What happened on May 17? There are more than 271 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 May 17
May 17 is the 138th day of the year 2024. There are 228 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Friday. This day falls under the 20th week of the year 2024.
On this day in Sterling Heights, Michigan 48314 sunrise will occur at 06:05 AM and sunset will occur at 08:51 PM (local time).
The zodiac sign of a person born on this day is Taurus. The modern birthstone for this month is Emerald while the mystical birthstone is Sapphire.
According to the Chinese calendar, there are 257 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 26 famous birthdays. There are fun facts about that day that you must know. (Sponsored link)
Historical Events For May 17
- 1521Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for treason.
- 1536George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford and four other men are executed for treason.
- 1590Anne of Denmark is crowned Queen of Scotland.
- 1642Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve (1612–1676) founds the Ville Marie de Montréal.
- 1673Louis Joliet and Jacques Marquette begin exploring the Mississippi River.
- 1775American Revolutionary War: the Continental Congress bans trade with Quebec.
- 1792The New York Stock Exchange is formed.
- 1805Muhammad Ali becomes Wāli of Egypt.
- 1809Napoleon I of France orders the annexation of the Papal States to the French Empire.
- 1814Occupation of Monaco changes from French to Austrian.
- 1814The Constitution of Norway is signed and the Danish Crown Prince Christian Frederik is elected King of Norway by the Norwegian Constituent Assembly.
- 1849A large fire nearly burns St. Louis, Missouri to the ground.
- 1863Rosalía de Castro publishes Cantares Gallegos, the first book in the Galician language.
- 1865The International Telegraph Union (later the International Telecommunication Union) is established in Paris.
- 1869Imperial Japanese forces defeat the remnants of the Tokugawa shogunate in the Battle of Hakodate to end the Boshin War.
- 1875Aristides wins the first Kentucky Derby.
- 1900Second Boer War: British troops relieve Mafeking.
- 1902Greek archaeologist Valerios Stais discovers the Antikythera mechanism, an ancient mechanical analog computer.
- 1914The Protocol of Corfu is signed recognising full autonomy to Northern Epirus under nominal Albanian sovereignty.
- 1915The last British Liberal Party government (led by Herbert Henry Asquith) falls.
- 1933Vidkun Quisling and Johan Bernhard Hjort form Nasjonal Samling — the national-socialist party of Norway.
- 1939The Columbia Lions and the Princeton Tigers play in the United States’ first televised sporting event, a collegiate baseball game in New York City.
- 1940World War II: Germany occupies Brussels, Belgium.
- 1940World War II: the old city centre of the Dutch town of Middelburg is bombed by the German Luftwaffe, to force the surrender of the Dutch armies in Zeeland.
- 1943The United States Army contracts with the University of Pennsylvania’s Moore School to develop the ENIAC.
- 1943World War II: the Dambuster Raids by No. 617 Squadron RAF on German dams.
- 1954The United States Supreme Court hands down a unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas.
- 1967Six-Day War: President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt demands dismantling of the peace-keeping UN Emergency Force in Egypt.
- 1969Venera program: Soviet Venera 6 begins its descent into the atmosphere of Venus, sending back atmospheric data before being crushed by pressure.
- 1970Thor Heyerdahl sets sail from Morocco on the papyrus boat Ra II to sail the Atlantic Ocean.
- 1973Watergate scandal: Televised hearings begin in the United States Senate.
- 1974Dublin and Monaghan bombings: Thirty-three civilians are killed when the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) explodes car bombs in Dublin and Monaghan, Republic of Ireland.
- 1974Police in Los Angeles, California, raid the Symbionese Liberation Army’s headquarters, killing six members, including Camilla Hall.
- 1980General Chun Doo-hwan of South Korea seizes control of the government and declares martial law in order to suppress student demonstrations.
- 1980On the eve of presidential elections, Maoist guerrilla group Shining Path attacks a polling location in the town of Chuschi, Ayacucho, starting the Internal conflict in Peru.
- 1983Lebanon, Israel, and the United States sign an agreement on Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.
- 1983The U.S. Department of Energy declassifies documents showing world’s largest mercury pollution event in Oak Ridge, Tennessee (ultimately found to be 4.2 million pounds), in response to the Appalachian Observer’s Freedom of Information Act request.
- 1984Prince Charles calls a proposed addition to the National Gallery, London, a “monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved and elegant friend,” sparking controversies on the proper role of the Royal Family and the course of modern architecture.
- 1987An Iraqi Dassault Mirage F1 fighter jet fires two missiles into the U.S. Navy warship USS Stark, killing 37 and injuring 21 of her crew.
- 1990The General Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO) eliminates homosexuality from the list of psychiatric diseases.
- 1992Three days of popular protests against the government of Prime Minister of Thailand Suchinda Kraprayoon begin in Bangkok, leading to a military crackdown that results in 52 officially confirmed deaths, many disappearances, hundreds of injuries, and over 3,500 arrests.
- 1994Malawi holds its first multi-party elections.
- 1997Troops of Laurent Kabila march into Kinshasa. Zaire is officially renamed Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- 2004Massachusetts becomes the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage.
- 2006The aircraft carrier USS Oriskany is sunk in the Gulf of Mexico as an artificial reef.
- 2007Trains from North and South Korea cross the 38th Parallel in a test-run agreed by both governments. This is the first time that trains have crossed the Demilitarized Zone since 1953.
Who Were Born On May 17?
- 1155Jien, Japanese poet and historian (d. 1225)
- 1443Edmund, Earl of Rutland, brother of Kings Edward IV of England and Richard III of England (d. 1460)
- 1551Martin Delrio, Flemish theologian and occultist (d. 1601)
- 1628Archduke Ferdinand Charles of Austria, Regent of Tyrol (d. 1662)
- 1682Bartholomew Roberts, Welsh pirate (d. 1722)
- 1706Andreas Felix von Oefele, German historian and librarian (d. 1780)
- 1718Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness, English diplomat and politician (d. 1778)
- 1743Seth Warner, American revolutionary leader (d. 1784)
- 1749Edward Jenner, English medical researcher (d. 1823)
- 1758John St Aubyn, British fossil collector (d. 1839)
- 1768Caroline of Brunswick, German-born Queen consort of George IV of the United Kingdom (d. 1821)
- 1768Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey, English general (d. 1854)
- 1794Anna Brownell Jameson, British writer (d. 1860)
- 1821Sebastian Kneipp, German naturopathist (d. 1897)
- 1836Virginie Loveling, Belgian writer and poet (d. 1923)
- 1836Wilhelm Steinitz, Austrian chess player (d. 1900)
- 1844Julius Wellhausen, German biblical scholar (d. 1918)
- 1845Jacint Verdaguer, Catalan poet (d. 1902)
- 1866Erik Satie, French composer (d. 1925)
- 1868Horace Elgin Dodge, American automobile manufacturer (d. 1920)
- 1873Dorothy Richardson, English writer (d. 1957)
- 1873Henri Barbusse, French novelist and journalist (d. 1935)
- 1886King Alfonso XIII of Spain (d. 1941)
- 1888Tich Freeman, English cricketer (d. 1965)
- 1891Napoleon Zervas, Greek general and resistance leader during World War II (d. 1957)
- 1891Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife (d. 1959)
- 1895Mary Josephine Ray, Canadian supercentenarian (d. 2010)
- 1895Saul Adler FRS, Russian-born British-Israeli expert on parasitology (d. 1966)
- 1897Odd Hassel, Norwegian chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1981)
- 1898Alfred Joseph Casson, Canadian painter (d. 1992)
- 1901Werner Egk, German composer (d. 1983)
- 1903Cool Papa Bell, baseball player (d. 1991)
- 1904Jean Gabin, French actor (d. 1976)
- 1906Zinka Milanov, Croatian soprano (d. 1989)
- 1909Julius Sumner Miller, American physicist (d. 1987)
- 1911Lisa Fonssagrives, Swedish-born supermodel (d. 1992)
- 1911Maureen O'Sullivan, Irish actress (d. 1998)
- 1912Ace Parker, American baseball and football player
- 1913Hans Ruesch, Swiss racing driver (d. 2007)
- 1918A. C. Lyles, American film producer
- 1918Birgit Nilsson, Swedish soprano (d. 2005)
- 1919Antonio Aguilar, Mexican singer and actor (d. 2007)
- 1919Merle Miller, American biographer (d. 1986)
- 1921Bob Merrill, American composer and lyricist (d. 1998)
- 1921Dennis Brain, English French horn player (d. 1957)
- 1926Franz Sondheimer, German-born British chemist (d. 1981)
- 1931Marshall Applewhite, American cult leader of Heaven’s Gate (d. 1997)
- 1934Friedrich-Wilhelm Kiel, German politician
- 1935Dennis Potter, English writer (d. 1994)
- 1936Dennis Hopper, American actor and director (d. 2010)
- 1937Hazel R. O'Leary, 7th United States Secretary of Energy
- 1938Jason Bernard, American actor (d. 1996)
- 1939Gary Paulsen, American author
- 1940Alan Kay, American computer scientist
- 1940Reynato Puno, Filipino Supreme Court Chief Justice
- 1941Ben Nelson. 40th Governor of Nebraska & United States Senator from Nebraska
- 1941David Cope, American composer and author
- 1941Grace Zabriskie, American actress
- 1942Taj Mahal, American musician
- 1943Johnny Warren, Australian footballer (d. 2004)
- 1945Tony Roche, Australian tennis player
- 1946F. Paul Wilson, American novelist
- 1946Udo Lindenberg, German musician
- 1947Andrew Latimer, English musician (Camel (band))
- 1948Dick Gaughan, Scottish musician, singer and songwriter
- 1949Bill Bruford, English drummer (Yes, King Crimson)
- 1950Howard Ashman, American lyricist (d. 1991)
- 1950Janez Drnovšek, Slovenian politician (d. 2008)
- 1950Valeria Novodvorskaya, Russian politician, dissident, founder and chairwoman of the Democratic Union party
- 1951Simon Hughes, British politician
- 1952Howard Hampton, Canadian politician
- 1953Luca Prodan, Italian-Scottish singer and musician (Sumo, Hurlingham Reggae Band)
- 1955Bill Paxton, American actor and film director
- 1956Bob Saget, American actor
- 1956Dave Sim, Canadian cartoonist
- 1956Sugar Ray Leonard, American boxer
- 1957Pascual Pérez, Dominican baseball player
- 1958Paul Di'Anno, English singer (Iron Maiden)
- 1959Jim Nantz, American broadcaster
- 1959Marcelo Loffreda, Argentine rugby player and coach
- 1960Lou DiBella, American boxing promoter
- 1961Enya, Irish singer and songwriter
- 1962Craig Ferguson, Scottish actor and comedian
- 1962Lise Lyng Falkenberg, Danish writer
- 1963Jon Koncak, American basketball player
- 1963Page McConnell, American musician and songwriter (Phish)
- 1964David Eigenberg, American actor
- 1964Menno Oosting, Dutch tennis player (d. 1999)
- 1964Stratos Apostolakis, Greek footballer
- 1965Jeremy Vine, British journalist and presenter
- 1965Paige Turco, American actress
- 1965Trent Reznor, American musician (Nine Inch Nails)
- 1966Danny Manning, American basketball player
- 1966Hill Harper, American actor
- 1966Mark Kratzmann, Australian tennis player
- 1969Alan Doyle, Canadian musician (Great Big Sea)
- 1969Tabatha Coffey, Australian hairstylist and television personality
- 1969Thom Filicia, American television personality
- 1970Angelica Agurbash, Belarusian singer, actress and model
- 1970Hubert Davis, American basketball player
- 1970Jordan Knight, American singer (New Kids on the Block)
- 1970Matt Lindland, American mixed martial arts fighter
- 1971Princess Máxima of the Netherlands
- 1971Shaun Hart, Australian footballer
- 1973Josh Homme, American musician and songwriter (Queens of the Stone Age)
- 1973Matthew McGrory, American actor (d. 2005)
- 1973Sasha Alexander, American television actress
- 1973Steve Barakatt, Canadian composer
- 1974Andrea Corr, Irish singer (The Corrs)
- 1974Eddie Lewis, American football (soccer) player
- 1974Sendhil Ramamurthy, American actor
- 1974Wiki González, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1975Alex Wright, German professional wrestler
- 1975Cheick Kongo, French martial artist
- 1975Jonti Picking, British cartoonist
- 1975Kostas Sommer, Greek actor
- 1975Laura Voutilainen, Finnish singer
- 1976José Guillén, Dominican baseball player
- 1976Leehom Wang, American-born Taiwanese musician and composer
- 1978Carlos Peña, Dominican baseball player
- 1978John Foster, American baseball player
- 1978Paddy Kenny, Irish football goalkeeper
- 1979Wayne Thomas, English footballer
- 1980Dallas Taylor, American singer (Underoath)
- 1980Davor Džalto, Serbian/Croatian art historian
- 1981Beñat Albizuri, Spanish cyclist
- 1981Giannis Taralidis, Greek footballer
- 1981Leon Osman, English footballer
- 1981Lim Jeong Hee, Korean singer
- 1981Shiri Maimon, Israeli singer
- 1982Matt Cassel, American football player
- 1982Reiko Nakamura, Japanese swimmer
- 1982Tony Parker, French-American basketball player
- 1983Channing Frye, American basketball player
- 1983Chris Henry, American football player (d. 2009)
- 1983Jeremy Sowers, American baseball player
- 1983Nicky Hofs, Dutch footballer
- 1984Christian Bolaños, Costa Rican footballer
- 1984Christine Robinson, Canadian water polo player
- 1985Derek Hough, American dancer and singer
- 1985Matt Ryan, American football player
- 1986Tahj Mowry, American actor
- 1988Nikki Reed, American actress
- 1989Kris Bernal, Filipina actress
- 1989Tessa Virtue, Canadian ice dancer
- 1989Zach Daniels, American professional wrestler
- 1990Leven Rambin, American actress
- 1991Adil Omar, Pakistani rapper
- 1991Daniel Curtis Lee, American actor
- 1994Julie Anne San Jose, Filipina child actress and singer
- 1996Ryan Ochoa, American teen actor
Who Died On May 17?
- 290Sima Yan (Jin Wudi), Chinese emperor of the Jin Dynasty (b. 236)
- 1189Minamoto no Yoshitsune, Japanese general (b. 1159)
- 1336Emperor Go-Fushimi of Japan (b. 1288)
- 1365Louis VI the Roman, Duke of Bavaria and Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1328)
- 1395Constantine Dragaš, Serbian ruler of a semi-independent realm
- 1464Thomas de Ros, 10th Baron de Ros, English politician (executed) (b. 1427)
- 1510Sandro Botticelli, Italian painter (b. 1445)
- 1521Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, English politician (b. 1478)
- 1536Francis Weston, English courtier and Gentleman of the Privy Chamber (executed) (b. 1511)
- 1536George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford, English diplomat (executed) (b. c. 1504)
- 1536Henry Norris, English courtier and Groom of the Stool (executed) (b. c. 1482)
- 1536Mark Smeaton, English courtier and musician (executed) (b. c. 1512)
- 1536William Brereton, English courtier and Groom of the Privy Chamber (executed)
- 1575Matthew Parker, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1504)
- 1626Juan Pujol, Catalan composer (b. 1570)
- 1643Giovanni Picchi, Italian composer
- 1727Empress Catherine I of Russia (b. 1684)
- 1729Samuel Clarke, English philosopher (b. 1675)
- 1765Alexis Claude de Clairaut, French mathematician (b. 1713)
- 1797Michel-Jean Sedaine, French dramatist (b. 1719)
- 1801William Heberden, English physician (b. 1710)
- 1807John Gunby, Maryland Soldier in the American Revolutionary War (b. 1745)
- 1809Leopold Auenbrugger, Austrian physician (b. 1722)
- 1822Armand-Emmanuel du Plessis, Duc de Richelieu, French-Russian statesman (b. 1766)
- 1829John Jay, first Chief Justice of the United States (b. 1745)
- 1838Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, French diplomat (b. 1754)
- 1838René Caillé, French explorer (b. 1799)
- 1839Archibald Alison, Scottish author (b. 1757)
- 1868Isami Kondo, Japanese Shinsengumi Commander (b. 1834)
- 1875John C. Breckinridge, 14th Vice President of the United States (b. 1821)
- 1879Asa Packer, American railroad magnate and founder of Lehigh Valley Railroad (b. 1805)
- 1886John Deere, American blacksmith and manufacturer (b. 1804)
- 1888Giacomo Zanella, Italian poet (b. 1820)
- 1911Frederick August Otto Schwarz, American entrepreneur (b. 1836)
- 1916Boris Borisovich Galitzine, Russian physicist (b. 1862)
- 1917Charles Anthoni Johnson Brooke, ruler of Sarawak (b. 1829)
- 1919Guido von List, German occult author (b. 1848)
- 1927Harold Geiger, U.S. Army aviation pioneer (b. 1884)
- 1935Paul Dukas, French composer (b. 1865)
- 1936Panagis Tsaldaris, twice Greek prime minister (b. 1868)
- 1938Jakob Ehrlich, Austrian politician and zionist (b. 1877)
- 1947George William Forbes, 22nd Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1869)
- 1947Zhang Lingfu, a general of the National Revolutionary Army (b. 1903)
- 1951William Birdwood, 1st Baron Birdwood, British general (b. 1865)
- 1963John Wilce, American physician and former head football coach at the Ohio State University (b. 1888)
- 1964Nandor Fodor, Hungarian-born psychologist and parapsychologist (b. 1895)
- 1966Randy Turpin, English boxer, known as the Leamington Licker, (b. 1928)
- 1974Ernest Nash, German-born archaeologist (b. 1898)
- 1985Abe Burrows, American songwriter, composer, and writer (b. 1910)
- 1987Gunnar Myrdal, Swedish economist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1898)
- 1992Lawrence Welk, American musician (b. 1903)
- 1995Hector “Toe” Blake, Canadian ice hockey player and NHL coach (b. 1912)
- 1996Kevin Gilbert, American singer, composer and instrumentalist (b. 1966)
- 1996Scott Brayton, American race car driver (b. 1959)
- 1999Bruce Fairbairn, Canadian record producer and musician (b. 1949)
- 2000Donald Coggan, 101st Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1909)
- 2001Frank G. Slaughter, American novelist and physician (b. 1908)
- 2002Dave Berg, American cartoonist (b. 1920)
- 2002Ladislao Kubala, Hungarian-Spanish footballer (b. 1927)
- 2002Sharon Sheeley, American songwriter (b. 1940)
- 2003Frank “Pop” Ivy, American and Canadian football coach (b. 1916)
- 2004Ezzedine Salim, leader of the Iraqi Governing Council (b. 1943)
- 2004Jørgen Nash, Danish artist (b. 1920)
- 2004Tony Randall, American actor (b. 1920)
- 2005Frank Gorshin, American actor (b. 1934)
- 2006Captain Nichola Goddard, Canadian soldier (b. 1980)
- 2006Cy Feuer, American playwright (b. 1911)
- 2006Eric Forth, British Member of Parliament (b. 1944)
- 2007Lloyd Alexander, American author (b. 1924)
- 2007T.K. Doraiswamy (also known as Nakulan), Indian poet and author (b. 1921)
- 2009Jung Seung-hye, South Korean film producer (b. 1965)
- 2009Mario Benedetti, Uruguayan journalist, novelist, and poet (b. 1920)
- 2010Walasse Ting, Chinese/American painter (b. 1929)
- 2011Harmon Killebrew, American baseball player (b. 1936)
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