On February 17…

1801 – Thomas Jefferson is elected 3^rd President of the United States.

1904 – Giacomo Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly premiered at the La Scala theatre in Milan, Italy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPA1RS47Ntc

1924 – Olympic gold medalist swimmer Johnny Weissmuller (who went on to play Tarzan in several films) set a world record in the 100-meter freestyle with a time of 57.4 seconds in Miami, FL.

1972 – President Richard M. Nixon departed Washington, DC, for his historic trip to China; the first U.S. president to visit the communist nation.