17 th December

1 777 France recognized the United States’ independence. (See January 27th and March 6th entries.)

1894 Arthur Fiedler was born.

1903 Wilbur and Orville Wright made their first airplane flight.

1929 William Safire was born.

1969 The U. S. Air Force closed Project Blue Book. (See June 24th, July 2nd and October 26th entries.)

1991 The most lopsided game in NBA history: Cleveland beat Miami 148 to 80.

This is an auspicious day for flights of fancy and for airy promises. That’s because today marks the anniversary of the Wright brothers’ historic first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. We first learned on this day, how to take off into the wild blue yonder in a flying machine. Wilbur and Orville Wright’s flights were short and not too lofty. But their efforts allowed their successors to reach for the moon.

Today is a great day for communication. This is the birthday of two great communicators. One is William Safire, the renowned columnist and defender of the English language. The other is Arthur Fiedler, the legendary conductor of the Boston Pops who reached millions through his music.

We are faced with such a great opportunity for success today that we should remember a basketball game that took place on this very day in 1991. Cleveland beat Miami 148 to 80. It was one of the most lopsided victories in the history of basketball.