What Happened on December 17

Aeronautics

1903 — Men Fly at Kitty Hawk; New Era Opens

Twelve seconds aloft and 120 feet through the air, the Wright brothers achieve the first controlled, powered, heavier-than-air flight.

KITTY HAWK, North Carolina, December 17 — For twelve seconds this morning, man flew. Orville Wright, of Dayton, Ohio, lying prone on the lower wing of his aeroplane, the Wright Flyer, rose from the sand at Kill Devil Hill and traveled 120 feet through the air, the first controlled, powered, heavier-than-air flight in all history. His brother Wilbur ran alongside, steadying the wing until the craft lifted free. The machine, a biplane of spruce and muslin, with a four-cylinder engine of the brothers' own construction, answered its rudder and its warping wings as a living thing. Three more flights followed, the longest of fifty-nine seconds, covering 852 feet. The wind blew hard from the north, and the sand stung the face, but the brothers were calm, as men who have worked five years toward this hour. The age of the air has begun.

• The Wright brothers make the first controlled powered, heavier-than-air flight in the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

War at Sea

1939 — Graf Spee Scuttled

Captain Langsdorff runs the pocket battleship aground and fires her — she burns off the Uruguayan coast, a wreck in the harbor mouth.

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay, December 17 — Captain Hans Langsdorff, commander of the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee, scuttled his ship today in the harbor of Montevideo, setting her ablaze rather than surrender her to internment. The cruiser, damaged two days ago in the Battle of the River Plate, was run aground and blown up. Langsdorff acted on false reports of superior British forces gathering at sea.

• Captain Hans Langsdorff ordered the scuttling of the Admiral Graf Spee on December 17, 1939.
• The Graf Spee was scuttled in the port of Montevideo, Uruguay, after being damaged in the Battle of the River Plate.
• Langsdorff was convinced by false reports of superior British naval forces gathering, leading to the scuttling order.
• The ship was partially broken up in situ, with part remaining visible above the water for years.
• Langsdorff died by suicide two days after the scuttling, on December 19, 1939.

United Nations Desk

1951 — Civil Rights Congress Carries Genocide Charge to U.N.

A 240-page petition titled 'We Charge Genocide' was laid before the U.N. assembly on December 17.

PARIS, December 17 — At the United Nations assembly here, a document of 240 pages was laid before the delegates, charging the United States government with genocide against its Negro citizens. The petition, titled 'We Charge Genocide: The Crime of Government Against the Negro People,' was presented by William Patterson.

• The Civil Rights Congress petition was entitled 'We Charge Genocide: The Crime of Government Against the Negro People.'
• William Patterson presented the genocide petition to the United Nations assembly in Paris.
• After presenting the petition, William Patterson's passport was revoked by the State Department.
• Paul Robeson and W. E. B. Du Bois were blocked from traveling and instead went to U.N. offices in New York.

Antiquities

1790 — Aztec Sun Stone Unearthed in Mexico City Square

The great stone of the Aztecs, carved with the sun and the ages, has come to light in the Zócalo.

MEXICO CITY, December 17 — The great stone of the Aztecs, carved with the sun and the ages, has come to light in the Zócalo, changing all that was known of the old empire. The monolith spans 3.6 metres and weighs more than 24,000 kilogrammes. Ortiz de Castro reported the find. It lay half a yard beneath the surface, 60 metres west of the viceregal palace.

• The Aztec sun stone was rediscovered on 17 December 1790 during repairs on the Mexico City Cathedral.
• The stone measures 3.6 metres in diameter, 98 centimetres thick, and weighs 24,590 kg.
• The monolith was found half a yard (about 40 centimeters) under the ground surface and 60 meters west of the viceregal palace.
• José Damián Ortiz de Castro, the architect overseeing public works, reported the finding of the sun stone.
• Antonio de León y Gama gave the stone the name 'Aztec Calendar' and interceded to prevent its reburial due to its pagan origin.

Commonwealth Desk

1967 — Holt Vanishes in Surf at Portsea; Search Presses

Prime minister lost off Cheviot Beach — divers, helicopters, and police comb the sea — no trace found

MELBOURNE, Dec. 17 — In a year of sudden national shocks, none has struck so close to the bone as the disappearance this afternoon of Prime Minister Harold Holt, who entered the rough surf at Cheviot Beach, near Portsea, and did not resurface. Witnesses saw the 59-year-old leader swim out, then lose him among the breakers. A large-scale search is under way, with police, navy divers, helicopters, and civilian volunteers sweeping the water and shoreline through the evening. Hope is fading, but the hunt continues into the night.

• Harold Holt vanished while swimming at Cheviot Beach near Portsea, Victoria, on December 17, 1967.
• Holt was last seen entering rough surf and did not resurface, prompting a large-scale search.
• The search for Holt involved police, navy divers, helicopters, and civilian volunteers over several days.
• Holt's body was never recovered, and he was presumed drowned on December 19, 1967.

Foreign Desk

2010 — Tunisian Vendor Sets Himself Ablaze; Protests Erupt

Mohamed Bouazizi, 26, sole breadwinner for eight, dies of burns after officers seize his cart — unrest spreads

SIDI BOUZID, Tunisia, Dec. 17 — Mohamed Bouazizi, a 26-year-old street vendor who was the sole income earner for his extended family of eight, set himself on fire today after a female officer confiscated his cart and produce. The act, in this provincial town, has ignited protests that are spreading across the country, with crowds demanding an end to police harassment and official corruption. President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, in power for 23 years, faces the gravest challenge of his rule. Further unrest is expected.

• Twenty-six-year-old Mohamed Bouazizi was the sole income earner for his extended family of eight.
• Bouazizi set himself on fire on December 17, 2010, after a female officer confiscated his cart and produce in Sidi Bouzid.
• The protests led to the ousting of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali on January 14, 2011, ending his 23 years in power.
• Clashes during the revolution resulted in 338 deaths and 2,174 injuries.
• The Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet was awarded the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize for its role in building democracy after the revolution.

Continental Politics

1926 — Lithuanian Army Seizes Power; Smetona Called to Lead

President Grinius under house arrest on his 60th birthday — Colonel Plechavičius declared dictator — Nationalists rise

KAUNAS, Dec. 17 — The Lithuanian army tonight overthrew the democratic government, occupying the ministries, dispersing the Seimas, and placing President Kazys Grinius under house arrest, all while the president was celebrating his 60th birthday. Colonel Povilas Plechavičius, released from a 20-day prison sentence for a fistfight, has been declared dictator of Lithuania. The colonel has asked Antanas Smetona to become president and normalize the situation. The coup brings to power the Lithuanian Nationalist Union, a party of only about 2,000 members and three parliamentary seats. The dictatorship is expected to last.

• The coup began on the night of December 17, 1926, during President Kazys Grinius's 60th birthday celebration in Kaunas.
• Military forces occupied government offices, arrested officials, dispersed the Seimas, and placed President Grinius under house arrest.
• Colonel Povilas Plechavičius, released from a 20-day prison sentence for a fistfight, was declared dictator of Lithuania.
• Colonel Plechavičius later asked Antanas Smetona to become the new president and normalize the situation.
• The coup brought the Lithuanian Nationalist Union to power, a party with about 2,000 members and only three parliamentary seats.

Army Orders

1862 — Grant's Order Expels Jews From Three States

General Order No. 11 expels Jews from Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky, prompting protests.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 17 — Major General Ulysses S. Grant, commanding Union forces in the Department of the Tennessee, has issued General Order No. 11, expelling all Jews from the states of Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky. At Holly Springs, Mississippi, Jews have been rounded up and forced to leave the city on foot, and in Paducah, Kentucky, thirty Jewish families have been expelled. Grant acted to suppress illicit cotton trading, which he charged was run "mostly by Jews and other unprincipled traders." The order has drawn immediate protest from Jewish leaders and members of Congress.

• Union General Ulysses S. Grant issued General Order No. 11 on December 17, 1862, expelling Jews from Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky.
• At Holly Springs, Mississippi, Jews were rounded up and forced to leave the city on foot under Grant's order.
• In Paducah, Kentucky, thirty Jewish families were forcibly expelled from the city due to the order.
• President Abraham Lincoln countermanded General Order No. 11 on January 4, 1863, after protests from Jewish leaders and Congress.
• Grant issued the order to reduce corruption and stop illicit cotton trade, which he perceived as run 'mostly by Jews and other unprincipled traders.'

City Desk

1990 — Activists Seek Marriage Licenses for Gay Couples in Honolulu

Three same-sex couples apply at city hall — clerk refuses to issue licenses — protest planned

HONOLULU, Dec. 17 — Three same-sex couples sat down at the marriage license counter in Honolulu’s city hall this morning, each holding a filled-out application, as gay rights activist William E. Woods stood nearby.

Woods, a longtime advocate for homosexual rights, said the action was meant to challenge the state’s marriage laws, which restrict licenses to unions between a man and a woman. The clerk declined to process the applications, and the couples left without licenses.

State officials said the law is clear and no licenses will be granted to same-sex partners. Woods vowed to continue the fight, calling the refusal discrimination.

Observers said the demonstration was the first of its kind in the islands, drawing a small crowd of onlookers and reporters to the marble-lined lobby.

• Activist William E. Woods brought three same-sex couples to fill out marriage licenses in Honolulu.
• The event occurred on December 17, 1990, in Honolulu.