December 17

Wednesday 17, 2003:

', the third and final film in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings movie trilogy, opens in theaters.

Tuesday 17, 2002:

A peace accord is signed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Thursday 17, 1998:

Claudia Benton is murdered in her West University, Texas home by Angel Maturino Resendiz. She is his fifth murder victim in his fourth incident.

Wednesday 17, 1997:

A chartered Yakovlev-42 from Ukraine crashes into the mountains near Katerini, Greece killing 70

Sunday 17, 1989:

Full-scale street manifestations and riots in Timisoara ignite the Romanian Revolution

Thursday 17, 1981:

U.S. army officer James Dozier is abducted by the Red Brigades in Verona, Italy

Sunday 17, 1978:

The Workers Party of Jamaica is founded by Trevor Munroe.

Monday 17, 1973:

The American Psychiatric Association removes homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses.

Thursday 17, 1970:

Coastal cities events Mass riots in the coastal cities of Poland ended in massacre of shipyard workers in Gdynia

Wednesday 17, 1969:

1969 - SALT I talks begin

Sunday 17, 1967:

Harold Holt, Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1908) disappears while swimming near Portsea, Victoria

Sunday 17, 1961:

A fire at a circus in Niteroi, Brazil kills 323 people.

Sunday 17, 1944:

In what became known as the Malmédy massacre, around 80 American POW are executed by Waffen-SS troops of Jochen Peiper’s Kampfgruppe.

Wednesday 17, 1941:

German siege of Sevastopol begins

Sunday 17, 1939:

German battleship Admiral Graf Spee is scuttled by Captain Hans Langsdorff at the Battle of the River Plate.

Tuesday 17, 1935:

First flight of the Douglas DC-3.

Wednesday 17, 1919:

Uruguay becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty.

Thursday 17, 1903:

First powered flight, by the Wright Brothers.

Wednesday 17, 1862:

General Ulysses S. Grant issues General Order No. 11, expelling Jews from Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky.

Sunday 17, 1843:

"A Christmas Carol", a fictional short story by Charles Dickens, is first published.

Wednesday 17, 1777:

France becomes the first nation to recognize the United States of America

Thursday 17, 1637:

The Shimabara Rebellion breaks out in Japan.

Wednesday 17, 1586:

The reign of Emperor Go-Yozei, the 107th imperial ruler of Japan, begins.

Monday 17, 384:

St Siricius becomes Pope.

Monday 17, 283:

St Gaius becomes Pope.

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