Today is Tuesday, June 17, the 169th day of 2008. There are 197 days left in the year.
1789 _ Third Estate in France declared itself a national assembly
1837 _ Charles Goodyear obtains his first rubber patent
1856 _ Republican Party opens its first national convention in Philadelphia
1863 _ Travelers Insurance Co. of Hartford chartered (first accident insurer)
1885 _ Statue of Liberty arrived in NYC aboard French ship ``Isere"
1940 _ France asks Germany for terms of surrender in WW II
1944 _ Republic of Iceland proclaimed at Thingvallir, Iceland
1950 _ First kidney transplant (Chicago)
1953 _ Riots in East Germany for reunification
1982 _ President Reagan first U.N. General Assembly address (``evil empire" speech)