May 17
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Events
- 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 - For the first time in American history, homosexuals are allowed to marry one another - in the state of Massachusetts
- 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.
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)
- 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
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
- 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)
Holidays and observances
- 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 IDAHO
Liturgical
Saints 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
External links
May 16 - May 18 - April 17 - June 17 – listing of all days
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