On This Day — August 17

🕰️ Notable Events on August 17

• 2017 — 2017 Barcelona attacks: A van is driven into pedestrians in La Rambla, killing 14 and injuring at least 100. Wikipedia ↗
• 2015 — A bomb explodes near the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok, Thailand, killing at least 19 people and injuring 123 others. Wikipedia ↗
• 2009 — An accident at the Sayano-Shushenskaya Dam in Khakassia, Russia, kills 75 and shuts down the hydroelectric power station, leading to widespread power failure in the local area. Wikipedia ↗
• 2008 — American swimmer Michael Phelps becomes the first person to win eight gold medals at one Olympic Games. Wikipedia ↗
• 2005 — The first forced evacuation of settlers, as part of Israeli disengagement from Gaza, starts. Wikipedia ↗
• 2005 — Over 500 bombs are set off by terrorists at 300 locations in 63 out of the 64 districts of Bangladesh Wikipedia ↗
• 2004 — The National Assembly of Serbia unanimously adopts new state symbols for Serbia: Bože pravde becomes the new anthem and the coat of arms is adopted for the whole country. Wikipedia ↗
• 1999 — The 7.6 Mw İzmit earthquake shakes northwestern Turkey with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), leaving 17,118-17,127 dead and 43,953-50,000 injured. Wikipedia ↗
• 1998 — Lewinsky scandal: US President Bill Clinton admits in taped testimony that he had an "improper physical relationship" with White House intern Monica Lewinsky; later that same day he admits before the nation that he "misled people" about the relationship. Wikipedia ↗
• 1991 — Strathfield massacre: In Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, taxi driver Wade Frankum shoots seven people and injures six others before turning the gun on himself. Wikipedia ↗
• 1988 — President of Pakistan Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq and U.S. Ambassador Arnold Raphel are killed in a plane crash. Wikipedia ↗
• 1978 — Double Eagle II becomes first balloon to cross the Atlantic Ocean when it lands in Miserey, France near Paris, 137 hours after leaving Presque Isle, Maine. Wikipedia ↗
• 1977 — The Soviet icebreaker Arktika becomes the first surface ship to reach the North Pole. Wikipedia ↗
• 1970 — Venera program: Venera 7 launched. It will later become the first spacecraft to successfully transmit data from the surface of another planet (Venus). Wikipedia ↗
• 1969 — Category 5 Hurricane Camille hits the U.S. Gulf Coast, killing 256 and causing $1.42 billion in damage. Wikipedia ↗
• 1962 — Peter Fechter is shot and bleeds to death while trying to cross the new Berlin Wall. Wikipedia ↗
• 1959 — Quake Lake is formed by the magnitude 7.5 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake near Hebgen Lake in Montana. Wikipedia ↗
• 1958 — Pioneer 0, America's first attempt at lunar orbit, is launched using the first Thor-Able rocket and fails. Notable as one of the first attempted launches beyond Earth orbit by any country. Wikipedia ↗
• 1953 — Addiction: First meeting of Narcotics Anonymous takes place, in Southern California. Wikipedia ↗
• 1947 — The Radcliffe Line, the border between the Dominions of India and Pakistan, is revealed. Wikipedia ↗
• 1945 — Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta proclaim the independence of Indonesia, igniting the Indonesian National Revolution against the Dutch Empire. Wikipedia ↗
• 1945 — The novella Animal Farm by George Orwell is first published. Wikipedia ↗
• 1943 — World War II: The U.S. Eighth Air Force suffers the loss of 60 bombers on the Schweinfurt-Regensburg mission. Wikipedia ↗
• 1943 — World War II: The U.S. Seventh Army under General George S. Patton arrives in Messina, Italy, followed several hours later by the British 8th Army under Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, thus completing the Allied conquest of Sicily. Wikipedia ↗
• 1943 — World War II: First Québec Conference of Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and William Lyon Mackenzie King begins. Wikipedia ↗
• 1943 — World War II: The Royal Air Force begins Operation Hydra, the first air raid of the Operation Crossbow strategic bombing campaign against Germany's V-weapon program. Wikipedia ↗
• 1942 — World War II: U.S. Marines raid the Japanese-held Pacific island of Makin. Wikipedia ↗
• 1918 — Bolshevik revolutionary leader Moisei Uritsky is assassinated. Wikipedia ↗
• 1915 — Jewish American Leo Frank is lynched in Marietta, Georgia after a 13-year-old girl is murdered. Wikipedia ↗
• 1915 — A Category 4 hurricane hits Galveston, Texas with winds at 135 miles per hour (217 km/h). Wikipedia ↗
• 1914 — World War I: Battle of Stallupönen: The German army of General Hermann von François defeats the Russian force commanded by Paul von Rennenkampf near modern-day Nesterov, Russia. Wikipedia ↗
• 1908 — Fantasmagorie, the first animated cartoon, created by Émile Cohl, is shown in Paris, France. Wikipedia ↗
• 1907 — Pike Place Market, a popular tourist destination and registered historic district in Seattle, opened. Wikipedia ↗
• 1883 — The first public performance of the Dominican Republic's national anthem, Himno Nacional. Wikipedia ↗
• 1866 — The Grand Duchy of Baden announces her withdrawal from the German Confederation and signs a treaty of peace and alliance with Prussia. Wikipedia ↗
• 1864 — American Civil War: Battle of Gainesville: Confederate forces defeat Union troops near Gainesville, Florida. Wikipedia ↗
• 1863 — American Civil War: In Charleston, South Carolina, Union batteries and ships bombard Confederate-held Fort Sumter. Wikipedia ↗
• 1862 — American Indian Wars: The Dakota War of 1862 begins in Minnesota as Lakota warriors attack white settlements along the Minnesota River. Wikipedia ↗
• 1862 — American Civil War: Major General J. E. B. Stuart is assigned command of all the cavalry of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Wikipedia ↗
• 1836 — British parliament accepts registration of births, marriages and deaths
• 1827 — Dutch King Willem I and Pope Leo XII sign concord Wikipedia ↗
• 1807 — Robert Fulton's North River Steamboat leaves New York City for Albany, New York, on the Hudson River, inaugurating the first commercial steamboat service in the world. Wikipedia ↗
• 1798 — The Vietnamese Roman Catholics report a Marian apparition in Quảng Trị, an event which is called Our Lady of La Vang. Wikipedia ↗
• 1784 — Classical composer Luigi Boccherini receives a pay rise of 12000 reals from his employer, the Infante Luis, Count of Chinchón. Wikipedia ↗
• 1740 — Pope Benedict XIV, previously known as Prospero Lambertini, succeeds Clement XII as the 247th Pope. Wikipedia ↗
• 1723 — Ioan Giurgiu Patachi becomes Bishop of Făgăraș and is festively installed in his position at the St. Nicolas Cathedral in Făgăraș, after being formally confirmed earlier by Pope Clement XI. Wikipedia ↗
• 1717 — Austro-Turkish War of 1716-18: The month-long Siege of Belgrade ends with Prince Eugene of Savoy's Austrian troops capturing the city from the Ottoman Empire. Wikipedia ↗
• 1712 — Action of 17 August 1712 New Deep naval battle between Denmark and Sweden. Wikipedia ↗
• 1668 — A magnitude 8.0 earthquake causes 8,000 deaths in Anatolia, Ottoman Empire. Wikipedia ↗
• 1597 — Islands Voyage: Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, and Sir Walter Raleigh set sail on an expedition to the Azores. Wikipedia ↗
• 1585 — Eighty Years' War: Siege of Antwerp: Antwerp is captured by Spanish forces under Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma, who orders Protestants to leave the city and as a result over half of the 100,000 inhabitants flee to the northern provinces. Wikipedia ↗
• 1585 — A first group of colonists sent by Sir Walter Raleigh under the charge of Ralph Lane lands in the New World to create Roanoke Colony on Roanoke Island, off the coast of present-day North Carolina. Wikipedia ↗
• 1560 — The Roman Catholic Church is overthrown and Protestantism is established as the national religion in Scotland. Wikipedia ↗
• 1549 — Battle of Sampford Courtenay: The Prayer Book Rebellion is quashed in England. Wikipedia ↗
• 1498 — Cesare Borgia, son of Pope Alexander VI, becomes the first person in history to resign the cardinalate; later that same day, King Louis XII of France names him Duke of Valentinois. Wikipedia ↗
• 1424 — Hundred Years' War: Battle of Verneuil: An English force under John, Duke of Bedford defeats a larger French army under Jean II, Duke of Alençon, John Stewart, and Earl Archibald of Douglas. Wikipedia ↗
• 1386 — Karl Topia, the ruler of Princedom of Albania forges an alliance with the Republic of Venice, committing to participate in all wars of the Republic and receiving coastal protection against the Ottomans in return. Wikipedia ↗
• 1186 — Georgenberg Pact: Ottokar IV, Duke of Styria and Leopold V, Duke of Austria sign a heritage agreement in which Ottokar gives his duchy to Leopold and to his son Frederick under the stipulation that Austria and Styria would henceforth remain undivided. Wikipedia ↗
• 986 — Byzantine-Bulgarian wars: Battle of the Gates of Trajan: The Bulgarians under the Comitopuli Samuel and Aron defeat the Byzantine forces at the Gate of Trajan, with Byzantine Emperor Basil II barely escaping. Wikipedia ↗
• 682 — St Leo II begins his reign as Catholic Pope.
• Pope Eusebius is banished by the Emperor Maxentius to Sicily, where he dies, perhaps from a hunger strike. Wikipedia ↗

🎂 Notable Births on August 17

• 1996 — Jake Virtanen, Canadian ice hockey player Wikipedia ↗
• 1995 — Gracie Gold, American figure skater Wikipedia ↗
• 1995 — Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, New Zealand rugby league player Wikipedia ↗
• 1993 — Sarah Sjöström, Swedish swimmer Wikipedia ↗
• 1992 — Alex Elisala, New Zealand-Australian rugby player (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
• 1992 — Chanel Mata'utia, Australian rugby league player Wikipedia ↗
• 1992 — Paige, English professional wrestler Wikipedia ↗
• 1988 — Natalie Sandtorv, Norwegian singer-songwriter Wikipedia ↗
• 1988 — Jihadi John, Kuwaiti-British member of ISIS (d. 2015) Wikipedia ↗
• 1988 — Erika Toda, Japanese actress Wikipedia ↗
• 1986 — Rudy Gay, American basketball player Wikipedia ↗
• 1986 — Tyrus Thomas, American basketball player Wikipedia ↗
• 1985 — Yu Aoi, Japanese actress and model Wikipedia ↗
• 1984 — Dee Brown, American basketball player Wikipedia ↗
• 1984 — Oksana Domnina, Russian ice dancer Wikipedia ↗
• 1984 — Garrett Wolfe, American football player Wikipedia ↗
• 1983 — Dustin Pedroia, American baseball player Wikipedia ↗
• 1982 — Phil Jagielka, English footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1982 — Cheerleader Melissa, American wrestler and manager Wikipedia ↗
• 1980 — Keith Dabengwa, Zimbabwean cricketer Wikipedia ↗
• 1980 — Daniel Güiza, Spanish footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1980 — Jan Kromkamp, Dutch footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1980 — Lene Marlin, Norwegian singer-songwriter Wikipedia ↗
• 1979 — Antwaan Randle El, American football player and journalist Wikipedia ↗
• 1977 — Nathan Deakes, Australian race walker Wikipedia ↗
• 1977 — William Gallas, French footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1977 — Thierry Henry, French footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1977 — Mike Lewis, Welsh guitarist Wikipedia ↗
• 1977 — Tarja Turunen, Finnish singer-songwriter and producer Wikipedia ↗
• 1976 — Eric Boulton, Canadian ice hockey player Wikipedia ↗
• 1976 — Geertjan Lassche, Dutch journalist and director Wikipedia ↗
• 1976 — Serhiy Zakarlyuka, Ukrainian footballer and manager (d. 2014) Wikipedia ↗
• 1974 — Johannes Maria Staud, Austrian composer Wikipedia ↗
• 1972 — Habibul Bashar, Bangladeshi cricketer Wikipedia ↗
• 1971 — Uhm Jung-hwa, South Korean singer and actress Wikipedia ↗
• 1971 — Jorge Posada, Puerto Rican-American baseball player Wikipedia ↗
• 1971 — Shaun Rehn, Australian footballer and coach Wikipedia ↗
• 1970 — Jim Courier, American tennis player and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
• 1970 — Andrus Kivirähk, Estonian author Wikipedia ↗
• 1970 — Øyvind Leonhardsen, Norwegian footballer and coach Wikipedia ↗
• 1969 — Christian Laettner, American basketball player and coach Wikipedia ↗
• 1969 — Donnie Wahlberg, American singer-songwriter, actor and producer Wikipedia ↗
• 1969 — Kelvin Mercer, American rapper, songwriter and producer (De La Soul) Wikipedia ↗
• 1968 — Andriy Kuzmenko, Ukrainian singer-songwriter (d. 2015) Wikipedia ↗
• 1968 — Ed McCaffrey, American football player and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
• 1968 — Helen McCrory, English actress Wikipedia ↗
• 1966 — Jüri Luik, Estonian politician and diplomat, 18th Estonian Minister of Defense Wikipedia ↗
• 1966 — Rodney Mullen, American skateboarder and stuntman Wikipedia ↗
• 1966 — Don Sweeney, Canadian ice hockey player and manager Wikipedia ↗
• 1965 — Steve Gorman, American drummer Wikipedia ↗
• 1965 — Dottie Pepper, American golfer Wikipedia ↗
• 1964 — Colin James, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer Wikipedia ↗
• 1964 — Maria McKee, American singer-songwriter (Lone Justice) Wikipedia ↗
• 1964 — Dave Penney, English footballer and manager Wikipedia ↗
• 1963 — Jon Gruden, American football player, coach, and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
• 1962 — Gilby Clarke, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer Wikipedia ↗
• 1962 — Dan Dakich, American basketball player, coach, and sportscaster Wikipedia ↗
• 1960 — Stephan Eicher, Swiss singer-songwriter Wikipedia ↗
• 1960 — Sean Penn, American actor, director, and political activist Wikipedia ↗
• 1959 — Jonathan Franzen, American novelist and essayist Wikipedia ↗
• 1959 — Jacek Kazimierski, Polish footballer Wikipedia ↗
• 1959 — Eric Schlosser, American journalist and author Wikipedia ↗
• 1958 — Belinda Carlisle, American singer-songwriter Wikipedia ↗
• 1958 — Fred Goodwin, Scottish banker and accountant Wikipedia ↗
• 1958 — Maurizio Sandro Sala, Brazilian race car driver Wikipedia ↗
• 1957 — Ken Kwapis, American director and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
• 1957 — Laurence Overmire, American poet, author, and actor Wikipedia ↗
• 1957 — Robin Cousins, British competitive figure skater Wikipedia ↗
• 1956 — Gail Berman, American businessman, co-founded BermanBraun Wikipedia ↗
• 1956 — Álvaro Pino, Spanish cyclist Wikipedia ↗
• 1955 — Colin Moulding, English singer-songwriter and bassist Wikipedia ↗
• 1954 — Eric Johnson, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer Wikipedia ↗
• 1954 — Andrés Pastrana Arango, Colombian lawyer and politician, 38th President of Colombia Wikipedia ↗
• 1953 — Mick Malthouse, Australian footballer and coach Wikipedia ↗
• 1953 — Herta Müller, Romanian-German poet and author, Nobel Prize laureate Wikipedia ↗
• 1953 — Korrie Layun Rampan, Indonesian author, poet, and critic (d. 2015) Wikipedia ↗
• 1953 — Kevin Rowland, English singer-songwriter and guitarist Wikipedia ↗
• 1952 — Aleksandr Maksimenkov, Russian footballer and coach (d. 2012) Wikipedia ↗
• 1952 — Nelson Piquet, Brazilian race car driver and businessman Wikipedia ↗
• 1952 — Mario Theissen, German engineer and businessman Wikipedia ↗
• 1952 — Guillermo Vilas, Argentinian tennis player Wikipedia ↗
• 1951 — Richard Hunt (puppeteer), Muppet performer (d. 1992) Wikipedia ↗
• 1949 — Norm Coleman, American lawyer and politician, 52nd Mayor of St. Paul Wikipedia ↗
• 1949 — Sue Draheim, American fiddler and composer (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
• 1949 — Julian Fellowes, English actor, director, screenwriter, and politician Wikipedia ↗
• 1949 — Sib Hashian, American rock drummer (Boston) (d. 2017) Wikipedia ↗
• 1948 — Alexander Ivashkin, Russian-English cellist and conductor (d. 2014) Wikipedia ↗
• 1947 — Mohamed Abdelaziz, President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (1976-2016) (d. 2016) Wikipedia ↗
• 1947 — Gary Talley, American guitarist (The Box Tops), singer-songwriter, and author Wikipedia ↗
• 1946 — Hugh Baiocchi, South African golfer Wikipedia ↗
• 1946 — Martha Coolidge, American director, producer, and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
• 1946 — Patrick Manning, Trinidadian-Tobagonian politician, 4th Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago (d. 2016) Wikipedia ↗
• 1945 — Rachel Pollack, American author, poet, and educator Wikipedia ↗
• 1944 — Larry Ellison, American businessman, co-founded the Oracle Corporation Wikipedia ↗
• 1944 — Jean-Bernard Pommier, French pianist and conductor Wikipedia ↗
• 1943 — Edward Cowie, English composer, painter, and author Wikipedia ↗
• 1943 — Robert De Niro, American actor, entrepreneur, director, and producer Wikipedia ↗
• 1943 — John Humphrys, Welsh journalist and author Wikipedia ↗
• 1943 — Dave "Snaker" Ray, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2002) Wikipedia ↗
• 1942 — Shane Porteous, Australian actor, animator, and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
• 1941 — Lothar Bisky, German businessman and politician (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
• 1941 — Jean Pierre Lefebvre, Canadian director and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
• 1940 — Eduardo Mignogna, Argentinian director and screenwriter (d. 2006) Wikipedia ↗
• 1940 — Barry Sheerman, English academic and politician Wikipedia ↗
• 1939 — Luther Allison, American blues guitarist and singer (d. 1997) Wikipedia ↗
• 1938 — Theodoros Pangalos, Greek lawyer and politician, Deputy Prime Minister of Greece Wikipedia ↗
• 1936 — Seamus Mallon, Irish educator and politician, Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland Wikipedia ↗
• 1936 — Margaret Heafield Hamilton, American computer scientist, systems engineer, and business owner. Wikipedia ↗
• 1934 — João Donato, Brazilian pianist and composer Wikipedia ↗
• 1934 — Ron Henry, English footballer (d. 2014) Wikipedia ↗
• 1933 — Mark Dinning, American pop singer (d. 1986) Wikipedia ↗
• 1932 — V. S. Naipaul, Trinidadian-English novelist and essayist, Nobel Prize laureate Wikipedia ↗
• 1932 — Duke Pearson, American pianist and composer (d. 1980) Wikipedia ↗
• 1932 — Jean-Jacques Sempé, French cartoonist Wikipedia ↗
• 1931 — Tony Wrigley, English historian, demographer, and academic Wikipedia ↗
• 1930 — Harve Bennett, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2015) Wikipedia ↗
• 1930 — Ted Hughes, English poet and playwright (d. 1998) Wikipedia ↗
• 1929 — Francis Gary Powers, American captain and pilot (d. 1977) Wikipedia ↗
• 1928 — T. J. Anderson, American composer, conductor, and educator Wikipedia ↗
• 1928 — Willem Duys, Dutch tennis player, sportscaster, and producer (d. 2011) Wikipedia ↗
• 1927 — Sam Butera, American saxophonist and bandleader (d. 2009) Wikipedia ↗
• 1927 — F. Ray Keyser Jr., American lawyer and politician, 72nd Governor of Vermont (d. 2015) Wikipedia ↗
• 1926 — Valerie Eliot, English businesswoman (d. 2012) Wikipedia ↗
• 1926 — Jiang Zemin, Chinese engineer and politician, former General Secretary of the Communist Party of China and 5th President of China Wikipedia ↗
• 1924 — Evan S. Connell, American novelist, poet, and short story writer (d. 2013) Wikipedia ↗
• 1923 — Larry Rivers, American painter and sculptor (d. 2002) Wikipedia ↗
• 1922 — Roy Tattersall, English cricketer (d. 2011) Wikipedia ↗
• 1921 — Geoffrey Elton, German-English historian and academic (d. 1994) Wikipedia ↗
• 1920 — Maureen O'Hara, Irish-American actress and singer (d. 2015) Wikipedia ↗
• 1920 — Lida Moser, American photographer and author (d. 2014) Wikipedia ↗
• 1919 — Georgia Gibbs, American singer (d. 2006) Wikipedia ↗
• 1918 — Evelyn Ankers, British-American actress (d. 1985) Wikipedia ↗
• 1918 — Ike Quebec, American saxophonist and pianist (d. 1963) Wikipedia ↗
• 1918 — Michael John Wise, English geographer and academic (d. 2015) Wikipedia ↗
• 1916 — Moses Majekodunmi, Nigerian physician and politician (d. 2012) Wikipedia ↗
• 1914 — Bill Downs, American journalist (d. 1978) Wikipedia ↗
• 1914 — Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr., American lawyer and politician (d. 1988) Wikipedia ↗
• 1913 — Mark Felt, American lawyer and agent, 2nd Deputy Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (d. 2008) Wikipedia ↗
• 1913 — Oscar Alfredo Gálvez, Argentinian race car driver (d. 1989) Wikipedia ↗

📅 National Days on August 17 (Calendar.cx)

Also observed on August 17

🏛️ Public Holidays

Also in: Assumption of Mary (CO) · Discovery Day (CA) · General José de San Martín Memorial Day (AR) · Gold Cup Parade Day (CA) · Hari Kemerdekaan Republik Indonesia (ID) · Independence Day (ID) · La Asunción (observado) (CO) · Paso a la Inmortalidad del General Don José de San Martín (AR) · 광복절 대체 휴일 (KR)