Home › Almanac › On This Day

On This Day in History — June 17

‹ June 16 The Almanac June 18 ›

Jump to a date

Highlights of June 17

2017 — Wildfires erupted across central Portugal, eventually causing the deaths of 66 people. Read more
2015 — A white supremacist committed a mass shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, killing nine people during a prayer service. Read more
2009 — Following a petition, the liberal progressive Czech Pirate Party was officially registered as a political party. Read more
1972 — Five men were arrested for attempted burglary on the offices of the Democratic National Committee, igniting the Watergate scandal that ultimately led to the resignation of US president Richard Nixon more than two years later. Read more
1963 — Riots broke out in Saigon one day after the signing of the Joint Communiqué, an attempt to resolve the Buddhist crisis in South Vietnam. Read more
1952 — Guatemalan Revolution: The Guatemalan Congress passed Decree 900, redistributing unused land greater than 224 acres (0.91 km2) in area to local peasants. Read more
1940 — Second World War: RMS Lancastria was sunk by German aircraft near Saint-Nazaire, France, causing thousands of fatalities in Britain's worst maritime disaster. Read more
1919 — Hundreds of Canadian soldiers rioted in Epsom, England, leading to the death of a British police officer. Read more
1913 — In Detroit, autoworkers for car manufacturer Studebaker went on strike in the American auto industry's first major strike action. Read more
1900 — Boxer Rebellion: Allied naval forces captured the Taku Forts from Qing China after a brief but bloody battle. Read more
1861 — American Civil War: The Battle of Vienna, Virginia, took place, which involved one of the world's first military movements of troops by train. Read more
1795 — French Revolutionary Wars: Off the coast of Brittany, a Royal Navy squadron commanded by William Cornwallis (pictured) fended off a numerically superior French Navy fleet. Read more
1775 — American Revolutionary War: British forces took Bunker Hill outside of Boston, Massachusetts. Read more
1631 — Mumtaz Mahal (pictured), wife of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, died in childbirth; Jahan spent the next seventeen years constructing her mausoleum, the Taj Mahal. Read more
1579 — Explorer Francis Drake landed in a region of present-day California, naming it New Albion and claiming it for England. Read more
1462 — Hungarian–Ottoman Wars: Wallachian forces led by Vlad Dracula attacked an Ottoman camp at night in an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Sultan Mehmed II. Read more
1397 — The kingdoms of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway formed the Kalmar Union, a personal union under Eric of Pomerania. Read more
653 — Pope Martin I (pictured) was arrested in the Lateran Palace, Rome, and taken to Constantinople. Read more

Events

2021 — Juneteenth National Independence Day is signed into law by President Joe Biden, to become the first federal holiday established since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983. Read more
2017 — A series of wildfires in central Portugal kill at least 64 people and injure 204 others. Read more
2015 — Nine people are killed in a mass shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Read more
1994 — Following a televised low-speed highway chase, O. J. Simpson is arrested for the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman. Read more
1992 — A "joint understanding" agreement on arms reduction is signed by U.S. president George Bush and Russian president Boris Yeltsin (this would be later codified in START II). Read more
1991 — Apartheid: The South African Parliament repeals the Population Registration Act which required racial classification of all South Africans at birth. Read more
1989 — Interflug Flight 102 crashes during a rejected takeoff from Berlin Schönefeld Airport, killing 21 people. Read more
1987 — With the death of the last individual of the species, the dusky seaside sparrow becomes extinct. Read more
1985 — Space Shuttle program: STS-51-G mission: Space Shuttle Discovery launches carrying Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the first Arab and first Muslim in space, as a payload specialist. Read more
1972 — Watergate scandal: Five White House operatives are arrested for burgling the offices of the Democratic National Committee during an attempt by members of the administration of President Richard M. Nixon to illegally wiretap the political opposition as part of a broader campaign to subvert the democratic process. Read more
1971 — U.S. president Richard Nixon in a televised press conference calls drug abuse "America's public enemy number one", starting the war on drugs. Read more
1967 — Nuclear weapons testing: China announces a successful test of its first thermonuclear weapon. Read more
1963 — The United States Supreme Court rules 8–1 in Abington School District v. Schempp against requiring the reciting of Bible verses and the Lord's Prayer in public schools. Read more
1963 — A day after South Vietnamese president Ngo Dinh Diem announced the Joint Communiqué to end the Buddhist crisis, a riot involving around 2,000 people breaks out. One person is killed. Read more
1960 — The Nez Perce tribe is awarded $4 million for 7 million acres (28,000 km2) of land undervalued at four cents/acre in the 1863 treaty. Read more
1958 — The Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing, in the process of being built to connect Vancouver and North Vancouver (Canada), collapses into the Burrard Inlet killing 18 ironworkers and injuring others. Read more
1953 — Cold War: East Germany Workers Uprising: In East Germany, the Soviet Union orders a division of troops into East Berlin to quell a rebellion. Read more
1952 — Guatemala passes Decree 900, ordering the redistribution of uncultivated land. Read more
1948 — United Air Lines Flight 624, a Douglas DC-6, crashes near Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania, killing all 43 people on board. Read more
1944 — Iceland declares independence from Denmark and becomes a republic. Read more
1940 — World War II: RMS Lancastria is attacked and sunk by the Luftwaffe near Saint-Nazaire, France. At least 3,000 are killed in Britain's worst maritime disaster. Read more
1940 — World War II: The British Army's 11th Hussars assault and take Fort Capuzzo in Libya from Italian forces. Read more
1940 — The three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania fall under the occupation of the Soviet Union. Read more
1939 — Last public guillotining in France: Eugen Weidmann, a convicted murderer, is executed in Versailles outside the Saint-Pierre prison. Read more
1933 — Union Station massacre: In Kansas City, Missouri, four FBI agents and captured fugitive Frank Nash are gunned down by gangsters attempting to free Nash. Read more
1932 — Bonus Army: Around a thousand World War I veterans amass at the United States Capitol as the U.S. Senate considers a bill that would give them certain benefits. Read more
1930 — U.S. president Herbert Hoover signs the Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act into law. Read more
1929 — The town of Murchison, New Zealand is rocked by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake killing 17. At the time it was New Zealand's worst natural disaster. Read more
1922 — Portuguese naval aviators Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral complete the first aerial crossing of the South Atlantic. Read more
1910 — Aurel Vlaicu pilots an A. Vlaicu nr. 1 on its first flight. Read more
1901 — The College Board introduces its first standardized test, the forerunner to the SAT. Read more
1900 — Boxer Rebellion: Western Allied and Japanese forces capture the Taku Forts in Tianjin, China. Read more
1898 — The United States Navy Hospital Corps is established. Read more
1885 — The Statue of Liberty arrives in New York Harbor. Read more
1877 — American Indian Wars: Battle of White Bird Canyon: The Nez Perce defeat the U.S. Cavalry at White Bird Canyon in the Idaho Territory. Read more
1876 — American Indian Wars: Battle of the Rosebud: One thousand five hundred Sioux and Cheyenne led by Crazy Horse beat back General George Crook's forces at Rosebud Creek in Montana Territory. Read more
1863 — American Civil War: Battle of Aldie in the Gettysburg campaign. Read more
1861 — American Civil War: Battle of Vienna, Virginia. Read more
1843 — The Wairau Affray, the first serious clash of arms between Māori and British settlers in the New Zealand Wars, takes place. Read more
1839 — In the Kingdom of Hawaii, Kamehameha III issues the edict of toleration which gives Roman Catholics the freedom to worship in the Hawaiian Islands. The Hawaii Catholic Church and the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace are established as a result. Read more
1831 — The steam locomotive Best Friend of Charleston causes the first boiler explosion caused by a steam locomotive. Read more
1795 — The burghers of Swellendam expel the Dutch East India Company magistrate and declare a republic. Read more
1794 — Foundation of Anglo-Corsican Kingdom. Read more
1789 — In France, the Third Estate declares itself the National Assembly. Read more
1775 — American Revolutionary War: Colonists inflict heavy casualties on British forces while losing the Battle of Bunker Hill. Read more
1773 — Cúcuta, Colombia, is founded by Juana Rangel de Cuéllar. Read more
1767 — Samuel Wallis, a British sea captain, sights Tahiti and is considered the first European to reach the island. Read more
1673 — French explorers Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet reach the Mississippi River and become the first Europeans to make a detailed account of its course. Read more
1665 — Battle of Montes Claros: Portugal definitively secures independence from Spain in the last battle of the Portuguese Restoration War. Read more
1631 — Mumtaz Mahal dies during childbirth. Her husband, Mughal emperor Shah Jahan I, will spend the next 17 years building her mausoleum, the Taj Mahal. Read more
1596 — The Dutch explorer Willem Barentsz discovers the Arctic archipelago of Spitsbergen. Read more
1579 — Sir Francis Drake claims a land he calls Nova Albion (modern California) for England. Read more
1497 — Battle of Deptford Bridge: Forces under King Henry VII defeat troops led by Michael An Gof. Read more
1462 — Vlad the Impaler attempts to assassinate Mehmed II (The Night Attack at Târgovişte), forcing him to retreat from Wallachia. Read more
1397 — The Kalmar Union is formed under the rule of Margaret I of Denmark. Read more
1300 — Turku Cathedral is consecrated by Bishop Magnus I in the city of Turku (Swedish: Åbo). Read more
1242 — Following the Disputation of Paris, twenty-four carriage loads of Jewish religious manuscripts are burnt in Paris. Read more
1128 — Former Empress Matilda, daughter and designated heiress of king Henry I of England, marries Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou. Read more
656 — After a prolonged siege by rebels who demand his abdication, caliph Uthman is assassinated as the rebels enter his palace. Read more
653 — Pope Martin I is arrested and taken to Constantinople, due to his opposition to monothelitism. Read more

Born on June 17

2003 — Rizki Juniansyah, Indonesian weightlifter Read more
2000 — Odessa A'zion, American actress Read more
1999 — Henri Jokiharju, Finnish ice hockey player Read more
1999 — Elena Rybakina, Russian-born Kazakhstani tennis player Read more
1997 — KJ Apa, New Zealand actor Read more
1997 — Raluca Șerban, Romanian-Cypriot tennis player Read more
1997 — Alexander Bublik, Russian-born Kazakhstani tennis player Read more
1995 — Clément Lenglet, French footballer Read more
1995 — Aoi Morikawa, Japanese actress and model Read more
1995 — Michel-Friedrich Schiefler, German politician Read more
1994 — Amari Cooper, American football player Read more
1993 — Nikita Kucherov, Russian ice hockey player Read more
1991 — Daniel Tupou, Australian-Tongan rugby league player Read more
1990 — Jordan Henderson, English footballer Read more
1990 — Josh Mansour, Australian rugby league player Read more
1989 — Georgios Tofas, Cypriot footballer Read more
1989 — Simone Battle, American singer and actress (died 2014) Read more
1988 — Andrew Ogilvy, Australian basketball player Read more
1988 — Shaun MacDonald, Welsh footballer Read more
1988 — Stephanie Rice, Australian swimmer Read more
1987 — Kendrick Lamar, American rapper Read more
1987 — Nozomi Tsuji, Japanese singer and actress Read more
1986 — Apoula Edel, Armenian footballer Read more
1986 — Helen Glover, English rower Read more
1985 — Özge Akın, Turkish sprinter Read more
1985 — Marcos Baghdatis, Cypriot tennis player Read more
1985 — Rafael Sóbis, Brazilian footballer Read more
1984 — Michael Mathieu, Bahamian sprinter Read more
1984 — Si Tianfeng, Chinese race walker Read more
1983 — Lee Ryan, English singer/actor Read more
1983 — Vlasis Kazakis, Greek footballer Read more
1982 — Alex Rodrigo Dias da Costa, Brazilian footballer Read more
1982 — Marek Svatoš, Slovak ice hockey player (died 2016) Read more
1982 — Stanislava Hrozenská, Slovak tennis player Read more
1982 — Stefan Hodgetts, English racing driver Read more
1982 — Arthur Darvill, English actor Read more
1982 — Jodie Whittaker, English actress Read more
1981 — Kyle Boller, American football player Read more
1981 — Shane Watson, Australian cricketer Read more
1980 — Elisa Rigaudo, Italian race walker Read more

Died on June 17

2021 — Kenneth Kaunda, Zambian educator and politician, first president of Zambia (born 1924) Read more
2020 — Jean Kennedy Smith, American activist, humanitarian, author and diplomat (United States Ambassador to Ireland, 1993–1998) (born 1928) Read more
2019 — Gloria Vanderbilt, American artist, author actress, fashion designer, heiress and socialite (born 1924) Read more
2019 — Mohamed Morsi, Egyptian professor and politician, first elected president of Egypt after Egyptian revolution (born 1951) Read more
2017 — Baldwin Lonsdale, president of Vanuatu (born 1948) Read more
2015 — Ron Clarke, Australian runner and politician, Mayor of the Gold Coast (born 1937) Read more
2015 — John David Crow, American football player and coach (born 1935) Read more
2015 — Süleyman Demirel, Turkish engineer and politician, 9th President of Turkey (born 1924) Read more
2015 — Roberto M. Levingston, Argentinian general and politician, 36th President of Argentina (born 1920) Read more
2015 — Clementa C. Pinckney, American minister and politician (born 1973) Read more
2014 — Patsy Byrne, English actress (born 1933) Read more
2014 — Éric Dewailly, Canadian epidemiologist and academic (born 1954) Read more
2014 — Stanley Marsh 3, American businessman and philanthropist (born 1938) Read more
2014 — Arnold S. Relman, American physician and academic (born 1923) Read more
2014 — Larry Zeidel, Canadian-American ice hockey player and sportscaster (born 1928) Read more
2013 — Michael Baigent, New Zealand-English theorist and author (born 1948) Read more
2013 — Atiqul Haque Chowdhury, Bangladeshi playwright and producer (born 1930) Read more
2013 — Pierre F. Côté, Canadian lawyer and civil servant (born 1927) Read more
2013 — Bulbs Ehlers, American basketball player (born 1923) Read more
2013 — James Holshouser, American politician, 68th Governor of North Carolina (born 1934) Read more
2012 — Stéphane Brosse, French mountaineer (born 1971) Read more
2012 — Patricia Brown, American baseball player (born 1931) Read more
2012 — Nathan Divinsky, Canadian mathematician and chess player (born 1925) Read more
2012 — Rodney King, American victim of police brutality (born 1965) Read more
2012 — Fauzia Wahab, Pakistani actress and politician (born 1956) Read more
2011 — Rex Mossop, Australian rugby player and sportscaster (born 1928) Read more
2009 — Ralf Dahrendorf, German-English sociologist and politician (born 1929) Read more
2009 — Darrell Powers, American sergeant (born 1923) Read more
2008 — Cyd Charisse, American actress and dancer (born 1922) Read more
2007 — Gianfranco Ferré, Italian fashion designer (born 1944) Read more
2007 — Serena Wilson, American dancer and choreographer (born 1933) Read more
2006 — Bussunda, Brazilian comedian (born 1962) Read more
2004 — Gerry McNeil, Canadian ice hockey player (born 1926) Read more
2002 — Willie Davenport, American sprinter and hurdler (born 1943) Read more
2002 — Fritz Walter, German footballer (born 1920) Read more
2001 — Donald J. Cram, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1919) Read more
2001 — Thomas Winning, Scottish cardinal (born 1925) Read more
2000 — Ismail Mahomed, South African lawyer and jurist, 17th Chief Justice of South Africa (born 1931) Read more
1999 — Basil Hume, English cardinal (born 1923) Read more
1996 — Thomas Kuhn, American historian and philosopher (born 1922) Read more

Holidays & observances

Christian feast day: Albert Chmielowski; Christian feast day: Botolph (England and Scandinavia); Christian feast day: Gondulphus of Berry; Christian feast day: Hervé; Christian feast day: Hypatius of Bithynia (Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic Churches); Christian feast day: Rainerius; Christian feast day: Samuel and Henrietta Barnett (Church of England); Christian feast day: Theresa of Portugal; Christian feast day: June 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Father's Day (El Salvador, Guatemala); Icelandic National Day, celebrates the independence of Iceland from Kingdom of Denmark in 1944.; National Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Forest Fires (Portugal); Occupation of the Latvian Republic Day (Latvia); World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought (international); Zemla Intifada Day (Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic)

More from the Almanac

Sunrise & Sunset Star Transit Moon & Planting Calendars Ancient Measures

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