Today is Saturday, December 17, the 351st day of 2011. There are 14 days left in the year.
1538 ― Pope Paul III excommunicated England's King Henry VIII
1777 ― France recognizes independence of English colonies in America
1900 ― First prize of 100,000 francs offered for communications with extraterrestrials. Martians excluded; considered too easy
1903 ― At 10:35 a.m. first sustained motorized aircraft flight (Orville Wright)
1914 ― Great Britain declares Egypt a protectorate
1942 ― Allies in London sentence German war criminals
1944 ― US 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)
1963 ― Choi Doo-sun forms government in South Korea
1965 ― Largest newspaper ― Sunday New York Times at 946 pages