This Day in History

Today is Monday, December 17th, the 351st day of the year.  There are 14 days until the end of the year.

On this day:

In 1791, a traffic regulation in New York City established the first one-way street.

In 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright made the first successful controlled flight of a powered aircraft at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

In 1953, the Federal Communications Commission approved RCA's color television specifications. 

In 1969, wedding bells were heard on "The Tonight Show" as Tiny Tim married Miss Vickie.  More than 50-million people tuned in to witness the event.

In 1975, Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme was sentenced to life in prison for her attempted assassination of President Gerald Ford. 

In 1976, Ted Turner-owned WTCG Television in Atlanta, Georgia, changed its calls letters to WTBS.  The new station was uplinked via satellite to become the first commercial TV station to cover the entire United States.  It started on four cable systems and was available in 24-thousand homes.

In 1997, New Jersey became the first state in the U.S. to permit homosexual couples to adopt children.

In 1998, on the same day Republicans advanced the impeachment case against President Clinton to the House floor for a debate, House Speaker-designate Bob Livingston shocked fellow Republicans by admitting he had extramarital affairs. 

In 1999, German, U.S. and east European officials sealed an historic agreement to compensate Nazi-era slave workers 54 years after World War Two.

In 2005, in a live address, President Bush confirmed published reports that he authorized domestic eavesdropping by the National Security Agency after the 9-11 attacks.  Bush insisted the domestic surveillance is legal and within federal law and the Constitution. 

In 2009, 26-year-old Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry died of injuries suffered from a fall from a moving truck.  Henry was reportedly involved in a domestic incident with his fiancee in Charlotte, North Carolina when the incident took place. 

In 2011, controversial North Korean leader Kim Jong-il died.  State media reported that he died of a heart attack while on a train trip.  Kim Jong-il was 69 years old.

In 2015, Disney, SeaWorld and Universal Studios added metal detectors at their parks in an effort to step up security measures.

In 2015, a close friend of San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook was charged in connection with the mass shooting that left 14 people dead.  Enrique Marquez bought the rifles Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, used when they opened fire at a holiday party on December 2nd, 2015.


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