What happened on June 17? There are more than 271 events that were made this day in history. Here are the important historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.
Interesting Facts & Myths About June 17
June 17 is the 169th day of the year 2024. There are 197 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Monday. This day falls under the 25th week of the year 2024.
On this day in Buford, Ohio 45110 sunrise occured at 06:07 AM and sunset occured at 09:05 PM (local time).
The zodiac sign of a person born on this day is Gemini. The modern birthstone for this month is Pearl while the mystical birthstone is Moonstone.
According to the Chinese calendar, there are 226 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year (January 29, 2025).
Is your birthday coming up in two days? Are you not curious to find out who is sharing your special day? Discover all the November 25 famous birthdays. There are fun facts about that day that you must know. (Sponsored link)
Historical Events For June 17
- 1462Vlad III the Impaler attempts to assassinate Mehmed II (The Night Attack) forcing him to retreat from Wallachia.
- 1497Battle of Deptford Bridge – forces under King Henry VII defeat troops led by Michael An Gof.
- 1565Matsunaga Hisahide assassinates the 13th Ashikaga shogun, Ashikaga Yoshiteru.
- 1579Sir Francis Drake claims a land he calls Nova Albion (modern California) for England.
- 1631Mumtaz Mahal dies during childbirth. Her husband, Mughal emperor Shah Jahan I, will spend the next 17 years building her mausoleum, the Taj Mahal.
- 1673French explorers Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet reach the Mississippi River and become the first Europeans to make a detailed account of its course.
- 1773Cúcuta, Colombia, is founded by Juana Rangel de Cuéllar.
- 1775American Revolutionary War: Colonists inflict heavy casualties on British forces while losing the Battle of Bunker Hill.
- 1789In France, the Third Estate declares itself the National Assembly.
- 1839In 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.
- 1861Battle of Vienna, Virginia in the American Civil War.
- 1863Battle of Aldie in the Gettysburg Campaign of the American Civil War.
- 1876Indian Wars: Battle of the Rosebud – 1,500 Sioux and Cheyenne led by Crazy Horse beat back General George Crook’s forces at Rosebud Creek in Montana Territory.
- 1877Indian Wars: Battle of White Bird Canyon – the Nez Perce defeat the U.S. Cavalry at White Bird Canyon in the Idaho Territory.
- 1885The Statue of Liberty arrives in New York Harbor.
- 1898The United States Navy Hospital Corps is established.
- 1901The College Board introduces its first standardized test, the forerunner to the SAT.
- 1910Aurel Vlaicu pilots a A. Vlaicu nr. 1 on its first flight.
- 1930U.S. President Herbert Hoover signs the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act into law.
- 1932Bonus 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.
- 1933Union Station Massacre: in Kansas City, Missouri, four FBI agents and captured fugitive Frank Nash are gunned down by gangsters attempting to free Nash.
- 1939Last public guillotining in France: Eugen Weidmann, a convicted murderer, is guillotined in Versailles outside the Saint-Pierre prison
- 1940The three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania fall under the occupation of the Soviet Union.
- 1940World War II: sinking of the RMS Lancastria by the Luftwaffe near Saint-Nazaire, France.
- 1940World War II: the British Army’s 11th Hussars assault and take Fort Capuzzo in Libya, Africa from Italian forces.
- 1944Iceland declares independence from Denmark and becomes a republic.
- 1948A Douglas DC-6 carrying United Airlines Flight 624 crashes near Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania, killing all 43 people on board.
- 1953East Germany Workers Uprising: in East Germany, the Soviet Union orders a division of troops into East Berlin to quell a rebellion.
- 1958The Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing, in the process of being built to connect Vancouver and North Vancouver (Canada), collapses into the Burrard Inlet killing many of the ironworkers and injuring others.
- 1958The wooden roller coaster at Playland, which is in the Pacific National Exhibition, Vancouver, British Colombia, Canada opens. It is still open today.
- 1960The Nez Perce tribe is awarded $4 million for 7 e6acre of land undervalued at 4 cents/acre in the 1863 treaty.
- 1961The New Democratic Party of Canada is founded by the merger of the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation and the Canadian Labour Congress.
- 1963A day after South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem announced the Joint Communique to end the Buddhist crisis, a riot involving around 2,000 people breaks out. One person is killed.
- 1963The United States Supreme Court rules 8 to 1 in Abington School District v. Schempp against allowing the reciting of Bible verses and the Lord’s Prayer in public schools.
- 1971President Richard Nixon declares the U.S. War on Drugs.
- 1972Watergate scandal: five White House operatives are arrested for burglarizing the offices of the Democratic National Committee, in an attempt by some members of the Republican party to illegally wiretap the opposition.
- 1981Hyatt Regency walkway collapse: In the Hyatt Regency Hotel the 2nd and 4th floor walkways collapse crushing 144 people to death, this was the worst structural failure in the United States.
- 1987With the death of the last individual of the species, the Dusky Seaside Sparrow becomes extinct.
- 1991Apartheid: the South African Parliament repeals the Population Registration Act which required racial classification of all South Africans at birth.
- 1992A “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).
- 1994Following a televised low-speed highway chase, O.J. Simpson is arrested for the murders of his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman.
What no one tells you about your first name’s personality. Are there magical powers hidden in your given name? Check out Ellie’s personality and get smart about names today. (Sponsored links)
Who Were Born On June 17?
- 1239King Edward I of England (Edward Longshanks) (d. 1307)
- 1268Lord Borchard de Herle, English diplomat (d. 1305)
- 1603Joseph of Cupertino, Italian saint (d. 1663)
- 1682King Charles XII of Sweden (d. 1718)
- 1691Giovanni Paolo Pannini, Italian painter and architect (d. 1765)
- 1693Johann Georg Walch, German theologian (d. 1775)
- 1704John Kay, English inventor (d. 1780)
- 1714Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten, German philosopher (d. 1762)
- 1714César-François Cassini de Thury, French astronomer (d. 1784)
- 1718George Howard, British field marshal (d. 1796)
- 1742William Hooper, American signer of the United States Declaration of Independence (d. 1790)
- 1808Henrik Wergeland, Norwegian poet, playwright and linguist (d. 1845)
- 1810Ferdinand Freiligrath, German writer (d. 1876)
- 1811Jón Sigurðsson, Icelandic independence fighter (d. 1879)
- 1818Charles Gounod, French composer (d. 1893)
- 1818Sophie of Württemberg, Queen of the Netherlands (d. 1877)
- 1832Sir William Crookes, English physicist and chemist (d. 1919)
- 1839Arthur Tooth, English Anglican clergyman (d. 1931)
- 1858Ebenezer Sumner Draper, 44th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1914)
- 1861Omar Bundy, American Army general (d. 1940)
- 1861Pete Browning, American baseball player (d. 1905)
- 1863Duke Charles Michael of Mecklenburg, Russian-born head of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (d. 1934)
- 1867Flora Finch, British-American silent-film comedienne (d. 1940)
- 1867Henry Lawson, Australian poet (d. 1922)
- 1867John Robert Gregg, American inventor (d. 1948)
- 1880Carl Van Vechten, American writer and photographer (d. 1964)
- 1881Tommy Burns, Canadian boxer (d. 1955)
- 1882Adolphus Frederick VI, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg (d. 1918)
- 1882Igor Stravinsky, Russian composer (d. 1971)
- 1888Heinz Guderian, German general (d. 1954)
- 1898Carl Hermann, German physicist (d. 1961)
- 1898Harry Patch, British supercentenarian (d. 2009)
- 1898M. C. Escher, Dutch artist (d. 1972)
- 1900Martin Bormann, German Nazi official (d. 1945)
- 1902Alec Hurwood, Australian cricketer (d. 1982)
- 1902Sammy Fain, American popular music composer (d. 1989)
- 1903Ruth Wakefield, American cook and hotelier (d. 1977)
- 1904Ralph Bellamy, American actor (d. 1991)
- 1907Charles Eames, American designer and architect (d. 1978)
- 1907Maurice Cloche, French film director and screenwriter (d. 1990)
- 1909Elmer Lee Andersen, Governor of Minnesota (d. 2004)
- 1909Ralph E. Winters, Canadian film editor (d. 2004)
- 1910George Hees, Canadian politician (d. 1996)
- 1910Red Foley, American musician (d. 1968)
- 1914John Hersey, American writer and journalist (d. 1993)
- 1915David “Stringbean” Akeman, American actor and country music banjo player (d. 1973)
- 1915Karl Targownik, Hungarian psychiatrist (d. 1996)
- 1916Terry Gilkyson, American singer, lyricist and composer (d. 1999)
- 1918Ajahn Chah, Thai meditation master (d. 1992)
- 1919Beryl Reid, British actress (d. 1996)
- 1920François Jacob, French biologist, Nobel laureate
- 1920Jacob H. Gilbert, American politician (d. 1981)
- 1920Setsuko Hara, Japanese actress
- 1923Elroy Hirsch, American football player (d. 2004)
- 1927Martin Böttcher, German conductor
- 1929Tigran Petrosian, Armenian chess player (d. 1984)
- 1930Brian Statham, English cricketer (d. 2000)
- 1931John Baldessari, American conceptual artist
- 1932John Murtha, American politician (d. 2010)
- 1932Peter Lupus, American actor
- 1933Christian Ferras, French violinist (d. 1982)
- 1933Harry Browne, American writer and investment analyst (d. 2006)
- 1933Maurice Stokes, American basketball player (d. 1970)
- 1936Ken Loach, British film director
- 1936Vern Harper, Canadian First Nations Cree Elder and veteran of the Korean War
- 1940George Akerlof, American economist, Nobel laureate
- 1942Mohamed ElBaradei, Egyptian IAEA director, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize
- 1943Barry Manilow, American musician
- 1943Burt Rutan, American aerospace engineer
- 1943Newt Gingrich, American politician
- 1944Bill Rafferty, American comedian and impressionist
- 1944Chris Spedding, British guitarist
- 1944Randy Johnson, American football player (d. 2009)
- 1945Art Bell, American radio broadcaster and author
- 1945Eddy Merckx, Belgian cyclist
- 1945Frank Ashmore, American actor
- 1945Ken Livingstone, English politician
- 1945Tommy Franks, American General
- 1946Peter Rosei, Austrian writer
- 1947Christopher Allport, American actor (d. 2008)
- 1947George S. Clinton, American composer and musician
- 1947Linda Chavez, American author
- 1947Paul Young, English singer and percussionist (Sad Café, Mike + The Mechanics) (d. 2000)
- 1948Aurelio López, Mexican baseball player (d. 1992)
- 1948Dave Concepción, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1949Snakefinger, British-born guitarist, violinist, singer and songwriter (The Residents) (d. 1987)
- 1950Lee Tamahori, New Zealand film director
- 1951Joe Piscopo, American actor
- 1951Starhawk, American author and activist
- 1952Mike Milbury, American ice hockey player, coach and executive
- 1954Len Davies, British pro wrestling promoter
- 1955Gail Jones, Australian author
- 1956Chi-chi Nwanoku, English double bassist
- 1956Iain Milne, Scottish rugby union footballer
- 1957Jack Wouterse, Dutch actor
- 1957Jon Gries, American actor
- 1957Martin Dillon, American opera singer (d. 2005)
- 1957Phil Chevron, Irish guitarist, singer and songwriter (The Pogues, The Radiators From Space)
- 1958Bobby Farrelly, American film director
- 1958Daniel McVicar, American actor
- 1958Derek Lee Ragin, American countertenor
- 1958Jello Biafra, American singer (Dead Kennedys) and activist
- 1958Jon Leibowitz, American government official
- 1958Sam Hamad, Syrian-born Canadian politician
- 1959Nikos Stavropoulos, Greek basketball player
- 1960Adrián Campos, Spanish racing driver
- 1960Thomas Haden Church, American actor
- 1961Kōichi Yamadera, Japanese seiyū, actor and tarento
- 1962Michael Monroe, Finnish singer (Hanoi Rocks)
- 1963Greg Kinnear, American actor
- 1964Erin Murphy, American actress
- 1964Michael Groß, German swimmer
- 1964Rinaldo Capello, Italian racing driver
- 1965Dan Jansen, American speed skater
- 1965Dara O'Kearney, Irish ultra runner and professional poker player
- 1965Dermontti Dawson, American football player
- 1966Christy Canyon, American pornographic actress
- 1966Jason Patric, American actor
- 1967Dorothea Röschmann, German operatic soprano
- 1967Eric Stefani, American keyboardist, songwriter (No Doubt) and cartoon animator
- 1968Julie Miller, Hawaiian triathlete
- 1968Minoru Suzuki, Japanese professional wrestler and mixed martial artist
- 1969Paul Tergat, Kenyan long distance runner
- 1970Jason Hanson, American football player
- 1970Michael Showalter, American comedian
- 1970Popeye Jones, American basketball player
- 1970Sasha Sokol, Mexican singer and actress
- 1970Stéphane Fiset, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1970Will Forte, American writer, actor and comedian
- 1971Mildred Fox, Irish politician
- 1971Paulina Rubio, Mexican singer
- 1972Sebastian White, English drummer (Oasis)
- 1973Christian Claudio, Puerto Rican business consultant
- 1973Krayzie Bone, American rapper (Bone Thugs-N-Harmony)
- 1973Leander Paes, Indian tennis player
- 1973Louis Leterrier, French film director
- 1974Evangelia Psarra, Greek archer
- 1975Chloe Jones, American pornographic actress (d. 2005)
- 1975Jennifer Irwin, Canadian actress
- 1975Joshua Leonard, American actor
- 1976Scott Adkins, English actor
- 1976Sven Nys, Belgian cyclo-cross rider
- 1977Branko Tomovic, Serbian actor
- 1977Mark Tauscher, American football player
- 1978Isabelle Delobel, French ice dancer
- 1978James Corden, English actor and comedian
- 1978Kumiko Aso, Japanese actress
- 1979Nick Rimando, American footballer
- 1979Young Maylay, American Rapper
- 1980Jeph Jacques, American webcomic writer
- 1980Kimeru, Japanese singer
- 1980Venus Williams, American tennis player
- 1981Kyle Boller, American football player
- 1981Shane Watson, Australian cricketer
- 1982Arthur Darvill, English actor
- 1982Marek Svatoš, Slovakian ice hockey player
- 1983Connie Fisher, English stage actress
- 1983Kazunari Ninomiya, Japanese singer and actor
- 1983Lee Ryan, British singer (Blue)
- 1983Vlasis Kazakis, Greek footballer
- 1984John Gallagher, Jr., American actor
- 1985Marcos Baghdatis, Cypriot tennis player
- 1985Rafael Sóbis, Brazilian footballer
- 1986Apoula Edel, Armenian footballer
- 1987Kendrick Lamar, Rapper
- 1988Andrew Ogilvy, Australian basketball player
- 1988Stephanie Rice, Australian swimmer
- 1989Giorgos Tofas, Cypriot footballer
- 1990Jordan Henderson, English footballer
Are you looking for a day of the week calculator? Try it on any date like anniversaries, birthday of someone you know, or any other date that is special to you. You can even try it on historical dates. For example: November 25
(Sponsored by DayOfTheWeek.org)
Who Died On June 17?
- 900Fulk the Venerable, Archbishop of Rheims (birth year unknown)
- 1025King Bolesław I the Brave of Poland (b. 967)
- 1091Dirk V, Count of Holland (b. 1052)
- 1463Princess Catherine of Portugal (b. 1436)
- 1565Ashikaga Yoshiteru, Japanese shogun (b. 1536)
- 1694Philip Howard, English Catholic Cardinal (b. 1629)
- 1696King John III Sobieski of Poland (b. 1629)
- 1719Joseph Addison, English politician and writer (b. 1672)
- 1734Claude-Louis-Hector de Villars, Marshal of France (b. 1653)
- 1740Sir William Wyndham, English politician (b. 1687)
- 1762Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon, French writer (b. 1674)
- 1771Daskalogiannis, Cretan rebel (birth year unknown)
- 1775John Pitcairn, British military officier (b. 1722)
- 1797Shah Agha Muhammad Khan of Persia (b. 1742)
- 1813Charles Middleton, 1st Baron Barham, English sailor and politician (b. 1726)
- 1821Martín Miguel de Güemes, Argentine military leader (b. 1785)
- 1839Lord William Bentinck, British soldier, Governor-General of India (b. 1774)
- 1858Queen Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi (b. 1828)
- 1898Edward Burne-Jones, English artist (b. 1833)
- 1904Nikolai Ivanovich Bobrikov, Russian politician (b. 1839)
- 1939Allen Sothoron, American baseball player (b. 1893)
- 1940Arthur Harden, English chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1865)
- 1941Johan Wagenaar, Dutch composer and organist (b. 1862)
- 1942Charles Fitzpatrick, Canadian politician (b. 1853)
- 1952Jack Parsons, American rocket propulsion researcher (b. 1914)
- 1956Bob Sweikert, American racing driver (b. 1926)
- 1956Paul Rostock, German doctor (b. 1892)
- 1957Dorothy Richardson, English writer (b. 1873)
- 1961Jeff Chandler, American actor (b. 1918)
- 1963Aleksander Kesküla, Estonian politician and nationalist (b. 1882)
- 1968José Nasazzi, Uruguayan footballer (b. 1901)
- 1969Rita Abatzi, Greek rebetiko singer (b. 1914)
- 1974Pamela Britton, American actress (b. 1923)
- 1979Duffy Lewis, American baseball player (b. 1888)
- 1981Richard O'Connor, British general (b. 1889)
- 1981Zerna Sharp, American writer and educator (b. 1889)
- 1982Roberto Calvi, Italian banker (b. 1920)
- 1983Peter Mennin, American composer and teacher (b. 1923)
- 1984John Murray, American playwright (b. 1906)
- 1984Milbourne Christopher, American illusionist (b. 1914)
- 1985John Boulting, English filmmaker (b. 1913)
- 1986Kate Smith, American singer (b. 1907)
- 1987Dick Howser, American baseball player and manager (b. 1936)
- 1996Thomas Kuhn, American philosopher of science (b. 1922)
- 1999Basil Hume, English Roman Catholic Cardinal, Archbishop of Westminster (b. 1923)
- 2000Ismail Mahomed, South African jurist (b. 1931)
- 2001Donald J. Cram, American chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1919)
- 2001Thomas Joseph Winning, Scottish Roman Catholic Cardinal, Archbishop of Glasgow (b. 1925)
- 2002Fritz Walter, German footballer (b. 1920)
- 2002Willie Davenport, American athlete (b. 1943)
- 2004Gerry McNeil, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1926)
- 2005Karl Mueller, American bassist (Soul Asylum) (b. 1962)
- 2005Sam Loeb, American comic book writer (b. 1988)
- 2006Arthur Franz, American actor (b. 1920)
- 2006Bussunda, Brazilian comedian (b. 1962)
- 2007Gianfranco Ferrè, Italian fashion designer (b. 1944)
- 2007Serena Wilson, American belly dancer (b. 1933)
- 2008Cyd Charisse, American dancer and actress (b. 1922)
- 2008Tsutomu Miyazaki, Japanese serial killer (b. 1962)
- 2009Darrell Powers, American World War II figure (b. 1923)
- 2009Ralf Dahrendorf, German-born sociologist and politician (b. 1929)
Did you know that coffee and word games are an excellent combination to sharpen your vocabulary? Try this! Within 30 seconds, how many words can you think of from these letters UMAMEUYBJQLAX? Check your answers here: Make words with these letters UMAMEUYBJQLAX. (Sponsored by WordFinder.Cafe)