January 17th


1377: Pope Gregory XI moves the Papacy back to Rome from Avignon. To pay for the move, the Vatican forces people to buy personal seat licenses at the Sistine Chapel.


1917: The United States pays Denmark $25 million for the Virgin Islands... then demands its money back when the U.S. realizes the islands were not in fact filled with virgins.


1961: President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivers a televised farewell address to the nation three days before leaving office, in which he warns against the accumulation of power by the "military-industrial complex". He had wanted to warn us about V.D., but he didn't want to embarrass incoming President John F. Kennedy.