From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
May 17 is the 137th day of the year (138th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 228 days remaining.
[edit] Events
- 1521 - Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for treason.
- 1590 - Anne of Denmark is crowned Queen of Scotland.
- 1642 - Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve (1612–1676) founds the Ville Marie de Montréal.
- 1673 - Louis Joliet and Jacques Marquette begin exploring the Mississippi River.
- 1775 - American Revolutionary War: The Continental Congress bans trade with Canada.
- 1792 - The New York Stock Exchange is formed.
- 1809 - Napoleon I of France orders the annexation of the Papal States to the French Empire.
- 1814 - Occupation of Monaco changes from French to Austrian.
- 1814 - The Constitution of Norway is signed and the Danish Crown Prince Christian Frederik is elected King of Norway by the Norwegian Constituent Assembly.
- 1849 - A fire threatens to burn St. Louis, Missouri, to the ground.
- 1860 - German football club TSV 1860 München is founded
- 1863 - Rosalía de Castro publishes Cantares Gallegos, her first book in the Galician language.
- 1865 - The International Telegraph Union (the later International Telecommunication Union) is established.
- 1875 - Aristides wins the first Kentucky Derby.
- 1895 - The first Omonoia station of the Athens metro is inaugurated in Greece.
- 1900 - Second Boer War: British troops relieve Mafeking.
- 1902 - Greek archaeologist Valerios Stais discovers the Antikythera mechanism, an ancient mechanical analog computer.
- 1915 - The last British Liberal Party government (Herbert Henry Asquith) falls.
- 1918 - Almost the entire leadership of Sinn Féin are arrested.
- 1919 - Committee of One Thousand forms to oppose Winnipeg General Strike.
- 1933 - Vidkun Quisling and Johan Bernhard Hjort form Nasjonal Samling — the national-socialist party of Norway.
- 1940 - World War II: Germany occupies Brussels, Belgium.
- 1940 - World War II: The old city centre of the Dutch town of Middelburg is bombed by the German Luftwaffe, to force the surrender of the Dutch armies in Zeeland.
- 1943 - The United States Army contracts with the University of Pennsylvania's Moore School to develop the ENIAC.
- 1943 - World War II: The Dambuster Raids by No. 617 Squadron RAF on German dams.
- 1954 - The United States Supreme Court hands down a unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas.
- 1967 - Six-Day War: President Abdul Nasser of Egypt demands dismantling of the peace-keeping UN Emergency Force in Egypt.
- 1969 - Venera program: Soviet Venera 6 begins its descent into the atmosphere of Venus, sending back atmospheric data before being crushed by pressure.
- 1970 - Thor Heyerdahl sets sail from Morocco on the papyrus boat Ra II to sail the Atlantic Ocean.
- 1973 - Watergate scandal: Hearings begin in the United States Senate and are televised.
- 1974 - Police in Los Angeles, California, raid the Symbionese Liberation Army's headquarters, killing six members, including Camilla Hall.
- 1974 - Thirty-three people are killed by terrorist bombings in Dublin and Monaghan, Ireland.
- 1980 - General Chun Doo-hwan of South Korea declares martial law in order to suppress student demonstrations.
- 1980 - Peru: Terrorist group Shining Path attacked a voting poll in the town of Chuschi, Ayacucho starting the Internal conflict in Peru.
- 1983 - Lebanon, Israel, and the United States sign an agreement on Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.
- 1984 - Prince Charles calls a proposed addition to the National Gallery, London, a "monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved and elegant friend," sparking controversies on the proper role of the Royal Family and the course of modern architecture.
- 1987 - An Iraqi fighter jet fires two missiles into the U.S. warship USS Stark (FFG-31), killing 37 and injuring 21 of her crew.
- 1992 - In Thailand, the so-called Black May begins. Thai police and protestors start attacking one another. By midnight, the current Thai government declares a state of emergency, and military troops open fire.
- 1994 - Malawi holds its first multiparty elections.
- 1995 - After 18 years as the mayor of Paris, Jacques Chirac takes office as President of France.
- 1997 - Troops of Laurent Kabila march into Kinshasa.
- 1998 - David Wells of the New York Yankees pitches the 15th perfect game in baseball history against the Minnesota Twins at Yankee Stadium.
- 1999 - Ehud Barak is elected prime minister of Israel.
- 2004 - Massachusetts becomes the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage
- 2006 - The aircraft carrier USS Oriskany sunk in the Gulf of Mexico to be an artificial reef
- 2007 - Trains from North and South Korea cross the 38th Parallel in a test-run agreed by both governments. This is the first time that trains have crossed the Demilitarized Zone since 1953. The cost to the South Korean government for this one time symbolic border-crossing is an $80 million USD aid package in the form of materials for the North's light industry.
[edit] Births
- 1155 - Jien, Japanese poet and historian (d. 1225)
- 1443 - Edmund, Earl of Rutland, brother of Kings Edward IV of England and Richard III of England
- 1551 - Martin Delrio, Flemish theologian and occultist (d. 1601)
- 1628 - Archduke Ferdinand Charles of Austria, Regent of the Tyrol (d. 1662)
- 1682 - Bartholomew Roberts, AKA Black Bart, notorious Welsh pirate (d. 1722)
- 1706 - Andreas Felix von Oefele, German historian and librarian (d. 1780)
- 1718 - Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness, English diplomat and politician (d. 1778)
- 1743 - Seth Warner, American revolutionary leader (d. 1784)
- 1749 - Edward Jenner, English medical researcher (d. 1823)
- 1758 - John St Aubyn, British fossil collector (d. 1839)
- 1768 - Caroline of Brunswick, Princess of Wales (d. 1821)
- 1768 - Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey, English general (d. 1854)
- 1794 - Anna Brownell Jameson, British writer (d. 1860)
- 1821 - Sebastian Kneipp, German naturopathist (d. 1897)
- 1836 - Wilhelm Steinitz, Austrian chess player (d. 1900)
- 1836 - Virginie Loveling, Belgian writer and poet (d. 1923)
- 1844 - Julius Wellhausen, German biblical scholar (d. 1918)
- 1866 - Erik Satie, French composer (d. 1925)
- 1868 - Horace Elgin Dodge, American automobile manufacturer (d. 1920)
- 1873 - Henri Barbusse, French novelist and journalist (d. 1935)
- 1873 - Dorothy Richardson, English writer (d. 1957)
- 1879 - Simon Petlyura, Ukrainian independence fighter (d. 1926)
- 1886 - Alfonso XIII of Spain (d. 1941)
- 1888 - Tich Freeman, English cricketer (d. 1965)
- 1897 - Odd Hassel, Norwegian chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1981)
- 1898 - Alfred Joseph Casson, Canadian painter (d. 1992)
- 1900 - Ruhollah Khomeini, Iranian Muslim cleric (d. 1989)
- 1901 - Werner Egk, German composer (d. 1983)
- 1903 - Cool Papa Bell, baseball player (d. 1991)
- 1904 - Jean Gabin, French actor (d. 1976)
- 1906 - Zinka Milanov, Croatian soprano (d. 1989)
- 1911 - Lisa Fonssagrives, Swedish-born supermodel (d. 1992)
- 1911 - Maureen O'Sullivan, Irish actress (d. 1998)
- 1918 - Birgit Nilsson, Swedish soprano (d. 2005)
- 1919 - Antonio Aguilar, mexican singer and actor (d. 2007)
- 1919 - Merle Miller, American biographer (d. 1986)
- 1921 - Dennis Brain, English French horn player (d. 1957)
- 1921 - Bob Merrill, American composer and lyricist (d. 1998)
- 1931 - Marshall Applewhite, American cult leader (d. 1997)
- 1935 - Dennis Potter, English writer (d. 1994)
- 1936 - Dennis Hopper, American actor and director
- 1937 - Hazel R. O'Leary, United States Secretary of Energy
- 1938 - Jason Bernard, American actor (d. 1996)
- 1939 - Gary Paulsen, American author
- 1940 - Alan Kay, American computer scientist
- 1941 - David Cope, American composer and author
- 1942 - Taj Mahal, American musician
- 1943 - Vicky Moscholiou, Greek singer (d. 2005)
- 1945 - Tony Roche, Australian tennis player
- 1946 - Udo Lindenberg, German musician
- 1946 - F. Paul Wilson, American novelist
- 1949 - Bill Bruford, English musician (Yes)
- 1950 - Janez Drnovšek, Slovenian politician
- 1952 - Howard Hampton, leader of the New Democratic Party of Ontario
- 1955 - Bill Paxton, American actor and film director
- 1956 - Sugar Ray Leonard, American boxer
- 1956 - Bob Saget, American actor
- 1956 - Dave Sim, Canadian cartoonist
- 1957 - Pascual Pérez, Major league pitcher
- 1958 - Paul Di'Anno, English singer (Iron Maiden)
- 1959 - Jim Nantz, American broadcaster
- 1960 - Lou DiBella, American boxing promoter
- 1961 - Enya, Irish singer and songwriter
- 1962 - Craig Ferguson, Scottish actor and comedian
- 1962 - Lise Lyng Falkenberg, Danish writer
- 1963 - Page McConnell, American musician and songwriter (Phish)
- 1964 - Menno Oosting, Dutch tennis player (d. 1999)
- 1965 - Trent Reznor, American musician (Nine Inch Nails)
- 1967 - Nancy Daus, American professional wrestling valet
- 1969 - Thom Filicia, American television personality
- 1969 - Alan Doyle, Canadian musician (Great Big Sea)
- 1970 - Jordan Knight, American singer (New Kids on the Block)
- 1970 - Angelica Agurbash, Belarussian singer, actress and model
- 1970 - Matt Lindland, American mixed martial arts fighter
- 1971 - Shaun Hart, Australian footballer
- 1971 - Princess Máxima of the Netherlands
- 1973 - Josh Homme, American musician and songwriter
- 1973 - Matthew McGrory, American actor
- 1973 - Sasha Alexander, American television actress
- 1974 - Andrea Corr, Irish singer (The Corrs)
- 1974 - Wiki González, Venezuelan baseball player
- 1974 - Eddie Lewis, American football (soccer) player
- 1974 - Sendhil Ramamurthy, American actor
- 1975 - Cheick Kongo, French martial artist
- 1975 - Jonti Picking, British cartoonist
- 1975 - Laura Voutilainen, Finnish singer
- 1975 - Kostas Sommer, Greek actor
- 1975 - Alex Wright, German professional wrestler
- 1976 - José Guillén, Dominican baseball player
- 1976 - Lee-Hom Wang, American-born Taiwanese musician, singer, songwriter, and composer
- 1978 - Paddy Kenny, Irish goalkeeper
- 1978 - Carlos Pena, Dominican baseball player
- 1979 - Wayne Thomas, English footballer
- 1980 - Davor Džalto, Serbian art historian
- 1981 - Beñat Albizuri, Spanish cyclist
- 1981 - R.J. Helton, American Idol finalist
- 1981 - Shiri Maimon, Israeli singer
- 1981 - Leon Osman, English footballer
- 1981 - Giannis Taralidis, Greek footballer
- 1982 - Tony Parker, French-American basketball player
- 1983 - Channing Frye, American basketball player
- 1983 - Nicky Hofs, Dutch footballer
- 1984 - Christine Robinson, Canadian water polo player
- 1984 - Christian Bolaños, Costa Rican footballer
- 1985 - Dan Wilson, American professional Motocross and Arenacross rider
- 1986 - Tahj Mowry, American actor
- 1988 - Nikki Reed, American actress
[edit] Deaths
- 1189 - Minamoto no Yoshitsune, Japanese general (b. 1159)
- 1336 - Emperor Go-Fushimi of Japan (b. 1288)
- 1365 - Louis VI the Roman, Duke of Bavaria and Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1328)
- 1395 - Constantine Dragas, Serbian ruler of a semi-independent realm
- 1464 - Thomas de Ros, 10th Baron de Ros, English politician (executed) (b. 1427)
- 1510 - Sandro Botticelli, Italian painter (b. 1445)
- 1521 - Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, English politician (b. 1478)
- 1536 - George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford, English diplomat
- 1575 - Matthew Parker, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1504)
- 1626 - Juan Pujol, Catalan composer (b. 1570)
- 1643 - Giovanni Picchi, Italian composer
- 1727 - Catherine I of Russia (b. 1684)
- 1729 - Samuel Clarke, English philosopher (b. 1675)
- 1765 - Alexis Claude Clairault, French mathematician (b. 1713)
- 1797 - Michel-Jean Sedaine, French dramatist (b. 1719)
- 1801 - William Heberden, English physician (b. 1710)
- 1809 - Leopold Auenbrugger, Austrian physician (b. 1722)
- 1822 - Armand-Emmanuel du Plessis, Duc de Richelieu, French-Russian statesman (b. 1766)
- 1829 - John Jay, first Chief Justice of the United States (b. 1745)
- 1838 - Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, French diplomat (b. 1754)
- 1838 - René Caillé, French explorer (b. 1799)
- 1839 - Archibald Alison, Scottish author (b. 1757)
- 1868 - Isami Kondo, Shinsengumi Commander (b. 1834)
- 1875 - John C. Breckinridge, Vice President of the United States (b. 1821)
- 1879 - Asa Packer, railroad magnate and founder of Lehigh Valley Railroad (b. 1805)
- 1886 - John Deere, American blacksmith and manufacturer (b. 1804)
- 1888 - Giacomo Zanella, Italian poet (b. 1820)
- 1916 - Boris Borisovich Galitzine, Russian physicist (b. 1862)
- 1917 - Charles Anthoni Johnson Brooke, ruler of Sarawak (b. 1829)
- 1919 - Guido von List, German occult author (b. 1848)
- 1935 - Paul Dukas, French composer (b. 1865)
- 1936 - Panagis Tsaldaris, twice Greek prime minister (b. 1868)
- 1938 - Jakob Ehrlich, Austrian politician and zionist (b. 1877)
- 1947 - George William Forbes, Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1869)
- 1963 - John Wilce, physician and former head football coach at the Ohio State University (b. 1888)
- 1974 - Ernest Nash, German born archaeologist (b. 1898)
- 1985 - Abe Burrows, songwriter, composer, and writer (b. 1910)
- 1987 - Gunnar Myrdal, Swedish economist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1898)
- 1992 - Lawrence Welk, American musician (b. 1903)
- 1995 - Hector "Toe" Blake, Canadian ice hockey player and NHL coach (b. 1912)
- 1996 - Kevin Gilbert, American singer, composer and instrumentalist (b. 1966)
- 1996 - Scott Brayton, American race car driver (b. 1959)
- 1999 - Bruce Fairbairn, Canadian record producer and musician (b. 1949)
- 2000 - Donald Coggan, 101st Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1909)
- 2001 - Frank G. Slaughter, American novelist and physician (b. 1908)
- 2002 - Dave Berg, American cartoonist (b. 1920)
- 2002 - Sharon Sheeley, American songwriter (b. 1940)
- 2002 - Davey Boy Smith, English professional wrestler (b. 1962)
- 2002 - Ladislao Kubala, Hungarian-Spanish footballer (b. 1927)
- 2003 - Frank "Pop" Ivy, American and Canadian football coach (b. 1916)
- 2004 - Jørgen Nash, Danish artist (b. 1920)
- 2004 - Tony Randall, American actor (b. 1920)
- 2004 - Ezzedine Salim, leader of Iraqi Governing Council (b. 1943)
- 2005 - Frank Gorshin, American actor (b. 1934)
- 2006 - Cy Feuer, American playwright (b. 1911)
- 2006 - Eric Forth, British Member of Parliament (b. 1944)
- 2006 - Captain Nichola Goddard, Canadian soldier (b. 1980)
- 2007 - Lloyd Alexander, author (b. 1924)
[edit] Holidays and observances
Saints in the Roman Catholic Church:
[edit] External links
