What happened on December 17? There are more than 283 events that were made this day in history. Here are the important historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.
Interesting Facts & Myths About December 17
December 17 is the 352nd day of the year 2024. There are 14 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Tuesday. This day falls under the 51st week of the year 2024.
On this day in New Haven, Indiana 46774 sunrise will occur at 07:58 AM and sunset will occur at 05:14 PM (local time).
The zodiac sign of a person born on this day is Sagittarius. The modern birthstone for this month is Turquoise while the mystical birthstone is Onyx.
According to the Chinese calendar, there are 43 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year (January 29, 2025).
Is your birthday coming up in two days? Are you not curious to find out who is sharing your special day? Discover all the April 21 famous birthdays. There are fun facts about that day that you must know. (Sponsored link)
Historical Events For December 17
- 920Romanos I is crowned co-emperor of the underage Emperor Constantine VII.
- 942Assassination of William I of Normandy.
- 1398Sultan Nasir-u Din Mehmud’s armies in Delhi are defeated by Timur.
- 1538Pope Paul III excommunicates Henry VIII of England.
- 1577Francis Drake sails from Plymouth, England, on a secret mission to explore the Pacific Coast of the Americas for English Queen Elizabeth I.
- 1583Cologne War: Forces under Ernest of Bavaria defeats the troops under Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg at the Siege of Godesberg.
- 1586Emperor Go-Yozei becomes Emperor of Japan.
- 1600Marriage of Henry IV of France and Marie de' Medici.
- 1718Great Britain declares war on Spain.
- 1777France formally recognizes the United States of America.
- 1790Discovery of the Aztec calendar stone.
- 1807France issues the Milan Decree, which confirms the Continental System.
- 1812War of 1812: U.S. forces attack a friendly Lenape village in the Battle of the Mississinewa.
- 1819Simón Bolívar declares the independence of the Republic of Gran Colombia in Angostura (now Ciudad Bolívar in Venezuela).
- 1837Fire in the Winter Palace of Saint Petersburg occurred.
- 1862American Civil War: General Ulysses S. Grant issues General Order No. 11, expelling Jews from Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky.
- 1865First performance of the Unfinished Symphony by Franz Schubert.
- 1903The Wright Brothers make their first powered and heavier-than-air flight in the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
- 1907Ugyen Wangchuck is crowned first King of Bhutan
- 1918Culmination of the Darwin Rebellion as some 1000 demonstrators march on Government House in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.
- 1919Uruguay becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty.
- 1926Antanas Smetona assumes power in Lithuania as the 1926 coup d'état is successful.
- 1927Indian revolutionary Rajendranath Lahiri was hanged to death in Gonda jail of U.P. in India 2 days before the scheduled date.
- 1928Indian revolutionaries Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and Shivaram Rajguru assassinate British police officer James Saunders in Lahore, Punjab to avenge the death of Lala Lajpat Rai at the hands of the police. The three were executed in 1931.
- 1935First flight of the Douglas DC-3 airplane.
- 1939World War II: Battle of the River Plate – The Admiral Graf Spee is scuttled by Captain Hans Langsdorff outside Montevideo.
- 1941World War II: Japanese forces land in Northern Borneo.
- 1944World War II: Battle of the Bulge – Malmedy massacre – American 285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion POWs are shot by Waffen-SS Kampfgruppe Peiper.
- 1947First flight of the Boeing B-47 Stratojet strategic bomber.
- 1950The F-86 Sabre’s first mission over Korea.
- 1957The United States successfully launches the first Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
- 19601960 Munich Convair 340 crash: 20 passengers and crew on board as well as 32 people on the ground are killed.
- 1960Troops loyal to Haile Selassie I in Ethiopia crush the coup that began December 13, returning power to their leader upon his return from Brazil. Haile Selassie absolves his son of any guilt.
- 1961Fire in the Gran Circus American in the city of Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the biggest tragedy in circus history.
- 1967Prime Minister of Australia Harold Holt disappears while swimming near Portsea, Victoria and is presumed drowned.
- 1969Project Blue Book: The United States Air Force closes its study of UFOs, stating that sightings are generated as a result of “A mild form of mass hysteria, Individuals who fabricate such reports to perpetrate a hoax or seek publicity, psychopathological persons, and misidentification of various conventional objects.”
- 1969The SALT I talks begin.
- 1970Polish 1970 protests: In Gdynia soldiers fire at workers emerging from trains, killing dozens.
- 1973Terrorism: 30 passengers are killed in an attack by Palestinian terrorists on Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci Airport.
- 1981Brigadier General James L. Dozier is abducted by the Red Brigade in Verona, Italy.
- 1983The IRA bombs Harrods Department Store in London, killing six people.
- 1989Fernando Collor de Mello defeats Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the second round of the Brazilian presidential election, becoming the first democratically elected President in almost 30 years.
- 1989Romanian Revolution: Protests continue in Timişoara with rioters breaking into the Romanian Communist Party’s District Committee building and attempting to set it on fire.
- 1989The first episode of television series The Simpsons, “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire”, airs in the United States.
- 1997The United Kingdom commences its Firearms (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1997, which extends the state’s gun ban to include all handguns—with the exception of antique and show weapons.
- 2002Second Congo War: The Congolese parties of the Inter Congolese Dialogue sign a peace accord which makes provision for transitional governance and legislative and presidential elections within two years.
- 2003SpaceShipOne flight 11P, piloted by Brian Binnie, makes its first supersonic flight.
- 2003The Soham murder trial ends at the Old Bailey in London, with Ian Huntley found guilty of two counts of murder. His girlfriend Maxine Carr is found guilty of perverting the course of justice.
- 2005Anti-WTO protesters riot in Wan Chai, Hong Kong
- 2005Jigme Singye Wangchuck abdicate the throne as King of Bhutan.
- 2009MV Danny F II sinks off the coast of Lebanon, resulting in the deaths of 44 people and over 28,000 animals.
- 2010Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire.This act became the catalyst for the Tunisian Revolution. The success of the Tunisian protests sparked protests in several other Arab countries.
Who Were Born On December 17?
- 1239Kujo Yoritsugu, Japanese Shogun (d. 1256)
- 1267Emperor Go-Uda of Japan (d. 1324)
- 1619Prince Rupert of the Rhine, English Civil War figure (d. 1682)
- 1632Anthony Wood, English antiquarian (d. 1695)
- 1685Thomas Tickell, English writer (d. 1740)
- 1706Émilie du Châtelet, French mathematician and physicist (d. 1749)
- 1734Maria I of Portugal, Portuguese queen (d. 1816)
- 1749Domenico Cimarosa, Italian composer (d. 1801)
- 1778Humphry Davy, English chemist and physicist (d. 1829)
- 1796Thomas Chandler Haliburton, Canadian novelist (d. 1865)
- 1797Joseph Henry, American physicist (d. 1878).
- 1807John Greenleaf Whittier, American poet and abolitionist (d. 1892)
- 1830Jules de Goncourt, French publisher (d. 1870)
- 1835Alexander Emanuel Agassiz, American scientist; son of Louis Agassiz (d. 1910)
- 1842Sophus Lie, Norwegian mathematician; (d. 1899)
- 1847Émile Faguet, French writer and critic (d. 1916)
- 1853Émile Roux, French physician (d. 1933)
- 1859Paul César Helleu, French artist (d. 1927)
- 1873Ford Madox Ford, English writer (d. 1939)
- 1874William Lyon Mackenzie King, 10th Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1950)
- 1881Aubrey Faulkner, South African cricketer (d. 1930)
- 1883Raimu, French actor (d. 1946)
- 1887Empress Hermine Reuss of Germany (d. 1947)
- 1887Josef Lada, Czech painter (d. 1957)
- 1892Sam Barry, American basketball coach (d. 1950)
- 1893Erwin Piscator, German film director (d. 1966)
- 1894Arthur Fiedler, American conductor (d. 1979)
- 1895Nils Asheim, Norwegian politician (d. 1966)
- 1900Katina Paxinou, Greek actress (d. 1973)
- 1900Mary Cartwright, English mathematician (d. 1998)
- 1903Erskine Caldwell, American author (d. 1987)
- 1903Ray Noble, English bandleader and actor (d. 1978)
- 1904Paul Cadmus, American artist (d. 1999)
- 1905Érico Lopes Veríssimo, Brazilian writer (d. 1975)
- 1905Simo Häyhä, Finnish sniper (d. 2002)
- 1906Fernando Lopes-Graça, Portuguese composer and musicologist (d. 1994)
- 1906Russell C. Newhouse, American inventor (d. 1998)
- 1908Willard Frank Libby, American chemist, Nobel laureate (d. 1980)
- 1910Sy Oliver, American jazz arranger and bandleader (d. 1988)
- 1912Edward Short, British politician
- 1913Burt Baskin, American entrepreneur (Baskin and Robbins) (d. 1967)
- 1914Fernando Alonso, Cuban ballet dancer and instructor
- 1914Raymond Fernandez, American convicted murderer (d. 1951)
- 1915André Claveau, French singer (d. 2003)
- 1916Penelope Fitzgerald, English writer (d. 2000)
- 1917Kenneth Dike, Nigerian historian (d. 1983)
- 1920Kenneth E. Iverson, Canadian computer scientist (d. 2004)
- 1921Lore Berger, Swiss writer (d. 1943)
- 1922Alan Voorhees, American engineer and urban planner (d. 2005)
- 1923Jaroslav Pelikan, American historian (d. 2006)
- 1926Ray Jablonski, American baseball player (d. 1985)
- 1927Richard Long, American actor (d. 1974)
- 1929Jacqueline Hill, English actress (d. 1993)
- 1929William Safire, American columnist (d. 2009)
- 1930Armin Mueller-Stahl, German actor
- 1930Bob Guccione, American magazine publisher (d. 2010)
- 1931Dave Madden, Canadian-born American actor
- 1931James McGaugh, American professor and neurobiologist
- 1934Ray Wilson, English footballer
- 1935Cal Ripken, Sr., American baseball coach (d. 1999)
- 1935George Lindsey, American actor
- 1936Jorge Bergoglio, Argentine cardinal
- 1936Tommy Steele, English singer and actor
- 1937Art Neville, American musician (The Neville Brothers)
- 1937Calvin Waller, American Army general (d. 1996)
- 1937John Kennedy Toole, American novelist (d. 1969)
- 1937Kerry Packer, Australian businessman (d. 2005)
- 1938Carlo Little, English drummer (d. 2005)
- 1938Peter Snell, New Zealand runner
- 1939Eddie Kendricks, American singer (The Temptations) (d. 1992)
- 1940Kåre Valebrokk, Norwegian journalist
- 1942Paul Butterfield, American musician (d. 1987)
- 1943Mary Brunner, American “Manson Family” member
- 1943Ron Geesin, Scottish musician and composer
- 1944Bernard Hill, English actor
- 1944Jack L. Chalker, American novelist (d. 2005)
- 1945Cees de Wolf, Dutch footballer (d. 2011)
- 1945Chris Matthews, American journalist
- 1945Ernie Hudson, American actor
- 1945Jacqueline Wilson, English author
- 1946Eugene Levy, Canadian actor
- 1947Wes Studi, American actor
- 1949Paul Rodgers, English singer (Free; Bad Company)
- 1949Sotiris Kaiafas, Cypriot footballer
- 1950Laurence F. Johnson, American educator
- 1951Ken Hitchcock, Canadian ice hockey coach
- 1951Tatyana Kazankina, Soviet athlete
- 1953Barry Livingston, American actor
- 1953Bill Pullman, American actor
- 1953Sally Menke, American film editor (d. 2010)
- 1953Samuel Hadida, Morrocan film producer
- 1955Brad Davis, American basketball player
- 1956Peter Farrelly, American film director
- 1957Bob Ojeda, American baseball player
- 1957Earl Hudson, American drummer (Bad Brains)
- 1958Mike Mills, American musician (R.E.M.)
- 1959Albert King, American basketball player
- 1960Moreno Argentin, Italian cyclist
- 1961Sara Dallin, English singer (Bananarama)
- 1962Paul Dobson, English footballer
- 1962Richard Jewell, American security guard and accused bomber (d. 2007)
- 1962Rocco Mediate, American golfer
- 1964Frank Musil, Czech ice hockey player
- 1964Ginger, English singer and guitarist (The Wildhearts)
- 1964Joe Wolf, American basketball player
- 1964Michele Tafoya, American sportcaster
- 1965Craig Berube, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1966Kristiina Ojuland, Estonian politician
- 1966Tracy Byrd, American musician
- 1966Valeri Liukin, Soviet gymnast
- 1967Gigi D'Agostino, Italian DJ and musician
- 1967Vincent Damphousse, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1968Andrey Golovatiuk, Russian politician
- 1968Paul Tracy, Canadian race car driver
- 1969Chris Mason, English darts player
- 1969Chuck Liddell, American mixed martial artist
- 1969Michael V., Filipino comedian and actor
- 1969Mick Quinn, English musician (Supergrass)
- 1970Sean Patrick Thomas, American actor
- 1971Alan Khan, South African radio & TV presenter
- 1971Antoine Rigaudeau, French basketball player
- 1971Sinan Akkuş, Turkish-German actor
- 1972John Abraham, Indian actor
- 1972Laurie Holden, American actress
- 1973Konstadinos Gatsioudis, Greek javelin thrower
- 1973Paula Radcliffe, English runner
- 1973Rian Johnson, American writer and director
- 1974Duff Goldman, American chef
- 1974Giovanni Ribisi, American actor
- 1974Ian Petrella, American actor
- 1974Marissa Ribisi, American actress
- 1974Sarah Paulson, American actress
- 1975Bree Sharp, American singer/songwriter
- 1975Mayuko Aoki, Japanese voice actress
- 1975Milla Jovovich, Ukrainian-born actress
- 1975Nick Dinsmore (Eugene), American professional wrestler
- 1976Éric Bédard, Canadian speed skater
- 1976Nir Davidovich, Israeli footballer
- 1976Patrick Müller, Swiss footballer
- 1976Takeo Spikes, American football player
- 1976Zsanett Égerházi, Hungarian-born porn actress
- 1977Arnaud Clément, French tennis player
- 1977Oxana Fedorova, Russian beauty pageant contestant (Miss Universe 2002)
- 1977Samuel Pahlsson, Swedish hockey player
- 1978Alex Cintrón, Puerto Rican baseball player
- 1978Chase Utley, American baseball player
- 1978Manny Pacquiao, Filipino boxer and politician
- 1978Neil Sanderson, Canadian drummer (Three Days Grace)
- 1978Riteish Deshmukh, Indian actor
- 1979Jaimee Foxworth, American actress
- 1979Matt Murley, American ice hockey player
- 1979Ryan Key, American musician and songwriter (Yellowcard)
- 1980Alexandra Papageorgiou, Greek hammer thrower
- 1980Eli Pariser, American political blogger and activist
- 1980Ryan Hunter-Reay, American race car driver
- 1980Stella Ng, Singaporean singer & actress
- 1981Jerry Hsu, American pro skater
- 1981Rena Takeshita, Japanese fashion model
- 1981Tim Wiese, German footballer
- 1982Craig Kielburger, Canadian anti-child-labor activist
- 1982Josh Barfield, American baseball player
- 1982Lorenzo Cittadini, Italian rugby player
- 1982Ryan Moats, American football player
- 1982Stephane Lasme, Gabonese basketball player
- 1983Bryan Jurynec, American ice hockey player
- 1983Erik Christensen, Canadian hockey player
- 1983Kosuke Saito, Japanese DJ
- 1984Andrew Davies, English footballer
- 1984Luis Maria Alfageme, Argentine footballer
- 1985Ryuichi Ogata, Japanese singer (w-inds.)
- 1986Vanessa Zima, American actress
- 1987Bradley Manning, American soldier, leaked information to WikiLeaks
- 1989Ashley Edner, American actress
- 1989Taylor York, American rock guitarist
- 1994Nat Wolff, American singer and actor
- 2007James, Viscount Severn, British royal
Who Died On December 17?
- 535Emperor Ankan of Japan (b. 466)
- 942William Longsword, 2nd Duke of Normandy (b. 893)
- 1187Pope Gregory VIII
- 1195Baldwin V, Count of Hainaut (b. 1150)
- 1273Rumi (b. 1207)
- 1663Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba (b. 1583)
- 1721Richard Lumley, 1st Earl of Scarbrough, English statesman (b. 1640)
- 1830Simón Bolívar, Venezuelan military leader (b. 1783)
- 1833Kaspar Hauser, German foundling (b. 1812)
- 1847Archduchess Marie Louise of Austria, second wife of Napoleon (b. 1791)
- 1860Désirée Clary, Queen of Sweden and Norway (b. 1777)
- 1907William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, Irish-born physicist (b. 1824)
- 1909Leopold II of Belgium (b. 1835)
- 1917Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, English physician (b. 1836)
- 1917Frank Gotch, American professional wrestler (b. 1878)
- 1927Rajendra Lahiri, Indian British anti-occupation activist (b. 1892)
- 1929Manuel Gomes da Costa, Portuguese politician (b. 1863)
- 1930Peter Warlock, Anglo-Welsh composer (b. 1894)
- 1933Thubten Gyatso, 13th Dalai Lama (b. 1876)
- 1940Alicia Boole Stott, Irish mathematician (b. 1860)
- 1947Christos Tsigiridis, Greek electrical engineer and technological pioneer (b. 1877)
- 1957Dorothy L. Sayers, English writer (b. 1893)
- 1962Thomas Mitchell, American actor (b. 1892)
- 1964Victor Franz Hess, Austrian-born American physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1883)
- 1967Harold Holt, Australian politician (b. 1908)
- 1967Jack Perrin, American actor (b. 1896)
- 1978Don Ellis, American jazz band leader (b. 1934)
- 1981Ada Kramm, Norwegian actress (b. 1899)
- 1981Antiochos Evangelatos, Greek composer and conductor (b. 1903)
- 1982Homer S. Ferguson, American politician (b. 1889)
- 1987Linda Wong, American porn star (b. 1951)
- 1987Marguerite Yourcenar, Belgian novelist (b. 1903)
- 1992Dana Andrews, American actor (b. 1909)
- 1992Günther Anders, Polish philosopher (b. 1902)
- 1998Allan D'Arcangelo, American artist (b. 1930)
- 1999Grover Washington, Jr., American saxophonist (b. 1943)
- 1999Rex Allen, American actor, singer, and songwriter (b. 1920)
- 2002James Hazeldine, English actor (b. 1947)
- 2003Ed Devereaux, Australian actor (b. 1925)
- 2003Otto Graham, American football player (b. 1921)
- 2004Tom Wesselmann, American collage artist (b. 1931)
- 2005Jack Anderson, American journalist (b. 1922)
- 2005Marc Favreau, French-Canadian humourist (b. 1929)
- 2006Larry Sherry, American baseball player (b. 1935)
- 2008Dave Smith, American baseball player (b. 1955)
- 2008Freddy Breck, German schlager singer and news anchor (b. 1942)
- 2008Sammy Baugh, American football player (b. 1914)
- 2009Chris Henry, American football player (b. 1983)
- 2009Dan O'Bannon, American screenwriter and actor (b. 1943)
- 2009Jennifer Jones, American actress (b. 1919)
- 2010Captain Beefheart, American musician (b. 1941)
- 2010Walt Dropo, American baseball player (b. 1923)
- 2011Cesária Évora, Cape Verdean singer (b. 1941)
- 2011Eva Ekvall, Venezuelan beauty queen (b. 1983)
- 2011Kim Jong-il, North Korean leader (b. 1941)
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