Today is Wednesday, December 16, the 350th day of 2009. There are 15 days left in the year.
1617 _ Spanish viceroy Hernando Arias de Saavedra founds provinces Rio de la Plata (Argentina)/Guaira (Paraguay)
1631 _ Mount Vesuvius, Italy erupts, destroys six villages & kills 4,000
1689 _ English Parliament adopts Bill of Rights after Glorious Revolution
1773 _ Big tea party in Boston harbor-Indians welcome (Boston Tea Party)
1809 _ Napoleon Bonaparte divorces Empress Josephine by the French Senate
1913 _ Charlie Chaplin began his film career at Keystone for $150 a week
1915 _ Albert Einstein publishes his ``General Theory of Relativity"
1950 _ Truman proclaims state of emergency against ``Communist imperialism"
1971 _ Don McLean's 8+ minute version of ``American Pie" released
1987 _ Roh Tae-woo wins presidential election in South Korea