MONDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2007

Today is Monday, December 17, the 351st day of 2007. There are 14 days left in the year.

283 _ St. Gaius begins his reign as Catholic pope

1526 _ Ferdinand of Austria chosen as King of Bohemia

1538 _ Pope Paul III excommunicated England's King Henry VIII

1718 _ England declares war on Spain

1777 _ France recognizes independence of English colonies in America

1907 _ Ugyen Wangchuck became the first hereditary king of Bhutan

1914 _ Great Britain declares Egypt a protectorate

1920 _ Japan receives League of Nations mandate over Pacific islands

1949 _ Burma recognizes People's Republic of China

1977 _ France performs nuclear test at Muruora Island

1981 _ Members of the Red Brigades kidnap Brigadier-General James L. Dozier