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On This Day in History — January 17

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Highlights of January 17

2010 — The first spate of violence between Muslims and Christians began in Jos, Nigeria, and would end in more than 200 deaths. Read more
2002 — Mount Nyiragongo, a volcano in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, began an eruption that killed hundreds and left about 120,000 people homeless in the nearby town of Goma. Read more
1999 — In Little Saigon, California, a series of protests began when the owner of a video rental store displayed an image of Ho Chi Minh. Read more
1998 — The Drudge Report became the first news source to break the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal to the public. Read more
1989 — Patrick Purdy opened fire in an elementary school in Stockton, California, killing 5 and wounding 32 others. Read more
1961 — Patrice Lumumba, a former prime minister of Congo-Léopoldville, was murdered in circumstances suggesting the support and complicity of the Belgian and US governments. Read more
1961 — Three days before leaving office, U.S. president Dwight D. Eisenhower delivered a farewell speech to the nation, in which he warned about the dangers of the military–industrial complex. Read more
1948 — Indonesian National Revolution: The Renville Agreement between the Netherlands and Indonesian republicans was ratified, in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to resolve disputes arising from the Linggadjati Agreement of 1946. Read more
1945 — World War II: Australian troops advanced along the northern part of Bougainville Island (in present-day Papua New Guinea) and began fighting Japanese forces in the Battle of Tsimba Ridge. Read more
1945 — Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, who had saved thousands of Jews from the Holocaust, was taken into Soviet custody during the Siege of Budapest and was never seen in public again. Read more
1920 — The Volstead Act went into effect, beginning the prohibition of alcohol in the United States. Read more
1912 — Robert Falcon Scott's ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition reached the South Pole, only to find that Roald Amundsen's team had beaten them by 33 days. Read more
1893 — Lorrin A. Thurston and the Citizens' Committee of Public Safety led the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom and the government of Queen Liliʻuokalani (pictured). Read more
1773 — On James Cook's second voyage, his vessel HMS Resolution became the first vessel to cross the Antarctic Circle. Read more
1562 — Representatives of Catherine de' Medici, the regent of France, drew up the Edict of Saint-Germain, providing limited tolerance to the Protestant Huguenots. Read more
1377 — Gregory XI, the last Avignon pope, entered Rome after a four-month journey from Avignon, returning the papacy to its original city. Read more

Events

2026 — Indonesia Air Transport ATR 42 crashed near Mount Bulusaraung in South Sulawesi, after losing contact en route to Makassar. Read more
2023 — An avalanche strikes Nyingchi, Tibet, killing 28 people. Read more
2017 — The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 is announced to be suspended. Read more
2016 — President Barack Obama announces the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, an agreement intended to limit Iran's nuclear program. Read more
2013 — Former cyclist Lance Armstrong confesses to his doping in an airing of Oprah's Next Chapter. Read more
2013 — Shahzad Luqman is murdered by members of Golden Dawn in Petralona, Athens, leading the creation of new measures to combat race-based attacks in Greece. Read more
2010 — Rioting begins between Muslim and Christian groups in Jos, Nigeria, results in at least 200 deaths. Read more
2008 — British Airways Flight 38 crashes short of the runway at Heathrow Airport, injuring 47. Read more
2007 — The Doomsday Clock is set to five minutes to midnight in response to North Korea's nuclear testing. Read more
2002 — Mount Nyiragongo erupts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, displacing an estimated 400,000 people. Read more
1998 — Clinton–Lewinsky scandal: Matt Drudge breaks the story of the Bill Clinton–Monica Lewinsky affair on his Drudge Report website. Read more
1997 — Cape Canaveral Air Force Station: A Delta II carrying the GPS IIR-1 satellite explodes 13 seconds after launch, dropping 250 tons of burning rocket remains around the launch pad. Read more
1996 — The Czech Republic applies for membership in the European Union. Read more
1995 — The 6.9 Mw Great Hanshin earthquake shakes the southern Hyōgo Prefecture with a maximum Shindo of 7, leaving 5,502–6,434 people dead, and 251,301–310,000 displaced. Read more
1994 — The 6.7 Mw Northridge earthquake shakes the Greater Los Angeles Area with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), leaving 57 people dead and more than 8,700 injured. Read more
1992 — During a visit to South Korea, Japanese Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa apologizes for forcing Korean women into sexual slavery during World War II. Read more
1991 — Gulf War: Operation Desert Storm begins early in the morning as aircraft strike positions across Iraq, it is also the first major combat sortie for the F-117. LCDR Scott Speicher's F/A-18C Hornet from VFA-81 is shot down by a Mig-25 and is the first American casualty of the War. Iraq fires eight Scud missiles into Israel in an unsuccessful bid to provoke Israeli retaliation. Read more
1991 — Crown Prince Harald of Norway becomes King Harald V, following the death of his father, King Olav V. Read more
1989 — Patrick Purdy opens fire at an elementary school in Stockton, California, killing five and wounding 31 others. Read more
1981 — President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos lifts martial law eight years and five months after declaring it. Read more
1977 — Capital punishment in the United States resumes after a ten-year hiatus, as convicted murderer Gary Gilmore is executed by firing squad in Utah. Read more
1969 — Black Panther Party members Bunchy Carter and John Huggins are killed during a meeting in Campbell Hall on the campus of UCLA. Read more
1966 — Palomares incident: A B-52 bomber collides with a KC-135 Stratotanker over Spain, killing seven airmen, and dropping three 70-kiloton nuclear bombs near the town of Palomares and another one into the sea. Read more
1961 — U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivers a televised farewell address to the nation three days before leaving office, in which he warns against the accumulation of power by the "military–industrial complex" as well as the dangers of massive spending, especially deficit spending. Read more
1961 — Former Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba is murdered together with former Minister of Youth and Sports of the Republic of the Congo Maurice Mpolo and former Senator from Kasai Province Joseph Okito in circumstances suggesting the support and complicity of the governments of Belgium and the United States. Read more
1950 — The Great Brink's Robbery: Eleven thieves steal more than $2 million from an armored car company's offices in Boston. Read more
1950 — United Nations Security Council Resolution 79 relating to arms control is adopted. Read more
1948 — The Renville Agreement between the Netherlands and Indonesia is ratified. Read more
1946 — The UN Security Council holds its first session. Read more
1945 — World War II: The Vistula–Oder Offensive forces German troops out of Warsaw. Read more
1945 — The SS-Totenkopfverbände begin the evacuation of the Auschwitz concentration camp as the Red Army closes in. Read more
1945 — Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg is taken into Soviet custody while in Hungary; he is never publicly seen again. Read more
1944 — World War II: Allied forces launch the first of four assaults on Monte Cassino with the intention of breaking through the Winter Line and seizing Rome, an effort that would ultimately take four months and cost 105,000 Allied casualties. Read more
1943 — World War II: Greek submarine Papanikolis captures the 200-ton sailing vessel Agios Stefanos and mans her with part of her crew. Read more
1941 — Franco-Thai War: Vichy French forces inflict a decisive defeat over the Royal Thai Navy. Read more
1920 — Alcohol Prohibition begins in the United States as the Volstead Act goes into effect. Read more
1918 — Finnish Civil War: The first serious battles take place between the Red Guards and the White Guard. Read more
1917 — The United States pays Denmark $25 million for the Virgin Islands. Read more
1915 — Russia defeats Ottoman Turkey in the Battle of Sarikamish during the Caucasus Campaign of World War I. Read more
1912 — British polar explorer Captain Robert Falcon Scott reaches the South Pole, one month after Roald Amundsen. Read more
1904 — Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard receives its premiere performance at the Moscow Art Theatre. Read more
1903 — El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico becomes part of the United States National Forest System as the Luquillo Forest Reserve. Read more
1899 — The United States takes possession of Wake Island in the Pacific Ocean. Read more
1893 — Lorrin A. Thurston, along with the Citizens' Committee of Public Safety, led the Overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii and the government of Queen Liliʻuokalani. Read more
1885 — A British force defeats a large Dervish army at the Battle of Abu Klea in the Sudan. Read more
1873 — A group of Modoc warriors defeats the United States Army in the First Battle of the Stronghold, part of the Modoc War. Read more
1852 — The United Kingdom signs the Sand River Convention with the South African Republic. Read more
1811 — Mexican War of Independence: In the Battle of Calderón Bridge, a heavily outnumbered Spanish force of 6,000 troops defeats nearly 100,000 Mexican revolutionaries. Read more
1799 — Maltese patriot Dun Mikiel Xerri, along with a number of other patriots, is executed. Read more
1781 — American Revolutionary War: Battle of Cowpens: Continental troops under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan defeat British forces under Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton at the battle in South Carolina. Read more
1773 — Captain James Cook leads the first expedition to sail south of the Antarctic Circle. Read more
1649 — The Second Ormonde Peace creates an alliance between the Irish Royalists and Confederates during the War of the Three Kingdoms. The coalition was then decisively defeated during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. Read more
1648 — England's Long Parliament passes the "Vote of No Addresses", breaking off negotiations with King Charles I and thereby setting the scene for the second phase of the English Civil War. Read more
1608 — Emperor Susenyos I of Ethiopia surprises an Oromo army at Ebenat; his army reportedly kills 12,000 Oromo at the cost of 400 of his men. Read more
1595 — During the French Wars of Religion, Henry IV of France declares war on Spain. Read more
1562 — France grants religious toleration to the Huguenots in the Edict of Saint-Germain. Read more
1524 — Giovanni da Verrazzano sets sail westward from Madeira to find a sea route to the Pacific Ocean. Read more
1377 — Pope Gregory XI reaches Rome, after deciding to move the Papacy back to Rome from Avignon. Read more
1362 — Saint Marcellus' flood kills at least 25,000 people on the shores of the North Sea. Read more
38 BC — Octavian divorces his wife Scribonia and marries Livia Drusilla, ending the fragile peace between the Second Triumvirate and Sextus Pompey. Read more

Born on January 17

2005 — Peio Canales, Spanish footballer Read more
2003 — Robin Roefs, Dutch footballer Read more
2002 — Samuel, American singer based in South Korea. Read more
2001 — Enzo Fernández, Argentinian footballer Read more
2000 — Kang Chan-hee, South Korean singer and actor Read more
2000 — Devlin DeFrancesco, Canadian race car driver Read more
2000 — Ayo Dosunmu, American basketball player Read more
1999 — Isa Briones, American actor and singer Read more
1998 — Sophie Molineux, Australian cricketer Read more
1998 — Jeff Reine-Adélaïde, French footballer Read more
1997 — Jake Paul, American boxer, actor, rapper, and social media personality Read more
1997 — Kyle Tucker, American baseball player Read more
1996 — Allonzo Trier, American basketball player Read more
1995 — Indya Moore, American actor and model Read more
1994 — Lucy Boynton, American-English actress Read more
1994 — Mark Steketee, Australian cricketer Read more
1992 — Stanislav Galiev, Russian ice hockey player Read more
1991 — Trevor Bauer, American baseball player Read more
1991 — Willa Fitzgerald, American actress Read more
1991 — Esapekka Lappi, Finnish rally driver Read more
1991 — Alise Post, American BMX rider Read more
1990 — Santiago Tréllez, Colombian footballer Read more
1990 — Tyler Zeller, American basketball player Read more
1989 — Taylor Jordan, American baseball player Read more
1989 — Kelly Marie Tran, American actress Read more
1988 — Andrea Antonelli, Italian motorcycle racer (died 2013) Read more
1988 — Earl Clark, American basketball player Read more
1988 — Will Genia, Australian rugby player Read more
1988 — Jonathan Keltz, American actor Read more
1988 — Héctor Moreno, Mexican footballer Read more
1987 — Cody Decker, American baseball player Read more
1987 — Oleksandr Usyk, Ukrainian boxer Read more
1986 — Viktor Stålberg, Swedish ice hockey player Read more
1985 — Pablo Barrientos, Argentinian footballer Read more
1985 — Simone Simons, Dutch singer-songwriter Read more
1984 — Calvin Harris, Scottish singer-songwriter, DJ, and producer Read more
1984 — Dexter Lumis, American wrestler Read more
1983 — Álvaro Arbeloa, Spanish footballer Read more
1983 — Ryan Gage, English actor Read more
1983 — Johannes Herber, German basketball player Read more

Died on January 17

2025 — Didier Guillaume, French politician, 25th Minister of State of Monaco (born 1959) Read more
2025 — Jules Feiffer, American cartoonist, playwright, screenwriter, and educator (born 1929) Read more
2025 — Punsalmaagiin Ochirbat, Mongolian politician, 1st President of Mongolia (born 1942) Read more
2025 — Denis Law, Scottish footballer (born 1940) Read more
2023 — Lucile Randon, French supercentenarian (born 1904) Read more
2022 — Birju Maharaj, Indian dancer (born 1937) Read more
2021 — Rasheed Naz, Pakistani film and television actor (born 1948) Read more
2020 — Derek Fowlds, British actor (born1937) Read more
2019 — S. Balakrishnan, Malayalam movie composer (born 1948) Read more
2017 — Tirrel Burton, American football player and coach (born 1929) Read more
2017 — Colo, American western lowland gorilla, first gorilla born in captivity and oldest recorded (born 1956) Read more
2016 — Blowfly, American singer-songwriter and producer (born 1939) Read more
2016 — Melvin Day, New Zealand painter and historian (born 1923) Read more
2016 — V. Rama Rao, Indian lawyer and politician, 12th Governor of Sikkim (born 1935) Read more
2016 — Sudhindra Thirtha, Indian religious leader (born 1926) Read more
2015 — Ken Furphy, English footballer and manager (born 1931) Read more
2015 — Faten Hamama, Egyptian actress and producer (born 1931) Read more
2015 — Don Harron, Canadian actor and screenwriter (born 1924) Read more
2014 — Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, Indian spiritual leader, 52nd Da'i al-Mutlaq (born 1915) Read more
2014 — Francine Lalonde, Canadian educator and politician (born 1940) Read more
2014 — Alistair McAlpine, Baron McAlpine of West Green, English businessman and politician (born 1942) Read more
2014 — John J. McGinty III, American captain, Medal of Honor recipient (born 1940) Read more
2014 — Sunanda Pushkar, Indian-Canadian businesswoman (born 1962) Read more
2014 — Suchitra Sen, Indian film actress (born 1931) Read more
2013 — Mehmet Ali Birand, Turkish journalist and author (born 1941) Read more
2013 — Jakob Arjouni, German author (born 1964) Read more
2013 — Yves Debay, Belgian journalist (born 1954) Read more
2013 — John Nkomo, Zimbabwean politician, Vice President of Zimbabwe (born 1934) Read more
2013 — Lizbeth Webb, English soprano and actress (born 1926) Read more
2012 — Julius Meimberg, German soldier and pilot (born 1917) Read more
2012 — Johnny Otis, American singer-songwriter and producer (born 1921) Read more
2012 — Marty Springstead, American baseball player and umpire (born 1937) Read more
2011 — Don Kirshner, American songwriter and producer (born 1934) Read more
2010 — Gaines Adams, American football player (born 1983) Read more
2010 — Jyoti Basu, Indian politician and 9th Chief Minister of West Bengal (born 1914) Read more
2010 — Michalis Papakonstantinou, Greek journalist and politician, Foreign Minister of Greece (born 1919) Read more
2010 — Erich Segal, American author and screenwriter (born 1937) Read more
2009 — Anders Isaksson, Swedish journalist and historian (born 1943) Read more
2008 — Bobby Fischer, American chess player and author (born 1943) Read more
2008 — Ernie Holmes, American football player, wrestler, and actor (born 1948) Read more

Holidays & observances

Christian feast day: Anthony the Great; Christian feast day: Blessed Angelo Paoli; Christian feast day: Blessed Gamelbert of Michaelsbuch; Christian feast day: Charles Gore (Church of England); Christian feast day: Jenaro Sánchez Delgadillo (one of Saints of the Cristero War); Christian feast day: Mildgyth; Christian feast day: Our Lady of Pontmain; Christian feast day: Sulpitius the Pious; Christian feast day: January 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); National Day (Menorca, Spain); The opening ceremony of Patras Carnival, celebrated until Clean Monday. (Patras, Greece)

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Events, births and deaths from Wikipedia contributors, “January 17”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Lists are selections; the full record lives at the source.