Today is Friday, December 17, the 351st day of 2010. There are 14 days left in the year.
1538 ― Pope Paul III excommunicated England's King Henry VIII
1718 ― England declares war on Spain
1777 ― France recognizes independence of English colonies in America
1920 ― Japan receives League of Nations mandate over Pacific islands
1941 ― German troops led by Rommel begin retreating in North Africa
1944 ― U.S. Army announces end of excluding Japanese-Americans from West Coast; Japanese-Americans are released from detention camps
1962 ― Beatles’ first British TV appearance (People & Places)
1965 ― Largest newspaper; Sunday New York Times at 946 pages (50 cents)
1971 ― Ceasefire between India and Pakistan in Kashmir
1986 ― Mrs. Davina Thompson makes medical history by having the first heart, lung and liver transplant (Papworth Hospital in Cambridge, England)