December 17

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Events

• 546 - Gothic War (535–552): The Ostrogoths of King Totila conquer Rome bribing the Byzantine garrison.
• 942 - Assassination of William I of Normandy.
• 1398 - Sultan Mehmud's armies in Delhi defeated by Timur.
• 1531 - Pope Clement VII established a parallel to the Inquisition in Lisbon, Portugal.
• 1538 - Pope Paul III excommunicates Henry VIII of England.
• 1577 - Francis Drake set sail from Plymouth, England, on a secret mission to explore the Pacific Coast of the Americas for British Queen Elizabeth I.
• 1586 - Emperor Go-Yozei becomes Emperor of Japan.
• 1600 - Marriage of Henry IV of France and Marie de' Medici.
• 1637 - Shimabara Rebellion: Japanese peasants led by Amakusa Shiro rise against daimyo Matsukura Shigeharu.
• 1718 - Great Britain declares war to Spain.
• 1770 - Ludwig van Beethoven is baptised at Bonn.
• 1807 - France issues the Milan Decree, which confirms the Continental System.
• 1819 - Simón Bolívar declares the independence of the Republic of Gran Colombia in Angostura (now Ciudad Bolívar in Venezuela).
• 1834 - The Dublin and Kingstown Railway opened in Ireland, the first public railway on the island of Ireland.
• 1862 - American Civil War: General Ulysses S. Grant issues General Order No. 11, expelling Jews from Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky.
• 1903 - The Wright Brothers made their first powered and heavier-than-air flight in the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
• 1919 - Uruguay becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty.
• 1935 - First flight of the Douglas DC-3 airplane.
• 1939 - World War II: Battle of the River Plate - The Admiral Graf Spee is scuttled by Captain Hans Langsdorff outside Montevideo.
• 1941 - World War II: Beginning of the Siege of Sebastopol.
• 1941 - World War II: Japanese forces land in Northern Borneo.
• 1944 - World War II: Battle of the Bulge - Malmedy massacre - American 285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion POWs are shot by Waffen-SS Kampfgruppe Peiper.
• 1961 - History of Goa: Operation Vijay - India seizes Goa from Portugal.
• 1967 - Prime Minister of Australia Harold Holt disappears while swimming near Portsea, Victoria.
• 1969 - The SALT I talks begin.
• 1969 - Project Blue Book: The USAF closes its study of UFOs, stating that sightings were generated as a result of 'A mild form of mass hysteria, Individuals who fabricate such reports to perpetrate a hoax or seek publicity, Psychopathological persons, and Misidentification of various conventional objects'.
• 1970 - Polish 1970 protests: In Gdynia, soldiers fire at workers emerging from trains, killing dozens.
• 1973 - 32 are killed in an attempt at the Rome Fiumicino Airport.
• 1978 - The Workers Party of Jamaica is founded by Trevor Munroe.
• 1981 - Brigadier General James L. Dozier is abducted by the Red Brigade in Verona, Italy.
• 1981 - Founding of the Senegambia Confederation.
• 1983 - The IRA bomb Harrods Department Store in London, killing seven people (see Harrods bombing).
• 1989 - Romanian Revolution: Protests continue in Timişoara with rioters breaking into the Romanian Communist Party's District Committee building and attempting to set it on fire.
• 1989 - First free elections in Brazil in 25 years.
• 1999 - The United Nations General Assembly passes resolution 54/134 designating November 25 as the annual International Day to Eliminate Violence Against Women.
• 2002 - Second Congo War: The Congolese parties of the Inter Congolese Dialogue sign a peace accord which makes provision for transitional governance and legislative and presidential elections within two years.
• 2003 - SpaceShipOne flight 11P, piloted by Brian Binnie, makes the first privately-funded manned supersonic flight.
• 2005 - Anti-WTO protesters riot in Wan Chai, Hong Kong

Births

• 1239 - Kujo Yoritsugu, Japanese Shogun (d. 1256)
• 1267 - Emperor Go-Uda of Japan (d. 1324)
• 1619 - Prince Rupert of the Rhine, commander in the English Civil War (d. 1682)
• 1632 - Anthony Wood, English antiqurian (d. 1695)
• 1685 - Thomas Tickell, English writer (d. 1740)
• 1706 - Émilie du Châtelet, French mathematician and physicist (d. 1749)
• 1734 - Maria I of Portugal, Portuguese queen (d. 1816)
• 1749 - Domenico Cimarosa, Italian composer (d. 1801)
• 1770 - (Baptism) - Ludwig van Beethoven, German composer (d. 1827)
• 1778 - Sir Humphry Davy, English chemist and physicist (d. 1829)
• 1796 - Thomas Chandler Haliburton, Canadian novelist (d. 1865)
• 1799 - Titian Peale, American artist (d. 1885)
• 1807 - John Greenleaf Whittier, American poet and abolitionist (d. 1892)
• 1830 - Jules de Goncourt, French publisher (d. 1870)
• 1835 - Alexander Emanuel Agassiz, American scientist; son of Louis Agassiz (d. 1910)
• 1847 - Émile Faguet, French writer and critic (d. 1916)
• 1853 - Émile Roux, French physician (d. 1933)
• 1859 - Paul César Helleu, French artist (d. 1927)
• 1873 - Ford Madox Ford, English writer (d. 1939)
• 1874 - William Lyon Mackenzie King, 10th Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1950)
• 1883 - Raimu, French actor (d. 1946)
• 1887 - Josef Lada, Czech painter (d. 1957)
• 1888 - King Alexander I of Yugoslavia (d. 1934)
• 1892 - Sam Barry, American basketball coach (d. 1950)
• 1893 - Erwin Piscator, German film director (d. 1966)
• 1894 - Arthur Fiedler, American conductor (d. 1979)
• 1900 - Mary Cartwright, English mathematician (d. 1998)
• 1900 - Katina Paxinou, Greek actress (d. 1973)
• 1903 - Erskine Caldwell, American author (d. 1987)
• 1903 - Ray Noble, English bandleader and actor (d. 1978)
• 1904 - Paul Cadmus, American artist (d. 1999)
• 1905 - Simo Häyhä, Finnish sniper (d. 2002)
• 1905 - Érico Lopes Veríssimo, Brazilian writer (d. 1975)
• 1906 - Fernando Lopes-Graça, Portuguese composer and musicologist (d. 1994)
• 1908 - Willard Frank Libby, American chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1980)
• 1910 - Sy Oliver, American jazz arranger and bandleader (d. 1988)
• 1915 - André Claveau, French singer (d. 2003)
• 1916 - Penelope Fitzgerald, English writer (d. 2000)
• 1920 - Kenneth E. Iverson, Canadian computer scientist (d. 2004)
• 1922 - Alan Voorhees, American engineer and urban planner (d. 2005)
• 1923 - Jaroslav Pelikan, American historian (d. 2006)
• 1926 - Ray Jablonski, American baseball player (d. 1985)
• 1927 - Richard Long, American actor (d. 1974)
• 1929 - Jacqueline Hill, English actress (d. 1993)
• 1929 - William Safire, American columnist
• 1930 - Bob Guccione, American magazine publisher
• 1930 - Bob Mathias, American decathlete and congressman (d. 2006)
• 1930 - Armin Mueller-Stahl, German actor
• 1931 - Dave Madden, Canadian-born American actor
• 1934 - Ray Wilson, English footballer
• 1935 - George Lindsey, American actor
• 1935 - Cal Ripken, Sr., American baseball coach (d. 1999)
• 1936 - Tommy Steele, English singer and actor
• 1937 - Kerry Packer, Australian businessman (d. 2005)
• 1937 - John Kennedy Toole, American novelist (d. 1969)
• 1937 - Calvin Waller, US Army general (d. 1996)
• 1938 - Carlo Little, English drummer (d. 2005)
• 1938 - Peter Snell, New Zealand runner
• 1939 - Eddie Kendricks, American singer (The Temptations) (d. 1992)
• 1940 - Kåre Valebrokk, Norwegian journalist
• 1942 - Paul Butterfield, American musician (d. 1987)
• 1943 - Mary Brunner, American former "Manson Family" member
• 1943 - Ron Geesin, Scottish musician and composer
• 1944 - Jack L. Chalker, American novelist
• 1944 - Bernard Hill, English actor
• 1945 - Ernie Hudson, American actor
• 1945 - Chris Matthews, American journalist
• 1945 - Jacqueline Wilson, English author
• 1946 - Eugene Levy, Canadian actor
• 1947 - Wes Studi, American actor
• 1949 - Paul Rodgers, English singer (Free; Bad Company)
• 1950 - Laurence F. Johnson, American educator
• 1951 - Ken Hitchcock, Canadian ice hockey coach
• 1951 - Tatyana Kazankina, Soviet athlete
• 1953 - Samuel Hadida, film distributor
• 1953 - Barry Livingston, American actor
• 1953 - Bill Pullman, American actor
• 1955 - Brad Davis, American basketball player
• 1956 - Peter Farrelly, American film director
• 1957 - Earl Hudson, American drummer (Bad Brains)
• 1958 - Mike Mills, American musician (R.E.M.)
• 1960 - Moreno Argentin, Italian cyclist
• 1962 - Paul Dobson, English footballer
• 1962 - Richard Jewell, central figure in the 1996 Centennial Olympic Park bombing (d. 2007)
• 1962 - Rocco Mediate, American golfer
• 1964 - Ginger, English singer and guitarist (The Wildhearts)
• 1964 - Frank Musil, Czech ice hockey player
• 1966 - Tracy Byrd American musician
• 1966 - Valeri Liukin, Soviet gymnast
• 1966 - Kristiina Ojuland, Estonian politician
• 1967 - Vincent Damphousse, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1967 - Chris Mason (darts player) PDC Darts player
• 1968 - Andrey Golovatiuk, Russian politician
• 1968 - Paul Tracy, Canadian race car driver
• 1969 - Chuck Liddell, American martial artist
• 1970 - Joshua Seth, American voice actor
• 1971 - Alan Khan, South African radio disc jockey
• 1971 - Antoine Rigaudeau, French basketball player
• 1972 - John Abraham, Indian actor
• 1972 - Laurie Holden, American actress
• 1973 - Paula Radcliffe, English runner
• 1973 - Konstadinos Gatsioudis, Greek javelin thrower
• 1974 - Duff Goldman, American chef
• 1974 - Giovanni Ribisi, American actor
• 1975 - Nick Dinsmore (Eugene), American professional wrestler
• 1975 - Milla Jovovich, Ukrainian-born actress
• 1975 - Sarah Paulson, American actress
• 1975 - Bree Sharp, American singer/songwriter
• 1976 - Éric Bédard, Canadian speed skater
• 1976 - Zsanett Égerházi, Hungarian-born porn actress
• 1976 - Patrick Müller, Swiss footballer
• 1976 - Takeo Spikes, American football player
• 1977 - Arnaud Clement, French tennis player
• 1978 - Alex Cintrón, Puerto Rican baseball player
• 1978 - Neil Sanderson, Drummer for rock band "Three Days Grace"
• 1978 - Riteish Deshmukh, Indian actor
• 1978 - Manny Pacquiao, Filipino boxer
• 1978 - Chase Utley, American baseball player
• 1979 - Jaimee Foxworth, American actress
• 1979 - Ryan Key, American musician and songwriter (Yellowcard)
• 1979 - Matt Murley, American ice hockey player
• 1980 - Eli Pariser, American political activist (MoveOn.org)
• 1980 - Ryan Hunter-Reay, American race car driver
• 1982 - Josh Barfield, Venezuelan baseball player
• 1982 - Craig Kielburger, Canadian labour activist
• 1982 - Stephane Lasme, Gabonese basketball player
• 1983 - Matti White, Swedish Royalty
• 1984 - Andrew Davies, English footballer
• 1994 - Nat Wolff, American Singer, Actor and songwriter

Deaths

• 942 - William Longsword
• 1187 - Pope Gregory VIII
• 1195 - Baldwin V, Count of Hainaut (b. 1150)
• 1273 - Rumi (b.1207)
• 1663 - Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba (b. 1583)
• 1721 - Richard Lumley, 1st Earl of Scarbrough, English statesman (b. 1640)
• 1830 - Simón Bolívar, Venezuelan-born libertator, six nations (b. 1783)
• 1833 - Kaspar Hauser, German foundling (b. 1812)
• 1897 - Alphonse Daudet, French writer (b. 1840)
• 1907 - William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, Irish-born physicist (b. 1824)
• 1909 - Léopold II of Belgium (b. 1835)
• 1917 - Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, British physician (b. 1836)
• 1917 - Frank Gotch, wrestler (b. 1878)
• 1933 - Thubten Gyatso, 13th Dalai Lama (b. 1876)
• 1940 - Alicia Boole Stott, Irish mathematician (b. 1860)
• 1957 - Dorothy L. Sayers, British writer (b. 1893)
• 1962 - Thomas Mitchell, American actor (b. 1892)
• 1964 - Victor Franz Hess, Austrian-born physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1883)
• 1967 - Harold Holt, Australian Prime Minister (b. 1908)
• 1967 - Jack Perrin, American actor (b. 1896)
• 1978 - Don Ellis, American jazz band leader (b. 1934)
• 1982 - Homer S. Ferguson, American politician (b. 1889)
• 1987 - Marguerite Yourcenar, Belgian novelist (b. 1903)
• 1987 - Linda Wong, pornographic actress (b. 1951)
• 1992 - Dana Andrews, American actor (b. 1909)
• 1998 - Claudia Benton, Peruvian, Pediatric Neurologist and researcher (b. 1959)
• 1999 - Grover Washington, Jr., American saxophonist (b. 1943)
• 1999 - Rex Allen, American actor, singer and songwriter (b. 1920)
• 2002 - James Hazeldine, British actor (b. 1947)
• 2003 - Ed Devereaux, Australian actor (b. 1925)
• 2003 - Otto Graham, American football player (b. 1921)
• 2005 - Jack Anderson, American journalist (b. 1922)
• 2005 - Marc Favreau, French Canadian humourist (Sol) (b. 1929)
• 2006 - Larry Sherry, American baseball player (b. 1935)

Holidays and observances

• Roman festivals – Saturnalia, in honor of Saturn, began.
• R.C. Saints – O Sapientia ; Saint Lazarus
• Greek Orthodox Church-Saint Barbaras day – Feast of Daniel the Prophet
• Bhutan – National Day (1907)
• USA – Wright Brothers Day (by Presidential Proclamation)
• Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego

External links

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada