12 History Lessons + 7 Births & 7 Deaths for December 17, 2025
Today’s History:
- 1777 – France formally recognizes the United States as an independent nation, a turning point that helps pave the way toward a full military alliance in the Revolutionary War.
- 1903 – Wilbur and Orville Wright achieve the first successful powered, sustained, and controlled airplane flights at Kill Devil Hills near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
- 1933 – The Chicago Bears defeat the New York Giants 23–21 in the first scheduled NFL Championship Game, establishing the league’s modern title-game tradition.
- 1935 – The Douglas Sleeper Transport (DST), a prototype that leads to the DC-3, makes its first flight—ushering in a new era of practical, mass commercial air travel.
- 1944 – The U.S. military issues orders enabling Japanese Americans forcibly removed from the West Coast to return home, marking a major step toward ending wartime incarceration.
- 1963 – President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Clean Air Act, the first major federal law aimed at controlling air pollution in the United States.
- 1967 – Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt disappears while swimming at Cheviot Beach; his body is never recovered and he is presumed drowned.
- 1975 – Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme is sentenced to life in prison for attempting to assassinate President Gerald Ford earlier that year.
- 1989 – “The Simpsons” premieres on Fox with its Christmas special, launching what becomes one of the most influential TV series in American pop culture.
- 1992 – NAFTA is signed by the leaders of the United States, Canada, and Mexico, laying the framework for a vast North American free-trade zone.
- 2010 – Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi self-immolates in Sidi Bouzid, igniting protests that spark Tunisia’s revolution and the wider Arab Spring.
- 2014 – The United States and Cuba announce a major thaw, beginning the process of restoring diplomatic relations after more than five decades of hostility.
Today’s Birthdays:
- 1945 – Ernie Hudson – American actor best known as Winston Zeddemore in the Ghostbusters franchise and for a long career across film and television. (80)
- 1946 – Eugene Levy – Canadian actor and comedian, co-creator and star of Schitt’s Creek and a signature presence in SCTV and the American Pie films. (79)
- 1953 – Bill Pullman – American actor known for Independence Day, While You Were Sleeping, and acclaimed TV work including The Sinner. (72)
- 1956 – Peter Farrelly – American filmmaker, one half of the Farrelly Brothers and Oscar-winning director of Green Book. (69)
- 1974 – Sarah Paulson – American actor celebrated for American Horror Story, American Crime Story, and an awards-heavy career in film, TV, and theater. (51)
- 1975 – Milla Jovovich – American actor and model best known for the Resident Evil franchise and action/sci-fi roles spanning three decades. (50)
- 1978 – Manny Pacquiao – Filipino boxing icon, the only eight-division world champion, and former senator in the Philippines. (47)
Today’s Deaths:
- 1830 – Simón Bolívar – Venezuelan revolutionary leader known as “El Libertador,” who helped secure independence for multiple South American nations from Spanish rule. (47)
- 1909 – Leopold II – King of the Belgians, whose reign is inseparable from the brutal legacy of the Congo Free State under his personal control. (74)
- 1967 – Harold Holt – Australian prime minister who vanished while swimming; his presumed drowning remains one of modern politics’ strangest disappearances. (59)
- 1999 – Grover Washington Jr. – American saxophonist and Grammy winner, a foundational figure in smooth jazz with classics like Winelight. (56)
- 2009 – Jennifer Jones – American actor and Academy Award winner (The Song of Bernadette), a major Hollywood star of the 1940s and 1950s. (90)
- 2011 – Kim Jong-il – North Korean leader whose death accelerated the succession of Kim Jong Un and intensified global focus on the regime’s future. (70)
- 2018 – Penny Marshall – American actor and pioneering director (Big, A League of Their Own), who broke major box-office barriers for women in Hollywood. (75)
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