On this day :

1903 First airplane flies, 1777 France formally recognizes the United States, 1979 Stuntman Stan Barrett breaks the sound barrier, 1862 Grant expels the Jews from his department, 1991 Yeltsin supporters announce Soviet Union will cease to exist by New Years Eve, 1986 Operation Iceman nabs the culprit, 1961 Circus catches fire in Brazil, 1944 US approves end to internment of Japanese Americans, 1975 Squeaky Fromme sentenced to life, 1990 Aristide wins Haitis first free election, 1996 Peruvian rebels seize Japanese ambassadors home, 2011 Kim Jong Il leader of North Korea dies, 2003 Third and final Lord of the Rings movie opens, 1843 A Christmas Carol is published, 1991 A federal court puts its stamp on hiphop, 1889 Silver Dollar Tabor born in Denver, 1862 Grant expels Jews from Tennessee Kentucky and Mississippi, 2000 Terrell Owens makes recordbreaking 20 catches, 1971 Cambodian forces under heavy pressure, 1873 Ford Madox Ford is born, 1941 Commander at Pearl Harbor canned,