17 December, 1903 – Flight of the Wright brothers

On this day in 1903 near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright made the first successful sustained flights in an airplane – Orville first, gliding 120 feet (36.6 metres) through the air in 12 seconds.

18 December, 1963 – Actor Brad Pitt was born

American actor Brad Pitt, known for his portrayal of unconventional characters, was born.

19 December, 1997 – Titanic was premiered

James Cameron's Titanic, a drama about the doomed ocean liner starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, premiered; it later became one of the highest-grossing movies of all time.

20 December, 1999- Macau made an administrative region of China

On this day in 1999, 12 years after an agreement was reached between China and Portugal, several centuries of Portuguese rule ended in Macau when it became a special administrative region under Chinese sovereignty.

21 December, 2012- South Korean singer PSY's humorous pop song Gangnam Style went viral

The music video for South Korean singer PSY's humorous pop song Gangnam Style became the first video on YouTube to garner one billion views.

22 December, 1894 – Alfred Dreyfus sentenced to life in prison

On this day in 1894, on the basis of specious evidence and anti-Semitism, French army officer Alfred Dreyfus was sentenced to life in prison for treason, sparking a controversy that divided France for 12 years.

23 December, 1995 - Aleksander Kwaœniewski inaugurated as Polish president

Aleksander Kwaœniewski, formerly an apparatchik of Poland's ruling communist party, was sworn in as the country's president this day in 1995, having narrowly defeated Lech Wa³êsa, Poland's first post-communist president.