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On This Day in History — September 17
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Highlights of September 17
- 2018 — The Israeli Air Force conducted missile strikes that hit multiple targets in western Syria; Syrian air defences responding to the strikes accidentally downed a Russian plane. Read more
- 2011 — Adbusters, a Canadian anti-consumerist publication, organized a protest against corporate influence on democracy at Zuccotti Park in New York City that became known as Occupy Wall Street. Read more
- 2008 — Seven al-Qaeda fighters attack the embassy of the United States in Sanaa, Yemen, leaving 20 people dead. Read more
- 2008 — Seven al-Qaeda fighters attacked the United States embassy in Sanaa, Yemen, leaving 20 people dead. Read more
- 2001 — American president George W. Bush delivered remarks at the Islamic Center of Washington (pictured) condemning Islamophobia in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. Read more
- 1985 — Four years after AIDS was first identified in the United States, Ronald Reagan publicly acknowledged AIDS (video featured) for the first time. Read more
- 1980 — Solidarity, a Polish trade union, was founded as the first independent labor union in an Eastern Bloc country. Read more
- 1970 — The Jordanian army entered Amman as part of operations to oust Palestinian fedayeen from the country in events later known as Black September (smoke over city pictured). Read more
- 1962 — NASA announced the Next Nine astronauts selected for the purpose of landing on the moon. Read more
- 1962 — NASA announced the Next Nine astronauts selected for the purpose of landing on the Moon. Read more
- 1958 — Tintin in Tibet, the twentieth volume of The Adventures of Tintin by the Belgian cartoonist Hergé and which he regarded as his favourite in the series, began serialisation. Read more
- 1939 — Second World War: The Royal Navy lost its first warship in the war when German submarine U-29 torpedoed and sank HMS Courageous. Read more
- 1939 — World War II: The Soviet Union invaded Poland from the east, sixteen days after Nazi Germany's attack on the country from the west. Read more
- 1939 — World War II: The Soviet Union invaded Poland from the east, sixteen days after Nazi Germany's attack on the country from the west. Read more
- 1914 — Andrew Fisher, who in his previous term as premier oversaw a period of reform unmatched in the Commonwealth until the 1940s, became Prime Minister of Australia for the third time. Read more
- 1878 — A British surveyor was detained by the Zulu on the border with the Colony of Natal; a demand for reparations for the incident formed part of an ultimatum that led to the Anglo-Zulu War. Read more
- 1862 — American Civil War: Almost 23,000 total casualties were suffered at the Battle of Antietam near Sharpsburg, Maryland, where Confederate and Union troops fought to a tactical stalemate. Read more
- 1859 — Disgruntled with the legal and political structures of the United States, Joshua Norton (pictured) distributed letters to various newspapers in San Francisco proclaiming himself to be Emperor Norton. Read more
- 1849 — Harriet Tubman (pictured) escaped from slavery in the U.S. state of Maryland, and later orchestrated the rescues of other slaves via the Underground Railroad. Read more
- 1849 — Harriet Tubman (pictured) escaped from slavery in the U.S. state of Maryland, and later orchestrated the rescues of other slaves via the Underground Railroad. Read more
- 1793 — War of the Pyrenees: Forces from the French Army of the Eastern Pyrenees defeated two divisions of the Army of Catalonia, ending the furthest Spanish encroachment in their invasion of Roussillon. Read more
- 1775 — American Revolutionary War: The Continental Army under Richard Montgomery began the Siege of Fort St. Jean in the British province of Quebec. Read more
- 1658 — Portuguese Restoration War: Having crossed the Minho and entered Portuguese territory, a Spanish army was victorious in the Battle of Vilanova. Read more
- 1382 — Following Louis I's death without a male heir, his daughter Mary was crowned with the title of "King" of Hungary. Read more
- 1382 — Following Louis I's death without a male heir, his daughter Mary was crowned with the title of "King of Hungary". Read more
- 1176 — Byzantine–Seljuk wars: At the Battle of Myriokephalon in Phrygia, the Seljuq Turks prevented Byzantine forces from taking the interior of Anatolia. Read more
Events
- 2025 — Saudi Arabia and Pakistan sign the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement. Read more
- 2018 — A Russian reconnaissance aircraft carrying 15 people on board is brought down by a Syrian surface-to-air missile over the Mediterranean Sea. Read more
- 2016 — Two bombs explode in Seaside Park, New Jersey, and Manhattan. Thirty-one people are injured in the Manhattan bombing. Read more
- 2013 — Grand Theft Auto V earns more than half a billion dollars on its first day of release. Read more
- 2011 — Occupy Wall Street movement begins in Zuccotti Park, New York City. Read more
- 2006 — Fourpeaked Mountain in Alaska erupts, marking the first eruption for the volcano in at least 10,000 years. Read more
- 2006 — An audio tape of a private speech by Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány is leaked to the public, in which he confessed that his Hungarian Socialist Party had lied to win the 2006 election, sparking widespread protests across the country. Read more
- 2001 — The New York Stock Exchange reopens for trading after the September 11 attacks, the longest closure since the Great Depression. Read more
- 2001 — George W. Bush, president of the United States, delivers remarks at the Islamic Center of Washington praising Muslim Americans and condemning Islamophobia in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. Read more
- 1992 — An Iranian Kurdish leader and his two joiners are assassinated by political militants in Berlin. Read more
- 1991 — Estonia, North Korea, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, the Marshall Islands and Micronesia join the United Nations. Read more
- 1991 — The first version of the Linux kernel (0.01) is released to the Internet. Read more
- 1983 — Vanessa Williams becomes the first black Miss America. Read more
- 1980 — After weeks of strikes at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdańsk, Poland, the nationwide independent trade union Solidarity is established. Read more
- 1980 — Former Nicaraguan President Anastasio Somoza Debayle is killed in Asunción, Paraguay. Read more
- 1978 — The Camp David Accords are signed by Israel and Egypt. Read more
- 1976 — The Space Shuttle Enterprise is unveiled by NASA. Read more
- 1974 — Bangladesh, Grenada and Guinea-Bissau join the United Nations. Read more
- 1965 — The Battle of Chawinda is fought between Pakistan and India. Read more
- 1961 — The world's first retractable roof stadium, the Civic Arena, opens in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Read more
- 1961 — Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 706 crashes during takeoff from O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois, killing all 37 people on board. Read more
- 1950 — The People's Liberation Army Air Force Airborne Corps (Then known as the PLAAF 1st Ground Forces Brigade) is founded. Read more
- 1950 — The Republic of India formally recognised the State of Israel. Read more
- 1949 — The Canadian steamship SS Noronic burns in Toronto Harbour with the loss of over 118 lives. Read more
- 1948 — The Lehi (also known as the Stern gang) assassinates Count Folke Bernadotte, who was appointed by the United Nations to mediate between the Arab nations and Israel. Read more
- 1948 — The Nizam of Hyderabad surrenders his sovereignty over the Hyderabad State and joins the Indian Union. Read more
- 1944 — World War II: Allied airborne troops parachute into the Netherlands as the "Market" half of Operation Market Garden and British XXX Corps advances into the Netherlands as the "Garden" half of the Operation. Read more
- 1944 — World War II: Soviet troops launch the Tallinn Offensive against Germany and pro-independence Estonian units. Read more
- 1944 — World War II: German forces are attacked by the Allies in the Battle of San Marino. Read more
- 1941 — World War II: A decree of the Soviet State Committee of Defense restores compulsory military training. Read more
- 1941 — World War II: Soviet forces enter Tehran during the Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran. Read more
- 1940 — World War II: Due to setbacks in the Battle of Britain and approaching autumn weather, Hitler postpones Operation Sea Lion. Read more
- 1939 — World War II: The Soviet invasion of Poland begins. Read more
- 1939 — World War II: German submarine U-29 sinks the British aircraft carrier HMS Courageous. Read more
- 1935 — The Niagara Gorge Railroad ceases operations after a rockslide. Read more
- 1932 — A speech by Laureano Gómez leads to the escalation of the Leticia Incident. Read more
- 1930 — The Kurdish Ararat rebellion is suppressed by the Turks. Read more
- 1928 — The Okeechobee hurricane strikes southeastern Florida, killing more than 2,500 people. Read more
- 1924 — The Border Protection Corps is established in the Second Polish Republic for the defence of the eastern border against armed Soviet raids and local bandits. Read more
- 1920 — The National Football League is organized as the American Professional Football Association in Canton, Ohio. Read more
- 1916 — World War I: Manfred von Richthofen ("The Red Baron"), a flying ace of the German Luftstreitkräfte, wins his first aerial combat near Cambrai, France. Read more
- 1914 — Andrew Fisher becomes Prime Minister of Australia for the third time. Read more
- 1914 — World War I: The Race to the Sea begins. Read more
- 1908 — The Wright Flyer flown by Orville Wright, with Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge as passenger, crashes, killing Selfridge, who becomes the first airplane fatality. Read more
- 1901 — Second Boer War: A Boer column defeats a British force at the Battle of Blood River Poort. Read more
- 1901 — Second Boer War: Boers capture a squadron of the 17th Lancers at the Battle of Elands River. Read more
- 1900 — Philippine–American War: Filipinos under Juan Cailles defeat Americans under Colonel Benjamin F. Cheatham Jr. at Mabitac. Read more
- 1894 — Battle of the Yalu River, the largest naval engagement of the First Sino-Japanese War. Read more
- 1862 — American Civil War: George B. McClellan's Army of the Potomac halts the first invasion of the North by Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia in the single-day Battle of Antietam, the bloodiest day in American military history. Read more
- 1862 — American Civil War: The Allegheny Arsenal explosion in Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania results in the single largest civilian disaster during the war. Read more
- 1861 — Argentine Civil Wars: The State of Buenos Aires defeats the Argentine Confederation at the Battle of Pavón. Read more
- 1859 — Joshua A. Norton declares himself "Norton I, Emperor of the United States". Read more
- 1849 — American abolitionist Harriet Tubman makes her first attempt to escape from slavery. Read more
- 1809 — Peace between Sweden and Russia in the Finnish War; the territory that will become Finland is ceded to Russia by the Treaty of Fredrikshamn. Read more
- 1794 — Flanders Campaign: France completes its conquest of the Austrian Netherlands at the Battle of Sprimont. Read more
- 1793 — War of the Pyrenees: France defeats a Spanish force at the Battle of Peyrestortes. Read more
- 1787 — The United States Constitution is signed at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, bringing the Constitutional Convention to an end. Read more
- 1778 — The Treaty of Fort Pitt is signed. It is the first formal treaty between the United States and a Native American tribe. Read more
- 1776 — The Presidio of San Francisco is founded in New Spain. Read more
- 1775 — American Revolutionary War: The invasion of Quebec by the Continental Army begins with the Siege of Fort St. Jean. Read more
Born on September 17
- 2002 — Elina Avanesyan, Russian-Armenian tennis player Read more
- 1999 — Jaimee Fourlis, Australian tennis player Read more
- 1999 — Daniel Huttlestone, English actor Read more
- 1998 — Kim Dong-hyun, South Korean singer Read more
- 1997 — Auston Matthews, American ice hockey player Read more
- 1996 — Duje Ćaleta-Car, Croatian footballer Read more
- 1996 — Esteban Ocon, French Formula One racing driver Read more
- 1996 — Slayyyter, American singer and songwriter Read more
- 1996 — Choi Young-jae, South Korean singer and actor Read more
- 1995 — Michael Bunting, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
- 1995 — Patrick Mahomes, American football player Read more
- 1995 — Yoo Si-ah, South Korean singer Read more
- 1994 — Na In-woo, South Korean actor Read more
- 1994 — Denyse Tontz, Salvadoran-American actress and singer Read more
- 1993 — Sofiane Boufal, Moroccan footballer Read more
- 1993 — Sophie Howard, Scottish footballer Read more
- 1992 — Alfonzo McKinnie, American basketball player Read more
- 1992 — Danny Ramirez, American actor Read more
- 1992 — José Ramírez, Dominican baseball player Read more
- 1991 — Ryo Ishikawa, Japanese golfer Read more
- 1991 — Mena Massoud, Egyptian-Canadian actor Read more
- 1991 — Egor Yakovlev, Russian ice hockey player Read more
- 1990 — Pixie Geldof, English model and singer Read more
- 1990 — Sean Scannell, English footballer Read more
- 1990 — Marcus Semien, American baseball player Read more
- 1989 — Danielle Brooks, American actress Read more
- 1989 — Kate Deines, American soccer player Read more
- 1987 — Paul Huntington, English footballer Read more
- 1986 — Ravichandran Ashwin, Indian cricketer Read more
- 1986 — Paolo De Ceglie, Italian footballer Read more
- 1986 — Sophie, English music producer, disc jockey and singer (died 2021) Read more
- 1985 — Tomáš Berdych, Czech tennis player Read more
- 1985 — Brendan Clarke, Irish footballer Read more
- 1985 — José Gonçalves, Portuguese footballer Read more
- 1985 — Alexander Ovechkin, Russian ice hockey player Read more
- 1985 — Mason Raymond, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
- 1984 — Mary DeScenza, American swimmer Read more
- 1984 — John Kucera, Canadian skier Read more
- 1984 — Patrick van Luijk, Dutch sprinter Read more
- 1983 — Ice Seguerra, Filipino singer, actor, director, and former chairman of the National Youth Commission of the Philippines (2016–18) Read more
Died on September 17
- 2026 — Jon Kyl, American politician and lobbyist (born 1942) Read more
- 2026 — Duncan Sheik, American singer-songwriter and composer (born 1969) Read more
- 2025 — Roger Climpson, English-Australian journalist and television host (born 1932) Read more
- 2024 — Nelson DeMille, American lieutenant and author (born 1943) Read more
- 2024 — Neil King Jr., American journalist and author (born 1959) Read more
- 2024 — JD Souther, American singer, songwriter, and actor (born 1945) Read more
- 2022 — Maarten Schmidt, Dutch astronomer (born 1929) Read more
- 2021 — Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Algerian politician, President of Algeria (born 1937) Read more
- 2020 — Robert W. Gore, American engineer and businessman, co-inventor of Gore-Tex (born 1937) Read more
- 2019 — Cokie Roberts, American journalist and bestselling author (born 1943) Read more
- 2017 — Bobby Heenan, American professional wrestling manager (born 1944) Read more
- 2016 — Bahman Golbarnezhad, Iranian racing cyclist (born 1968) Read more
- 2016 — Sigge Parling, Swedish footballer (born 1936) Read more
- 2015 — Ingrīda Andriņa, Latvian actress (born 1944) Read more
- 2015 — Dettmar Cramer, German footballer and manager (born 1925) Read more
- 2015 — Vadim Kuzmin, Russian physicist and academic (born 1937) Read more
- 2015 — David Willcocks, English organist, composer, and conductor (born 1919) Read more
- 2014 — George Hamilton IV, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1937) Read more
- 2014 — Andriy Husin, Ukrainian footballer and manager (born 1972) Read more
- 2014 — Wakachichibu Komei, Japanese sumo wrestler (born 1939) Read more
- 2014 — Charles Read, Australian air marshal (born 1918) Read more
- 2014 — Peter von Bagh, Finnish historian, director, and screenwriter (born 1943) Read more
- 2014 — China Zorrilla, Uruguayan actress (born 1922) Read more
- 2013 — Kristian Gidlund, Swedish drummer and journalist (born 1983) Read more
- 2013 — Larry Lake, American-Canadian trumpet player and composer (born 1943) Read more
- 2013 — Bernie McGann, Australian saxophonist and composer (born 1937) Read more
- 2013 — Alex Naumik, Lithuanian-Norwegian singer-songwriter and producer (born 1949) Read more
- 2013 — Michael J. Noonan, Irish farmer and politician, 25th Irish Minister of Defence (born 1935) Read more
- 2013 — Marvin Rainwater, American singer-songwriter (born 1925) Read more
- 2013 — Eiji Toyoda, Japanese businessman (born 1913) Read more
- 2012 — Melvin Charney, Canadian sculptor and architect (born 1935) Read more
- 2011 — Colin Madigan, Australian architect and author, designed the National Gallery of Australia (born 1921) Read more
- 2005 — Jacques Lacarrière, French journalist and critic (born 1925) Read more
- 2005 — Alfred Reed, American composer and educator (born 1921) Read more
- 2003 — Erich Hallhuber, German actor (born 1951) Read more
- 2000 — Georgiy Gongadze, Georgian-Ukrainian journalist and director (born 1969) Read more
- 1999 — Frankie Vaughan, English singer and actor (born 1928) Read more
- 1997 — Red Skelton, American actor and comedian (born 1913) Read more
- 1996 — Spiro Agnew, American soldier and politician, 39th Vice President of the United States (born 1918) Read more
- 1995 — Isadore Epstein, Estonian-American astronomer and academic (born 1919) Read more
Holidays & observances
Australian Citizenship Day; Christian feast day:
Albert of Vercelli; Christian feast day:
Ariadne of Phrygia; Christian feast day:
Blessed Cecilia Eusepi; Christian feast day:
Stanislaus Papczyński; Christian feast day:
Hildegard of Bingen; Christian feast day:
Lambert; Christian feast day:
Robert Bellarmine; Christian feast day:
Satyrus of Milan; Christian feast day:
Socrates and Stephen; Christian feast day:
Zygmunt Szczęsny Feliński; Christian feast day:
September 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, observed on the previous Friday if it falls on a Saturday, the following Monday if on a Sunday; and the beginning of the Constitution Week (United States); Heroes' Day (Angola); Marathwada Liberation Day (Maharashtra); National Unity Day (Belarus) (since 2021); Operation Market Garden Anniversary is still remembered with parachuting and dedications on this day. (Netherlands)
Events, births and deaths from Wikipedia contributors, “September 17”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Lists are selections; the full record lives at the source.