THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011

Today is Thursday, February 17, the 48th day of 2011. 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

1836 ― HMS Beagle/Charles Darwin leaves Tasmania

1867 ― First ship passes through Suez Canal

1876 ― Sardines first canned (Julius Wolff-Eastport, Maine)

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

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

1933 ― First issue of ``Newsweek" magazine published

1972 ― President Nixon leaves Washington, D.C. for China