"On Dec. 17, 1979, Arthur McDuffie, a Black insurance broker and former Marine, was beaten by police after leading them on a chase with his motorcycle in Miami. McDuffie died four days later. (Four white police officers accused of beating McDuffie were acquitted in 2000, sparking riots in Miami that led to several deaths and millions of dollars in damages.)"
"In 1777, France becomes one of the first nations to officially recognize the independence of the United States. In 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright conducted the first successful manned, powered airplane flights near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, using their experimental craft, the Wright Flyer. In 1933, the Chicago Bears defeated the New York Giants 23-21 in the first NFL championship game."
"In 1944, U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Henry C. Pratt rescinded incarceration orders for people of Japanese ancestry during World War II; more than 110,000 people, about two-thirds of them U.S. citizens, had been forced into camps after a February 1942 executive order by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 1963, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Clean Air Act into law; it was the first federal legislation targeting the control of air pollution."
"In 1975, Lynette Squeaky Fromme was sentenced to life in prison for her attempt on the life of President Gerald R. Ford in Sacramento, California. (She was paroled in August 2009.) In 1989, The Simpsons debuts on Fox television; it has become the longest-running animated U.S. TV series. In 1992, 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;"
December 17 has been the date of numerous notable historical events spanning centuries. Arthur McDuffie was beaten by Miami police on Dec. 17, 1979, and died days later, with later acquittals sparking deadly riots. France officially recognized United States independence in 1777. The Wright brothers achieved the first successful manned, powered flights in 1903 near Kitty Hawk. Authorities rescinded incarceration orders for people of Japanese ancestry in 1944 after mass internment during World War II. The Clean Air Act became law in 1963. Other events on the date include the first NFL championship (1933), the debut of The Simpsons (1989), NAFTA signing (1992), and steps toward U.S.-Cuba diplomatic restoration (2014).
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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