History for December 17

History for December 17 - On-This-Day.com
John Greenleaf Whittier 1807, Arthur Fiedler 1896, William Safire 1929 


Ernie Hudson 1945 - Actor, Eugene Levy 1946, Giovanni Ribisi 1974 - Actor


1791 - A traffic regulation in New York City established the first street to go "One Way." 


1895 - George L. Brownell received a patent for his paper-twine machine. 


1903 - The first successful gasoline-powered airplane flight took place near Kitty Hawk, NC. Orville and Wilbur Wright made the flight. 


1939 - The German pocket battleship Graf Spee was scuttled by its crew, bringing the World War II Battle of the Rio de la Plata off Uruguay to an end. 


1959 - The film "On the Beach" premiered in New York City and in 17 other cities. It was the first motion picture to debut simultaneously in major cities around the world. 


1969 - Television history was made when Tiny Tim and Miss Vicki Budinger were married on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson. 


1975 - Lynette Fromme was sentenced to life in prison for her attempt on the life of U.S. President Ford. 


2004 - U.S. President George W. Bush signed into law the largest overhaul of U.S. intelligence gathering in 50 years. The bill aimed to tighten borders and aviation security. It also created a federal counterterrorism center and a new intelligence director.