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 In HistoryMay 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 Pine Bank, Pennsylvania 15354 sunrise occured at 06:01 AM and sunset occured at 08:32 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).

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Historical Events For May 17

  • 1521
    Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for treason.
  • 1536
    George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford and four other men are executed for treason.
  • 1590
    Anne of Denmark is crowned Queen of Scotland.
  • 1642
    Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve (1612–1676) founds the Ville Marie de Montréal.
  • 1673
    Louis Joliet and Jacques Marquette begin exploring the Mississippi River.
  • 1775
    American Revolutionary War: the Continental Congress bans trade with Quebec.
  • 1792
    The New York Stock Exchange is formed.
  • 1805
    Muhammad Ali becomes Wāli of Egypt.
  • 1809
    Napoleon I of France orders the annexation of the Papal States to the French Empire.
  • 1814
    Occupation of Monaco changes from French to Austrian.
  • 1814
    The Constitution of Norway is signed and the Danish Crown Prince Christian Frederik is elected King of Norway by the Norwegian Constituent Assembly.
  • 1849
    A large fire nearly burns St. Louis, Missouri to the ground.
  • 1863
    Rosalía de Castro publishes Cantares Gallegos, the first book in the Galician language.
  • 1865
    The International Telegraph Union (later the International Telecommunication Union) is established in Paris.
  • 1869
    Imperial Japanese forces defeat the remnants of the Tokugawa shogunate in the Battle of Hakodate to end the Boshin War.
  • 1875
    Aristides wins the first Kentucky Derby.
  • 1900
    Second Boer War: British troops relieve Mafeking.
  • 1902
    Greek archaeologist Valerios Stais discovers the Antikythera mechanism, an ancient mechanical analog computer.
  • 1914
    The Protocol of Corfu is signed recognising full autonomy to Northern Epirus under nominal Albanian sovereignty.
  • 1915
    The last British Liberal Party government (led by Herbert Henry Asquith) falls.
  • 1933
    Vidkun Quisling and Johan Bernhard Hjort form Nasjonal Samling — the national-socialist party of Norway.
  • 1939
    The Columbia Lions and the Princeton Tigers play in the United States’ first televised sporting event, a collegiate baseball game in New York City.
  • 1940
    World War II: Germany occupies Brussels, Belgium.
  • 1940
    World 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.
  • 1943
    The United States Army contracts with the University of Pennsylvania’s Moore School to develop the ENIAC.
  • 1943
    World War II: the Dambuster Raids by No. 617 Squadron RAF on German dams.
  • 1954
    The United States Supreme Court hands down a unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas.
  • 1967
    Six-Day War: President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt demands dismantling of the peace-keeping UN Emergency Force in Egypt.
  • 1969
    Venera program: Soviet Venera 6 begins its descent into the atmosphere of Venus, sending back atmospheric data before being crushed by pressure.
  • 1970
    Thor Heyerdahl sets sail from Morocco on the papyrus boat Ra II to sail the Atlantic Ocean.
  • 1973
    Watergate scandal: Televised hearings begin in the United States Senate.
  • 1974
    Dublin and Monaghan bombings: Thirty-three civilians are killed when the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) explodes car bombs in Dublin and Monaghan, Republic of Ireland.
  • 1974
    Police in Los Angeles, California, raid the Symbionese Liberation Army’s headquarters, killing six members, including Camilla Hall.
  • 1980
    General Chun Doo-hwan of South Korea seizes control of the government and declares martial law in order to suppress student demonstrations.
  • 1980
    On 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.
  • 1983
    Lebanon, Israel, and the United States sign an agreement on Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.
  • 1983
    The 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.
  • 1984
    Prince 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.
  • 1987
    An 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.
  • 1990
    The General Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO) eliminates homosexuality from the list of psychiatric diseases.
  • 1992
    Three 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.
  • 1994
    Malawi holds its first multi-party elections.
  • 1997
    Troops of Laurent Kabila march into Kinshasa. Zaire is officially renamed Democratic Republic of the Congo.
  • 2004
    Massachusetts becomes the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage.
  • 2006
    The aircraft carrier USS Oriskany is sunk in the Gulf of Mexico as an artificial reef.
  • 2007
    Trains 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.

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Who Were Born On May 17?

  • 1155
    Jien, Japanese poet and historian (d. 1225)
  • 1443
    Edmund, Earl of Rutland, brother of Kings Edward IV of England and Richard III of England (d. 1460)
  • 1551
    Martin Delrio, Flemish theologian and occultist (d. 1601)
  • 1628
    Archduke Ferdinand Charles of Austria, Regent of Tyrol (d. 1662)
  • 1682
    Bartholomew Roberts, Welsh pirate (d. 1722)
  • 1706
    Andreas Felix von Oefele, German historian and librarian (d. 1780)
  • 1718
    Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness, English diplomat and politician (d. 1778)
  • 1743
    Seth Warner, American revolutionary leader (d. 1784)
  • 1749
    Edward Jenner, English medical researcher (d. 1823)
  • 1758
    John St Aubyn, British fossil collector (d. 1839)
  • 1768
    Caroline of Brunswick, German-born Queen consort of George IV of the United Kingdom (d. 1821)
  • 1768
    Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey, English general (d. 1854)
  • 1794
    Anna Brownell Jameson, British writer (d. 1860)
  • 1821
    Sebastian Kneipp, German naturopathist (d. 1897)
  • 1836
    Virginie Loveling, Belgian writer and poet (d. 1923)
  • 1836
    Wilhelm Steinitz, Austrian chess player (d. 1900)
  • 1844
    Julius Wellhausen, German biblical scholar (d. 1918)
  • 1845
    Jacint Verdaguer, Catalan poet (d. 1902)
  • 1866
    Erik Satie, French composer (d. 1925)
  • 1868
    Horace Elgin Dodge, American automobile manufacturer (d. 1920)
  • 1873
    Dorothy Richardson, English writer (d. 1957)
  • 1873
    Henri Barbusse, French novelist and journalist (d. 1935)
  • 1886
    King Alfonso XIII of Spain (d. 1941)
  • 1888
    Tich Freeman, English cricketer (d. 1965)
  • 1891
    Napoleon Zervas, Greek general and resistance leader during World War II (d. 1957)
  • 1891
    Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Fife (d. 1959)
  • 1895
    Mary Josephine Ray, Canadian supercentenarian (d. 2010)
  • 1895
    Saul Adler FRS, Russian-born British-Israeli expert on parasitology (d. 1966)
  • 1897
    Odd Hassel, Norwegian chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1981)
  • 1898
    Alfred Joseph Casson, Canadian painter (d. 1992)
  • 1901
    Werner Egk, German composer (d. 1983)
  • 1903
    Cool Papa Bell, baseball player (d. 1991)
  • 1904
    Jean Gabin, French actor (d. 1976)
  • 1906
    Zinka Milanov, Croatian soprano (d. 1989)
  • 1909
    Julius Sumner Miller, American physicist (d. 1987)
  • 1911
    Lisa Fonssagrives, Swedish-born supermodel (d. 1992)
  • 1911
    Maureen O'Sullivan, Irish actress (d. 1998)
  • 1912
    Ace Parker, American baseball and football player
  • 1913
    Hans Ruesch, Swiss racing driver (d. 2007)
  • 1918
    A. C. Lyles, American film producer
  • 1918
    Birgit Nilsson, Swedish soprano (d. 2005)
  • 1919
    Antonio Aguilar, Mexican singer and actor (d. 2007)
  • 1919
    Merle Miller, American biographer (d. 1986)
  • 1921
    Bob Merrill, American composer and lyricist (d. 1998)
  • 1921
    Dennis Brain, English French horn player (d. 1957)
  • 1926
    Franz Sondheimer, German-born British chemist (d. 1981)
  • 1931
    Marshall Applewhite, American cult leader of Heaven’s Gate (d. 1997)
  • 1934
    Friedrich-Wilhelm Kiel, German politician
  • 1935
    Dennis Potter, English writer (d. 1994)
  • 1936
    Dennis Hopper, American actor and director (d. 2010)
  • 1937
    Hazel R. O'Leary, 7th United States Secretary of Energy
  • 1938
    Jason Bernard, American actor (d. 1996)
  • 1939
    Gary Paulsen, American author
  • 1940
    Alan Kay, American computer scientist
  • 1940
    Reynato Puno, Filipino Supreme Court Chief Justice
  • 1941
    Ben Nelson. 40th Governor of Nebraska & United States Senator from Nebraska
  • 1941
    David Cope, American composer and author
  • 1941
    Grace Zabriskie, American actress
  • 1942
    Taj Mahal, American musician
  • 1943
    Johnny Warren, Australian footballer (d. 2004)
  • 1945
    Tony Roche, Australian tennis player
  • 1946
    F. Paul Wilson, American novelist
  • 1946
    Udo Lindenberg, German musician
  • 1947
    Andrew Latimer, English musician (Camel (band))
  • 1948
    Dick Gaughan, Scottish musician, singer and songwriter
  • 1949
    Bill Bruford, English drummer (Yes, King Crimson)
  • 1950
    Howard Ashman, American lyricist (d. 1991)
  • 1950
    Janez Drnovšek, Slovenian politician (d. 2008)
  • 1950
    Valeria Novodvorskaya, Russian politician, dissident, founder and chairwoman of the Democratic Union party
  • 1951
    Simon Hughes, British politician
  • 1952
    Howard Hampton, Canadian politician
  • 1953
    Luca Prodan, Italian-Scottish singer and musician (Sumo, Hurlingham Reggae Band)
  • 1955
    Bill Paxton, American actor and film director
  • 1956
    Bob Saget, American actor
  • 1956
    Dave Sim, Canadian cartoonist
  • 1956
    Sugar Ray Leonard, American boxer
  • 1957
    Pascual Pérez, Dominican baseball player
  • 1958
    Paul Di'Anno, English singer (Iron Maiden)
  • 1959
    Jim Nantz, American broadcaster
  • 1959
    Marcelo Loffreda, Argentine rugby player and coach
  • 1960
    Lou DiBella, American boxing promoter
  • 1961
    Enya, Irish singer and songwriter
  • 1962
    Craig Ferguson, Scottish actor and comedian
  • 1962
    Lise Lyng Falkenberg, Danish writer
  • 1963
    Jon Koncak, American basketball player
  • 1963
    Page McConnell, American musician and songwriter (Phish)
  • 1964
    David Eigenberg, American actor
  • 1964
    Menno Oosting, Dutch tennis player (d. 1999)
  • 1964
    Stratos Apostolakis, Greek footballer
  • 1965
    Jeremy Vine, British journalist and presenter
  • 1965
    Paige Turco, American actress
  • 1965
    Trent Reznor, American musician (Nine Inch Nails)
  • 1966
    Danny Manning, American basketball player
  • 1966
    Hill Harper, American actor
  • 1966
    Mark Kratzmann, Australian tennis player
  • 1969
    Alan Doyle, Canadian musician (Great Big Sea)
  • 1969
    Tabatha Coffey, Australian hairstylist and television personality
  • 1969
    Thom Filicia, American television personality
  • 1970
    Angelica Agurbash, Belarusian singer, actress and model
  • 1970
    Hubert Davis, American basketball player
  • 1970
    Jordan Knight, American singer (New Kids on the Block)
  • 1970
    Matt Lindland, American mixed martial arts fighter
  • 1971
    Princess Máxima of the Netherlands
  • 1971
    Shaun Hart, Australian footballer
  • 1973
    Josh Homme, American musician and songwriter (Queens of the Stone Age)
  • 1973
    Matthew McGrory, American actor (d. 2005)
  • 1973
    Sasha Alexander, American television actress
  • 1973
    Steve Barakatt, Canadian composer
  • 1974
    Andrea Corr, Irish singer (The Corrs)
  • 1974
    Eddie Lewis, American football (soccer) player
  • 1974
    Sendhil Ramamurthy, American actor
  • 1974
    Wiki González, Venezuelan baseball player
  • 1975
    Alex Wright, German professional wrestler
  • 1975
    Cheick Kongo, French martial artist
  • 1975
    Jonti Picking, British cartoonist
  • 1975
    Kostas Sommer, Greek actor
  • 1975
    Laura Voutilainen, Finnish singer
  • 1976
    José Guillén, Dominican baseball player
  • 1976
    Leehom Wang, American-born Taiwanese musician and composer
  • 1978
    Carlos Peña, Dominican baseball player
  • 1978
    John Foster, American baseball player
  • 1978
    Paddy Kenny, Irish football goalkeeper
  • 1979
    Wayne Thomas, English footballer
  • 1980
    Dallas Taylor, American singer (Underoath)
  • 1980
    Davor Džalto, Serbian/Croatian art historian
  • 1981
    Beñat Albizuri, Spanish cyclist
  • 1981
    Giannis Taralidis, Greek footballer
  • 1981
    Leon Osman, English footballer
  • 1981
    Lim Jeong Hee, Korean singer
  • 1981
    Shiri Maimon, Israeli singer
  • 1982
    Matt Cassel, American football player
  • 1982
    Reiko Nakamura, Japanese swimmer
  • 1982
    Tony Parker, French-American basketball player
  • 1983
    Channing Frye, American basketball player
  • 1983
    Chris Henry, American football player (d. 2009)
  • 1983
    Jeremy Sowers, American baseball player
  • 1983
    Nicky Hofs, Dutch footballer
  • 1984
    Christian Bolaños, Costa Rican footballer
  • 1984
    Christine Robinson, Canadian water polo player
  • 1985
    Derek Hough, American dancer and singer
  • 1985
    Matt Ryan, American football player
  • 1986
    Tahj Mowry, American actor
  • 1988
    Nikki Reed, American actress
  • 1989
    Kris Bernal, Filipina actress
  • 1989
    Tessa Virtue, Canadian ice dancer
  • 1989
    Zach Daniels, American professional wrestler
  • 1990
    Leven Rambin, American actress
  • 1991
    Adil Omar, Pakistani rapper
  • 1991
    Daniel Curtis Lee, American actor
  • 1994
    Julie Anne San Jose, Filipina child actress and singer
  • 1996
    Ryan Ochoa, American teen actor

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Who Died On May 17?

  • 290
    Sima Yan (Jin Wudi), Chinese emperor of the Jin Dynasty (b. 236)
  • 1189
    Minamoto no Yoshitsune, Japanese general (b. 1159)
  • 1336
    Emperor Go-Fushimi of Japan (b. 1288)
  • 1365
    Louis VI the Roman, Duke of Bavaria and Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1328)
  • 1395
    Constantine Dragaš, Serbian ruler of a semi-independent realm
  • 1464
    Thomas de Ros, 10th Baron de Ros, English politician (executed) (b. 1427)
  • 1510
    Sandro Botticelli, Italian painter (b. 1445)
  • 1521
    Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, English politician (b. 1478)
  • 1536
    Francis Weston, English courtier and Gentleman of the Privy Chamber (executed) (b. 1511)
  • 1536
    George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford, English diplomat (executed) (b. c. 1504)
  • 1536
    Henry Norris, English courtier and Groom of the Stool (executed) (b. c. 1482)
  • 1536
    Mark Smeaton, English courtier and musician (executed) (b. c. 1512)
  • 1536
    William Brereton, English courtier and Groom of the Privy Chamber (executed)
  • 1575
    Matthew Parker, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1504)
  • 1626
    Juan Pujol, Catalan composer (b. 1570)
  • 1643
    Giovanni Picchi, Italian composer
  • 1727
    Empress Catherine I of Russia (b. 1684)
  • 1729
    Samuel Clarke, English philosopher (b. 1675)
  • 1765
    Alexis Claude de Clairaut, French mathematician (b. 1713)
  • 1797
    Michel-Jean Sedaine, French dramatist (b. 1719)
  • 1801
    William Heberden, English physician (b. 1710)
  • 1807
    John Gunby, Maryland Soldier in the American Revolutionary War (b. 1745)
  • 1809
    Leopold Auenbrugger, Austrian physician (b. 1722)
  • 1822
    Armand-Emmanuel du Plessis, Duc de Richelieu, French-Russian statesman (b. 1766)
  • 1829
    John Jay, first Chief Justice of the United States (b. 1745)
  • 1838
    Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, French diplomat (b. 1754)
  • 1838
    René Caillé, French explorer (b. 1799)
  • 1839
    Archibald Alison, Scottish author (b. 1757)
  • 1868
    Isami Kondo, Japanese Shinsengumi Commander (b. 1834)
  • 1875
    John C. Breckinridge, 14th Vice President of the United States (b. 1821)
  • 1879
    Asa Packer, American railroad magnate and founder of Lehigh Valley Railroad (b. 1805)
  • 1886
    John Deere, American blacksmith and manufacturer (b. 1804)
  • 1888
    Giacomo Zanella, Italian poet (b. 1820)
  • 1911
    Frederick August Otto Schwarz, American entrepreneur (b. 1836)
  • 1916
    Boris Borisovich Galitzine, Russian physicist (b. 1862)
  • 1917
    Charles Anthoni Johnson Brooke, ruler of Sarawak (b. 1829)
  • 1919
    Guido von List, German occult author (b. 1848)
  • 1927
    Harold Geiger, U.S. Army aviation pioneer (b. 1884)
  • 1935
    Paul Dukas, French composer (b. 1865)
  • 1936
    Panagis Tsaldaris, twice Greek prime minister (b. 1868)
  • 1938
    Jakob Ehrlich, Austrian politician and zionist (b. 1877)
  • 1947
    George William Forbes, 22nd Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1869)
  • 1947
    Zhang Lingfu, a general of the National Revolutionary Army (b. 1903)
  • 1951
    William Birdwood, 1st Baron Birdwood, British general (b. 1865)
  • 1963
    John Wilce, American physician and former head football coach at the Ohio State University (b. 1888)
  • 1964
    Nandor Fodor, Hungarian-born psychologist and parapsychologist (b. 1895)
  • 1966
    Randy Turpin, English boxer, known as the Leamington Licker, (b. 1928)
  • 1974
    Ernest Nash, German-born archaeologist (b. 1898)
  • 1985
    Abe Burrows, American songwriter, composer, and writer (b. 1910)
  • 1987
    Gunnar Myrdal, Swedish economist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1898)
  • 1992
    Lawrence Welk, American musician (b. 1903)
  • 1995
    Hector “Toe” Blake, Canadian ice hockey player and NHL coach (b. 1912)
  • 1996
    Kevin Gilbert, American singer, composer and instrumentalist (b. 1966)
  • 1996
    Scott Brayton, American race car driver (b. 1959)
  • 1999
    Bruce Fairbairn, Canadian record producer and musician (b. 1949)
  • 2000
    Donald Coggan, 101st Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1909)
  • 2001
    Frank G. Slaughter, American novelist and physician (b. 1908)
  • 2002
    Dave Berg, American cartoonist (b. 1920)
  • 2002
    Ladislao Kubala, Hungarian-Spanish footballer (b. 1927)
  • 2002
    Sharon Sheeley, American songwriter (b. 1940)
  • 2003
    Frank “Pop” Ivy, American and Canadian football coach (b. 1916)
  • 2004
    Ezzedine Salim, leader of the Iraqi Governing Council (b. 1943)
  • 2004
    Jørgen Nash, Danish artist (b. 1920)
  • 2004
    Tony Randall, American actor (b. 1920)
  • 2005
    Frank Gorshin, American actor (b. 1934)
  • 2006
    Captain Nichola Goddard, Canadian soldier (b. 1980)
  • 2006
    Cy Feuer, American playwright (b. 1911)
  • 2006
    Eric Forth, British Member of Parliament (b. 1944)
  • 2007
    Lloyd Alexander, American author (b. 1924)
  • 2007
    T.K. Doraiswamy (also known as Nakulan), Indian poet and author (b. 1921)
  • 2009
    Jung Seung-hye, South Korean film producer (b. 1965)
  • 2009
    Mario Benedetti, Uruguayan journalist, novelist, and poet (b. 1920)
  • 2010
    Walasse Ting, Chinese/American painter (b. 1929)
  • 2011
    Harmon Killebrew, American baseball player (b. 1936)

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