December 17th

Mohamed Bouazizi, a 26-year-old fruit vendor frustrated with harassment by local officials, set himself on fire in Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia. His act of defiance set off nationwide protests that brought down longtime President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and soon spread to the rest of the Arab world.

President George W. Bush acknowledged he'd personally authorized a secret eavesdropping program in the U.S. following Sept. 11.

President George W. Bush signed into law the largest overhaul of U.S. intelligence-gathering in 50 years.

Kofi Annan of Ghana became United Nations secretary-general.

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.

The animated TV series "The Simpsons" premiered on Fox.

Mrs Davina Thompson makes medical history by having the 1st heart, lung & liver transplant at Papworth Hospital in Cambridge, England.

Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme was sentenced to life in prison for her attempt on the life of President Gerald R. Ford. (She was paroled in 2009.).

The U.S. Air Force closed its Project "Blue Book" by concluding there was no evidence of extraterrestrial spaceships behind thousands of UFO sightings.

The United States successfully test-fired the Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time.

The U.S. Army announced the end of its policy of holding Japanese-Americans in internment camps, allowing 'evacuees' to return home.

In the first NFL championship game, the Chicago Bears defeated the New York Giants 23-21 at Wrigley Field.

Orville and Wilbur Wright made the first flight in a heavier-than-air plane at Kitty Hawk, N.C.

Discovery of the Aztec calendar stone. Also known as the Stone of the Five Eras, the sculpture was excavated in Mexico City.

Russian army of Grigory Potemkin occupies Ocharov.

France recognized American independence.

Pope Clemens VII publishes degree Cum ad zero - forms Inquisition.

Timur (Tamerlane) captures and sacks Delhi, defeating Sultan Nasir-u Din Mehmud's armies which include elephants.