On this day: December 17
France recognizes America as a nation, the Wright brothers take flight, Tiny Tim marries Miss Vicki in front of millions of TV viewers, and Kim Jong-il dies, all on this day.
2003: SpaceShipOne flight 11P, a suborbital air-launched spaceplane piloted by Brian Binnie, becomes the first privately-funded manned flight to reach supersonic speeds. The flight came on the 100th anniversary of the Wright brothers' historic first powered flight. The spaceplane, which in October 2004 would become the first private craft to fly into space, is now on display at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
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