TODAY IN HISTORY
TODAY IS SUNDAY, DEC. 17, the 351st day of 2017. There are 14 days left in the year.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT IN HISTORY: On this date in 1967, Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt, 59, disappeared while swimming in the ocean off Cheviot Beach in Victoria state; despite an extensive search, his body was never found. Holt was succeeded as premier by John McEwen.
In 1777, France recognized American independence.
In 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright of Dayton, Ohio, conducted the first successful manned powered-airplane flights near Kitty Hawk, N.C., using their experimental craft, the Wright Flyer.
In 1925, Col. William “Billy” Mitchell was convicted at his court-martial in Washington of insubordination for accusing senior military officials of incompetence and criminal negligence; he was suspended from active duty.
In 1944, the U.S. War Department announced it was ending its policy of excluding people of Japanese ancestry from the West Coast.
In 1957, the United States successfully test-fired the Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time.
In 1979, Arthur McDuffie, a black insurance executive, was fatally injured after leading police on a chase with his motorcycle in Miami. Four white police officers accused of beating McDuffie were later acquitted, sparking riots.
In 1992, President George H.W. Bush, Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari signed the North American Free Trade Agreement in separate ceremonies. After approval by the legislative bodies of the leaders’ respective countries, the treaty came into force on Jan. 1, 1994.
In 2011, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il died after more than a decade of iron rule; he was 69, according to official records, but some reports indicated he was 70.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Actor Armin Mueller-Stahl is 87. Pope Francis and singer-actor Tommy Steele are 81. Rock singer-musician Art Neville is
80. Actor Ernie Hudson and political commentator Chris Matthews are 72. Comedian-actor Eugene Levy is 71. Actress Marilyn Hassett and actor Wes Studi are 70. Rhythm-and-blues singer Wanda Hutchinson (The Emotions) is 66. Actors Bill Pullman and Barry Livingston, and country singer Sharon White are 64. Producer-director-writer Peter Farrelly is 61. Rock musician Mike Mills (R.E.M.) is 59. Actress Laurie Holden is 48. DJ Homicide (Sugar Ray) and actor Sean Patrick Thomas are 47. Actresses Sarah Paulson and Marissa Ribisi, and actor Giovanni Ribisi are 43. Actress Milla Jovovich and singer Bree Sharp are
42. Singer-songwriter Ben Goldwasser (MGMT) is 35. Rock singer Mikky Ekko is 34. Actress Shannon Woodward is 33. Rock musician Taylor York (Paramore) is
28. Actor-singer Nat Wolff is 23.