Today In History

Today is Tuesday, Dec. 20, the 354th day of 2011. There are 11 days left in the year.

Highlights in history on this date:

1192 - Richard I the Lion-heart, king of England, is captured in Vienna.

1582 - The Gregorian calendar is adopted in France.

1694 - Frederick of Brandenburg restores Schweibus to the Holy Roman Empire.

1712 - The Swedes defeat the Danes at Gadebusch, Poland.

1790 - The first successful cotton mill in the United States begins operating in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

1803 - New Orleans flies the American flag for the first time, signaling a transfer of ownership as the Louisiana Territory is handed over to the United States, which …