|
What happened in history on this day: April 17?
On April 17 in ...
- 1803 - Napoleon Bonaparte tells brother Lucien it is worthwhile selling Louisiana to the Americans, as they (the French) are sure to lose it: "... for the English... are aching for a chance to capture it."
- 1808 - Bayonne Decree by Napoleon I of France orders seizure of US ships.
- 1817 - First US school for the deaf founded by Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Laurent Clerc (American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut).
- 1853 - US Marine Hospital at Presidio (San Francisco) is established.
- 1861 - Indianola, Texas, "Star of the West", taken by Confederacy.
- 1861 - Virginia become eighth state to secede from the USA.
- 1863 - Grierson's Raid: La Grange, Tennessee to Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
- 1864 - Bread revolt in Savannah, Georgia.
- 1864 - Battle of Plymouth, North Carolina.
- 1864 - USA General Ulysses Grant suspends prisoner-of-war exchanges.
- 1865 - Mary Surratt is arrested as a conspirator in President Abraham Lincoln's assassination.
- 1900 - Seven high chiefs of American Samoa sign Instrument of Cession.
- 1905 - US Supreme court judges rule maximum work day is unconstitutional.
- 1907 - The Ellis Island immigration center in New York, USA, processes 11,747 people, more than any other day.
- 1924 - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios is formed from a merger of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures and the Louis B. Mayer Company.
- 1937 - Cartoon characters Daffy Duck, Elmer J Fudd and Petunia Pig debut.
- 1944 - USS Trout submarine is declared presumed lost with all 81 men, as it disappeared in February on war patrol near Japan.
- 1945 - 8th Air Force bombs Dresden, Germany.
- 1945 - US troops lands in Mindanao.
- 1960 - American Samoa sets up a constitutional government.
- 1961 - 1,400 Cuban exiles land in Bay of Pigs and attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro.
- 1961 - 33rd Academy Awards - Apartment, Burt Lancaster and Elizabeth Taylor win.
- 1964 - The Ford Motor Company unveils the Ford Mustang at the New York World's Fair (US$2368 base price).
- 1967 - Surveyor 3 launched; soft lands on Moon, April 20.
- 1969 - Sirhan Sirhan is convicted of assassinating US Senator Robert F Kennedy.
- 1970 - Apollo 13 limps back safely to Earth.
- 1974 - Susan Rancourt disappears from Central Washington State College, Ellensburg, Washington (Ted Bundy victim).
- 1978 - 63,500,000 shares traded on New York stock exchange (record).
- 1982 - US performs nuclear test at Nevada Test Site.
- 1983 - First National Coin Week begins.
- 1986 - IBM produces first megabit-chip.
- 1987 - Richard Wilbur appointed as US poet laureate.
- 1991 - Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 3,000 for first time (3,004.46).
- 1991 - Railroad workers go on strike in the US.
- 2007 - Student Cho Seung-hui kills 32 people plus himself at the premises of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia, USA.
- 2008 - At the Central States Numismatic Society convention, in Rosemont, Illinois, Heritage Auction Galleries hosts the US Coin Signature Auction. Some highlights:
- USA 1870-S $1, EF-40 NGC: US$805,000,
- USA 1839 25-cent, no drapery, PR-65 NGC: US$517,500,
- USA 1794 $1, AU-58 NGC: US$488,750,
- USA 1802 $1, "Novodel", PR-65 Cameo PCGS: US$920,000,
- USA 1804 Draped Bust $1, Class I, Mickley, PR-62 NGC: US$3,737,500.
Births on April 17
- 1890 - Birth of Art Acord in Glenwood Sevier, Utah, USA; western actor (Arizona Kid, Hard Fists).
- 1905 - Birth of Arthur Lake in Corbin, Kentucky, USA; actor (Dagwood - Blondie).
- 1905 - Birth of Louis Jean Heydt in Montclair, New Jersey, USA; actor (Joe - Waterfront).
- 1913 - Birth of Paul Langton in Salt Lake City, Utah; actor (Leslie - Peyton Place).
- 1913 - Birth of Richard Travis in Carlsbad, New Mexico, USA; actor (Missile to the Moon).
- 1918 - Birth of William Franklin Beedle AKA William Holden in O'Fallon, Illinois, USA; actor (Stalag 17, Bridge Over the River Kwai, SOB).
- 1923 - Birth of Harry Reasoner in Dakota City, Iowa, USA; newscaster (60 Minutes, ABC, CBS).
- 1947 - Birth of Charles Frank in Olympia, Washington, USA; actor (The Chisholms, Emerald Point NAS).
- 1954 - Birth of Kim Tyler in Hollywood, California, USA; actress (Kyle - Please Don't Eat the Daisies).
- 1956 - Birth of Pillow [Therese Joan Bell] in California, USA; bodybuilder (Gold Classic 1983).
- 1958 - Birth of Byron Cherry in Atlanta, Georgia, USA; actor (Coy - Dukes of Hazzard).
- 1959 - Birth of David Hearn in Washington, DC, USA; slalom single canoe (Olympics-9th-1996).
- 1961 - Birth of [Norman] Boomer Esiason in West Islip, New York, USA; NFL quarterback (Cincinnati Bengals, New York Jets).
- 1962 - Birth of Nancy Hogshead in Iowa City, Iowa, USA; swimmer (Olympics-gold-1984)/model (jockey).
- 1964 - Birth of Raye Hollit; American Gladiator (Zap).
- 1966 - Birth of Susie Redman in Salem, Ohio, USA; LPGA golfer (1995 Nabisco Dinah Shore-second).
- 1967 - Birth of Leslie Bega in Los Angeles, California, USA; actress (Maria Tomlinson - Head of the Class).
- 1967 - Birth of Marquis Grisom in Atlanta, Georgia, USA; outfielder (Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians).
- 1967 - Birth of Timothy Gibbs in Burbank, California, USA; actor (Father Murphy, Santa Barbara).
- 1975 - Birth of Trifun Zivanovic in Santa Monica, California; figure skater (1995 Pacific Coast Junior champion).
- 1980 - Birth of Crystal Carlson; Miss Maine Teen-USA (1997).
Deaths on April 17
- 1790 - Death of Benjamin Franklin at age 84 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; published Poor Richard's Almanac under name Richard Saunders, founded Philadelphia Library, Postmaster of Philadelphia, discovered identity of lightning with electric fluid, member of Royal Society, signed Declaration of Independence, ambassador to France 1776-85, signed treaty ending Revolutionary War.
- 1859 - Death of Jacqueline Smith Mills AKA Jacqueline Pendleton, at age 45, confidential emmisary between governments of US and France.
- 1863 - Daniel Smith Donelson, Confederate General/cousin of Andrew Jackson, dies at age 61.
- 1974 - Herbert Elwell, US composer (Happy Hypocrite), dies at age 75.
- 1983 - Mark W Clark, US General (WWII), dies at age 87.
- 1987 - Dick Shawn, American actor/comedian (Producers), dies on stage from a heart attack at age 63 (born 1924).
- 1990 - Reverend Ralph David Abernathy, American civil rights activist, dies at 64 (born 1926).
- 1994 - Peter Hacker, US journalist/actor (NBC, Broadcast News), dies at age 69.
- 1994 - Death of Roger Wolcott Sperry, American neurobiologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (born 1913).
- 2003 - Death of Robert Atkins, American nutritionist (born 1930).
- 2003 - Death of Paul Getty, American-born philanthropist (born 1932).
- 2007 - Death of Kitty Carlisle AKA Kitty Carlisle Hart at age 96; actress, singer, panelist (To Tell the Truth TV show).
- 2016 - Death of Chyna, American professional wrestler (born 1969).
- 2018 - Death of Barbara Bush, First Lady of the United States (born 1925).
|
|
vvv advertisement vvv
^^^ advertisement ^^^
You can pick a particular day to view that day's events in history.
Bookmark this URL: http://kpolsson.com/thisday/usa/ and revisit each day.
(this URL will automatically re-direct to the file containing the current day's events)
Or, visit my Timelines of History page.
|