Associated Press

On Nov. 17, 1800, Congress held its first session in the partially completed Capitol.

In 1869, the Suez Canal opened in Egypt.

In 1917, French sculptor Auguste Rodin died at age 77.

In 1969, the first round of Strategic Arms Limitation Talks between the U.S. and the Soviet Union opened in Helsinki, Finland.

In 1989, the Walt Disney animated feature “The Little Mermaid” opened in wide release.

In 2002, Abba Eban, the statesman who helped persuade the world to approve creation of Israel and dominated Israeli diplomacy for decades, died near Tel Aviv at age 87.

In 2003, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Austrian-born actor who had become one of America’s biggest movie stars of the 1980s and ’90s, was sworn in as the 38th governor of California.