On December 17

On this day in ...

... 1999, the U.N. General Assembly adopted Resolution 54/134, which declared that an International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women would be observed annual on November 25.

... 1885, a treaty was signed by which France acquired control of the foreign relations of Madagascar, as well as holdings on that island nation.

On October 14

On this day in ...
... 1066, in the Battle of Hastings, William, Duke of Normandy, conquered the Anglo-Saxon kingdom "that had resisted Viking invasions for years on end." This Norman "conquest altered the whole outlook of England, ... locking her into a partnership and a struggle with France that was to last for centuries." A consequence of note to lawyers: the prevalence of Norman French words in English jurisprudence. (credit for image of Bayeux tapestry depicting the Norman invasion)
... 1958 (50 years ago today), the nation whose largest land mass is the island of Madagascar, in the Indian Ocean to the east of continental Africa, was proclaimed the Republic of Malagasy, independent within the French community.