Science · December 17, 1903

First Powered Flight

Name: First Powered Flight
Start: 1903-12-17
Location: Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, USA

122 years ago · Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, USA

122nd anniversary

The Wright brothers make the first controlled, sustained flight of a powered, heavier-than-air aircraft.

The 123rd anniversary falls on December 17, 2026.

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Born on December 174

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1936–2025

Pope Francis

Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City from 13 March 2013 until his death in 2025.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

ReligionWould be 89

View profile Photo (modified): Korea.net / Korean Culture and Information Service (Jeon Han) · CC BY-SA 2.0

1778–1829

Humphry Davy

Sir Humphry Davy, 1st Baronet (17 December 1778 – 29 May 1829) was a British chemist and inventor who invented the Davy lamp and an early form of arc lamp.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

ScienceDied aged 50

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b. 1975

Milla Jovovich

Milica Bogdanovna Jovović (born December 17, 1975), known professionally as Milla Jovovich ( MEE-lə YOH-və-vitch), is an American actress and former model. Her starring roles in numerous science fiction and action films led the music channel VH1 to deem her the "reigning queen of kick-butt" in 2006.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

FilmAge 50

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1942–2025

Muhammadu Buhari

Muhammadu Buhari ( 17 December 1942 – 13 July 2025) was a Nigerian general and politician who ruled as military dictator of Nigeria from 1983 to 1985, and later served as the democratically elected civilian president of Nigeria from 2015 to 2023.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

PoliticsWould be 83

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Also on this day4

1944

Malmedy massacre

The Malmedy massacre was a German war crime committed by soldiers of the Waffen-SS on 17 December 1944 at the Baugnez crossroads near the city of Malmedy, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge (16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945).

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

War

1957

Ballon d'Or 1957

The 1957 Ballon d'Or, given to the best football player in Europe as judged by a panel of sports journalists from UEFA member countries, was awarded to Alfredo Di Stéfano on 17 December 1957.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Culture

2010

Arab Spring

The Arab Spring (Arabic: الربيع العربي, romanized: ar-rabīʻ al-ʻarabī) was a series of pro-democracy anti-government protests, uprisings, and armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in the early 2010s. It began in Tunisia in response to the death of Mohamed Bouazizi by self-immolation.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

War

2018

Miss Universe 2018

Miss Universe 2018 was the 67th Miss Universe pageant, held at the Impact Arena, Muang Thong Thani in Pak Kret, Nonthaburi, Thailand, on 17 December 2018. At the conclusion of the event, Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters of South Africa crowned Catriona Gray of the Philippines as Miss Universe 2018.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

History