Today In History. What Happened This Day In History
A Timeline Of Events That Occurred On This Day In History
A chronological timetable of historical events that occurred on this day in history. Historical facts of the day in the areas of military, politics, science, music, sports, arts, entertainment and more. Discover what happened today in history.
Today in History
August 17
| 1743 | By the Treaty of Abo, Sweden cedes southeast Finland to Russia, ending Sweden's failed war with Russia. | |
| 1812 | Napoleon Bonaparte's army defeats the Russians at the Battle of Smolensk during the Russian retreat to Moscow. | |
| 1833 | The first steam ship to cross the Atlantic entirely on its own power, the Canadian ship Royal William, begins her journey from Nova Scotia to The Isle of Wight. | |
| 1863 | Union gunboats attack Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina, for the first time. | |
| 1942 | Marine Raiders attack Makin Island in the Gilbert Islands from two submarines. | |
| 1943 | Allied forces complete the conquest of Sicily. | |
| 1944 | The mayor of Paris, Pierre Charles Tattinger, meets with the German commander Dietrich von Choltitz to protest the explosives being deployed throughout the city. | |
| 1945 | Upon hearing confirmation that Japan has surrendered, Sukarno proclaims Indonesia's independence. | |
| 1960 | American Francis Gary Powers pleads guilty at his Moscow trial for spying over the Soviet Union in a U-2 plane. | |
| 1978 | Three Americans complete the first crossing of the Atlantic in a balloon. | |
| 1987 | 93-year-old Rudolf Hess, former Nazi leader and deputy of Hitler, is found hanged to death in Spandau Prison. | |
| 1988 | Pakistani President Zia-ul-Haq is killed in an airplane crash suspected of being an assassination. | |
| 1998 | President Bill Clinton admits to the American public that he had affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. | |
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Born on August 17 |
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| 1786 | Davy Crockett, American frontiersman and politician who died in the defense of the Alamo. | |
| 1882 | Samuel Goldwyn, American movie mogul who helped start MGM (Metro Goldwyn Mayer). | |
| 1887 | Marcus Garvey, Jamaican-born black nationalist who advocated the departure of African-Americans back to Africa. | |
| 1890 | Harry Hopkins, who organized the Works Projects Administration under President Roosevelt. | |
| 1892 | Mae West, American actress in burlesque, vaudeville, Broadway and movies. | |
| 1923 | Larry Rovers, painter and sculptor. | |
| 1932 | John (Red) Kerr, basketball coach. | |
| 1943 | Robert DeNiro, American actor, won oscars for his roles in The Godfather Part II and Raging Bull. | |
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