On this day: December 17
POSTED: 01:50 PM PST Dec 14, 2012
UPDATED: 11:00 PM PST Dec 16, 2012
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.
El Comandante/Wikimedia Commons
1790: Mexico's greatest Aztec relic, an Aztec calendar stone, is discovered in Mexico City. The 24-ton "Sun Stone" features carved astronomical symbols and reflects the Aztecs' knowledge of astronomy and mathematics. It was used to predict the seasons and natural events and is 103 years older than the Gregorian calendar used by most cultures today. The Spanish buried the stone where the Metropolitan Cathedral stands today in the main plaza of Mexico and it was accidentally uncovered during repair work on the cathedral.
