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Today in History: April 17

1492 Christopher Columbus signs a contract with Spain to find a western route to the Indies.

1524 Present-day New York Harbor is discovered by Giovanni da Verrazzano.

1808 Bayonne Decree by Napoleon Bonaparte of France orders seizure of U.S. ships.

1824 Russia abandons all North American claims south of 54' 40'.

1875 The game "snooker" is invented by Sir Neville Chamberlain.

1947 Jackie Robinson bunts for his first major league hit.

1961 Some 1,400 Cuban exiles attack the Bay of Pigs in an attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro.

1969 Sirhan Sirhan is convicted of assassinating Senator Robert F. Kennedy.


Born on April 17

1885 Isak Dinesen (Karen Blixen), Danish writer (Out of Africa).

1897 Thornton Wilder, novelist and playwright (Our Town).

1923 Harry Reasoner, American broadcast journalist.

JOTD
An Italian, a Frenchman and an Aussie were talking about screams of passion

The Italian said: "Last night I massaged my wife all over her body with the finest extra virgin olive oil, then we made passionate love and I made her scream, non stop for five minutes." The Frenchman said: "Last night I massaged my wife all over her body with special aphrodisiac oil from Provence and then we made passionate love. I made her scream for fifteen minutes straight." The Aussie said: That's nothing! Last night I massaged my wife, ya'know, all over her body with a special butter. I caressed her entire body with the butter, and then made love and I made her scream for two long hours." The Italian and Frenchman, are astonished, and asked?, "Two full hours?..... Wow! that's unbelievable. How did you do it to make her scream for two hours?" The Aussie replied, "I wiped my hands on the curtains."