December 17 marks the Wright Brothers' first flight and other remarkable achievements in human history.
Orville and Wilbur Wright made the first controlled, sustained flight of a powered aircraft at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The first flight lasted just 12 seconds and covered 120 feet, launching the age of aviation.
France formally recognized the independence of the United States, becoming the first foreign nation to do so. French military and financial support would prove crucial to American victory in the Revolution.
Matt Groening's animated series The Simpsons premiered on Fox. The show became the longest-running American animated program and a cultural phenomenon that influenced comedy worldwide.
The Aztec Sun Stone was discovered buried beneath Mexico City's main square. The massive carved stone became an iconic symbol of Mesoamerican civilization.
General Ulysses S. Grant issued his infamous order expelling Jews from parts of Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky. President Lincoln quickly revoked the order, which remains the most antisemitic act by a US official.
The great South American liberator died of tuberculosis at age 47 in Santa Marta, Colombia. Bolívar had freed six nations from Spanish rule but died disillusioned with the political chaos that followed.
A Tunisian street vendor set himself on fire in protest against government corruption and mistreatment. His act of desperation sparked the Arab Spring, a wave of revolutions across the Middle East.