December 17
1777 - France recognized American independence.
1903 - Wilbur and Orville Wright of Dayton, Ohio, conducted the first successful manned powered-airplane flights near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, using their experimental craft, the Wright Flyer.
1925 - Col. William "Billy" Mitchell was convicted at his court-martial in Washington of insubordination for accusing senior military officials of incompetence and criminal negligence; he was suspended from active duty.
1939 - The German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee was scuttled by its crew, ending the World War II Battle of the River Plate off Uruguay.
1944 - The U.S. War Department announced it was ending its policy of excluding people of Japanese ancestry from the West Coast.
1957 - The United States successfully test-fired the Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time.
1967 - Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt, 59, disappeared while swimming in the ocean off Cheviot Beach in Victoria state; despite an extensive search, his body was never found.
1969 - The U.S. Air Force closed its Project "Blue Book" by concluding there was no evidence of extraterrestrial spaceships behind thousands of UFO sightings.
1969 - An estimated 50 million viewers watched singer Tiny Tim marry Miss Vicky on NBC's "Tonight Show".
1975 - Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme was sentenced to life in prison for her attempt on the life of President Gerald Ford. (She was paroled in 2008.)
1979 - Arthur McDuffie, a black insurance executive, was fatally injured after leading police on a chase with his motorcycle in Miami. (Four white police officers accused of beating McDuffie were later acquitted, sparking riots.)
1981 - Members of the Red Brigades kidnapped Brig. Gen. James L. Dozier, the highest-ranking U.S. Army official in southern Europe, from his home in Verona, Italy. (Dozier was rescued 42 days later.)
1989 - The animated TV series "The Simpsons" premiered on FOX.
1992 - President George H.W. Bush, Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari signed the North American Free Trade Agreement in separate ceremonies. (After approval by the legislative bodies of the leaders' respective countries, the treaty went into effect on January 1, 1994.)
1996 - Kofi Annan of Ghana was named United Nations secretary-general.
2004 - President George W. Bush signed into law the largest overhaul of U.S. intelligence-gathering in 50 years.
2005 - President George W. Bush acknowledged he personally authorized a secret eavesdropping program in the U.S. following Sept. 11.
2011 - North Korean leader Kim Jong Il died after more than a decade of iron rule at the age of 69.
Birthdays
21 - Chloe Crowhurst (reality star)
24 - Kiersey Clemons (actress)
24 - Buddy Hield (basketball player)
25 - Thomas Law (actor)
39 - Manny Pacquiao (boxer)
39 - Chase Utley (baseball player)
40 - Maria Brink (singer)
40 - Katheryn Winnick (actress)
42 - Milla Jovovich (actress)
43 - Sarah Paulson (actress)
45 - John Abraham (actor)
48 - Laurie Holden (actress)
48 - Chuck Liddell (MMA fighter)
81 - Pope Francis (religious leader)
=====================================
Today in Sports History - December 17
1920 - American League votes to allow pitchers who used the spitball in 1920 to continue using it as long as they are in the league (The National League will do the same - 17 holdover spitballers in all).
1933 - In the first NFL championship game, the Chicago Bears defeated the New York Giants 23-21 at Wrigley Field. The game also saw the beginning of the NFL keeping official statistics in games.
1944 - The Green Bay Packers defeated the New York Giants 14-7 in the NFL championship game.
1967 - Noland Smith (Kansas City Chiefs) set a record when he ran a kickoff return 106 yards.
1984 - Dan Marino (Miami Dolphins) set NFL season records for touchdowns (48), completions (362) and yards (5084).
1988 - Bryan Murray becomes the 17th NHL coach to win 300 games (Washington Capitals).
1991 - Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Miami Heat 148-80, by a record 68 points.
2000 - Terrell Owens (San Francisco 49ers) caught an NFL-record 20 passes for 283 yards and a touchdown against the Chicago Bears. The previous record was held by Tom Fears (Los Angeles Rams) with 18 catches on December 3, 1950, against the Green Bay Packers. Owens also broke Jerry Rice's franchise record of 16 receptions set in 1994 against the Los Angeles Rams.
1777 - France recognized American independence.
1903 - Wilbur and Orville Wright of Dayton, Ohio, conducted the first successful manned powered-airplane flights near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, using their experimental craft, the Wright Flyer.
1925 - Col. William "Billy" Mitchell was convicted at his court-martial in Washington of insubordination for accusing senior military officials of incompetence and criminal negligence; he was suspended from active duty.
1939 - The German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee was scuttled by its crew, ending the World War II Battle of the River Plate off Uruguay.
1944 - The U.S. War Department announced it was ending its policy of excluding people of Japanese ancestry from the West Coast.
1957 - The United States successfully test-fired the Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time.
1967 - Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt, 59, disappeared while swimming in the ocean off Cheviot Beach in Victoria state; despite an extensive search, his body was never found.
1969 - The U.S. Air Force closed its Project "Blue Book" by concluding there was no evidence of extraterrestrial spaceships behind thousands of UFO sightings.
1969 - An estimated 50 million viewers watched singer Tiny Tim marry Miss Vicky on NBC's "Tonight Show".
1975 - Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme was sentenced to life in prison for her attempt on the life of President Gerald Ford. (She was paroled in 2008.)
1979 - Arthur McDuffie, a black insurance executive, was fatally injured after leading police on a chase with his motorcycle in Miami. (Four white police officers accused of beating McDuffie were later acquitted, sparking riots.)
1981 - Members of the Red Brigades kidnapped Brig. Gen. James L. Dozier, the highest-ranking U.S. Army official in southern Europe, from his home in Verona, Italy. (Dozier was rescued 42 days later.)
1989 - The animated TV series "The Simpsons" premiered on FOX.
1992 - President George H.W. Bush, Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari signed the North American Free Trade Agreement in separate ceremonies. (After approval by the legislative bodies of the leaders' respective countries, the treaty went into effect on January 1, 1994.)
1996 - Kofi Annan of Ghana was named United Nations secretary-general.
2004 - President George W. Bush signed into law the largest overhaul of U.S. intelligence-gathering in 50 years.
2005 - President George W. Bush acknowledged he personally authorized a secret eavesdropping program in the U.S. following Sept. 11.
2011 - North Korean leader Kim Jong Il died after more than a decade of iron rule at the age of 69.
Birthdays
21 - Chloe Crowhurst (reality star)
24 - Kiersey Clemons (actress)
24 - Buddy Hield (basketball player)
25 - Thomas Law (actor)
39 - Manny Pacquiao (boxer)
39 - Chase Utley (baseball player)
40 - Maria Brink (singer)
40 - Katheryn Winnick (actress)
42 - Milla Jovovich (actress)
43 - Sarah Paulson (actress)
45 - John Abraham (actor)
48 - Laurie Holden (actress)
48 - Chuck Liddell (MMA fighter)
81 - Pope Francis (religious leader)
=====================================
Today in Sports History - December 17
1920 - American League votes to allow pitchers who used the spitball in 1920 to continue using it as long as they are in the league (The National League will do the same - 17 holdover spitballers in all).
1933 - In the first NFL championship game, the Chicago Bears defeated the New York Giants 23-21 at Wrigley Field. The game also saw the beginning of the NFL keeping official statistics in games.
1944 - The Green Bay Packers defeated the New York Giants 14-7 in the NFL championship game.
1967 - Noland Smith (Kansas City Chiefs) set a record when he ran a kickoff return 106 yards.
1984 - Dan Marino (Miami Dolphins) set NFL season records for touchdowns (48), completions (362) and yards (5084).
1988 - Bryan Murray becomes the 17th NHL coach to win 300 games (Washington Capitals).
1991 - Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Miami Heat 148-80, by a record 68 points.
2000 - Terrell Owens (San Francisco 49ers) caught an NFL-record 20 passes for 283 yards and a touchdown against the Chicago Bears. The previous record was held by Tom Fears (Los Angeles Rams) with 18 catches on December 3, 1950, against the Green Bay Packers. Owens also broke Jerry Rice's franchise record of 16 receptions set in 1994 against the Los Angeles Rams.
