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What happened in history on this day: October 17?
On October 17 in ...
- 532 - Death of Catholic pope Boniface II.
- 1492 - Columbus sights isle of San Salvador (Watling Island, Bahamas).
- 1691 - New royal charter for Massachusetts, now including Maine, Plymouth.
- 1707 - Johann Sebastian Bach marries his cousin, Maria Bach.
- 1711 - Birth of Jupiter Hammon first American black to publish poetry (Complete Works).
- 1777 - British General John Burgoyne surrenders at Saratoga, New York.
- 1781 - British General Lord Cornwallis is defeated at Yorktown.
- 1786 - The Commonwealth of Massachusetts authorizes a mint for striking gold, silver, and copper coinage.
- 1787 - Boston blacks petition legislature for equal school facilities.
- 1806 - Death of Jean Jacques Dessalines; Emperor of Haiti, assassinated at entrance to Port-au-Prince.
- 1829 - Delaware River and Chesapeake Bay Canal is formally opened.
- 1835 - Birth of Alexandrine-Pieternella-Françoise Tinné; explored the White Nile.
- 1848 - Birth of William "Candy" Cummings; created the curve ball.
- 1850 - In Szu-mao, China, a meteorite falls through the roof of a house.
- 1859 - Birth of William "Buck" Ewing; hall of fame catcher (New York Giants, Cincinnati Reds).
- 1860 - First professional golf tournament held (Scotland); Willie Park wins.
- 1864 - Birth of Elinor Glyn; British novelist (Three Weeks).
- 1868 - Constitution of Grand Duchy of Luxembourg comes into effect.
- 1871 - President Ulysses Grant suspends writ of habeas corpus.
- 1886 - Birth of Spring Byington in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA; actress (Lily Ruskin - December Bride).
- 1887 - Gustav Kirchoff, discoverer of the laws of spectroscopy, dies.
- 1888 - Thomas Edison files a patent for the Optical Phonograph (the first movie).
- 1894 - Ohio national guard kills three lynchers while rescuing a black man.
- 1900 - Death of James Parsons Major in Sommerville, New Jersey, USA; designer and engraver, designed first US postage stamps (1847 5-cent, 10-cent), banknote engraver with American Banknote Company.
- 1903 - Birth of Irene Ryan in El Paso, Texas, USA; actress (Granny - The Beverly Hillbillies).
- 1903 - Birth of Jerry Colonna in Boston, Massachusetts, USA; comedian (Jerry Colonna Show).
- 1903 - Birth of Nathanael West; American novelist (Day of the Locusts).
- 1904 - Bank of Italy (Bank of America) opens its doors.
- 1905 - Birth of Jean Arthur in New York City, New York, USA; actress (Shane, Mr Smith Goes to Washington).
- 1910 - Julia Ward Howe, composer ("Battle Hymn of the Republic"), dies at age 91.
- 1912 - Birth of John Paul I; 263rd Roman Catholic pope (1978).
- 1912 - Turkey declares war on Serbia and Bulgaria.
- 1915 - Birth of Arthur Asher Miller AKA Arthur Miller in New York City, New York, USA; playwright (Death of a Salesman, The Crucible) (dies 2005).
- 1917 - Birth of Marsha Hunt in Chicago, Illinois, USA; actress (Jennifer - Peck's Bad Girl, Jigsaw).
- 1918 - Birth of Rita Hayworth in New York, USA; actress (Gilda, Pal Joey) (dies 1987, Alzheimer victim).
- 1918 - First use of American Code Talkers in World War I, by members of the Choctaq tribe in radio communications.
- 1919 - Radio Corporation of America (RCA) is created.
- 1920 - Birth of Montgomery Clift; actor (From Here to Eternity).
- 1920 - Decatur Staleys play first APFA game, win 7-0.
- 1921 - Birth of Maria Gorokhovskaya; USSR gymnast (Olympic-gold-1952).
- 1921 - Birth of Tom Poston in Columbus, Ohio, USA; actor (Steve Allen Show, Newhart).
- 1924 - Notre Dame defeats Army 13 to 7 in football at Polo Grounds, with 55,000 spectators.
- 1925 - Birth of Jack Wagner in California, USA; actor, radio personality, announcer of many Disneyland attractions since 1970, retired 1991, named Disney Legend 2005.
- 1926 - Birth of Beverly Garland in Santa Cruz, California, USA; actress (My Three Sons).
- 1926 - Birth of Julie Adams in Waterloo, Iowa, USA; actress (Yancy Derringer, Code Red).
- 1926 - Birth of Karl G Henize in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; astronaut (STS 51F).
- 1928 - Birth of James "Junior" Gilliam; American baseball player (Brooklyn Dodgers, National League rookie of year 1953).
- 1928 - Birth of Julie Adams in Iowa, USA; actress (Away All Boats, Black Rose).
- 1930 - Birth of Jimmy Breslin in Queens, New York City, USA; columnist (New York Post, News, Newsday).
- 1931 - American gangster Al Capone is convicted of US tax evasion in Chicago, Illinois, and sentenced to 11 years in prison and fined US$80,000.
- 1932 - Birth of Paul Anderson; American light super heavyweight lifter (Olympic-gold-1956).
- 1933 - Albert Einstein arrives in the US, a refugee from Germany.
- 1933 - Birth of William A Anders in Hong Kong; Major General, US Air Force/astronaut (Apollo 8).
- 1935 - Pacific Association of Amateur Athletic Union votes not to participate in Berlin Olympics.
- 1938 - Birth of Robert "Evel" Knievel; motorcycle daredevil (dies 2007).
- 1941 - First US destroyer (Kearney) torpedoed in World War II, off Iceland.
- 1941 - In the Soviet Union, German forces capture Odessa.
- 1941 - Birth of James Seals in Sidney, Texas, USA; singer (Seals and Crofts - "Summer Breeze").
- 1942 - Birth of Gary Puckett; vocalist (Gary Puckett and the Union Gap - "Woman Woman", "Young Girl").
- 1943 - Birth of Susan Davenny Wyner in New Haven, Connecticut, USA; soprano (Walter Naumberg Prize).
- 1944 - Birth of Carol Cole in West Medford, Massachusetts, USA; actress (Ellie - Grady).
- 1945 - Birth of Dave Cutler; Canadian Football League place kicker (Edmonton Eskimos).
- 1945 - Juan Perón becomes dictator of Argentina.
- 1946 - Birth of Bob Seagren in Pomona, California, USA; actor (Soap), pole vaulter (Olympic-gold-1968).
- 1947 - Birth of Michael McKean in New York City, New York, USA; actor (Lenny - Laverne and Shirley, Grand).
- 1948 - Birth of George Wendt in Chicago, Illinois, USA; actor (Norm - Cheers).
- 1948 - Birth of Margot Kidder in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada; actress (Lois Lane - Superman, Amityville Horror).
- 1949 - Birth of Bill Hudson in Portland, Oregon, USA; comedian (Bonkers, Hudson Brothers Show).
- 1949 - Birth of Timothy Bottoms in Santa Barbara, California, USA; actor (Adam - East of Eden).
- 1952 - Birth of Howard E Rollins Junior in Baltimore, Maryland, USA; actor (Bannister - Wildside).
- 1954 - Philadelphia Eagles' Adrian Burk passes for seven touchdowns vs Washington Redskins (49-21).
- 1955 - Birth of Sam Bottoms; actor (Prime Risk, Savages).
- 1956 - Birth of Mae C Jemison in Decatur, Alabama, USA; medical doctor, astronaut (Sked:STS 47).
- 1956 - The first commercial nuclear power station is officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in Cumbria, England.
- 1957 - Birth of Vincent Van Patten in Belrose, New York, USA; actor (Apple's Way, Three for the Road).
- 1957 - French author Albert Camus awarded Nobel Prize in Literature.
- 1958 - Birth of Alan Jackson; rocker ("Don't Rock the Jukebox", "Here in the Real World").
- 1959 - Birth of Dolph Lundgren; actor (Rocky IV, Masters of the Universe).
- 1959 - Queen Elizabeth II is fined $140 for withdrawing her race horse.
- 1961 - New York Museum of Modern Art hangs Henri Matisse's Le Bateau upside-down (not corrected until December 3).
- 1964 - New York Yankees fire manager Yogi Berra.
- 1965 - Birth of Connie Ann Hearn in Anchorage, Alaska, USA; actress (New Kind of Family).
- 1966 - NBC-TV debuts Hollywood Squares game show.
- 1966 - Off the coast of Callao, Peru, a magnitude 8.1 earthquake occurs. 125 deaths, 3,000 injuries, tens of thousands left homeless. This shock generated a tsunami with heights of 11.3 feet at La Punta-Callao.
- 1969 - New York Nets move from Comack to Island Garden, Hempstead New York.
- 1969 - The Chinese Communist Party places all People's Liberation Army units on emergency wartime condition.
- 1969 - Soyuz 7 returns to Earth.
- 1971 - Pittsburgh Pirates beat Baltimore Orioles, 4 games to 3 in 68th World Series.
- 1972 - First time New York Islanders shut-out; 5-0 versus Pittsburgh Penguins.
- 1973 - Five-month oil embargo by Arab states against US and Netherlands begins.
- 1974 - Oakland Athletics beat Los Angeles Dodgers, four games to one in 71st World Series; makes Athletics the second team (next to New York Yankees) to win three straight series.
- 1974 - Washington Capitals' first NHL home victory, beating Chicago Black Hawks 4-3.
- 1975 - First Space Shuttle main engine test at National Space Tech Labs, Mississippi.
- 1977 - North of New Zealand, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake occurs.
- 1977 - Canada begins regular live TV coverage of Parliament.
- 1977 - West German commandos storm hijacked Lufthansa plane in Mogadishu, Somalia freeing all 86 hostages and killing three of the four Palestinian hijackers.
- 1978 - At Dodger Stadium, the New York Yankees beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 7-2, to take their twenty-second World Championship. New York's shortstop Bucky Dent is named the World Series MVP.
- 1978 - US President Jimmy Carter signs bill restoring Jefferson Davis' citizenship.
- 1979 - D Bautista of Mexico completes 20,000-metre walk in record 1:20:06.8.
- 1979 - Mother Teresa of India is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
- 1979 - Personal Software releases VisiCalc for the Apple II, for US$99.
- 1979 - Pittsburgh Pirates beat Baltimore Orioles, 4 games to 3 in 76th World Series. Willie Stargell is named the Series MVP.
- 1983 - Hong Kong pegs its dollar to the US dollar.
- 1985 - Lou Pinella named New York Yankees' manager, replacing Billy Martin.
- 1986 - US Senate approves immigration bill prohibiting hiring of illegal aliens and offering amnesty to illegals who entered prior to 1982.
- 1987 - First World Series game in a covered stadium (Minnesota Metrodome) (World Series #84).
- 1988 - 31 reported dead as Ugandan jetliner crashes in fog near Rome, Italy.
- 1988 - Dallas Green replaces Lou Pinella as manager of the New York Yankees.
- 1988 - Phillip Morris announces US$11 billion tender offer for Kraft.
- 1988 - Rockin Robin beats "Sensational" Sherri Martel for WWF women's title.
- 1989 - In Loma Prieta, California, an earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale occurs. Three events are about 1.5 and 3.0 seconds apart. Sixty-two people killed, 3,757 injured and damage estimated at US$5.6 billion.
- 1991 - Death of Tennessee Ernie Fordat age 72; American country singer ("16 Tons") (born 1919).
- 1992 - Yoshihiro Hattori, a 16-year-old Japanese exchange student, mistakes the address of a party and is shot dead after knocking on the wrong door in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The shooter, Rodney Peairs, is later acquitted, sparking outrage in Japan.
- 1993 - Death of Criss Oliva, American lead guitarist of Savatage (born 1964).
- 1994 - The Huahai Number Two tanker spills oil off Qinhuangdao in Hebei province, China, polluting 1km of beaches and reefs at Dongshan.
- 1996 - Death of Berthold Goldschmidt, composer, in London, (born in Hamburg, Germany).
- 1997 - The remains of Che Guevara are laid to rest with full military honours in a specially built mausoleum in the city of Santa Clara, Cuba, where he had won the decisive battle of the Cuban Revolution 39 years before.
- 1998 - Elfriede Jelinek, a feminist writer in Austria, is presented with the Büchner-Prize from the German Academy for Language and Literature (Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung).
- 1998 - (to October 18) Severe flooding takes place in south Central Texas.
- 1999 - In Frankfurt am Main, Germany, historian Fritz Stern is given the Peace Prize of the German Book Association.
- 2000 - The New York Yankees defeat the Seattle Mariners to win their 37th American League pennant.
- 2000 - In Hollywood, Don Rickles receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- 2001 - Death of Jay Livingston at age 86; songwriter ("Mona Lisa", "Que Sera, Sera", "Buttons and Bows", "Silver Bells", "Bonanza" TV show theme, "Mr. Ed" TV show theme).
- 2003 - The pinnacle is fitted on the roof of Taipei 101, a 101-floor skyscraper in Taipei, allowing it to surpass the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur by 50 metres (165 feet) and become the World's tallest highrise.
- 2004 - A referendum in Belarus approves the lifting of constitutional term limits for the presidency.
- 2005 - Jens Stoltenberg becomes Prime Minister of Norway for the second time.
- 2006 - The United States population reaches 300 million based on a United States Census Bureau projection.
- 2006 - Death of Christopher Glenn at age 68 of liver cancer; CBS Radio newsman (CBS World News Roundup radio show).
- 2007 - Whitehaven, England becomes the first place in the United Kingdom to have one of its analog terrestrial television signals switched off as part of digital switchover.
- 2007 - Turkish parliament votes to allow the government to attack guerillas of the Kurdistan Workers' Party in northern Iraq.
- 2008 - The Perth Mint in Australia stops accepting orders for bullion coins, to catch up on production to fulfill existing orders due to extremely high demand.
- 2008 - The United Nations General Assembly elects Turkey, Austria, Japan, Uganda, and Mexico to two-year terms on the Security Council.
- 2009 - Death of Jay W. Johnson at age 66 of an apparent heart attack in Virgina, USA; television broadcaster for 32 years, US Congressman (1996-97), 36th director of US Mint (1999-2001).
- 2017 - Raqqa, Syria is declared fully liberated from Daesh.
- 2019 - New York City's city council votes to close Rikers Island jail in 2026.
- 2019 - In Culiacón, Mexico, 30 government soldiers capture Ovidio Guzmán López, son of "El Chapo". But organized crime family business re-inforcements arrive and overwhelm government forces. López is released. 14 people are killed.
- 2020 - Jacinda Ardern's Labour Party of new Zealand wins a landslide second term in office, defeating the National Party led by Judith Collins and gaining the country's first parliamentary majority since the introduction of the MMP voting system.
- 2021 - (to November 14) The 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup is held in the United Arab Emirates and Oman, and is won by Australia.
- 2021 - Death of Ahmad Shah Ahmadzai, Acting Prime Minister of Afghanistan (born 1944).
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