Europa
- 1346: The English captured King David II of Scotland at the Battle of Neville’s Cross, imprisoning him for eleven years.
- 1448: The Second Battle of Kosovo took place, where the Ottoman army, led by Sultan Murad II, defeated a mainly Hungarian force under John Hunyadi.
- 1456: The University of Greifswald was established, becoming the second oldest university in northern Europe (and, at times, the oldest in Sweden and Prussia).
- 1558: The Polish postal service, Poczta Polska, was founded.
- 1604: German astronomer Johannes Kepler observed a supernova in the constellation Ophiuchus, later known as Kepler’s Supernova.
- 1610: Louis XIII was crowned King of France in Reims Cathedral.
- 1662: Charles II of England sold Dunkirk to France for 40,000 pounds.
- 1771: The opera Ascanio in Alba, composed by a 15-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, premiered in Milan.
- 1091: A powerful tornado, thought to be of strength T8/F4, struck the heart of London, causing significant damage.
America
- Revolutionary War Turning Point
1777: British General John Burgoyne surrendered to American forces at Saratoga, New York. This victory is widely regarded as the turning point of the American Revolutionary War, as it convinced France to join the conflict on the side of the Americans. - Civil Rights and Reconstruction
1871: President Ulysses S. Grant suspended habeas corpus in parts of South Carolina to combat Ku Klux Klan violence during Reconstruction. This decisive action empowered federal authorities to arrest suspected Klan members without immediate trial, underscoring the government’s commitment to protecting civil rights. - Crime and Justice
1931: Infamous gangster Al Capone was convicted of income tax evasion in Chicago. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison, marking a major victory for law enforcement against organized crime. - Scientific and Cultural Milestones
1933: Renowned physicist Albert Einstein arrived in the United States as a refugee from Nazi Germany, later settling in Princeton, New Jersey. His arrival marked a significant moment in American scientific history. - 1939: The classic American film “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” starring James Stewart, premiered in Washington, D.C., becoming an iconic piece of American cinema.
- Space and Aviation
1961: NASA test pilot Joseph A. Walker flew the X-15 rocket plane to an altitude of 33,100 meters (about 108,000 feet), contributing valuable data to the U.S. space program and paving the way for future space exploration. - Natural Disasters
1989: The Loma Prieta earthquake struck the San Francisco Bay Area, measuring 6.9–7.1 in magnitude. The quake killed 63 people, injured thousands, caused extensive damage, and famously interrupted the World Series. - 1987: First Lady Nancy Reagan underwent a modified radical mastectomy for breast cancer, raising public awareness about the disease.
- 1973: Arab oil-producing nations, including OPEC members, announced an oil embargo against countries supporting Israel during the Yom Kippur War, leading to a global oil crisis that significantly affected the United States.
Asia
- 690 CE: Empress Wu Zetian established the Zhou Dynasty in China, becoming the only woman to rule China in her own right and marking a significant shift in Chinese imperial history.
- 1887: The French colonial administration unified Tonkin, Annam, Cochinchina, and Cambodia to form French Indochina, with Saigon as its capital. This event marked a major reorganization of colonial territories in Southeast Asia.
- 1943: The infamous Burma Railway (also known as the “Death Railway”) was completed. Built by the Japanese using forced labor from Allied prisoners of war and Asian laborers, the railway connected Thailand and Burma (now Myanmar). Its construction resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands due to brutal conditions.
- 1944: The Battle of Leyte Gulf began off the Philippine Islands. This was the largest naval battle in history and a decisive moment in the Pacific theater of World War II, leading to the liberation of the Philippines from Japanese occupation.
- 1991: During the Ramlila Hindu celebration in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand, India, Sikh separatists detonated two bombs, killing 41 people.
- 2017: Iraqi government forces, supported by Iranian-backed militias, captured the city of Kirkuk from Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, significantly altering the political landscape in Iraq and impacting the Kurdish independence movement.
- 1970: Indian cricket legend Anil Kumble was born in Bangalore, India.
- 2009: The Maldives held the world’s first underwater cabinet meeting to highlight the threat of global warming.
Africa
- Modern Political and Social Events
2020: During the #EndSARS protests against police brutality in Nigeria, several protestors were killed in various locations: three in Osogbo (Osun State), one in Abuja (Federal Capital Territory), and two in Ikorodu (Lagos State). These protests marked a significant moment in Nigeria’s recent history, highlighting youth activism and calls for reform. - Historical Context
October 17 is recognized as a day when key events related to liberation, resistance, and social change have occurred across Africa, although many sources focus on broader October milestones rather than this specific date. - Diaspora and Black History
1888: The Capital Savings Bank, the first bank organized and operated by African Americans, was founded in Washington, D.C.. While this event took place in the United States, it is significant in the context of the African diaspora and is often noted in African and Black history commemorations.
This day in history: 17 october