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Apr 17
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Apr_17" .
April 17 is the 107th day of the year (108th in leap years ) in the Gregorian calendar . There are 258 days remaining until the end of the year.
Events
69 - After the First Battle of Bedriacum , Vitellius becomes Roman Emperor .
1397 - Geoffrey Chaucer tells the Canterbury Tales for the first time at the court of Richard II . Chaucer scholars have also identified this date (in 1387 ) as when the book's pilgrimage to Canterbury starts.
1492 - Spain and Christopher Columbus sign a contract for him to sail to Asia to get spices .
1521 - Martin Luther speaks to the assembly at the Diet of Worms , refusing to recant his teachings .
1524 - Giovanni da Verrazzano reaches New York harbor.
1555 - After 18 months of siege, Siena surrenders to the Florentine -Imperial army. The Republic of Siena is incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Tuscany .
1797 - Sir Ralph Abercromby attacks San Juan, Puerto Rico in what would be one of the largest invasions to Spanish territories in America.
1861 - American Civil War : Virginia secedes from the United States .
1864 - American Civil War: Battle of Plymouth begins – Confederate forces attack Plymouth, North Carolina .
1865 - Mary Surratt is arrested as a conspirator in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln .
1895 - The Treaty of Shimonoseki between China and Japan is signed. This marks the end of the First Sino-Japanese War , and the defeated Qing Empire is forced to renounce its claims on Korea and to concede the southern portion of the Fengtien province , Taiwan and the Pescadores Islands to Japan .
1905 - The Supreme Court of the United States decides Lochner v. New York which held that the "right to free contract " was implicit in the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution .
1907 - The Ellis Island immigration center 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.
1941 - World War II : The Kingdom of Yugoslavia surrenders to Germany .
1942 - POW French General Henri Giraud escapes from his castle prison in Festung Königstein .
1949 - At midnight 26 counties officially leave the British Commonwealth . A 21-gun salute on O'Connell Bridge, Dublin , ushers in the Republic of Ireland .
1961 - Bay of Pigs Invasion : A group of CIA finances and trains Cuban refugees lands at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba with the aim of ousting Fidel Castro .
1964 - The Ford Motor Company unveils the Ford Mustang at the New York World's Fair .
1964 - Jerrie Mock becomes the first woman to circumnavigate the world by air.
1964 - Shea Stadium opens.
1969 - Sirhan Sirhan is convicted of assassinating Robert F. Kennedy .
1969 - Czechoslovakian Communist Party chairman Alexander Dubček is deposed.
1970 - Apollo program : The ill-fated Apollo 13 spacecraft returns to Earth safely.
1971 - The People's Republic of Bangladesh forms, under Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Mujibnagor.
1971 - Sierra Leone becomes a republic .
1973 - German counter-terrorist unit GSG 9 founded.
1975 - The Cambodian Civil War ends. The Khmer Rouge captures the capital Phnom Penh and Cambodian government forces surrender.
1982 - Patriation of the Canadian constitution in Ottawa by Proclamation of Queen Elizabeth II , Queen of Canada .
1984 - Police Constable Yvonne Fletcher is killed by gunfire from the Libyan People's Bureau in London during a small demonstration outside the embassy. Ten others are wounded. The events lead to an 11-day siege of the building.
1986 - The Three Hundred and Thirty Five Years' War between the Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly ends.
1991 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 3,000 for the first time ever gaining 17.58 to 3,004.46.
2002 - Four Canadian Forces soldiers are killed in Afghanistan by friendly fire from two United States Air Force F-16s , the first deaths in a combat zone for Canada since the Korean War .
Births
1278 - Michael IX Palaeologus , co-ruling Eastern Roman Emperor (d. 1320 )
1573 - Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria (d. 1651 )
1586 - John Ford , English dramatist
1598 - Giovanni Riccioli , Italian astronomer (d. 1671 )
1620 - Marguerite Bourgeoys , founder of the Congregation of Notre Dame (d. 1700 )
1622 - Henry Vaughan , Welsh poet (d. 1695 )
1710 - Henry Erskine, 10th Earl of Buchan , British Freemason (d. 1767 )
1734 - Taksin , King of Thailand (d. 1782 )
1741 - Samuel Chase , Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (d. 1811 )
1750 - François de Neufchâteau , French statesman and intellectual figure (d. 1828 )
1794 - Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius , German botanist (d. 1868 )
1798 - Étienne Bobillier , French mathematician (d. 1840 )
1816 - Thomas Hazlehurst , English Methodist chapel builder (d. 1876 )
1833 - Jean-Baptiste Accolay , Belgian composer (d. 1900 )
1837 - J. P. Morgan , American financier (d. 1913 )
1842 - Maurice Rouvier , French statesman (d. 1911 )
1849 - William R. Day , American diplomat and Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (d. 1923 )
1863 - Augustus Edward Hough Love , English mathematician (d. 1940 )
1863 - Constantine P. Cavafy , Greek poet (d. 1933 )
1865 - Ursula Julia Ledochowska , Polish-Austrian Catholic saint (d. 1939 )
1866 - Ernest Starling , British physiologist (d. 1927 )
1877 - Matsudaira Tsuneo , Japanese diplomat (d. 1949 )
1882 - Artur Schnabel , Polish pianist (d. 1951 )
1884 - Leo Frank , American convict (d. 1915 )
1885 - Karen Blixen (Isak Dinesen), Danish author (d. 1962 )
1890 - Art Acord , American actor and rodeo rider (d. 1931 )
1894 - Nikita Khrushchev , Premier of the Soviet Union (d. 1971 )
1896 - Señor Wences , Spanish ventriloquist (d. 1999 )
1897 - Thornton Wilder , American dramatist (d. 1975 )
1902 - Jaime Torres Bodet , Mexican politician (d. 1974 )
1903 - Gregor Piatigorsky , Russian cellist (d. 1976 )
1903 - Morgan Taylor , American athlete (d. 1975 )
1905 - Arthur Lake , American actor (d. 1987 )
1906 - Sidney R. Garfield , American physician (d. 1984 )
1909 - Alain Poher , French politician (d. 1996 )
1910 - Ivan Goff , Australian screenwriter (d. 1999 )
1914 - George W. Davis , American art director (d. 1984 )
1915 - Joe Foss , American soldier and politician (d. 2003 )
1916 - Helenio Herrera , French footballer player and manager (d. 1997 )
1917 - Bill Clements , American politician
1918 - William Holden , American actor (d. 1981 )
1919 - Gilles Lamontagne , French Canadian politician
1919 - Chavela Vargas , Costa Rican-Mexican singer
1923 - Lindsay Anderson , English film director (d. 1994 )
1923 - Harry Reasoner , American journalist (d. 1991 )
1923 - Solly Hemus , American baseball player
1926 - Gerry McNeil , Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2004 )
1928 - Cynthia Ozick , American writer
1929 - James Last , German band leader
1929 - Peggy McKercher , 11th Chancellor of the University of Saskatchewan )
1930 - Chris Barber , British jazz band leader
1934 - Don Kirshner , American composer
1935 - Theo Angelopoulos , Greek film director
1937 - Ferdinand Piëch , Austrian-German automotive engineer and executive
1938 - Ben Barnes , American politician
1938 - Kerry Wendell Thornley , co-founder of Discordianism
1940 - Billy Fury , British singer (d. 1983 )
1940 - John McCririck , English television horse racing pundit
1940 - Anja Silja , German soprano
1942 - David Bradley , British actor
1947 - Linda Martin , Irish singer
1947 - Tsutomu Wakamatsu , Japanese baseball player
1948 - Jan Hammer , Czech composer
1950 - L. Scott Caldwell , American actress
1950 - Bruce McNall , American former NHL team owner
1951 - Olivia Hussey , Argentine-born actress
1951 - Börje Salming , Swedish ice hockey player
1952 - Željko Ražnatović , Serbian warlord (d. 2000 )
1954 - Riccardo Patrese , Italian race car driver
1954 - Rowdy Roddy Piper , Canadian professional wrestler
1954 - Michael Sembello , American musician
1955 - Pete Shelley , British musician
1957 - Nick Hornby , English author
1959 - Sean Bean , English actor
1961 - Boomer Esiason , American football player
1961 - Frank J. Christensen , American labor leader
1963 - Joel Murray , American actor
1964 - Maynard James Keenan , American singer (Tool and A Perfect Circle )
1964 - Ken Daneyko , Canadian ice hockey player
1964 - Lela Rochon , American actress
1965 - William Mapother , American actor
1965 - Yoshiki Kuroda , Japanese urban planner
1966 - Vikram , Indian actor
1967 - Marquis Grissom , American baseball player
1967 - Kimberly Elise , American actress
1967 - Henry Ian Cusick , Peruvian-born Scottish actor
1967 - Liz Phair , American musician/songwriter
1968 - Prince Maurits of the Netherlands
1969 - Redman , American rapper
1972 - Gary Bennett , American baseball player
1972 - Tony Boselli , American football player
1972 - Jennifer Garner , American actress
1972 - Muttiah Muralitharan , Sri Lankan cricketer
1972 - Jarkko Wiss , Finnish Footballer
1972 - Terran Sandwith , Canadian ice hockey player
1972 - Claire Sweeney , English actress
1973 - Brett Maher , Australian basketballer
1973 - Kaihō Ryōji , Japanese sumo wrestler
1974 - Victoria Beckham , English singer
1974 - Mikael Åkerfeldt , Swedish guitarist and singer (Opeth )
1975 - Gabriel Soto , Mexican actor
1975 - Travis Roy , American hockey player
1976 - Monet Mazur , American actress and musician
1976 - Alex Nesic , American actor
1977 - Chad Hedrick , American speed skater
1977 - Sizzla , Jamaican dancehall artist
1977 - Phil Jamieson , Australian singer (Grinspoon )
1978 - Lindsay Hartley , American actress
1978 - Jason White , Scottish rugby player
1979 - Siddharth Narayan , Indian actor
1980 - Curtis Woodhouse , English footballer/boxer
1980 - Lee Hyun-il , South Korean badminton player
1981 - Hanna Pakarinen , Finnish singer
1981 - Ryan Raburn , American baseball player
1982 - Lee Jun Ki , South Korean actor and model
1982 - Brad Boyes , Canadian hockey player
1983 - Stanislav Chistov , Russian hockey player
1983 - Roberto Jimenez , Peruvian football player
1985 - Jo-Wilfried Tsonga , French tennis player
1990 - Jonathan Brown , Welsh footballer
1995 - Paulie Litt , American actor
1996 - Dee Dee Davis , American actress
Deaths
326 - Alexander of Alexandria , Patriarch of Alexandria
485 - Proclus , Greek philosopher (b. 412 )
617 - Donnán of Eigg , Celtic Christian martyr, patron saint of Eigg
1080 - King Harald III of Denmark (b. 1041 )
1427 - John IV, Duke of Brabant (b. 1403 )
1539 - George, Duke of Saxony (b. 1471 )
1574 - Joachim Camerarius , German classical scholar (b. 1500 )
1680 - Kateri Tekakwitha , first American Indian to receive beatification (b. 1656 )
1695 - Sor Juana , Mexican writer
1696 - Marie de Rabutin-Chantal , French writer (b. 1626 )
1711 - Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1678 )
1713 - David Hollatz , Pomeranian dogmatician (b. 1648 )
1742 - Arvid Horn , Swedish statesman (b. 1664 )
1761 - Thomas Bayes , English mathematician
1764 - Johann Mattheson , German composer (b. 1681 )
1790 - Benjamin Franklin , American inventor, diplomat, and printer (b. 1706 )
1799 - Richard Jupp , English architect (b. 1728 )
1843 - Samuel Morey , American inventor (b. 1762 )
1873 - Fyodor Petrovich Tolstoy , Russian painter (b. 1783 )
1882 - George Jennings Sanitary engineer (b. 1810 )
1892 - Alexander Mackenzie , 2nd Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1822 )
1902 - Francis of Assisi of Bourbon , King Consort of Spain (b. 1822 )
1921 - Manuel Dimech , Maltese philosopher and social reformer (b. 1860 )
1930 - Alexander Golovin , Russian painter (b. 1863 )
1936 - Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck , Dutch prime minister (b. 1873 )
1937 - Yi Sang , Korean Poet (b. 1910 )
1941 - Al Bowlly , British dance band vocalist (b. 1899 )
1942 - Jean Perrin , French physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1870 )
1944 - J.T. Hearne , English cricketer (b. 1867 )
1954 - Lucreţiu Pătrăşcanu , Romanian communist activist (b. 1900 )
1960 - Eddie Cochran , American musician (b. 1938 )
1967 - Red Allen , American jazz trumpeter (b. 1908 )
1975 - Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan , Indian philosopher (b. 1888 )
1976 - Henrik Dam , Danish biochemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1895 )
1977 - William Cardinal Conway , Northern Irish clergyman (b. 1913 )
1983 - Felix Pappalardi , American musician and recording producer (b. 1939 ) (Mountain )
1984 - Claude Provost , French Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1933 )
1987 - Cecil Harmsworth King , owner of Mirror Group Newspapers (b. 1901 )
1988 - Louise Nevelson , American sculptor (b. 1900 )
1990 - Ralph Abernathy , American civil rights activist (b. 1936 )
1993 - Turgut Ozal , 8th president of Turkey (b. 1927 )
1994 - Roger Wolcott Sperry , American neurobiologist, Nobel laureate (b. 1913 )
1995 - Frank E. Resnik , American business executive (b. 1928 )
1997 - Allan Francovich , American documentarian
1997 - Piet Hein , Danish scientist and poet (b. 1905 )
1998 - Linda McCartney , American-born wife of Paul McCartney (b. 1941 )
2003 - Robert Atkins , American dietician (b. 1930 )
2003 - Paul Getty , American-born philanthropist (b. 1932 )
2003 - Earl King , American musician and songwriter (b. 1934 )
2003 - Yiannis Latsis , Greek shipping tycoon (b. 1910 )
2004 - Edmond Pidoux , Swiss writer (b. 1908 )
2004 - Soundarya , Indian actress (b. 1971 )
2007 - Kitty Carlisle , American actress and television personality (b. 1910 )
2008 - Aimé Césaire , French Martinican poet and politician (b. 1913 )
2008 - Danny Federici , organ player for E-Street Band (b. 1950 )
Holidays and observances
External links
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