April 17 Historical Events
The following events took place on April 17. The list is arranged in chronological order.
Found 42 events. Showing 1 - 30.
- 1080The King of Denmark, Harald III dies and is succeeded by Canute IV, who would later be the first Dane to be canonized.
- 1349Fall of the Bavand dynasty, and rise of the Afrasiyab dynasty.
- 1397Geoffrey 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 the start of the book’s pilgrimage to Canterbury.
- 1492Spain and Christopher Columbus sign the Capitulations of Santa Fe for his voyage to Asia to acquire spices.
- 1521Trial of Martin Luther over his teachings begins during the assembly of the Diet of Worms. Initially intimidated, he asks for time to reflect before answering and is given a stay of one day.
- 1524Giovanni da Verrazzano reaches New York harbor.
- 1555After 18 months of siege, Siena surrenders to the Florentine-Imperial army. The Republic of Siena is incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.
- 1797Sir Ralph Abercromby attacks San Juan, Puerto Rico, in what would be one of the largest invasions of the Spanish territories in America.
- 1797Citizens of Verona, Italy, begin an eight-day rebellion against the French occupying forces, which will end unsuccessfully.
- 1861The state of Virginia’s secession convention votes to secede from the United States, becoming the 8th state to join the Confederate States of America.
- 1863American Civil War: Grierson’s Raid begins – troops under Union Army Colonel Benjamin Grierson attack central Mississippi.
- 1864American Civil War: The Battle of Plymouth begins – Confederate forces attack Plymouth, North Carolina.
- 1895The 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.
- 1897The Aurora, Texas, UFO incident
- 1905The Supreme Court of the United States decides Lochner v. New York, which holds that the “right to free contract” is implicit in the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
- 1907The Ellis Island immigration center processes 11,747 people, more than on any other day.
- 1912Russian troops open fire on striking goldfield workers in northeast Siberia, killing at least 150.
- 1937Daffy Duck’s first appearance, in Porky’s Duck Hunt.
- 1941World War II: The Kingdom of Yugoslavia surrenders to Germany.
- 1942French prisoner of war General Henri Giraud escapes from his castle prison in Königstein Fortress.
- 1944Forces of the Communist-controlled Greek People’s Liberation Army attack the smaller National and Social Liberation resistance group, which surrenders. Its leader Dimitrios Psarros is murdered.
- 1945World War II: Brazilian forces liberate the town of Montese, Italy, from Nazi forces.
- 1946Syria obtains its independence from the French occupation.
- 1949At midnight 26 Irish counties officially leave the British Commonwealth. A 21-gun salute on O'Connell Bridge, Dublin, ushers in the Republic of Ireland.
- 1951The Peak District becomes the United Kingdom’s first National Park.
- 1961Bay of Pigs Invasion: A group of Cuban exiles financed and trained by the CIA lands at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba with the aim of ousting Fidel Castro.
- 1964Jerrie Mock becomes the first woman to circumnavigate the world by air.
- 1964Ford Mustang is introduced to the North American market.
- 1969Sirhan Sirhan is convicted of assassinating Robert F. Kennedy.
- 1969Communist Party of Czechoslovakia chairman Alexander Dubček is deposed.
12
Curious about this Green Bubble Heart? This is a party item you can activate and send to your friends when you play the free game Jump Birthday Party. It’s a fun and easy-to-play mobile game for all ages. Get free 1,000 gold coins when you download today!