1.   A profit for the July- September quarter would mark the first in which Delta has made money on the routes, analysts say.

2.   For Alza shareholders, the marketing of Ditropan XL marks a first.

3.   For Assisted Living Concepts, the death of Betty Brock marked a first, according to records reviewed by The Oregonian of Portland.

4.   Forty years after coming to power, President Fidel Castro appears to be putting the brakes on economic reforms that marked the first years of this decade.

5.   His arrival marked the first in a series of steps toward space station cooperation that will include seven docking missions by the space shuttle Atlantis.

6.   If such an arrangement emerges, that would mark another first in British politics arising out of this election.

7.   It marked the first of three times the Sox stranded a runner on third.

8.   It marked the first of four consecutive one-putts that would allow Maruyama to survive a closing run of birdies and eagles from Woods and Crane.

9.   It was one of the many shuffles that have marked the first months of the Newcomer School.

10.   Marine biologists say only the freakish global weather pattern can explain why a fisherman in Seattle two weeks ago caught a marlin, marking a first for Washington.