCHESTER UNITED, the famed English soccer team, took to the streets over a takeover bid by U.S. tycoon Malcolm Glazer, who now owns 74.8% of the 127-year-old club, just 0.2% shy of complete control. Protesters swarmed the grounds at Old Trafford last Friday and burned the 67-year-old in effigy, while former team manager Tommy Docherty harrumphed that "Manchester United's heart and soul were sold today." But fans may be blowing the whistle too soon: Glazer's business savvy helped another team he owns—the Tampa Bay Buccaneers—to a Super Bowl win in 2003.

Numbers
8 Number of minutes the U.S.'s terror-alert level was raised to red last Wednesday, when an errant plane entered restricted airspace in Washington, D.C.
35,200 Number of people evacuated from the White House, Capitol and adjacent office buildings before the all-clear was sounded

141 Tiger Woods' score after two rounds of the Byron Nelson Championship; he was eliminated after missing the cut
142 Total of consecutive tournaments in which Woods made the cut prior to last week

15 Number of pizzas delivered to inmates at Risdon Prison in Hobart, Australia, helping to end a hostage crisis and two-day siege

50-1 Odds for Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo, the race's biggest upset since 1913
$864,253.50 Value of a winning Kentucky Derby betting slip lost by a punter from Phoenix, Arizona. It was later found crumpled on the floor and returned

$1.2 million Reserve price at a Shanghai charity auction for the track shoes worn by Chinese athlete Liu Xiang when he won the 110-m hurdles gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics