May 17
is the 137th day of the year in the
Gregorian Calendar (138th in leap years). There are 228 days remaining.
*
1521 -
Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for
treason.
*
1590 -
Anne of Denmark is crowned Queen of
Scotland.
*
1642 -
Paul Chomedey,
sieur 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
Constitutional assembly.
*
1846 - The
saxophone is patented by
Adolphe Sax.
*
1849 - A
fire threatens to burn
St. Louis, Missouri, to the ground.
*
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.
*
1900 -
Second Boer War:
British troops relieve
Mafeking.
*
1902 -
Archaeologist Spyridon Stais finds the
Antikythera mechanism.
*
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.
*
1943 - The
United States Army contracts with the
University of Pennsylvania's
Moore School to develop the
ENIAC.
*
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.
*
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, equipped with
M-16 rifles, open fire.
*
1995 - After 18 years as the
mayor of
Paris,
Jacques Chirac takes office as
President of
France.
*
1999 -
Ehud Barak is elected
prime minister of
Israel.
*
2000 -
Beverly Hills 90210 airs its last episode.
*
2004 -
Massachusetts becomes the first state in the
United States to legalize
Same-sex marriage*
2006 - The aircraft carrier
USS Oriskany sunk in the
Gulf of Mexico to be an
artificial reef*
2006 -
FC Barcelona defeats
Arsenal F.C at the
Stade de France and wins the
Champions League for the second time since the foundation of the club.
*
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)
*
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 -
Merle Miller, American biographer (d.
1986)
*
1921 -
Dennis Brain, English French horn player (d.
1957)
* 1921 -
Bob Merrill, American composer and lyricist (d.
1998)
*
1935 -
Dennis Potter, English writer (d.
1994)
*
1936 -
Dennis Hopper, American actor and director
*
1937 -
Hazel R. O'Leary,
United States Secretary of Energy*
1939 -
Gary Paulsen, Amerivan book writer
*
1938 -
Jason Bernard, American actor (d.
1996)
*
1940 -
Alan Kay, American computer scientist
*
1942 -
Taj Mahal, American singer and guitarist
*
1945 -
Tony Roche, Australian tennis player
*
1946 -
Udo Lindenberg, German musician
* 1946 -
F. Paul Wilson, American novelist
*
1949 -
Bill Bruford, English drummer and songwriter (
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
*
1959 -
Paul Di'Anno, English singer (
Iron Maiden)
* 1959 -
Jim Nantz, American broadcaster
*
1961 -
Enya, Irish singer and songwriter
*
1962 -
Lise Lyng Falkenberg, Danish writer
*
1963 -
Page McConnell, American musician and songwriter (
Phish)
*
1965 -
Trent Reznor, American singer and songwriter (
Nine Inch Nails)
*
1967 -
Woman, Professional wrestling valet
*
1969 -
Thom Filicia, American television personality (
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy)
*
1970 -
Jordan Knight, Lead singer of
New Kids On The Block*
1971 -
Shaun Hart, Australian footballer
* 1971 -
Princess Máxima of the Netherlands*
1973 -
Josh Homme, American musician, singer and songwriter
*
1974 -
Andrea Corr, Irish singer (
The Corrs)
* 1974 -
Wiki González, Baseball player
*
1975 -
Sasha Alexander, American television actress
* 1975 -
Jonti Picking, British cartoonist
* 1975 -
Laura Voutilainen, Finnish singer
* 1975 -
Alex Wright, German professional wrestler
*
1976 -
José Guillén, Baseball player
*
1978 -
Paddy Kenny, Sheffield United and Ireland goalkeeper
*
1981 -
Leon Osman, English footballer
*
1982 -
Tony Parker, French-American basketball player
*
1983 -
Channing Frye, American basketball player
*
1984 -
Christine Robinson, Canadian water polo player
*1984 -
Christian Bolaños, Costa Rican footballer
*
1986 -
Tahj Mowry, American actor
*
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
*
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*
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)
*
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)
*
1935 -
Paul Dukas, French composer (b.
1865)
*
1947 -
George William Forbes,
Prime Minister of New Zealand (b.
1869)
*
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,
MP (b.
1944)
*
2006 - Captain
Nichola Kathleen Sarah Goddard, Canadian soldier (b.
1980)
Día das Letras Galegas ("
Galician Literature Day") — holiday in
Galicia, honouring the
Galician language.
*
Norwegian Constitution Day or
Syttende Mai.
*
Bahá'í Faith —
Feast of 'Azaamat (
Grandeur) — First day of the fourth month of the
Bahá'í Calendar.
*
International Day Against Homophobia aka
IDAHOSaints in the
Roman Catholic Church:
*
Saint Adrian of Alexandria*
Saint Dietmar*
Saint Montanus*
Saint Paschal Baylon or
Pascal Baylon*
Saint Pamphamer*
Saint Pamphalon*
Saint Solochon*
Saint Victor*
BBC: On This Day*
The New York Times: On This Day*
On This Day in CanadaMay 16 -
May 18 -
April 17 -
June 17 –
listing of all days
