April 17Birthdays & History

On this day: April 17 in history

Oldest first. Tap a year to see it on the World Chronicle timeline.

1. 1080Harald III of Denmark dies and is succeeded by Canute IV, who would later be the first Dane to be canonized.Europe
2. 1349The rule of the Bavand dynasty in Mazandaran is brought to an end by the murder of Hasan II.Middle East
3. 1362Kaunas Castle falls to the Teutonic Order after a month-long siege.Europe
4. 1492Spain and Christopher Columbus sign the Capitulations of Santa Fe for his voyage to Asia to acquire spices.EuropeAsia
5. 1521Trial of Martin Luther over his teachings begins during the assembly of the Diet of Worms. Initially intimidated, he asks for time to reflect before answering and is given a stay of one day.Europe
6. 1524Giovanni da Verrazzano reaches New York harbor.North America
7. 1783American Revolutionary War: Colbert's Raid: A Spanish garrison under Captain Jacobo du Breuil defeat British irregulars at Arkansas Post.North AmericaEurope
8. 1797Citizens of Verona begin an unsuccessful eight-day rebellion against the French occupying forces.Europe
9. 1797Sir Ralph Abercromby attacks San Juan, Puerto Rico, in what would be one of the largest invasions of the Spanish territories in the Americas.Latin AmericaEurope
10. 1861The state of Virginia's secession convention votes to secede from the United States; Virginia later becomes the eighth state to join the Confederate States of America.North America
11. 1863American Civil War: Grierson's Raid begins: Troops under Union Army Colonel Benjamin Grierson attack central Mississippi.North America
12. 1864American Civil War: The Battle of Plymouth begins: Confederate forces attack Plymouth, North Carolina.North America
13. 1869Morelos is admitted as the 27th state of Mexico.Latin America
14. 1876Catalpa rescue: The rescue of six Fenian prisoners from Fremantle Prison in Western Australia.Oceania
15. 1895The Treaty of Shimonoseki between China and Japan is signed. This marks the end of the First Sino-Japanese War, and the defeated Qing Empire is forced to renounce its claims on Korea and to concede the southern portion of the Fengtian province, Taiwan and the Penghu to Japan.AsiaAsia
16. 1905The Supreme Court of the United States decides Lochner v. New York, which holds that the "right to free contract" is implicit in the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.North America
17. 1907The Ellis Island immigration center processes 11,747 people, more than on any other day.North America
18. 1912Russian troops open fire on striking goldfield workers in northeast Siberia, killing at least 150.Europe
19. 1925The Communist Party of Korea (CPK) was founded in Japanese-ruled Korea (Chōsen) in Keijō (now Seoul) by Kim Yong-bom and Pak Hon-yong.AsiaAsia
20. 1931After negotiations between Catalan and Spanish provisional governments, the Catalan Republic proclaimed in April 14 becomes the Generalitat de Catalunya, the autonomous government of Catalonia within the Spanish Republic.Europe
21. 1941World War II: The Axis powers invasion of Yugoslavia is completed when it signs an armistice with Germany and Italy.Europe
22. 1942World War II: French prisoner of war General Henri Giraud escapes from his castle prison in Königstein Fortress.Europe
23. 1944Forces of the Communist-controlled Greek People's Liberation Army attack the smaller National and Social Liberation resistance group, which surrenders. Its leader Dimitrios Psarros is murdered.Europe
24. 1945World War II: Montese, Italy, is liberated from Nazi forces.Europe
25. 1945Historian Tran Trong Kim is appointed the Prime Minister of the Empire of Vietnam.Asia
26. 1946The last French troops are withdrawn from Syria.EuropeMiddle East
27. 1951The Peak District becomes the United Kingdom's first National Park.Europe
28. 1961Bay of Pigs Invasion: A group of Cuban exiles financed and trained by the CIA lands at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba with the aim of ousting Fidel Castro.Latin America
29. 1964Jerrie Mock completes the first around-the-world airplane flight by a woman. Her solo flight in the Spirit of Columbus, which took 29+1⁄2 days, took off and landed at the Port Columbus International Airport in Ohio.North America
30. 1969Sirhan Sirhan is convicted of assassinating Robert F. Kennedy.North America
31. 1969Communist Party of Czechoslovakia chairman Alexander Dubček is deposed.Europe
32. 1970Apollo program: The damaged Apollo 13 spacecraft returns to Earth safely.North America
33. 1971The Provisional Government of Bangladesh is formed.Asia
34. 1975The Cambodian Civil War ends and the Cambodian Genocide begins. The Khmer Rouge captures the capital Phnom Penh and Cambodian government forces surrender.Asia
35. 1978Mir Akbar Khyber is assassinated, provoking the Saur Revolution in Afghanistan.Asia
36. 1982Constitution Act, 1982 Patriation of the Canadian constitution in Ottawa by Proclamation of Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada.North America
37. 1986An alleged state of war lasting 335 years between the Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly is declared over.Europe
38. 1992The Katina P is deliberately run aground off Maputo, Mozambique, and 60,000 tons of crude oil spill into the ocean.Africa
39. 1998Space Shuttle Columbia is launched on STS-90, the final Spacelab mission.North America
40. 2003Anneli Jäätteenmäki takes office as the first female prime minister of Finland.Europe
41. 2006A Palestinian suicide bomber detonates an explosive device in a Tel Aviv restaurant, killing 11 people and injuring 70.Middle East
42. 2013The ceremonial funeral of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher takes place at St Paul's Cathedral.Europe
43. 2013An explosion at a fertilizer plant in the city of West, Texas, kills 15 people and injures 160 others.North America
44. 2014NASA's Kepler space telescope confirms the discovery of the first Earth-size planet in the habitable zone of another star.North America
45. 2021The funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, takes place at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.Europe

Source: Wikipedia "April 17" / CC BY-SA 4.0