It happened one 17 December

1903 : First successful flight of an airplane


Orville and Wilbur Wright successfully fly a plane for the first time near Kitty Hawk in North Carolina.

1931 : A student revolt force Chiang Kai-shek to resign


A student revolt and a defeat of the Chinese forces against Japan force Chiang Kai-shek to resign. Nevertheless, its influence remained large and he quickly returned to power.

1961 : Fire in a circus in Brazil


On December 17, 1961, a fire broke out during a performance of a circus in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 323 people were killed and over 500 injured, from burns, smoke inhalation or trampled. For some reason that remained unknown, the roof of the tent caught fire.

1983 : A bomb at Harrods


On December 17, 1983, a bomb made ​​by the IRA exploded outside Harrods in London, in the midst of Christmas shopping. 9 people were killed and 75 injured.

1990 : First democratic elections in Haiti


On December 17, 1990, Jean-Bertrand Aristide won the first democratic elections in Haiti against dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier. Aristide was overthrown by a military coup a year later.

Latest news : 17 December

National Day in Bouthan

Quote of the day : 17 December

Paramahansa Yogananda, Maître spirituel hindou
A period of failure is a perfect time to sow the seeds of success.

Birthdays : 17 December

Emilie du Châtelet, French mathematician and physicist (1706)
Thomas Chandler Haliburton, Writer (1796)
Emile Roux, French bacteriologist and immunologist (1853)
Raimu, French actor (1883)
Willard Libby, American chemist, Nobel Prize (1908)
Penelope Fitzgerald, English writer (1916)
Jean-Claude Drouot, French Actor (1938)
Bernard Hill, English actor (1944)
Eugene Levy, Canadian director actor and screenwriter (1946)
Bill Pullman, Actor (1953)
Mike Mills, Musician (1958)
Valeri Liukin, Soviet gymnast (1966)
Sean Patrick Thomas, American actor (1970)
Antoine Rigaudeau, Basketball player (1971)
Paula Radcliffe, Athlete (1973)
Giovanni Ribisi, American actor (1974)
Milla Jovovich, Ukrainian model and actress (1975)

They left us one 17 December

Simon Bolivar, Venezuelan general and statesman (1830)
Marguerite Yourcenar, Belgian woman writer and academician (1987)
Dana Andrews, American actor (1992)
Roger Frison-Roche, French writer (1999)
Gérard Blain, French actor and director (2000)
Jennifer Jones, American actress (2009)
Cesária Evora, Cape Verdean singer (2011)
Vue mer : crédit photo Aseed