A complete timeline of historical events, famous births, notable deaths, and holidays that occurred on April 17 throughout history.
86
Events
9
Births
3
Deaths
Christopher Columbus signs a contract with Spanish monarchs King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I to find the "Indies" with the stated goal of converting people to Catholicism. This promises him 10% of all riches found and the governorship of any lands encountered.
The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895), or the First China–Japan War, was a conflict between the Qing dynasty of China and the Empire of Japan primarily for influence over Korea.
Vladimir Lenin issues his radical "April Theses" calling for Soviets to take power during the Russian Revolution [OS Apr 4]
The Bay of Pigs Invasion (Spanish: Invasión de la Bahía de los Cochinos, sometimes called Invasión de Playa Girón or Batalla de Playa Girón after the Playa Girón) was a failed military landing…
Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and Queen Elizabeth II sign the "Proclamation of the Constitution Act", establishing the "Charter of Rights and Freedoms" as part of the country’s new Constitution
The 8th century St. Cuthbert Gospel, Europe's oldest intact book, is purchased by the British Library for 9 million pounds
Game of Thrones is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO.
McCartney is the debut solo studio album by the English rock musician Paul McCartney, released on 17 April 1970 by Apple Records.
Champion of England Tom Sayers and American John Heenan fight a brutal 2-hour, 27-minute draw that ends only after police stop the fight near Farnborough in England, acknowledged as the first world title bout
Trailing 12-1, the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Chicago Cubs 18-16 in 10 innings at Wrigley Field; Mike Schmidt hits four consecutive home runs in the greatest comeback in NL history
Baseball great Babe Ruth (34) marries 2nd wife Claire Merritt Hodgson (31)
American actress Doris Day (19) weds trombonist Albert Jorden
Actress Claire Trevor (34) weds Navy lieutenant Cyclos William Dunsmoore in Tijuana, Mexico
Edward Regan Murphy is an American comedian, actor, and singer. He had his breakthrough as a stand-up comic before gaining stardom for his film roles; he is widely recognized as one of the greatest…
Chindasuinth becomes the Visigothic King of Hispania after deposing King Tulga in a coup and tonsuring him (making him a monk)
Pope Benedict III (Latin: Benedictus III; died 17 April 858) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 29 September 855 to his death on 17 April 858.
The fictional characters in Geoffrey Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" begin their pilgrimage to Canterbury (according to scholars)
Florentine navigator Giovanni Verrazano on a voyage for France is the first European to discover New York harbour
The Republic of Siena (Italian: Repubblica di Siena, Latin: Respublica Senensis) was a historic state consisting of the city of Siena and southern Tuscany, Central Italy.
Calais is a French major port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Calais is the largest city in Pas-de-Calais.
Dutch East India Company signs treaty with Sultan Hadji of Banten (Java) to aid him in a civil war with his father in exchange for sole right to trade in the Sultanate [1]
French troops occupy Zeeuws-Flanders, Netherlands
Poems by Jamaican Black intellectual and writer Francis Williams are published
First Unitarianism church service in England held by Theophilus Lindsey at the Essex Street Capel in London
San Juan is the capital city and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory, and insular area of the United States.
Russia abandons all North American claims south of 54° 40'N
The Federal Republic of Central America (Spanish: República Federal de Centro América), initially known as the United Provinces of Central America (Provincias Unidas del Centro de América), was a...
Clipper Marco Polo launched at St Johns, New Brunswick - then the fastest ship in the world [1]
Johan Rudolf Thorbecke's government in the Netherlands resigns
Indianola TX - "Star of West" taken by Confederacy
Grierson's raid begins as Colonel Grierson and 1700 horse troopers set off from La Grange, Tennessee
The Battle of Plymouth was an engagement during the American Civil War that was fought from April 17 through April 20, 1864, in Washington County, North Carolina.
Modern snooker is invented by Sir Neville Chamberlain, a bored British officer in Jabalpur, India
1st Sunday NL baseball game, Reds beat Cards 5-1
High chiefs of American Samoa sign the Instrument of Cession of Tutuila and swear allegiance to the United States [1]
US Supreme Court judges maximum work day unconstitutional in Lochner v. New York by declaring the "right to free contract" implicit in the due process clause of the 14th Amendment of the Constitution
Ellis Island, New York records 11,745 immigrants
Longest NL opening game, Phillies & Dodgers tie 5-5 in 14
Goldwyn Pictures Corporation was an American motion picture production company that operated from 1916 to 1924 when it was merged with two other production companies to form the major studio,...
Japan's Wakarsoeki government falls, Baron Tanaka becomes premier
Abkhazian ASSR forms in Georgian SSR
The New York Giants, an American football team which currently plays in the National Football League (NFL)'s National Football Conference (NFC), has a history dating back almost 100 seasons, with 4...
Fenway Park in Boston re-opens after a major renovation including a hand-operated electronic scoreboard, though it didn't help the Red Sox who lost to the Washington Senators 6-5
First commercial flight from mainland to Hawaii when Pan Am's Pioneer Clipper flew from San Francisco to Honolulu
Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. Located within the geo-political region of the Middle East, it is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south, Turkey to the north, Iran to...
The Augsburg Raid, also referred to as Operation Margin, was an attack by the Royal Air Force (RAF) on the Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg (MAN) U-boat engine plant in Augsburg during the daylight...
The bombing of Dresden was a joint British and American aerial bombing attack on the city of Dresden, the capital of the German state of Saxony, during World War II.
Independence Day is Syria's National Day commemorating the evacuation of the last French soldier at the end of the French mandate of Syria on 17 April 1946 after Syria's proclamation of full...
Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931 – August 13, 1995), nicknamed "the Mick" and "the Commerce Comet", was an American professional baseball player who played his entire Major League Baseball...
Bulgaria premier Valko Chervenkov resigns
American Samoa is an unincorporated and unorganized territory of the United States located in the Polynesia region of the south Pacific Ocean.
NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle suspends Green Bay Packers halfback Paul Hornung and Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alex Karras indefinitely for betting on football games
1st game at Shea Stadium, NY Mets lose to Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-3
th international soccer match between Netherlands and Belgium (3-1)
Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, from 1970 to 2000.
Apollo 13 limps back safely, Beech-built oxygen tank no help
The Federation of Arab Republics (FAR; Arabic: إتحاد الجمهوريات العربية, romanized: Ittiḥād al-Jumhūrīyāt al-'Arabīyah, lit. 'Union of Arab Republics') was an unsuccessful attempt by Muammar Gaddafi...
Kiteman attempting to throw out 1st ball in Phillie Vet crashes into centerfield seats
GSG 9 der Bundespolizei (formerly Grenzschutzgruppe 9 (GSG 9, "Border Guard Group 9") of the Bundesgrenzschutz) is the elite police tactical unit of the German Federal Police responsible for...
Bundy victim Susan Rancourt disappears from CWU, Ellensburg, Washington
Phnom Penh is the capital and most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since 1865 and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its political, economic, industrial,...
Christian-democrats win Belgium parliamentary election
63,500,000 shares traded on NY stock exchange (record)
Four Royal Ulster Constabulary officers are killed by a Provisional Irish Republican Army van bomb in Bessbrook, County Armagh; the bomb is believed to be the largest PIRA bomb used up to that point
1st National Coin Week begins
Braves pitcher Pascual Perez suspended due to cocaine usage
The Three Hundred and Thirty Five Years' War was an alleged state of war between the Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly (located off the southwest coast of Great Britain).
Ethiopian Belayneh Densimo runs world record marathon (2:06:50)
Maximum NY State unemployment benefits raised to $245 per week
Gas explosion on passenger train in Kumrahar India, 80 die
Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 3,000 for 1st time (3,004.46)
STS-56 (Discovery) lands
Aruba government of Oduber falls
John Bell aged 115 receives a new pacemaker
Timothy Scott Couch is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons with the Cleveland Browns.
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
George H. Ryan, the former governor of Illinois, is convicted on 22 counts of fraud, racketeering and lying to the FBI [1]
15 people are killed and 100 are injured after a fertilizer plant explodes in West, Texas
After 108 years, a "message in a bottle" placed in the sea by the UK Marine Biological Association is found on a beach on the island of Amrum, Germany
1st living giant shipworm at 3 ft found in the Philippines, really a type of clam
10 babies with "bubble boy disease" cured using a gene therapy made from HIV at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, according to new study
WHO warns Africa could be next epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, with over 300,000 deaths, pushing 30 million into poverty as it records nearly 1000 deaths and 19,000 cases to date
Countries and territories around the world enforced lockdowns of varying stringency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some included total movement control while others enforced restrictions based...
New Research shows the Great Pacific Garbage Patch now has coast creatures living and breeding in it, including jellyfish, sponges and worms raising concerns about the spread of invasive species [1]
Extreme weather moves on from the UAE to cause heavy rain and flooding in Pakistan and Afghanistan and at least 135 deaths [1]
A US citizen hijacks Tropic Air Flight 711 at knifepoint and injures three passengers before being killed by police in Belize [1]
Thornton Wilder, American playwright and novelist, known for american playwright and novelist, was born on 1897-04-17.
Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Sri Lankan prime minister of sri lanka, known for prime minister of sri lanka, was born on 1916-04-17.
William Holden, American actor, known for american actor, was born on 1918-04-17. William Franklin Holden (né Beedle; April 17, 1918 – November 12, 1981) was an American actor and one of the biggest…
Harry Reasoner, American journalist, known for american journalist, was born on 1923-04-17. Harry Reasoner (April 17, 1923 – August 6, 1991) was an American journalist for CBS and ABC News.
Roddy Piper, Canadian professional wrestler and actor, known for canadian professional wrestler and actor, was born on 1954-04-17.
Jennifer Garner, American actress, known for american actress, was born on 1973-04-17. Jennifer Anne Garner is an American actress.
Victoria Beckham, English musician, known for english fashion designer and singer, was born on 1975-04-17.
Alexander Cartwright athlete, known for baseball club founding member, was born on 1820-04-17. Alexander Joy Cartwright Jr.
Mikhail Botvinnik, Russian athlete, known for soviet chess grandmaster, was born on 1911-04-17.
Chindasuinth becomes the Visigothic King of Hispania after deposing King Tulga in a coup and tonsuring him (making him a monk)
Pope Benedict III (Latin: Benedictus III; died 17 April 858) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 29 September 855 to his death on 17 April 858.
The fictional characters in Geoffrey Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" begin their pilgrimage to Canterbury (according to scholars)
Christopher Columbus signs a contract with Spanish monarchs King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I to find the "Indies" with the stated goal of converting people to Catholicism. This promises him 10% of all riches found and the governorship of any lands encountered.
Florentine navigator Giovanni Verrazano on a voyage for France is the first European to discover New York harbour
The Republic of Siena (Italian: Repubblica di Siena, Latin: Respublica Senensis) was a historic state consisting of the city of Siena and southern Tuscany, Central Italy.
Calais is a French major port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Calais is the largest city in Pas-de-Calais.
Dutch East India Company signs treaty with Sultan Hadji of Banten (Java) to aid him in a civil war with his father in exchange for sole right to trade in the Sultanate [1]
French troops occupy Zeeuws-Flanders, Netherlands
Poems by Jamaican Black intellectual and writer Francis Williams are published
First Unitarianism church service in England held by Theophilus Lindsey at the Essex Street Capel in London
San Juan is the capital city and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory, and insular area of the United States.
Alexander Cartwright athlete, known for baseball club founding member, was born on 1820-04-17. Alexander Joy Cartwright Jr.
Russia abandons all North American claims south of 54° 40'N
The Federal Republic of Central America (Spanish: República Federal de Centro América), initially known as the United Provinces of Central America (Provincias Unidas del Centro de América), was a...
Samuel Morey dies
Clipper Marco Polo launched at St Johns, New Brunswick - then the fastest ship in the world [1]
Johan Rudolf Thorbecke's government in the Netherlands resigns
Champion of England Tom Sayers and American John Heenan fight a brutal 2-hour, 27-minute draw that ends only after police stop the fight near Farnborough in England, acknowledged as the first world title bout
Indianola TX - "Star of West" taken by Confederacy
Grierson's raid begins as Colonel Grierson and 1700 horse troopers set off from La Grange, Tennessee
The Battle of Plymouth was an engagement during the American Civil War that was fought from April 17 through April 20, 1864, in Washington County, North Carolina.
Modern snooker is invented by Sir Neville Chamberlain, a bored British officer in Jabalpur, India
1st Sunday NL baseball game, Reds beat Cards 5-1
The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895), or the First China–Japan War, was a conflict between the Qing dynasty of China and the Empire of Japan primarily for influence over Korea.
Thornton Wilder, American playwright and novelist, known for american playwright and novelist, was born on 1897-04-17.
High chiefs of American Samoa sign the Instrument of Cession of Tutuila and swear allegiance to the United States [1]
US Supreme Court judges maximum work day unconstitutional in Lochner v. New York by declaring the "right to free contract" implicit in the due process clause of the 14th Amendment of the Constitution
Ellis Island, New York records 11,745 immigrants
Mikhail Botvinnik, Russian athlete, known for soviet chess grandmaster, was born on 1911-04-17.
Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Sri Lankan prime minister of sri lanka, known for prime minister of sri lanka, was born on 1916-04-17.
Vladimir Lenin issues his radical "April Theses" calling for Soviets to take power during the Russian Revolution [OS Apr 4]
William Holden, American actor, known for american actor, was born on 1918-04-17. William Franklin Holden (né Beedle; April 17, 1918 – November 12, 1981) was an American actor and one of the biggest…
Longest NL opening game, Phillies & Dodgers tie 5-5 in 14
Harry Reasoner, American journalist, known for american journalist, was born on 1923-04-17. Harry Reasoner (April 17, 1923 – August 6, 1991) was an American journalist for CBS and ABC News.
Goldwyn Pictures Corporation was an American motion picture production company that operated from 1916 to 1924 when it was merged with two other production companies to form the major studio,...
Japan's Wakarsoeki government falls, Baron Tanaka becomes premier
Baseball great Babe Ruth (34) marries 2nd wife Claire Merritt Hodgson (31)
Abkhazian ASSR forms in Georgian SSR
The New York Giants, an American football team which currently plays in the National Football League (NFL)'s National Football Conference (NFC), has a history dating back almost 100 seasons, with 4...
Fenway Park in Boston re-opens after a major renovation including a hand-operated electronic scoreboard, though it didn't help the Red Sox who lost to the Washington Senators 6-5
First commercial flight from mainland to Hawaii when Pan Am's Pioneer Clipper flew from San Francisco to Honolulu
American actress Doris Day (19) weds trombonist Albert Jorden
Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. Located within the geo-political region of the Middle East, it is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south, Turkey to the north, Iran to...
The Augsburg Raid, also referred to as Operation Margin, was an attack by the Royal Air Force (RAF) on the Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg (MAN) U-boat engine plant in Augsburg during the daylight...
Actress Claire Trevor (34) weds Navy lieutenant Cyclos William Dunsmoore in Tijuana, Mexico
The bombing of Dresden was a joint British and American aerial bombing attack on the city of Dresden, the capital of the German state of Saxony, during World War II.
Independence Day is Syria's National Day commemorating the evacuation of the last French soldier at the end of the French mandate of Syria on 17 April 1946 after Syria's proclamation of full...
Mickey Charles Mantle (October 20, 1931 – August 13, 1995), nicknamed "the Mick" and "the Commerce Comet", was an American professional baseball player who played his entire Major League Baseball...
Roddy Piper, Canadian professional wrestler and actor, known for canadian professional wrestler and actor, was born on 1954-04-17.
Bulgaria premier Valko Chervenkov resigns
American Samoa is an unincorporated and unorganized territory of the United States located in the Polynesia region of the south Pacific Ocean.
The Bay of Pigs Invasion (Spanish: Invasión de la Bahía de los Cochinos, sometimes called Invasión de Playa Girón or Batalla de Playa Girón after the Playa Girón) was a failed military landing…
NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle suspends Green Bay Packers halfback Paul Hornung and Detroit Lions defensive tackle Alex Karras indefinitely for betting on football games
1st game at Shea Stadium, NY Mets lose to Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-3
th international soccer match between Netherlands and Belgium (3-1)
Three Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, from 1970 to 2000.
McCartney is the debut solo studio album by the English rock musician Paul McCartney, released on 17 April 1970 by Apple Records.
Apollo 13 limps back safely, Beech-built oxygen tank no help
The Federation of Arab Republics (FAR; Arabic: إتحاد الجمهوريات العربية, romanized: Ittiḥād al-Jumhūrīyāt al-'Arabīyah, lit. 'Union of Arab Republics') was an unsuccessful attempt by Muammar Gaddafi...
Kiteman attempting to throw out 1st ball in Phillie Vet crashes into centerfield seats
GSG 9 der Bundespolizei (formerly Grenzschutzgruppe 9 (GSG 9, "Border Guard Group 9") of the Bundesgrenzschutz) is the elite police tactical unit of the German Federal Police responsible for...
Jennifer Garner, American actress, known for american actress, was born on 1973-04-17. Jennifer Anne Garner is an American actress.
Bundy victim Susan Rancourt disappears from CWU, Ellensburg, Washington
Phnom Penh is the capital and most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since 1865 and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its political, economic, industrial,...
Victoria Beckham, English musician, known for english fashion designer and singer, was born on 1975-04-17.
Trailing 12-1, the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Chicago Cubs 18-16 in 10 innings at Wrigley Field; Mike Schmidt hits four consecutive home runs in the greatest comeback in NL history
Christian-democrats win Belgium parliamentary election
63,500,000 shares traded on NY stock exchange (record)
Four Royal Ulster Constabulary officers are killed by a Provisional Irish Republican Army van bomb in Bessbrook, County Armagh; the bomb is believed to be the largest PIRA bomb used up to that point
Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and Queen Elizabeth II sign the "Proclamation of the Constitution Act", establishing the "Charter of Rights and Freedoms" as part of the country’s new Constitution
1st National Coin Week begins
Braves pitcher Pascual Perez suspended due to cocaine usage
The Three Hundred and Thirty Five Years' War was an alleged state of war between the Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly (located off the southwest coast of Great Britain).
Ethiopian Belayneh Densimo runs world record marathon (2:06:50)
Maximum NY State unemployment benefits raised to $245 per week
Gas explosion on passenger train in Kumrahar India, 80 die
Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 3,000 for 1st time (3,004.46)
STS-56 (Discovery) lands
Aruba government of Oduber falls
John Bell aged 115 receives a new pacemaker
Linda McCartney, American photographer and musician, known for american photographer and musician, died on 1998-04-17.
Timothy Scott Couch is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons with the Cleveland Browns.
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
Edward Regan Murphy is an American comedian, actor, and singer. He had his breakthrough as a stand-up comic before gaining stardom for his film roles; he is widely recognized as one of the greatest…
George H. Ryan, the former governor of Illinois, is convicted on 22 counts of fraud, racketeering and lying to the FBI [1]
Game of Thrones is an American fantasy drama television series created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss for HBO.
The 8th century St. Cuthbert Gospel, Europe's oldest intact book, is purchased by the British Library for 9 million pounds
15 people are killed and 100 are injured after a fertilizer plant explodes in West, Texas
After 108 years, a "message in a bottle" placed in the sea by the UK Marine Biological Association is found on a beach on the island of Amrum, Germany
Doris Roberts dies
1st living giant shipworm at 3 ft found in the Philippines, really a type of clam
10 babies with "bubble boy disease" cured using a gene therapy made from HIV at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, according to new study
WHO warns Africa could be next epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, with over 300,000 deaths, pushing 30 million into poverty as it records nearly 1000 deaths and 19,000 cases to date
Countries and territories around the world enforced lockdowns of varying stringency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some included total movement control while others enforced restrictions based...
New Research shows the Great Pacific Garbage Patch now has coast creatures living and breeding in it, including jellyfish, sponges and worms raising concerns about the spread of invasive species [1]
Extreme weather moves on from the UAE to cause heavy rain and flooding in Pakistan and Afghanistan and at least 135 deaths [1]
A US citizen hijacks Tropic Air Flight 711 at knifepoint and injures three passengers before being killed by police in Belize [1]