# What happened on December 17 in history?

**Date:** December 17  
**Events recorded:** 64  
**Years spanned:** 497 BC – 2014  
**Full page:** https://thisday.info/events/december/17/

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## Featured Event

**2003** — Sex work rights activists establish December 17 (or "D17") as International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers to memorialize victims of a serial killer who targeted prostitutes, and highlight State violence against sex workers by police and others.

[Read more on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Day_to_End_Violence_Against_Sex_Workers)

---

## Events on this date

- **497 BC** — The first Saturnalia festival is celebrated in ancient Rome. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturnalia))
- **546** — Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoths under king Totila plunder the city, by bribing the Eastern Roman garrison. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sack_of_Rome_(546)))
- **920** — Romanos I Lekapenos is crowned co-emperor of the underage Constantine VII. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanos_I_Lekapenos))
- **942** — Assassination of William I of Normandy. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Longsword))
- **1297** — King Kyawswa of Pagan is overthrown by the three Myinsaing brothers, marking the de facto end of the Pagan Kingdom. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyawswa_of_Pagan))
- **1354** — Margaret II, Countess of Hainaut and Holy Roman Empress and her son William I, Duke of Bavaria, sign a peace treaty ending the Hook and Cod wars. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_II%2C_Countess_of_Hainaut))
- **1398** — Sultan Nasir-u Din Mehmud's armies in Delhi are defeated by Timur. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tughlaq_dynasty))
- **1538** — Pope Paul III excommunicates Henry VIII of England. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Paul_III))
- **1583** — Cologne War: Forces under Ernest of Bavaria defeat troops under Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg at the Siege of Godesberg. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cologne_War))
- **1586** — Go-Yōzei becomes Emperor of Japan. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Go-Y%C5%8Dzei))
- **1665** — The first account of a blood transfusion is published, in the form of a letter from physician Richard Lower to chemist Robert Boyle, in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_transfusion))
- **1718** — War of the Quadruple Alliance: Great Britain declares war on Spain. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_the_Quadruple_Alliance))
- **1777** — American Revolution: France formally recognizes the United States. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Revolution))
- **1790** — The Aztec calendar stone is discovered at  El Zócalo, Mexico City. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aztec_sun_stone))
- **1807** — Napoleonic Wars: France issues the Milan Decree, which confirms the Continental System. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleonic_Wars))
- **1812** — War of 1812: U.S. forces attack a Lenape village in the Battle of the Mississinewa. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_1812))
- **1819** — Simón Bolívar declares the independence of Gran Colombia in Angostura (now Ciudad Bolívar in Venezuela). ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sim%C3%B3n_Bol%C3%ADvar))
- **1835** — The second Great Fire of New York destroys 53,000 square metres (13 acres) of New York City's Financial District. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Fire_of_New_York))
- **1837** — A fire in the Winter Palace of Saint Petersburg kills 30 guards. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_in_the_Winter_Palace))
- **1862** — American Civil War: General Ulysses S. Grant issues General Order No. 11, expelling Jews from parts of Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War))
- **1865** — First performance of the Unfinished Symphony by Franz Schubert. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._8_(Schubert)))
- **1892** — First issue of Vogue is published. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vogue_(magazine)))
- **1896** — Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Schenley Park Casino, which was the first multi-purpose arena with the technology to create an artificial ice surface in North America, is destroyed in a fire. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh))
- **1903** — The Wright brothers make the first controlled powered, heavier-than-air flight in the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_brothers))
- **1907** — Ugyen Wangchuck is crowned first King of Bhutan. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ugyen_Wangchuck))
- **1918** — Darwin Rebellion: Up to 1,000 demonstrators march on Government House in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darwin_rebellion))
- **1926** — Antanas Smetona assumes power in Lithuania as the 1926 coup d'état is successful. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antanas_Smetona))
- **1927** — Indian revolutionary Rajendra Lahiri is hanged in Gonda jail, Uttar Pradesh, India, two days before the scheduled date. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajendra_Lahiri))
- **1928** — Indian revolutionaries Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and Shivaram Rajguru assassinate British police officer James Saunders in Lahore, Punjab, to avenge the death of Lala Lajpat Rai at the hands of the police. The three were executed in 1931. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhagat_Singh))
- **1933** — The first NFL Championship Game is played at Wrigley Field in Chicago between the New York Giants and Chicago Bears. The Bears win 23–21. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1933_NFL_Championship_Game))
- **1935** — Douglas DC-3: The twin-engine airliner makes its maiden flight from Santa Monica. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_DC-3))
- **1938** — Otto Hahn discovers the nuclear fission of the heavy element uranium, the scientific and technological basis of nuclear energy. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_Hahn))
- **1939** — World War II: Battle of the River Plate: The Admiral Graf Spee is scuttled by Captain Hans Langsdorff outside Montevideo. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II))
- **1943** — All Chinese are again permitted to become citizens of the United States upon the repeal of the Act of 1882 and the introduction of the Magnuson Act. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Exclusion_Act))
- **1944** — World War II: Battle of the Bulge: Malmedy massacre: American 285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion POWs are shot by Waffen-SS Kampfgruppe Joachim Peiper. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Bulge))
- **1945** — Kurdistan flag day, the flag of Kurdistan is raised for the first time in Mahabad in eastern Kurdistan. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurdistan))
- **1947** — First flight of the Boeing B-47 Stratojet strategic bomber. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_B-47_Stratojet))
- **1948** — The Finnish Security Police is established to remove communist leadership from its predecessor, the State Police. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnish_Security_and_Intelligence_Service))
- **1950** — The F-86 Sabre's first mission over Korea. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_F-86_Sabre))
- **1951** — The American Civil Rights Congress delivers "We Charge Genocide" to the United Nations. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Rights_Congress))
- **1957** — The United States successfully launches the first Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile at Cape Canaveral, Florida. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SM-65_Atlas))
- **1960** — Troops loyal to Emperor Haile Selassie in Ethiopia crush the coup that began December 13, returning power to their leader upon his return from Brazil. Haile Selassie absolves his son of any guilt. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haile_Selassie))
- **1960** — Munich C-131 crash: Twenty passengers and crew on board as well as 32 people on the ground are killed. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1960_Munich_C-131_crash))
- **1961** — Niterói circus fire: Fire breaks out during a performance by the Gran Circus Norte-Americano in the city of Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, killing more than 500. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niter%C3%B3i_circus_fire))
- **1967** — Harold Holt, Prime Minister of Australia, disappears while swimming near Portsea, Victoria, and is presumed drowned. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Holt))
- **1969** — Project Blue Book: The United States Air Force closes its study of UFOs. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Blue_Book))
- **1970** — Polish protests: In Gdynia, soldiers fire at workers emerging from trains, killing dozens. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_1970_protests_in_Poland))
- **1973** — Thirty passengers are killed in an attack by Palestinian terrorists on Rome's Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_Rome_airport_attacks_and_hijacking))
- **1981** — American Brigadier General James L. Dozier is abducted by the Red Brigades in Verona, Italy. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_L._Dozier))
- **1983** — Provisional IRA members detonate a car bomb at Harrods Department Store in London. Three police officers and three civilians are killed. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provisional_Irish_Republican_Army))
- **1989** — Romanian Revolution: Protests continue in Timișoara, Romania, with rioters breaking into the Romanian Communist Party's District Committee building and attempting to set it on fire. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanian_revolution))
- **1989** — Fernando Collor de Mello defeats Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the second round of the Brazilian presidential election, becoming the first democratically elected President in almost 30 years. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_Collor_de_Mello))
- **1989** — The Simpsons premieres on television with the episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Simpsons))
- **1997** — Peruvian internal conflict: Fourteen members of the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement provoke a hostage crisis by taking over the Japanese embassy in Lima. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_conflict_in_Peru))
- **1997** — Aerosvit Flight 241: A Yakovlev Yak-42 crashes into the Pierian Mountains near Thessaloniki Airport in Thessaloniki, Greece, killing all 70 people on board. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerosvit_Flight_241))
- **2002** — Second Congo War: The Congolese parties of the Inter Congolese Dialogue sign a peace accord which makes provision for transitional governance and legislative and presidential elections within two years. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Congo_War))
- **2003** — The Soham murder trial ends at the Old Bailey in London, with Ian Huntley found guilty of two counts of murder.  His girlfriend, Maxine Carr, is found guilty of perverting the course of justice. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soham_murders))
- **2003** — SpaceShipOne, piloted by Brian Binnie, makes its first powered and first supersonic flight. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceShipOne))
- **2003** — Sex work rights activists establish December 17 (or "D17") as International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers to memorialize victims of a serial killer who targeted prostitutes, and highlight State violence against sex workers by police and others. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Day_to_End_Violence_Against_Sex_Workers))
- **2005** — Anti-World Trade Organization protesters riot in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Trade_Organization))
- **2005** — Jigme Singye Wangchuck abdicates the throne as King of Bhutan. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jigme_Singye_Wangchuck))
- **2009** — MV Danny F II sinks off the coast of Lebanon, resulting in the deaths of 44 people and over 28,000 animals. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Danny_F_II))
- **2010** — Mohamed Bouazizi sets himself on fire. This act became the catalyst for the Tunisian Revolution and the wider Arab Spring. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohamed_Bouazizi))
- **2014** — The United States and Cuba re-establish diplomatic relations after severing them in 1961. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuba%E2%80%93United_States_relations))

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## Notable births on December 17

- **2002** — **Castello Lukeba** — French footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castello_Lukeba))
- **2000** — **Wesley Fofana** — French footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wesley_Fofana_(footballer)))
- **1999** — **Holly Humberstone** — English singer-songwriter ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holly_Humberstone))
- **1999** — **Mirei Sasaki** — Japanese singer, model, and actress ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirei_Sasaki))
- **1998** — **Jasmine Armfield** — English actress ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasmine_Armfield))
- **1998** — **Martin Ødegaard** — Norwegian footballer ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_%C3%98degaard))
- **1997** — **Naiktha Bains** — British-Australian tennis player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naiktha_Bains))
- **1997** — **Shoma Uno** — Japanese figure skater ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoma_Uno))
- **1996** — **Elizaveta Tuktamysheva** — Russian figure skater ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizaveta_Tuktamysheva))
- **1995** — **Guerschon Yabusele** — French basketball player ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guerschon_Yabusele))

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## Notable deaths on December 17

- **2024** — **Igor Kirillov** — Russian general (born 1970) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igor_Kirillov_(general)))
- **2024** — **Marisa Paredes** — Spanish film actress (born 1946) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marisa_Paredes))
- **2023** — **Ronaldo Valdez** — Filipino actor (born 1947) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronaldo_Valdez))
- **2023** — **James McCaffrey** — American actor (born 1958) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_McCaffrey_(actor)))
- **2020** — **Jeremy Bulloch** — English actor (born 1945) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Bulloch))
- **2020** — **Allen Dines** — American politician (born 1921) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_Dines))
- **2016** — **Benjamin A. Gilman** — American soldier and politician (born 1922) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Gilman))
- **2016** — **Henry Heimlich** — American doctor (born 1920) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Heimlich))
- **2016** — **Gordon Hunt** — American voice director (born 1929) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_Hunt_(director)))
- **2015** — **Hal Brown** — American baseball player and manager (born 1924) ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hal_Brown))

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## About this page

This is a machine-readable Markdown summary of [thisday.info/events/december/17/](https://thisday.info/events/december/17/).  
Historical data is sourced from [Wikipedia/Wikimedia](https://www.wikipedia.org) under [CC BY-SA](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).  
Editorial framing and site content © thisday.info.