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.
October 17
| 1244 | The Sixth Crusade ends when an Egyptian-Khwarismian force almost annihilates the Frankish army at Gaza. | |
| 1529 | Henry VIII of England strips Thomas Wolsey of his office for failing to secure an annulment of his marriage. | |
| 1346 | English forces defeat the Scots under David II during the Battle of Neville's Cross, Scotland. | |
| 1691 | Maine and Plymouth are incorporated in Massachusetts. | |
| 1777 | British Maj. Gen. John Burgoyne surrenders 5,000 men at Saratoga, N.Y. | |
| 1815 | Napoleon Bonaparte arrives at the island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic, where he has been banished by the Allies. | |
| 1849 | Composer and pianist Frederic Chopin dies in Paris of tuberculosis at the age of 39. | |
| 1863 | General Ulysses S. Grant is named overall Union Commander of the West. | |
| 1877 | Brigadier General Alfred Terry meets with Sitting Bull in Canada to discuss the Indians' return to the United States. | |
| 1913 | Zeppelin LII explodes over London, killing 28. | |
| 1933 | Due to rising anti-Semitism and anti-intellectualism in Hitler's Germany, Albert Einstein immigrates to the United States. He makes his new home in Princeton, N.J. | |
| 1941 | The U.S. destroyer Kearney is damaged by a German U-boat torpedo off Iceland; 11 Americans are killed. | |
| 1956 | The nuclear power station Calder Hall is opened in Britain. Calder Hall is the first nuclear station to feed an appreciable amount of power into a civilian network. | |
| 1972 | Peace talks between Pathet Lao and Royal Lao government begin in Vietnam. | |
| 1989 | The worst earthquake in 82 years strikes San Francisco bay area minutes before the start of a World Series game there. The earthquake registers 6.9 on the Richter scale–67 are killed and damage is estimated at $10 billion. | |
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Born on October 17 |
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| 1821 | Alexander Gardner, American photographer who documented the Civil War and the West. | |
| 1859 | Childe Hassam, American impressionist painter and illustrator. | |
| 1895 | Doris Humphrey, modern dance choreographer. | |
| 1903 | Nathaneal West, novelist and screenwriter (Miss Lonely Hearts, The Day of the Locust). | |
| 1915 | Arthur Miller, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright (Death of a Salesman, A View from the Bridge). | |
| 1918 | Rita Hayworth, film actress. | |
| 1930 | Jimmy Breslin, columnist and novelist. | |
| 1938 | Evel Knievel, U.S. daredevil motorcycle stunt man | |
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