Pope Francis is Rome's 266th Bishop. Francis was chosen Pope on March 13, 2013, to succeed Benedict XVI, who resigned two weeks earlier. Poverty, compassion, and joy have become themes that have come to define Francis' papacy. Jorge Mario Bergoglio's papal name is Francis. Bergoglio was born on December 17, 1936, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to two Italian immigrants. He is a scientist with postgraduate degrees in philosophy and theology. He worked as a janitor, a bar bouncer, and a lab assistant for a chemist before beginning his seminary studies.

On December 17, 1933, Lala Amarnath made history by scoring India's first-ever Test century against England. Amarnath, who had a score of 118, was also the first cricket captain of independent India. Surinder, the son of Amarnath, became the only father-son pairing to score 100 or more against a foreign opponent later in 1976 when he made his Test debut against New Zealand.

Charles Spencer Chaplin was born on April 16th, 1889, in London, England. His father was a skilled vocalist and actor, and his mother, who went by the stage name Lily Harley, was a beautiful actress and singer who rose to prominence in the light opera world. That month, he joined Mack Sennett and the Keystone Film Company, making his debut in the film industry. His original weekly wage was $150, but his instant success on film prompted other producers to begin talks for his services.

The Taj Mahal Palace is a heritage, five-star, opulent hotel in Mumbai's Colaba neighbourhood, Maharashtra, India, located close to the Gateway of India. It was first opened on December 16, 1903. It was created in the Saracenic Revival style and opened as the Taj Mahal Hotel in 1903. Since then, it has frequently been referred to as simply "The Taj."

Lei Jun (born December 16, 1969 in Xiantao, Hubei Province, China) is a Chinese business leader who founded Xiaomi Corp. In 2010 and served as its chairman and CEO. Xiaomi Corp. was launched in April 2010 by Lei and a group of investors, including former Google employee Lin Bin. While the firm marketed a variety of products, it specialised on smartphones.

John Abraham is a Mumbai, Maharashtra-born Indian actor who was born on December 17, 1972. John was born in Malaysia to a Malayali father and a Parsi mother. His father works as an architect. Alan is his younger brother. He was a model before beginning his acting career. He began his modelling career with the Punjabi music video "Surma." Then he went to work for the media company Time & Space Media Entertainment Promotions Ltd. He graduated from Bombay Scottish School in Mahim, Mumbai, with a degree in economics. He subsequently went on to earn his MBA from Mumbai Educational Trust.

In Jammu and Kashmir, the line of control established by the December 17, 1971 cease-fire should be observed by all parties without regard to each side's acknowledged position. Regardless of mutual disagreements or legal interpretations, no side must strive to unilaterally modify it. Both parties agree to refrain from threatening or using force in violation of this Line.

Six shooters linked with the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) carried out a terrorist assault on the Army Public School in Peshawar, Pakistan, on December 16, 2014. Pakistan executed four terrorists implicated in the Peshawar massacre on December 2, 2015.

According to North Korean press reports, Kim Jong-il died around 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, December 17. (6:30 Friday evening Washington time). His death was broadcast on Korean radio at noon the following Monday, giving the North Korean officials time to plan their next move. Kim died as a result of "mental and physical overwork" while on a rail tour of different military and civilian locations, which he had been doing for years despite being in poor condition since his stroke in 2008. During the last week of his life, he was unusually busy.

Ludwig van Beethoven, a German composer and pianist, was born on December 17, 1770. Beethoven is still regarded as one of the most revered musicians in Western music history; his compositions are among the most often performed in the classical music repertoire and mark the change from the Classical to the Romantic periods.

The Tracy Ullman Show, a variety show on the Fox Broadcasting Company, first aired a cartoon short featuring The Simpsons in 1987. It debuted as a Christmas special on December 17, 1989, and after being lengthened to a half-hour, it started running regularly in January 1990.