Collage of Events from 1993   

    May 1993.  Clinton had been president for three months.  Two weeks before, outside of the city of Waco, the FBI standoff with the Branch Davidians turned deadly with over 70 killed.  Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls were storming their way through the playoffs, on to a third consecutive championship.  Jordan would announce his retirement to play baseball. Indecent Proposal was tops at the box office.  Cheers was about to show its final episode.  Burger King crowed about its new program that brought food, mood lighting and music to the table -- and popcorn while you waited.  The Dow Jones stood at 3400.  The US debt was 4.3 trillion.   

    In West Memphis, May began with a soggy weekend.  This continued a yearlong dowsing that swelled the rivers and bayous.  Farmers complained about the soggy ground postponing the planting season.  Later 1993 would be remembered in the Midwest as the year of floods.  

    The first week in May was national tourism week and the West Memphis tourist center was crowded with out-of-state cars.  At the crossroads of two interstates, a total of 460,000 visitors had visited West Memphis in 1992.  The first annual Esperanza Bonanza, a fair with amusement rides, barbecues and catfish finished off the first week in May, the fairgrounds just north of where the children were found.  

    Overcrowding in the local facilities and threatened with a federal court order, Municipal Judge Pal Rainey released ten prisoners from bail without bond.  Another twenty had emergency bonds retained.  Two suspects involved in the murder of West Memphis officer Clark White were being returned to Arkansas. 

Meteorological Information.

    Sunset, May 5, 1993:    7:49 pm    Sunrise: 6:05 am

    Moonrise (full moon):   7:42 pm    Moonset: 5:26 am

Temperature (F) and 
Rainfall (inches)