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On This Day in History — April 17
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Highlights of April 17
- 2014 — NASA announced the discovery of Kepler-186f, the first exoplanet with a radius similar to Earth's discovered in the habitable zone of another star. Read more
- 2013 — An ammonium nitrate explosion occurred at a fertilizer company facility in West, Texas, U.S., killing 15 people and injuring 160 others. Read more
- 2006 — A Palestinian suicide bomber detonated explosives in a restaurant in Tel Aviv, Israel, killing 11 people and injuring 70 others. Read more
- 1986 — The Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly declared peace, having hypothetically been at war for 335 years without a single shot being fired and no casualties incurred. Read more
- 1984 — Metropolitan Police officer Yvonne Fletcher was shot and killed while on duty during a protest outside the Libyan embassy in London, resulting in an 11-day police siege of the building and a breakdown of Libya–United Kingdom relations. Read more
- 1975 — The Khmer Rouge captured Phnom Penh, the capital of the Khmer Republic, ending the Cambodian Civil War and establishing the socialist state of Democratic Kampuchea. Read more
- 1973 — George Lucas began writing a 13-page film treatment that later formed the basis of Star Wars. Read more
- 1969 — Czechoslovak Communist Party chairman Alexander Dubček was deposed. Read more
- 1969 — Sirhan Sirhan was convicted of the assassination of U.S. senator Robert F. Kennedy. Read more
- 1951 — The Peak District was designated the first national park in the United Kingdom. Read more
- 1942 — World War II: Captured French general Henri Giraud escaped from German captivity in the Königstein Castle. Read more
- 1907 — Minas Geraes (pictured), the first of three Brazilian dreadnought battleships, was laid down, sparking a vastly expensive South American naval arms race with Argentina and Chile. Read more
- 1809 — Napoleonic Wars: After a three-day chase, the French ship D'Hautpoul was captured off Puerto Rico by a British squadron under Alexander Cochrane. Read more
- 1797 — French Revolutionary Wars: British forces commanded by Lieutenant-General Ralph Abercromby invaded the Spanish colonial port of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Read more
- 1783 — The Mechanical Turk (pictured), a fraudulent chess-playing "machine" by Wolfgang von Kempelen that was secretly controlled by a hidden human, began a tour of Europe. Read more
- 1362 — Lithuanian Crusade: After a month-long siege, the Teutonic Order captured and destroyed Kaunas Castle, which was defended by troops of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Read more
- 1080 — Canute IV became King of Denmark upon the death of his brother Harald III. Read more
Events
- 2021 — The funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, takes place at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. Read more
- 2014 — NASA's Kepler space telescope confirms the discovery of the first Earth-size planet in the habitable zone of another star. Read more
- 2013 — An explosion at a fertilizer plant in the city of West, Texas, kills 15 people and injures 160 others. Read more
- 2013 — The ceremonial funeral of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher takes place at St Paul's Cathedral. Read more
- 2006 — A Palestinian suicide bomber detonates an explosive device in a Tel Aviv restaurant, killing 11 people and injuring 70. Read more
- 2003 — Anneli Jäätteenmäki takes office as the first female prime minister of Finland. Read more
- 1998 — Space Shuttle Columbia is launched on STS-90, the final Spacelab mission. Read more
- 1992 — The Katina P is deliberately run aground off Maputo, Mozambique, and 60,000 tons of crude oil spill into the ocean. Read more
- 1986 — An alleged state of war lasting 335 years between the Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly is declared over. Read more
- 1982 — Constitution Act, 1982 Patriation of the Canadian constitution in Ottawa by Proclamation of Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada. Read more
- 1978 — Mir Akbar Khyber is assassinated, provoking the Saur Revolution in Afghanistan. Read more
- 1975 — The Cambodian Civil War ends and the Cambodian Genocide begins. The Khmer Rouge captures the capital Phnom Penh and Cambodian government forces surrender. Read more
- 1971 — The Provisional Government of Bangladesh is formed. Read more
- 1970 — Apollo program: The damaged Apollo 13 spacecraft returns to Earth safely. Read more
- 1969 — Sirhan Sirhan is convicted of assassinating Robert F. Kennedy. Read more
- 1969 — Communist Party of Czechoslovakia chairman Alexander Dubček is deposed. Read more
- 1964 — Jerrie 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. Read more
- 1961 — Bay 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. Read more
- 1951 — The Peak District becomes the United Kingdom's first National Park. Read more
- 1946 — The last French troops are withdrawn from Syria. Read more
- 1945 — World War II: Montese, Italy, is liberated from Nazi forces. Read more
- 1945 — Historian Tran Trong Kim is appointed the Prime Minister of the Empire of Vietnam. Read more
- 1944 — Forces 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. Read more
- 1942 — World War II: French prisoner of war General Henri Giraud escapes from his castle prison in Königstein Fortress. Read more
- 1941 — World War II: The Axis powers invasion of Yugoslavia is completed when it signs an armistice with Germany and Italy. Read more
- 1931 — After 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. Read more
- 1925 — The Communist Party of Korea (CPK) was founded in Japanese-ruled Korea (Chōsen) in Keijō (now Seoul) by Kim Yong-bom and Pak Hon-yong. Read more
- 1912 — Russian troops open fire on striking goldfield workers in northeast Siberia, killing at least 150. Read more
- 1907 — The Ellis Island immigration center processes 11,747 people, more than on any other day. Read more
- 1905 — The 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. Read more
- 1895 — The 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. Read more
- 1876 — Catalpa rescue: The rescue of six Fenian prisoners from Fremantle Prison in Western Australia. Read more
- 1869 — Morelos is admitted as the 27th state of Mexico. Read more
- 1864 — American Civil War: The Battle of Plymouth begins: Confederate forces attack Plymouth, North Carolina. Read more
- 1863 — American Civil War: Grierson's Raid begins: Troops under Union Army Colonel Benjamin Grierson attack central Mississippi. Read more
- 1861 — The 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. Read more
- 1797 — Sir Ralph Abercromby attacks San Juan, Puerto Rico, in what would be one of the largest invasions of the Spanish territories in the Americas. Read more
- 1797 — Citizens of Verona begin an unsuccessful eight-day rebellion against the French occupying forces. Read more
- 1783 — American Revolutionary War: Colbert's Raid: A Spanish garrison under Captain Jacobo du Breuil defeat British irregulars at Arkansas Post. Read more
- 1524 — Giovanni da Verrazzano reaches New York harbor. Read more
- 1521 — Trial 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. Read more
- 1492 — Spain and Christopher Columbus sign the Capitulations of Santa Fe for his voyage to Asia to acquire spices. Read more
- 1362 — Kaunas Castle falls to the Teutonic Order after a month-long siege. Read more
- 1349 — The rule of the Bavand dynasty in Mazandaran is brought to an end by the murder of Hasan II. Read more
- 1080 — Harald III of Denmark dies and is succeeded by Canute IV, who would later be the first Dane to be canonized. Read more
Born on April 17
- 2005 — Antonio Nusa, Norwegian footballer Read more
- 2001 — Shin Ryujin, South Korean rapper, singer and dancer Read more
- 2001 — Violette Dorange, French Professional Round the World Sailor Read more
- 1998 — Anna Odine Strøm, Norwegian ski jumper and two-time Olympic champion Read more
- 1998 — Suppapong Udomkaewkanjana (Saint), Thai actor and singer Read more
- 1996 — Lorna Fitzgerald, British actress Read more
- 1996 — Caitlin Parker, Australian boxer Read more
- 1996 — Helene Spilling, Norwegian dancer Read more
- 1995 — Jung Wheein, South Korean singer Read more
- 1994 — Alanna Goldie, Canadian fencer Read more
- 1994 — Yang Hongseok, South Korean singer and actor Read more
- 1992 — Lachlan Maranta, Australian rugby league footballer Read more
- 1992 — Jo Jinho, South Korean singer Read more
- 1990 — Jonathan Brown, Welsh footballer Read more
- 1989 — Paraskevi Papachristou, Greek triple jumper Read more
- 1989 — Avi Kaplan, singer and songwriter Read more
- 1988 — Takahiro Moriuchi, Japanese singer-songwriter Read more
- 1986 — Romain Grosjean, French race car driver Read more
- 1985 — Rooney Mara, American actress Read more
- 1985 — Luke Mitchell, Australian actor and model Read more
- 1985 — Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, French tennis player Read more
- 1984 — Pablo Sebastián Álvarez, Argentinian footballer Read more
- 1984 — Jed Lowrie, American baseball player Read more
- 1984 — Raffaele Palladino, Italian footballer Read more
- 1983 — Stanislav Chistov, Russian ice hockey player Read more
- 1983 — Roberto Jiménez, Peruvian footballer Read more
- 1983 — Andrea Marcato, Italian rugby player Read more
- 1982 — Brad Boyes, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
- 1982 — Chuck Kobasew, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
- 1982 — Tyron Woodley, American mixed martial artist Read more
- 1981 — Jenny Meadows, English runner Read more
- 1981 — Hanna Pakarinen, Finnish singer-songwriter Read more
- 1981 — Ryan Raburn, American baseball player Read more
- 1981 — Chris Thompson, English runner Read more
- 1981 — Zhang Yaokun, Chinese footballer Read more
- 1980 — Fabián Vargas, Colombian footballer Read more
- 1980 — Curtis Woodhouse, English footballer, boxer, and manager Read more
- 1979 — Eric Brewer, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
- 1979 — Marija Šestak, Serbian-Slovenian triple jumper Read more
- 1978 — Monika Bergmann-Schmuderer, German skier Read more
Died on April 17
- 2022 — Radu Lupu, Romanian pianist (born 1945) Read more
- 2019 — Alan García, Peruvian lawyer and politician, twice President of Peru (born 1949) Read more
- 2019 — Gwen Marston, American quilter and writer (born 1936) Read more
- 2018 — Barbara Bush, American political matriarch and literacy advocate, First Lady of the United States (1989–1993), and Second Lady of the United States (1981–1989) (born 1925) Read more
- 2018 — Carl Kasell, American radio personality (born 1934) Read more
- 2016 — Chyna, American wrestler (born 1969) Read more
- 2016 — Doris Roberts, American actress (born 1925) Read more
- 2015 — Robert P. Griffin, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (born 1923) Read more
- 2015 — Scotty Probasco, American businessman and philanthropist (born 1928) Read more
- 2015 — Jeremiah J. Rodell, American general (born 1921) Read more
- 2015 — A. Alfred Taubman, American businessman and philanthropist (born 1924) Read more
- 2014 — Gabriel García Márquez, Colombian journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1927) Read more
- 2014 — Bernat Klein, Serbian-Scottish fashion designer and painter (born 1922) Read more
- 2014 — Wojciech Leśnikowski, Polish–American architect and academic (born 1938) Read more
- 2014 — Karpal Singh, Malaysian lawyer and politician (born 1940) Read more
- 2013 — Carlos Graça, São Toméan politician, Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe (born 1931) Read more
- 2013 — Bi Kidude, Tanzanian Taarab singer (born ≈1910) Read more
- 2013 — Yngve Moe, Norwegian bass player and songwriter (born 1957) Read more
- 2013 — V. S. Ramadevi, Indian politician, 13th Governor of Karnataka (born 1934) Read more
- 2012 — Leila Berg, English journalist and author (born 1917) Read more
- 2012 — J. Quinn Brisben, American educator and politician (born 1934) Read more
- 2012 — Dimitris Mitropanos, Greek singer (born 1948) Read more
- 2012 — Nityananda Mohapatra, Indian journalist, poet, and politician (born 1912) Read more
- 2012 — Jonathan V. Plaut, American rabbi and author (born 1942) Read more
- 2012 — Stanley Rogers Resor, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 9th United States Secretary of the Army (born 1917) Read more
- 2011 — Eric Gross, Austrian-Australian pianist and composer (born 1926) Read more
- 2011 — Michael Sarrazin, Canadian actor (born 1940) Read more
- 2011 — Robert Vickrey, American artist and author (born 1926) Read more
- 2008 — Aimé Césaire, Caribbean-French poet and politician (born 1913) Read more
- 2008 — Danny Federici, American organist and accordion player (born 1950) Read more
- 2007 — Kitty Carlisle, American actress, singer, socialite and game show panelist (born 1910) Read more
- 2006 — Jean Bernard, French physician and haematologist (born 1907) Read more
- 2006 — Scott Brazil, American director and producer (born 1955) Read more
- 2006 — Henderson Forsythe, American actor (born 1917) Read more
- 2004 — Edmond Pidoux, Swiss author and poet (born 1908) Read more
- 2003 — Robert Atkins, American physician and cardiologist, created the Atkins diet (born 1930) Read more
- 2003 — H. B. Bailey, American race car driver (born 1936) Read more
- 2003 — John Paul Getty Jr., American-English philanthropist (born 1932) Read more
- 2003 — Earl King, American blues singer, guitarist and songwriter (born 1934) Read more
- 2003 — Yiannis Latsis, Greek businessman (born 1910) Read more
Holidays & observances
Christian feast day:
Donnán of Eigg; Christian feast day:
Henry Heath; Christian feast day:
Kateri Tekakwitha (Canada); Christian feast day:
Robert of Molesme; Christian feast day:
Shemon bar Sabbae; Christian feast day:
April 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Evacuation Day (Syria), celebrates the recognition of the independence of Syria from France in 1946.; FAO Day (Iraq); Flag Day (American Samoa); Malbec World Day; Women's Day (Gabon); World Hemophilia Day
Events, births and deaths from Wikipedia contributors, “April 17”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Lists are selections; the full record lives at the source.