TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2009

Today is Tuesday, February 17, the 48th day of 2009. There are 317 days left in the year.

1568 _ Holy Roman Emperor agrees to pay annual tribute to Sultan for peace

1598 _ Boris Godunov chosen tsar of Russia

1776 _ First volume of Gibbon's ``Decline & Fall of the Roman Empire" published

1867 _ First ship passes through Suez Canal

1904 _ Giacomo Puccini's opera ``Madam Butterfly" premieres in Milan

1913 _ First minimum wage law in U.S. takes effect (Oregon)

1949 _ Chaim Weizman elected first President of Israel

1972 _ British Parliament votes to join European Common Market

1972 _ President Nixon leaves Washington D.C. for China

1979 _ China invades Vietnam