17 November

1558     Elizabethan era begins: Queen Mary I of England dies and is succeeded by her half-sister Elizabeth I of Englandied

1603     English explorer, writer and courtier Sir Walter Raleigh goes on trial for treason.

1659     The Treaty of the Pyrenees is signed between France and Spain.

1720     Calico Jack (died), English pirate (born 1682)

1777     Articles of Confederation (United States) are submitted to the states for ratification.

1796     Catherine the Great (died), Russian wife of Peter III of Russia (born 1729)

1800     The United States Congress holds its first session in Washington, DC.

1839     Oberto, Giuseppe Verdi’s first opera, opens at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy

1855     David Livingstone becomes the first European to see the Victoria Falls in what is now present-day Zambia-Zimbabwe.

1858     Modified Julian Day zero.

1869     In Egypt, the Suez Canal, linking the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea, is inauguratedied

1871     The National Rifle Association is granted a charter by the state of New York.

1876     Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Slavonic March is given its premiere performance in Moscow, Russia.

1896     Lev Vygotsky (born), Russian psychologist (died 1934)

1916     Shelby Foote (born), American historian and author (died 2005)

1925     Rock Hudson (born), American actor (died 1985)

1933     United States officially recognizes Soviet Union.

1944     Lorne Michaels (born), Israeli-American television producer, created Saturday Night Live

1947     American scientists John Bardeen and Walter Houser Brattain observe the basic principles of the transistor, a key element for the electronics revolution of the 20th century.

1947     The Screen Actors Guild implements an anti-Communist loyalty oath.

1948     Howard Dean (born), American physician and politician, 79th Governor of Vermont

1960     RuPaul (born), American drag queen performer, actor, and singer

1962     President John F. Kennedy dedicates Washington Dulles International Airport, serving the Washington, DC., region.

1964     Susan Rice (born), American diplomat, 27th United States Ambassador to the United Nations

1968     Viewers of the Raiders–Jets football game in the eastern United States are denied the opportunity to watch its exciting finish when NBC broadcasts Heidi instead, prompting changes to sports broadcasting in the U.S.

1969 –Negotiators from the Soviet Union and the United States meet in Helsinki, Finland to begin SALT I negotiations aimed at limiting the number of strategic weapons on both sides.

1970     Vietnam War: Lieutenant William Calley goes on trial for the My Lai Massacre.

1973     Watergate scandal: In Orlando, Florida, U.S. President Richard Nixon tells 400 Associated Press managing editors “I am not a crook.”

1982     Duk Koo Kim dies unexpectedly from injuries sustained during a 14-round match against Ray Mancini in Las Vegas, prompting reforms in the sport of boxing.

1985     Panbanisha (born), American chimpanzee (died 2012)

1993     United States House of Representatives passes resolution to establish the North American Free Trade Agreement after greater authority in trade negotiations was granted to President George Bush in 1991.

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EO Smith

Interests include biological anthropology, evolution, social behavior, and human behavior. Conducted field research in the Tana River National Primate Reserve, Kenya and on Angaur, Palau, Micronesia, as well as research with captive nonhuman primates at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center and the Institute for Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya.
EO Smith
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