What happened on October 17? There are more than 269 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 October 17
October 17 is the 291st day of the year 2024. There are 75 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Thursday. This day falls under the 42nd week of the year 2024.
On this day in Kenly, North Carolina 27542 sunrise will occur at 07:20 AM and sunset will occur at 06:35 PM (local time).
The zodiac sign of a person born on this day is Libra. The modern birthstone for this month is Opal while the mystical birthstone is Jasper.
According to the Chinese calendar, there are 104 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year (January 29, 2025).
Are you looking for a day of the week calculator? Try it on any date like anniversaries, birthday of someone you know, or any other date that is special to you. You can even try it on historical dates. For example: September 22
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Historical Events For October 17
- 539 BCCyrus the Great marches into the city of Babylon, releasing the Jews from almost 70 years of exile. Cyrus allows the Jews to return to Yehud Medinata and rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem.
- 1091London Tornado of 1091: A tornado thought to be of strength T8/F4 strikes the heart of London.
- 1346Battle of Neville’s Cross: King David II of Scotland is captured by Edward III of England near Durham, and imprisoned in the Tower of London for eleven years.
- 1448Second Battle of Kosovo, where the mainly Hungarian army led by John Hunyadi is defeated by an Ottoman army led by Sultan Murad II.
- 1456The University of Greifswald is established, making it the second oldest university in northern Europe (also for a period the oldest in Sweden, and Prussia)
- 1604Kepler’s Star: German astronomer Johannes Kepler observes a supernova in the constellation Ophiuchus.
- 1610French king Louis XIII is crowned in Rheims.
- 1660Nine Regicides, the men who signed the death warrant of Charles I, are hanged, drawn and quartered.
- 1662Charles II of England sells Dunkirk to France for 40,000 pounds.
- 1771Premiere in Milan of the opera Ascanio in Alba, composed by Wolfgang Mozart, age 15.
- 1777American Revolutionary War: British General John Burgoyne surrenders his army at Saratoga, New York.
- 1781American Revolutionary War: British General Lord Charles Cornwallis surrenders at the Siege of Yorktown.
- 1800Britain takes control of the Dutch colony of Curaçao.
- 1806Former leader of the Haitian Revolution, Emperor Jacques I of Haiti is assassinated after an oppressive rule.
- 1814London Beer Flood occurs in London, killing nine.
- 1860First The Open Championship (referred to in North America as the British Open).
- 1888Thomas Edison files a patent for the Optical Phonograph (the first movie).
- 1905The October Manifesto issued by Tsar Nicholas II of Russia
- 1907Guglielmo Marconi’s company begins the first commercial transatlantic wireless service between Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada and Clifden, Ireland.
- 1912Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia declare war on the Ottoman Empire, joining Montenegro in the First Balkan War.
- 1917First British bombing of Germany in World War I.
- 1931Al Capone convicted of income tax evasion.
- 1933Albert Einstein flees Nazi Germany and moves to the United States.
- 1941For the first time in World War II, a German submarine attacks an American ship.
- 1941German troops execute the male population of the villages Kerdyllia in Serres, Greece.
- 1943Burma Railway (Burma-Thailand Railway) is completed.
- 1945A massive number of people, headed by CGT and Evita, gather in the Plaza de Mayo in Argentina to demand Juan Peron’s release. It calls “el día de la lealtad peronista” (peronista loyalty day)
- 1945Archbishop Damaskinos of Athens becomes Prime Minister of Greece between the pull-out of the German occupation force in 1944 and the return of King Georgios II to Greece.
- 1956The first commercial nuclear power station is officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in Sellafield,in Cumbria, England.
- 1961Scores of Algerian protesters (some claim up to 400) are massacred by the Paris police at the instigation of Nazi collaborator Maurice Papon, then chief of the Prefecture of Police.
- 1964Prime Minister of Australia Robert Menzies opens the artificial Lake Burley Griffin in the middle of the capital Canberra.
- 1965The 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair closes after a two year run. More than 51 million people had attended the two-year event.
- 1966A fire at a building in New York, New York kills 12 firefighters, the New York City Fire Department’s deadliest day until the September 11, 2001 attacks.
- 1966Botswana and Lesotho join the United Nations.
- 1970Montreal, Quebec: Quebec Vice-Premier and Minister of Labour Pierre Laporte murdered by members of the FLQ terrorist group.
- 1973OPEC starts an oil embargo against a number of western countries, considered to have helped Israel in its war against Syria.
- 1977German Autumn: Four days after it is hijacked, Lufthansa Flight 181 lands in Mogadishu, Somalia, where a team of German GSG 9 commandos later rescues all remaining hostages on board.
- 1979Mother Teresa awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
- 1979The Department of Education Organization Act is signed into law creating the US Department of Education and US Department of Health and Human Services.
- 1980As part of the Holy See – United Kingdom relations a British monarch makes the first state visit to the Vatican
- 19891989 Loma Prieta earthquake (7.1 on the Richter scale) hits the San Francisco Bay Area and causes 57 deaths directly (and 6 indirectly).
- 1994Russian journalist Dmitry Kholodov is assassinated while investigating corruption in the armed forces.
- 1998At Jesse, in the Niger Delta, Nigeria, a petroleum pipeline explodes killing about 1200 villagers, some of whom are scavenging gasoline.
- 2000Train crash at Hatfield, north of London, leading to collapse of Railtrack.
- 2001Israeli tourism minister Rehavam Ze'evi became the first Israeli minister to be assassinated in a terrorist attack.
- 2003The pinnacle is fitted on the roof of Taipei 101, a 101-floor skyscraper in Taipei, allowing it to surpass the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur by 56 m and become the World’s tallest highrise.
- 2010Mary MacKillop is canonized (in Rome) and becomes the first saint of Australia.
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Who Were Born On October 17?
- 1253Saint Ivo of Kermartin (d. 1303)
- 1563Jodocus Hondius, Flemish cartographer (d. 1611)
- 1577Cristofano Allori, Italian painter (d. 1621)
- 1582Johann Gerhard, German Lutheran leader (d. 1637)
- 1623Francis Turretin, Swiss theologian (d. 1687)
- 1688Domenico Zipoli, Italian composer (d. 1726)
- 1711Jupiter Hammon, American writer (d. 1806)
- 1719Jacques Cazotte, French writer (d. 1792)
- 1760Claude Henri de Rouvroy, French economist and philosopher (d. 1825)
- 1811Albertus van Raalte, Dutch-born American religious figure (d. 1876)
- 1813Georg Büchner, German playwright (d. 1837)
- 1814Yakiv Holovatsky, Ukrainian writer and professor (d. 1888)
- 1817Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, Hindustani intellectual (d. 1898)
- 1853Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia (d. 1920)
- 1864Elinor Glyn, British writer (d. 1943)
- 1865James Rudolph Garfield, American politician (d. 1950)
- 1886Spring Byington, American actress (d. 1971)
- 1890Roy Kilner, English cricketer (d. 1928)
- 1892Herbert Howells, English composer (d. 1983)
- 1892Theodor Eicke, German Nazi official (d. 1943)
- 1898Shinichi Suzuki, Japanese violin teacher (d. 1998)
- 1898Simon Vestdijk, Dutch writer (d. 1971)
- 1900Jean Arthur, American actress (d. 1991)
- 1902Irene Ryan, American actress (d. 1973)
- 1903Nathanael West, American writer (d. 1940)
- 1906Paul Derringer, American baseball player (d. 1987)
- 1908Red Rolfe, American baseball player (d. 1969)
- 1909Cozy Cole, American jazz drummer (d. 1981)
- 1912Jack Owens, American singer/songwriter (d. 1982)
- 1912Pope John Paul I (d. 1978)
- 1912Theodore Marier, KCSG, American composer, founder of the Boston Archdiocesan Choir School (d. 2001)
- 1914Jerry Siegel, American cartoonist (d. 1996)
- 1915Arthur Miller, American playwright (d. 2005)
- 1917Marsha Hunt, American actress
- 1917Sumner Locke Elliott, Australian-born American novelist (d. 1991)
- 1918Ralph Wilson, American pro football team owner
- 1918Rita Hayworth, American actress (d. 1987)
- 1919Isaak Markovich Khalatnikov, Russian physicist
- 1920Miguel Delibes, Spanish novelist (d. 2010)
- 1920Montgomery Clift, American actor (d. 1966)
- 1921George Mackay Brown, Scottish Poet (d.1996)
- 1921Maria Gorokhovskaya, Soviet gymnast (d. 2001)
- 1921Tom Poston, American actor and comedian (d. 2007)
- 1922Luiz Bonfá, Brazilian composer (d. 2001)
- 1922Pierre Juneau, Canadian film and broadcast executive
- 1923Barney Kessel, American musician (d. 2004)
- 1923Charles McClendon, American football coach (d. 2001)
- 1924Don Coryell, American football head coach (d. 2010)
- 1925Harry Carpenter, English sports commentator (d. 2010)
- 1926Beverly Garland, American actress (d. 2008)
- 1926Julie Adams, American film actress
- 1930Jimmy Breslin, American newspaper columnist and author
- 1930Robert Atkins, American nutritionist (d. 2003)
- 1931Ernst Hinterberger, Austrian writer
- 1933Bill Anders, American astronaut
- 1933Jeanine Deckers, Belgian nun (d. 1985)
- 1934Johnny Haynes, English footballer (d. 2005)
- 1934Rico Rodriguez, ska and reggae trombonist
- 1935Sydney Chapman, English politician and architect
- 1936Hiroo Kanamori, Japanese seismologist
- 1936Sathima Bea Benjamin, South African vocalist and composer
- 1937Paxton Whitehead, English actor
- 1938Evel Knievel, American motorcycle daredevil (d. 2007)
- 1938Les Murray, Australian poet
- 1940Jim Smith, English footballer and manager
- 1940Peter Stringfellow, British nightclub owner
- 1941Earl Thomas Conley, American singer
- 1942Gary Puckett, American musician
- 1942Steve Jones, American basketball player
- 1946Adam Michnik, Polish activist
- 1946Bob Seagren, American athlete
- 1946Drusilla Modjeska, Australian writer and editor
- 1946Michael Hossack, American musician (The Doobie Brothers)
- 1946Ronni Chasen, American film publicist (d. 2010)
- 1946Sir Cameron Mackintosh, British stage producer
- 1947Gene Green, American politician
- 1947Michael McKean, American actor
- 1947Simi Garewal, Indian actress
- 1948George Wendt, American actor
- 1948Margot Kidder, Canadian actress
- 1948Robert Jordan, American novelist (d. 2007)
- 1950Howard Rollins, American actor (d. 1996)
- 1950Philippe Barbarin, French cardinal
- 1951Annie Borckink, Dutch ice-skater
- 1951Roger Pontare, Swedish singer
- 1951Shari Ulrich, Canadian musician-songwriter, member of Pied Pumkin and UHF
- 1953Joseph Bowie, American trombonist, founder of the jazz fusion band Defunkt
- 1954Carlos Buhler, American high altitude mountaineer
- 1955Georgios Alogoskoufis, Greek politician
- 1956Mae Jemison, American astronaut and physician
- 1956Patrick McCrory, American politician
- 1957Lawrence Bender, American film producer
- 1957Steve McMichael, American football player
- 1957Vincent Van Patten, American actor
- 1958Alan Jackson, American singer and songwriter
- 1959Mark Peel, Australian historian and academic
- 1959Richard Roeper, American film critic
- 1959Ron Drummond, American writer
- 1959Russell Gilbert, Australian comedian
- 1960Guy Henry, English actor
- 1960Rob Marshall, American director
- 1962Mike Judge, American cartoonist, filmmaker and voice actor
- 1963Norm Macdonald, Canadian comedian and actor
- 1963Sergio Goycochea, Argentine footballer
- 1965Aravinda de Silva, Sri Lankan cricketer
- 1966Danny Ferry, American basketball player
- 1966Mark Gatiss, English actor and writer
- 1966Tommy Kendall, American race car driver and television personality
- 1967René Dif, Danish musician (Aqua)
- 1968Ziggy Marley, Jamaican musician
- 1969Ernie Els, South African golfer
- 1969Rick Mercer, Canadian comedian
- 1969Wood Harris, American actor
- 1969Wyclef Jean, Haitian singer
- 1970Anil Kumble, Indian cricketer
- 1970Blues Saraceno, American guitarist
- 1970John Mabry, American baseball player
- 1970Shauna O'Brien, American model and actress
- 1971Chris Kirkpatrick, American singer ('N Sync)
- 1972Eminem, American rapper
- 1972Joe McEwing, American baseball player
- 1972Sharon Leal, American actress
- 1972Tarkan, Turkish singer
- 1973Andrea Tarozzi, Italian footballer
- 1974Ariel Levy, American feminist writer
- 1974Janne Puurtinen, Finnish keyboardist (HIM)
- 1974John Rocker, American baseball player
- 1974Matthew Macfadyen, British actor
- 1975Francis Bouillon, American hockey player
- 1976Sebastián Abreu, Uruguayan footballer
- 1977Alimi Ballard, American actor
- 1977André Villas-Boas, Portuguese football manager
- 1977Bryan Bertino, American film director and screenwriter
- 1977Dudu Aouate, Israeli footballer
- 1978Erin Karpluk, Canadian television actress
- 1979Alexandros Nikolaidis, Greek taekwondo athlete
- 1979Kimi Räikkönen, Finnish race car driver
- 1979Kostas Tsartsaris, Greek basketball player
- 1979Marcela Bovio, Mexican singer and violinist (Stream of Passion)
- 1980Alessandro Piccolo, Italian racing driver
- 1980Yekaterina Gamova, Russian volleyball player
- 1982Nick Riewoldt, Australian rules footballer
- 1983Daniel Booko, American actor
- 1983Ivan Saenko, Russian football player
- 1983Mitch Talbot, American baseball player
- 1984Chris Lowell, American actor
- 1984Jelle Klaasen, Dutch darts player
- 1984Randall Munroe, American cartoonist
- 1985Baran Kosari, Iranian actress
- 1985Carlos González, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1985Collins John, Dutch footballer
- 1987Bea Alonzo, Filipina actress
- 1987Jarosław Fojut, Polish footballer
- 1988Christina Crawford, American dancer and professional wrestler
- 1990Paolo Campinoti, Italian footballer
- 1992Sam Concepcion, Filipino performer and actor
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Who Died On October 17?
- 532Pope Boniface II
- 1174Queen Petronila of Aragon (b. 1135)
- 1586Philip Sidney, English courtier, soldier, and writer (killed in battle) (b. 1554)
- 1616John Pitts, Catholic scholar and writer. (b. 1560)
- 1660Adrian Scrope, English regicide (b. 1601)
- 1673Thomas Clifford, 1st Baron Clifford of Chudleigh, English statesman (b. 1630)
- 1757René Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur, French scientist (b. 1683)
- 1776Pierre François le Courayer, French theologian (b. 1681)
- 1780William Cookworthy, English chemist (b. 1705)
- 1786Johann Ludwig Aberli, Swiss artist (b. 1723)
- 1806Jean-Jacques Dessalines, Haitian independence leader (b. 1758)
- 1836Orest Kiprensky, Russian painter (b. 1782)
- 1837Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Austrian virtuoso pianist and composer (b. 1778)
- 1849Frédéric Chopin, Polish musician and composer (b. 1810)
- 1868Laura Secord, Canadian heroine of the war of 1812 (b. 1775)
- 1887Gustav Kirchhoff, German physicist (b. 1824)
- 1889Nikolai Chernyshevsky, Russian philosopher (b. 1828)
- 1910Julia Ward Howe, American composer and abolitionist (b. 1819)
- 1931Alfons Maria Jakob, German neurologist (b. 1884)
- 1934Santiago Ramón y Cajal, Spanish histologist and neuroscientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1852)
- 1937Joseph Bruce Ismay, Titanic survivor and managing director of the White Star Line (b. 1862)
- 1938Karl Kautsky, Czech-German Marxist theoretician (b. 1854)
- 1943Stefan Starzyński, Polish politician (b. 1893)
- 1956Anne Crawford, British film actor (b. 1920)
- 1958Charlie Townsend, English cricketer (b. 1876)
- 1958Paul Outerbridge, American photographer (b. 1896)
- 1962Natalia Goncharova, Russian painter (b. 1882)
- 1963Jacques Hadamard, French mathematician (b. 1865)
- 1965John Barton King, Philadelphian cricketer (b. 1873)
- 1966Wieland Wagner, German stage director (b. 1917)
- 1967Henry Pu Yi, last Emperor of China (b. 1906)
- 1970Pierre Laporte, Vice-Premier of Quebec (assassinated) (b. 1921)
- 1970Vola Vale, American actress (b. 1897)
- 1972Billy Williams, American singer (b. 1910)
- 1972George, Crown Prince of Serbia (b. 1887)
- 1972Turk Broda, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1914)
- 1973Ingeborg Bachmann, Austrian writer (b. 1926)
- 1978Giovanni Gronchi, 3rd President of the Italian Republic (b. 1887)
- 1979John Stuart, Scottish actor (b. 1898)
- 1979S. J. Perelman, American writer (b. 1904)
- 1981Albert Cohen, Swiss author (b. 1895)
- 1981Lina Tsaldari, Greek politician (b. 1887)
- 1983Raymond Aron, French philosopher (b. 1905)
- 1987Abdul Malek Ukil, Bangladeshi politician (b. 1925)
- 1991Tennessee Ernie Ford, American singer and television performer (b. 1919)
- 1992Herman Johannes, Indonesian professor, scientist and politician (b. 1912)
- 1992Orestis Laskos, Greek film director, screenwriter and actor (b. 1908)
- 1993Criss Oliva, American musician (Savatage) (b. 1963)
- 1996Chris Acland, English drummer (Lush) (b. 1966)
- 1998Hakim Mohammed Said, Pakistani scholar and philanthropist (b. 1920)
- 1998Joan Hickson, British actress (b. 1906)
- 1999Nicholas Metropolis, Greek-American mathematician, physicist and computer scientist (b. 1915)
- 2000Joachim Nielsen, Norwegian rock musician and poet (b. 1964)
- 2000Leo Nomellini, football player and wrestler (b. 1924)
- 2001Jay Livingston, American songwriter (b. 1915)
- 2001Rehavam Zeevi, Israeli politician (b. 1926)
- 2002Aileen Riggin, American swimmer (b. 1906)
- 2002Derek Bell, Irish harpist (The Chieftains) (b. 1935)
- 2004Uzi Hitman, Israeli singer (b. 1952)
- 2005Ba Jin, Chinese writer (b. 1904)
- 2006Christopher Glenn, American newscaster (b. 1938)
- 2006Daniel Emilfork, French actor (b. 1924)
- 2007Joey Bishop, American entertainer, member of the Rat Pack (b. 1918)
- 2007Teresa Brewer, American pop and jazz singer (b. 1931)
- 2008Levi Stubbs, American baritone singer (Four Tops) (b. 1936)
- 2009Vic Mizzy, American composer (themes to Green Acres and ''The Addams Family) (b. 1916)
- 2011Carl Lindner, Jr., Cincinnati businessman and one of the world’s richest people (b. 1919)
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