THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2011

Today is Thursday, December 29, the 363rd day of 2011. There are two days left in the year.

1851 ― First Young Men's Christian Association chapter opened (Boston)

1852 ― Emma Snodgrass arrested in Boston for wearing pants

1862 ― Bowling ball invented

1885 ― Gottlieb Daimler patents first bike (Germany)

1891 ― Edison patents ``transmission of signals electrically" (radio)

1948 ― U.S. State Department announces work on placing objects into Earth orbit

1983 ― U.S. announces withdrawal from UNESCO

1989 ― Vaclav Havel becomes President of Czechoslovakia

1997 ― Hong Kong begins slaughtering all its chickens to prevent bird flu

1997 ― Russia signs agreement to build a $3-billion nuclear power plant in China