On This Day in History — August 17

Highlights of August 17

• 2008 — Michael Phelps won his eighth gold medal of the Summer Olympics in Beijing, setting the record for the most gold medals won by an athlete at a single games. Read more
• 1959 — American musician Miles Davis released Kind of Blue, which became one of the best-selling and most critically acclaimed jazz recordings of all time. Read more
• 1950 — Korean War: Forty-two American prisoners of war were massacred by the Korean People's Army on a hill above Waegwan, South Korea. Read more
• 1945 — Animal Farm, George Orwell's satirical allegory of Soviet totalitarianism, was first published. Read more
• 1945 — The independence of Indonesia was proclaimed, igniting a revolution against the Dutch Empire. Read more
• 1943 — World War II: The Royal Air Force began a strategic bombing campaign against Nazi Germany's V-weapon programme by attacking the Peenemünde Army Research Center. Read more
• 1943 — Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt met in a secret conference in Quebec. Read more
• 1915 — A category 4 hurricane made landfall in Galveston, Texas, leaving at least 275 people dead. Read more
• 1914 — World War I: Ignoring orders to retreat, Hermann von François led a successful counterattack defending East Prussia at the Battle of Stallupönen and scored the first German victory in the Eastern Front. Read more
• 1907 — Pike Place Market (pictured), one of the oldest continuously operated public farmers' markets in the U.S. and a popular tourist attraction, opened in Seattle, Washington. Read more
• 1876 — The premiere of Götterdämmerung by Richard Wagner (pictured) closed the first Bayreuth Festival. Read more
• 1676 — Scanian War: Swedish forces defeated Danish troops at the Battle of Halmstad. Read more
• 1668 — An earthquake struck the North Anatolia region, killing over 8,000 people. Read more
• 1560 — The Scottish Reformation Parliament approved a Protestant confession of faith, initiating the Scottish Reformation and disestablishing Catholicism as the national religion. Read more
• 986 — Byzantine–Bulgarian wars: The Bulgarians defeated Byzantine forces at the battle of the Gates of Trajan near present-day Ihtiman, with Emperor Basil II barely escaping. Read more

Events

• 2019 — A bomb explodes at a wedding in Kabul killing 63 people and leaving 182 injured. Read more
• 2017 — Barcelona attacks: A van is driven into pedestrians in La Rambla, killing 14 and injuring at least 100. Read more
• 2015 — A bomb explodes near the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok, Thailand, killing at least 19 people and injuring 123 others. Read more
• 2009 — An accident at the Sayano-Shushenskaya Dam in Khakassia, Russia, kills 75 and shuts down the hydroelectric power station, leading to widespread power failure in the local area. Read more
• 2008 — American swimmer Michael Phelps becomes the first person to win eight gold medals at one Olympic Games. Read more
• 2005 — The first forced evacuation of settlers, as part of Israeli disengagement from Gaza, starts. Read more
• 2005 — Over 500 bombs are set off by terrorists at 300 locations in 63 out of the 64 districts of Bangladesh. Read more
• 2004 — The National Assembly of Serbia unanimously adopts new state symbols for Serbia: Bože pravde becomes the new anthem and the coat of arms is adopted for the whole country. Read more
• 1999 — The 7.6 Mw İzmit earthquake shakes northwestern Turkey with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), leaving 17,118–17,127 dead and 43,953–50,000 injured. Read more
• 1998 — Lewinsky scandal: US President Bill Clinton admits in taped testimony that he had an "improper physical relationship" with White House intern Monica Lewinsky; later that same day he admits before the nation that he "misled people" about the relationship. Read more
• 1991 — Strathfield massacre: In Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, taxi driver Wade Frankum shoots and kills seven people and injures six others before turning the gun on himself. Read more
• 1988 — President of Pakistan Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq and U.S. Ambassador Arnold Raphel are killed in a plane crash. Read more
• 1985 — The 1985–86 Hormel strike begins in Austin, Minnesota. Read more
• 1978 — Double Eagle II becomes first balloon to cross the Atlantic Ocean when it lands in Miserey, France near Paris, 137 hours after leaving Presque Isle, Maine. Read more
• 1977 — The Soviet icebreaker Arktika becomes the first surface ship to reach the North Pole. Read more
• 1976 — A magnitude 7.9 earthquake hits off the coast of Mindanao, Philippines, triggering a destructive tsunami, killing between 5,000 and 8,000 people and leaving more than 90,000 homeless. Read more
• 1970 — Soviet Union Venera program: Venera 7 launched. It will become the first spacecraft to successfully transmit data from the surface of another planet (Venus). Read more
• 1969 — Category 5 Hurricane Camille hits the U.S. Gulf Coast, killing 256 and causing $1.42 billion in damage. Read more
• 1962 — Peter Fechter is shot and bleeds to death while trying to cross the new Berlin Wall. Read more
• 1960 — Aeroflot Flight 036 crashes in Soviet Ukraine, killing 34. Read more
• 1959 — Quake Lake is formed by the magnitude 7.2 1959 Hebgen Lake earthquake near Hebgen Lake in Montana. Read more
• 1958 — Pioneer 0, America's first attempt at lunar orbit, is launched using the first Thor-Able rocket and fails. Notable as one of the first attempted launches beyond Earth orbit by any country. Read more
• 1955 — Hurricane Diane makes landfall near Wilmington, North Carolina; it went on to cause major floods and kill more than 184 people. Read more
• 1953 — First meeting of Narcotics Anonymous takes place, in Southern California. Read more
• 1950 — Korean War: Forty-two American prisoners of war are massacred by the Korean People's Army on a hill above Waegwan, South Korea. Read more
• 1949 — The 6.7 Ms Karlıova earthquake shakes eastern Turkey with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme), leaving 320–450 dead. Read more
• 1949 — Matsukawa derailment: Unknown saboteurs cause a passenger train to derail and overturn in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, killing three crew members and igniting a political firestorm between the Japanese Communist Party and the government of Occupied Japan that will eventually lead to the Japanese Red Purge. Read more
• 1947 — The Radcliffe Line, the border between the Dominions of India and Pakistan, is revealed. Read more
• 1945 — Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta proclaim the independence of Indonesia, igniting the Indonesian National Revolution against the Dutch Empire. Read more
• 1945 — The novella Animal Farm by George Orwell is first published. Read more
• 1945 — Evacuation of Manchukuo: At Talitzou by the Sino-Korean border, Puyi, then the Kangde Emperor of Manchukuo, formally renounces the imperial throne, dissolves the state, and cedes its territory to the Republic of China. Read more
• 1943 — World War II: The U.S. Eighth Air Force suffers the loss of 60 bombers on the Schweinfurt–Regensburg mission. Read more
• 1943 — World War II: The U.S. Seventh Army under General George S. Patton arrives in Messina, Italy, followed several hours later by the British 8th Army under Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, thus completing the Allied conquest of Sicily. Read more
• 1943 — World War II: First Québec Conference of Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and William Lyon Mackenzie King begins. Read more
• 1943 — World War II: The Royal Air Force begins Operation Hydra, the first air raid of the Operation Crossbow strategic bombing campaign against Germany's V-weapon program. Read more
• 1942 — World War II: U.S. Marines raid the Japanese-held Pacific island of Makin. Read more
• 1918 — Bolshevik revolutionary leader Moisei Uritsky is assassinated. Read more
• 1916 — World War I: Romania signs a secret treaty with the Entente Powers. According to the treaty, Romania agreed to join the war on the Allied side. Read more
• 1915 — Jewish American Leo Frank is lynched in Marietta, Georgia, USA after his death sentence is commuted by Governor John M. Slaton. Read more
• 1915 — A Category 4 hurricane hits Galveston, Texas with winds at 135 miles per hour (217 km/h). Read more
• 1914 — World War I: Battle of Stallupönen: The German army of General Hermann von François defeats the Russian force commanded by Paul von Rennenkampf near modern-day Nesterov, Russia. Read more
• 1907 — Pike Place Market, one of the oldest continuously operated public farmers' markets in the U.S. and a popular tourist attraction, opens in Seattle, Washington. Read more
• 1896 — Bridget Driscoll becomes the first recorded case of a pedestrian killed in a collision with a motor car in the United Kingdom. Read more
• 1883 — The first public performance of the Dominican Republic's national anthem, Himno Nacional. Read more
• 1876 — Richard Wagner's Götterdämmerung, the last opera in his Ring cycle, premieres at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus. Read more
• 1866 — The Grand Duchy of Baden announces its withdrawal from the German Confederation and signs a treaty of peace and alliance with Prussia. Read more
• 1864 — American Civil War: Battle of Gainesville: Confederate forces defeat Union troops near Gainesville, Florida. Read more
• 1863 — American Civil War: In Charleston, South Carolina, Union batteries and ships bombard Confederate-held Fort Sumter. Read more
• 1862 — American Indian Wars: The Dakota War of 1862 begins in Minnesota as Dakota warriors attack white settlements along the Minnesota River. Read more
• 1862 — American Civil War: Major General J. E. B. Stuart is assigned command of all the cavalry of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia. Read more
• 1836 — British parliament accepts registration of births, marriages and deaths. Read more
• 1827 — Dutch King William I and Pope Leo XII sign concord. Read more
• 1808 — The Finnish War: The Battle of Alavus is fought. Read more
• 1807 — Robert Fulton's North River Steamboat leaves New York City for Albany, New York, on the Hudson River, inaugurating the first commercial steamboat service in the world. Read more
• 1798 — The Vietnamese Catholics report a Marian apparition in Quảng Trị, an event which is called Our Lady of La Vang. Read more
• 1784 — Classical composer Luigi Boccherini receives a pay rise of 12,000 reals from his employer, the Infante Luis, Count of Chinchón. Read more
• 1740 — Pope Benedict XIV, previously known as Prospero Lambertini, succeeds Clement XII as the 247th Pope. Read more
• 1723 — Ioan Giurgiu Patachi becomes Bishop of Făgăraș and is festively installed in his position at the St. Nicolas Cathedral in Făgăraș, after being formally confirmed earlier by Pope Clement XI. Read more
• 1717 — Austro-Turkish War of 1716–18: The month-long Siege of Belgrade ends with Prince Eugene of Savoy's Austrian troops capturing the city from the Ottoman Empire. Read more
• 1668 — The magnitude 8.0 North Anatolia earthquake causes 8,000 deaths in northern Anatolia, Ottoman Empire. Read more

Born on August 17

• 2003 — Rayan Cherki, French footballer Read more
• 2003 — Nastasja Schunk, German tennis player Read more
• 2003 — The Kid Laroi, Australian rapper and songwriter Read more
• 2000 — Lil Pump, American rapper and songwriter Read more
• 1998 — Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Japanese baseball player Read more
• 1996 — Jake Virtanen, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
• 1995 — Gracie Gold, American figure skater Read more
• 1995 — Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, New Zealand rugby league player Read more
• 1994 — Phoebe Bridgers, American singer/songwriter Read more
• 1994 — Jack Conklin, American football player Read more
• 1994 — Taissa Farmiga, American actress Read more
• 1993 — Kevin Byard, American football player Read more
• 1993 — Ederson Moraes, Brazilian footballer Read more
• 1993 — Sarah Sjöström, Swedish swimmer Read more
• 1993 — Xie Zhenye, Chinese athlete Read more
• 1992 — Saraya Bevis, English wrestler Read more
• 1992 — Alex Elisala, New Zealand-Australian rugby player (died 2013) Read more
• 1992 — Chanel Mata'utia, Australian rugby league player Read more
• 1992 — Maru Teferi, Israeli marathon runner Read more
• 1991 — Austin Butler, American actor Read more
• 1990 — Rachel Hurd-Wood, English actress Read more
• 1989 — Lil B, American rapper Read more
• 1989 — Rachel Corsie, Scottish footballer Read more
• 1988 — Brady Corbet, American actor and director Read more
• 1988 — Jihadi John, Kuwaiti-British member of ISIS (died 2015) Read more
• 1988 — Joyner Lucas, American rapper Read more
• 1988 — Natalie Sandtorv, Norwegian singer-songwriter Read more
• 1988 — Erika Toda, Japanese actress Read more
• 1986 — Rudy Gay, American basketball player Read more
• 1986 — Tyrus Thomas, American basketball player Read more
• 1985 — Yū Aoi, Japanese actress and model Read more
• 1984 — Dee Brown, American basketball player Read more
• 1984 — Oksana Domnina, Russian ice dancer Read more
• 1984 — Liam Heath, British sprint canoeist Read more
• 1984 — Garrett Wolfe, American football player Read more
• 1983 — Dustin Pedroia, American baseball player Read more
• 1982 — Phil Jagielka, English footballer Read more
• 1982 — Cheerleader Melissa, American wrestler and manager Read more
• 1982 — Mark Salling, American actor and musician (died 2018) Read more
• 1980 — Keith Dabengwa, Zimbabwean cricketer Read more

Died on August 17

• 2025 — Terence Stamp, English actor (born 1938) Read more
• 2024 — Virginia Ogilvy, Countess of Airlie, British countess (born 1933) Read more
• 2024 — Silvio Santos, Brazilian media mogul and television host (born 1930) Read more
• 2016 — Arthur Hiller, Canadian actor, director, and producer (born 1923) Read more
• 2015 — Yvonne Craig, American ballet dancer and actress (born 1937) Read more
• 2015 — Gerhard Mayer-Vorfelder, German businessman (born 1933) Read more
• 2015 — László Paskai, Hungarian cardinal (born 1927) Read more
• 2014 — Børre Knudsen, Norwegian minister and activist (born 1937) Read more
• 2014 — Wolfgang Leonhard, German historian and author (born 1921) Read more
• 2014 — Sophie Masloff, American civil servant and politician, 56th Mayor of Pittsburgh (born 1917) Read more
• 2014 — Miodrag Pavlović, Serbian poet and critic (born 1928) Read more
• 2014 — Pierre Vassiliu, French singer-songwriter (born 1937) Read more
• 2013 — Odilia Dank, American educator and politician (born 1938) Read more
• 2013 — Jack Harshman, American baseball player (born 1927) Read more
• 2013 — John Hollander, American poet and critic (born 1929) Read more
• 2013 — David Landes, Jewish-American historian and economist (born 1924) Read more
• 2013 — Frank Martínez, American painter (born 1924) Read more
• 2013 — Gus Winckel, Dutch lieutenant and pilot (born 1912) Read more
• 2012 — Aase Bjerkholt, Norwegian politician, Minister of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion (born 1915) Read more
• 2012 — Victor Poor, American engineer, developed the Datapoint 2200 (born 1933) Read more
• 2012 — Patrick Ricard, French businessman (born 1945) Read more
• 2012 — John Lynch-Staunton, Canadian lawyer and politician (born 1930) Read more
• 2010 — Francesco Cossiga, Italian lawyer and politician, 8th President of Italy (born 1928) Read more
• 2008 — Franco Sensi, Italian businessman and politician (born 1926) Read more
• 2007 — Bill Deedes, English journalist and politician (born 1913) Read more
• 2007 — Eddie Griffin, American basketball player (born 1982) Read more
• 2006 — Shamsur Rahman, Bangladeshi poet and journalist (born 1929) Read more
• 2005 — John N. Bahcall, American astrophysicist and academic (born 1934) Read more
• 2004 — Thea Astley, Australian author and educator (born 1925) Read more
• 2000 — Jack Walker, English businessman (born 1929) Read more
• 1998 — Władysław Komar, Polish shot putter and actor (born 1940) Read more
• 1998 — Tadeusz Ślusarski, Polish pole vaulter (born 1950) Read more
• 1995 — Howard E. Koch, American playwright and screenwriter (born 1902) Read more
• 1995 — Ted Whitten, Australian footballer and coach (born 1933) Read more
• 1994 — Luigi Chinetti, Italian-American race car driver and businessman (born 1901) Read more
• 1994 — Jack Morrison, Australian rugby league player (born 1905) Read more
• 1994 — Jack Sharkey, American boxer and referee (born 1902) Read more
• 1993 — Feng Kang, Chinese mathematician and academic (born 1920) Read more
• 1990 — Pearl Bailey, American actress and singer (born 1918) Read more
• 1988 — Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, Pakistani general and politician, 6th President of Pakistan (born 1924) Read more

Holidays & observances

Christian feast day: Saint Beatrice of Silva; Christian feast day: Saint Clare of Montefalco; Christian feast day: Elias of Enna; Christian feast day: Saint Hyacinth of Poland; Christian feast day: Jacobo Kyushei Tomonaga; Christian feast day: Saint Jeanne Delanoue; Christian feast day: Saint Mammes of Caesarea; Christian feast day: Samuel Johnson, Timothy Cutler, and Thomas Bradbury Chandler (Episcopal Church); Christian feast day: August 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Engineer's Day (Colombia); Independence Day, celebrates the independence proclamation of Indonesia from Japan in 1945.

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