Who are famous people born on March 17?

Famous people born on March 17 include: Pietro Pellegri, Brandon Aiyuk, Katie Ledecky.

What famous people died on March 17?

Notable historical figures who died on March 17 include: John Hemingway, Lee Shau-kee, Lance Reddick.

March 17 in History

Q: What happened on March 17 in history?

On March 17, 2004: Unrest in Kosovo: More than 22 are killed and 200 wounded. Thirty-five Serbian Orthodox shrines in Kosovo and two mosques in Serbia are destroyed.

2004 — Unrest in Kosovo: More than 22 are killed and 200 wounded

Thirty-five Serbian Orthodox shrines in Kosovo and two mosques in Serbia are destroyed.

March 17 spans 38 recorded events across recorded history — from 45 BC – 2016. Below is a curated digest of the most significant moments tied to this date.

By thisDay.info Editorial Team · March 17 — Wikipedia

Historical Events 38 events 45 BC – 2016

Did you know

In 2004, Unrest in Kosovo: More than 22 are killed and 200 wounded. Thirty-five Serbian Orthodox shrines in Kosovo and two mosques in Serbia are destroyed. This featured entry focuses on the immediate decision and its direct historical impact.

Did you know

The Serbian Orthodox Church is one of the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Christian churches. This helps explain why the event mattered beyond the initial announcement.

Did you know

In 2004, Unrest in Kosovo: More than 22 are killed and 200 wounded. Thirty-five Serbian Orthodox shrines in Kosovo and two mosques in Serbia are destroyed had consequences that extended beyond the first headline. The key context is the institutions involved, the policy shift, and how the public response evolved afterward.

Did you know

In his last victory, Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger in the Battle of Munda.

Roman general and dictator (100–44 BC)

Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman general, statesman, and author who was the dictator of the Roman Republic almost continuously from 49 BC until his assassination in 44 BC. A member of the First Triumvirate, he led the Roman armies through the Gallic Wars and defeated his political rival Pompey in Caesar's civil war. He consolidated power and proclaimed himself dictator for life in 44 BC, helping create the political conditions that led to the collapse of the Roman Republic and the emergence of the Roman Empire. For his role in these events, he is regarded as one of history’s most influential figures.

-45

Commodus becomes sole emperor of the Roman Empire at the age of eighteen, following the death of his father, Marcus Aurelius.

Roman emperor from 177 to 192

Commodus was Roman emperor from 177 to 192, first serving as nominal co-emperor under his father Marcus Aurelius and then ruling alone from 180. Commodus's sole reign is commonly thought to mark the end of the Pax Romana, a golden age of peace and prosperity in the history of the Roman Empire.

180

Petronius Maximus becomes, with support of the Roman Senate, emperor of the Western Roman Empire; he forces Licinia Eudoxia, the widow of his predecessor, Valentinian III, to marry him.

Western Roman emperor in 455

Petronius Maximus was Roman emperor of the West for two and a half months in 455. A wealthy senator and a prominent aristocrat, he was instrumental in the murders of the Western Roman magister militum, Aëtius, and the Western Roman emperor, Valentinian III.

455

Edward the Black Prince is made Duke of Cornwall, the first duchy in England.

Heir of the English throne (1330–1376)

Edward of Woodstock, known as the Black Prince, was the eldest son and heir apparent of King Edward III of England. He died before his father, and his son Richard II therefore succeeded to the throne instead. Edward was one of the most successful English commanders of the Hundred Years' War (1337–1453). He was regarded by English contemporaries as a model of chivalry and one of the greatest knights of his era.

1337

Turko-Mongol emperor Timur sacks Damascus.

14th-century ethnocultural synthesis in Asia

The Turco-Mongol or Turko-Mongol tradition was an ethnocultural synthesis that arose in Asia during the 13-14th century among the ruling elites of the Golden Horde and the Chagatai Khanate. The ruling Mongol elites of these khanates eventually assimilated into the Turkic populations that they conquered and ruled over, thus becoming known as Turco-Mongols. These elites gradually adopted Islam, as well as Turkic languages, while retaining Mongol political and legal institutions.

1400

American Revolutionary War: The British Army evacuates Boston, ending the Siege of Boston, after George Washington and Henry Knox place artillery in positions overlooking the city.

1775–1783 conflict in North America

The American Revolutionary War, also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence or simply the American Revolution, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which American Patriot forces organized as the Continental Army and commanded by George Washington defeated the British Army. The conflict was fought in North America, the Caribbean, and the Atlantic Ocean. The war's outcome seemed uncertain for most of the war, but Washington and the Continental Army's decisive victory in the Siege of Yorktown in 1781 led King George III and the Kingdom of Great Britain to negotiate an end to the war. In 1783, in the Treaty of Paris, the British monarchy acknowledged the independence of the Thirteen Colonies, leading to the establishment of the United States as an independent and sovereign nation.

1776

The Italian Republic, with Napoleon as president, becomes the Kingdom of Italy, with Napoleon as King of Italy.

French client state in northern Italy (1802–05)

The Italian Republic was a short-lived (1802–1805) republic located in Northern Italy. Napoleon Bonaparte served as president and its capital was Milan.

1805

The Anglo-Dutch Treaty is signed in London, dividing the Malay archipelago.

As a result, the Malay Peninsula is dominated by the British, while Sumatra and Java and surrounding areas are dominated by the Dutch.

The Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824, also known as the Treaty of London, was a treaty between the United Kingdom and the Netherlands in London on 17 March 1824. The treaty was to resolve disputes arising from the execution of the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814. For the Dutch, it was signed by Hendrik Fagel and Anton Reinhard Falck, and for the British, George Canning and Charles Williams-Wynn.

1824

The Female Relief Society of Nauvoo is formally organized with Emma Smith as president.

Women's organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Relief Society is a philanthropic and educational women's organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was founded in 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois, United States, and has more than 7 million members in over 188 countries and territories. The Relief Society is often referred to by the church and others as "one of the oldest and largest women's organizations in the world."

1842

The First Taranaki War begins in Taranaki, New Zealand, a major phase of the New Zealand Wars.

1860s war between Māori and the New Zealand government

The First Taranaki War was an armed conflict over land ownership and sovereignty that took place between Māori and the Colony of New Zealand in the Taranaki region of New Zealand's North Island from March 1860 to March 1861.

1860

The Kingdom of Italy is proclaimed.

Country in Southern Europe (1861–1946)

The Kingdom of Italy was a unitary state that existed from 17 March 1861, when Victor Emmanuel II of Sardinia was proclaimed King of Italy, until 18 June 1946, when the monarchy was abolished, following civil discontent that led to an institutional referendum on 2 June, resulting in the establishment of the modern Italian Republic. The kingdom was established through the unification of several states over a decades-long process, called the Risorgimento. That process was influenced by the Savoy-led Kingdom of Sardinia, which was one of Italy's legal predecessor states.

1861

The first railway line of Finland between cities of Helsinki and Hämeenlinna, called Päärata, is officially opened.

The Finnish railway network consists of a total track length of 9,216 km (5,727 mi). Railways in Finland are built with a broad 1,524 mm track gauge, of which 3,249 km (2,019 mi) is electrified. Passenger trains are operated by the state-owned enterprise VR that runs services on 7,225 km (4,489 mi) of track. These services cover all major cities and many rural areas, though the coverage is less than the coverage provided by the bus services. Most passenger train services originate or terminate at Helsinki Central railway station, and a large proportion of the passenger rail network radiates out of Helsinki. VR and other private operators also operate freight services. Maintenance and construction of the railway network itself is the responsibility of the Finnish Rail Administration, which is a part of the Finnish Transport Agency. The network consists of six areal centres, that manage the use and maintenance of the routes in co-operation. Cargo yards and large stations may have their own signalling systems.

1862

SS Utopia collides with HMS Anson in the Bay of Gibraltar and sinks, killing 562 of the 880 passengers on board.

British transatlantic passenger steamship (1874–1900)

SS Utopia was a transatlantic passenger steamship built in 1874 by Robert Duncan & Co of Glasgow. From 1874 to 1882 she operated on Anchor Line routes from Glasgow to New York City, from Glasgow to Bombay and from London to New York City. After 1882 she carried Italian immigrants to the United States.

1891

The Second Polish Republic adopts the March Constitution.

Polish state from 1918 to 1939

The Second Polish Republic, officially known at the time as the Republic of Poland, was the Polish state that existed between 7 October 1918 and 6 October 1939 after being established in the final stage of World War I. The Second Republic was taken over in 1939 on the eve of its twenty-first anniversary, after it was invaded by Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and the Slovak Republic, marking the beginning of the European theatre of the Second World War. The Polish government-in-exile was established in Paris and later London after the fall of France in 1940.

1921

Holocaust: The first Jews from the Lvov Ghetto are gassed at the Belzec death camp in what is today eastern Poland.

Genocide of European Jews by Nazi Germany

The Holocaust, known in Hebrew as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered around six million Jews across German-occupied Europe, approximately two-thirds of Europe's Jewish population. The murders were committed primarily through mass shootings across Eastern Europe and poison gas chambers in extermination camps, chiefly Auschwitz-Birkenau, Treblinka, Belzec, Sobibor, Chełmno and Majdanek death camps in occupied Poland. Concurrent Nazi persecutions killed millions of other non-Jewish civilians and prisoners of war (POWs); the term Holocaust is sometimes used to include the murder and persecution of non-Jewish groups, such as the Romani and Soviet POWs.

1942

World War II: The Ludendorff Bridge in Remagen, Germany, collapses, ten days after its capture.

1939–1945 global conflict

World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated. Tanks and aircraft played major roles, the latter enabling the strategic bombing of cities and delivery of the only nuclear weapons used in war. World War II was the deadliest conflict in history, causing the death of 60 to 75 million people. Millions died as a result of massacres, starvation, disease, and genocides, including the Holocaust. After the Allied victory, Germany, Austria, Japan, and Korea were occupied, and German and Japanese leaders were tried for war crimes.

1945

Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom sign the Treaty of Brussels, a precursor to the North Atlantic Treaty establishing NATO.

Country in Northwestern Europe

Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to the south, and the North Sea to the west. Belgium covers an area of 30,689 km2 (11,849 sq mi) and has a population of more than 11.8 million; its population density of 383/km2 (990/sq mi) ranks 22nd in the world and sixth in Europe. The capital and largest metropolitan region is Brussels; other major cities are Antwerp, Ghent, Charleroi, Liège, Bruges, Namur, and Leuven.

1948

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley announce the creation of element 98, which they name "californium".

Public university in Berkeley, California

The University of California, Berkeley is a public land-grant research university in the Southside and Northside neighborhoods of Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after the Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkeley, it is the state's first land-grant university and the founding campus of the University of California system.

1950

A plane crash in Cebu, Philippines kills Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay and 24 others.

Aircraft accident in the Philippines

On March 17, 1957, a Douglas C-47 Skytrain transport aircraft crashed on the slopes of Mount Manunggal on the island of Cebu, Philippines, killing 25 of the aircraft's 26 occupants, including the incumbent president of the Philippines, Ramon Magsaysay. Several high-ranking Philippine government officials, military officials, and journalists were also among the dead. The sole survivor was a reporter for the Philippine Herald, Nestor Mata.

1957

The United States launches the first solar-powered satellite, which is also the first satellite to achieve a long-term orbit.

American satellite launched in 1958; oldest manmade object in Earth orbit

Vanguard 1 is an American satellite that was the fourth artificial Earth-orbiting satellite to be successfully launched, following Sputnik 1, Sputnik 2, and Explorer 1. It was launched 17 March 1958. Vanguard 1 was the first satellite to have solar electric power. Although communications with the satellite were lost in 1964, it remains the oldest artificial object still in orbit, together with the upper stage of its launch vehicle.

1958

U.S.

President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs the National Security Council directive on the anti-Cuban covert action program that will ultimately lead to the Bay of Pigs Invasion.

Dwight David Eisenhower, also known as Ike, was the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. He led the Allied Expeditionary Force during the Second World War, launching decisive campaigns in North Africa and Normandy and becoming a General of the Army.

1960

Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 710 crashes in Tobin Township, Perry County, Indiana, killing 63.

1960 aviation accident

Northwest Airlines Flight 710 was a scheduled flight between Minneapolis, Minnesota and Miami, Florida, with a stop in Chicago. On March 17, 1960, the six-month-old Lockheed L-188 Electra operating the flight broke up in midair in southern Indiana, near Cannelton, killing all 63 people on board. After unexpectedly encountering clear-air turbulence at 18,000 feet (5,500 m), the aircraft's right wing and part of the left wing separated, causing the fuselage to plummet and impact the ground at a nearly 90-degree angle, leaving a deep crater. Portions of the wings landed up to 4 miles (6 km) away.

1960

Mount Agung erupts on Bali killing more than 1,100 people.

Stratovolcano in Bali, Indonesia

Mount Agung is an active volcano in Karangasem Regency, Bali, Indonesia. It is located southeast of Mount Batur volcano, also in Bali. It is the highest point on Bali, and dominates the surrounding area, influencing the climate, especially rainfall patterns. From a distance, the mountain appears to be perfectly conical. From the peak of the mountain, it is possible to see the peak of Mount Rinjani on the nearby island of Lombok, to the east, although both mountains are frequently covered in clouds. Agung is a stratovolcano, with a large and deep crater. Its most recent eruptions occurred from 2017–2019.

1963

Off the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean, the DSV Alvin submarine finds a missing American hydrogen bomb.

Crewed deep-ocean research submersible

Alvin (DSV-2) is a crewed deep-ocean research submersible owned by the United States Navy and operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) of Woods Hole, Massachusetts. The original vehicle was built by General Mills' Electronics Group in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Named to honor the prime mover and creative inspiration for the vehicle, Allyn Vine, Alvin was commissioned on June 5, 1964.

1966

As a result of nerve gas testing by the U.S.

Army Chemical Corps in Skull Valley, Utah, over 6,000 sheep are found dead.

Nerve agents, sometimes also called nerve gases, are a class of organic chemicals that disrupt the mechanisms by which nerves transfer messages to organs. The disruption is caused by the blocking of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), an enzyme that catalyzes the breakdown of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter. Nerve agents are irreversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitors used as poison.

1968

Golda Meir becomes the first female Prime Minister of Israel.

Prime Minister of Israel from 1969 to 1974

Golda Meir was the prime minister of Israel from 1969 to 1974. She was Israel's first and, to date, only female head of government.

1969

The Pulitzer Prize–winning photograph Burst of Joy is taken, depicting a former prisoner of war being reunited with his family, which came to symbolize the end of United States involvement in the Vietnam War.

Awards for American journalism and arts

The Pulitzer Prizes are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fortune as a newspaper publisher.

1973

The Penmanshiel Tunnel collapses during engineering works, killing two workers.

Abandoned railway tunnel in Scotland

Penmanshiel Tunnel is a now-disused railway tunnel near Grantshouse, Berwickshire, in the Scottish Borders region of Scotland. It was formerly part of the East Coast Main Line between Berwick-upon-Tweed and Dunbar.

1979

Aeroflot Flight 1691 crashes on approach to Vnukovo International Airport, killing 58.

1979 aviation accident

Aeroflot Flight 1691 crashed near Moscow Vnukovo Airport on 17 March 1979 killing 58 of the 119 people on board. The Tupolev Tu-104B operating the flight was overloaded and the crew received a false fire alarm.

1979

Serial killer Richard Ramirez, aka the "Night Stalker", commits the first two murders in his Los Angeles murder spree.

American serial killer and sex offender (1960–2013)

Ricardo Leyva Muñoz Ramirez, better known as Richard Ramirez, was an American serial killer, sex offender and burglar whose killing spree occurred in Greater Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area in the state of California. From April 1984 to August 1985, Ramirez murdered at least fifteen people during various break-ins. With his crimes usually taking place after dark, Ramirez was dubbed the Night Stalker, the Walk-In Killer, and the Valley Intruder. He was convicted and sentenced to death in 1989 and died while awaiting execution in 2013.

1985

A Colombian Boeing 727 jetliner, Avianca Flight 410, crashes into a mountainside near the Venezuelan border killing 143.

Country in South America

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country located in South America, with insular regions in North America. Colombia's mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuela to the east, Brazil to the southeast, Peru and Ecuador to the south and southwest, the Pacific Ocean to the west, and Panama to the northwest. Colombia is divided into 32 departments. The Capital District of Bogotá is the country's largest city hosting the main financial and cultural hub. Other urban areas include Medellín, Cali, Barranquilla, Cartagena, Bucaramanga, Pereira, Santa Marta, Cúcuta, Ibagué, Villavicencio and Manizales. It covers an area of 1,141,748 square kilometers and has a population of around 52 million. Its rich cultural heritage—including language, religion, cuisine, and art—reflects its history as a colony, fusing cultural elements brought by immigration from Europe and the Middle East, with those brought by the African diaspora, as well as with those of Indigenous civilizations that predate colonization. Spanish is the official language, although Creole, English and 64 other languages are recognized regionally.

1988

Eritrean War of Independence: The Nadew Command, an Ethiopian army corps in Eritrea, is attacked on three sides by military units of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front in the opening action of the Battle of Afabet.

1961–1991 conflict within Ethiopia

The Eritrean War of Independence was an armed conflict and insurgency aimed at achieving self-determination and independence for Eritrea from Ethiopian rule. Starting in 1961, Eritrean insurgents engaged in guerrilla warfare to liberate Eritrea Province from the rule of the Ethiopian Empire under Haile Selassie and later the Derg under Mengistu Haile Mariam. Their efforts ultimately succeeded in 1991 with the fall of the Derg regime.

1988

Israeli Embassy attack in Buenos Aires: Car bomb attack kills 29 and injures 242.

Suicide bombing in Argentina

The attack on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires was a suicide bombing attack on the building of the Israeli embassy of Argentina, located in Buenos Aires, which was carried out on 17 March 1992. 29 civilians were killed in the attack and 242 additional civilians were injured.

1992

A referendum to end apartheid in South Africa is passed 68.7% to 31.2%.

"Yes" vote by white South Africans to abolish apartheid

A referendum on ending apartheid was held in South Africa on 17 March 1992. The referendum was limited to white South African voters, who were asked whether or not they supported the negotiated reforms begun by State President F. W. de Klerk two years earlier, in which he proposed to end the apartheid system that had been implemented since 1948. The result of the election was a large victory for the "yes" side, which ultimately resulted in apartheid being lifted. This was the last occasion in which only the white electorate took part. Universal suffrage was introduced two years later for the country's first non-racial elections.

1992

Five hundred and thirty members of the Ugandan cult Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God die in a fire, considered to be a mass murder or suicide orchestrated by leaders of the cult.

Elsewhere another 248 members are later found dead.

Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The southern part includes a substantial portion of Lake Victoria, shared with Kenya and Tanzania. Uganda is in the African Great Lakes region, lies within the Nile basin, and has a varied equatorial climate. As of 2024, it had a population of 45.9 million, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital and largest city, Kampala.

2000

Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council, Robin Cook, resigns from the British Cabinet in disagreement with government plans for the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Political role in the UK Government

The leader of the House of Commons is a minister of the Crown of the Government of the United Kingdom whose main role is organising government business in the House of Commons. The Leader is always a member or attendee of the cabinet of the United Kingdom.

2003

Rojava conflict: At a conference in Rmelan, the Movement for a Democratic Society declares the establishment of the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria.

Military and political conflict in northern Syria

The Rojava Revolution, also known as the Rojava conflict is a political upheaval and military conflict taking place in northern Syria, known among Kurds as Western Kurdistan or Rojava.

2016

Born on March 17

20 people 1990 – 2001

Pietro Pellegri

Italian footballer

Pietro Pellegri is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Serie B club Empoli on loan from Torino. He has been capped once by the Italy national team.

2001

Brandon Aiyuk

American football player

Brandon Aiyuk is an American professional football wide receiver who plays for the San Francisco 49ers. He played college football for the Sierra College Wolverines and Arizona State Sun Devils and was selected by the…

1998

Katie Ledecky

American swimmer

Kathleen Genevieve Ledecky is an American competitive swimmer. She is the most decorated female swimmer in history and the most decorated American woman in Olympic history, with a total of 14 Olympic medals, including…

1997

Daniel Sprong

Dutch ice hockey player

Daniel Sprong is a Dutch professional ice hockey player who is a right winger for Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Sprong was originally selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the…

1997

Claressa Shields

American boxer and mixed martial artist

Claressa Maria Shields is an American professional boxer and former professional mixed martial artist. She has held 18 major world championships spanning five weight classes, including the undisputed female light…

1995

DeForest Buckner

American football player

DeForest George Buckner is an American professional football defensive tackle for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon Ducks, and was selected by the…

1994

Terry Rozier

American basketball player

Terry William Rozier III, nicknamed "Scary Terry", is an American professional basketball player, who most recently played for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously played for the…

1994

Ivan Provedel

Italian footballer

Ivan Provedel is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Serie A club Lazio.

1994

Marcel Sabitzer

Austrian footballer

Marcel Sabitzer is an Austrian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and the Austria national team. Predominantly a central midfielder, Sabitzer can play in a multitude…

1994

Matteo Bianchetti

Italian footballer

Matteo Bianchetti is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Serie B club Cremonese.

1993

Rhys Hoskins

American baseball player

Rhys Dean Hoskins is an American professional baseball first baseman for the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers.

1993

Yao Yuanjun

Chinese Border police officer (died 2011)

Yao Yuanjun was a border police officer with the rank of Private who served in the People's Armed Police Border Defense Corps. Yao drowned in the Shweli river while attempting to arrest a drug trafficker on the…

1993

John Boyega

British actor and producer

John Adedayo Bamidele Adegboyega, known professionally as John Boyega, is a British actor and producer. He first gained recognition in Britain for his role as a teenage gang leader in the comedy horror film Attack the…

1992

Patrick Cantlay

American golfer

Patrick Stephen Cantlay is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour, where he has won eight tournaments.

1992

Yeltsin Tejeda

Costa Rican footballer

Yeltsin Ignacio Tejeda Valverde is a Costa Rican professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Liga FPD club Herediano, which he captains, and the Costa Rica national team.

1992

Sergey Kalinin

Russian ice hockey player

Sergey Pavlovich Kalinin is a Russian professional ice hockey forward who plays for CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He formerly played for the New Jersey Devils in the National Hockey League (NHL).

1991

Cordarrelle Patterson

American football player

Cordarrelle Patterson, nicknamed "Flash", is an American professional football running back. As a versatile utility player, he is also a kick returner and occasionally at wide receiver. Patterson played college football…

1991

Thomas Robinson

American-Lebanese basketball player

Thomas Earl Robinson is an American-born naturalised Lebanese professional basketball player for the Leones de Ponce of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). A consensus All-American at the University of Kansas,…

1991

Hozier

Irish musician

Andrew John Hozier-Byrne, known mononymously as Hozier, is an Irish singer and musician. His music primarily draws from folk, soul and blues, often using religious and literary themes and taking political or social…

1990

Saina Nehwal

Indian badminton player

Saina Nehwal is an Indian former badminton player. A former world no. 1, she has won 24 international titles, which includes ten Superseries titles. Although she reached the world's 2nd in 2009, it was only in 2015 that…

1990

See all birthdays on March 17

Died on March 17

20 people 2010 – 2025

John Hemingway

Irish fighter pilot, last surviving Battle of Britain pilot (born 1919)

Group Captain John Allman Hemingway, DFC, AE, known as Paddy Hemingway, was an Irish fighter pilot who served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War in the Battle of Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, the…

2025

Lee Shau-kee

Hong Kong real estate billionaire (born 1928)

Lee Shau-kee was a Hong Kong business magnate, investor and philanthropist. He was a real estate tycoon and majority owner of Henderson Land Development, a property conglomerate with interests in property, hotels,…

2025

Lance Reddick

American actor (born 1962)

Lance Solomon Reddick was an American actor. He portrayed Cedric Daniels in The Wire (2002–2008), Phillip Broyles in Fringe (2008–2013), and Chief Irvin Irving in Bosch (2014–2020). In film, he played Charon in the John…

2023

John Magufuli

the fifth President of Tanzania (born 1959)

John Pombe Joseph Magufuli was a Tanzanian politician who served as the country's fifth president, serving from 2015 until his death in 2021. He served as Minister of Works, Transport and Communications from 2000 to…

2021

Mike MacDonald

Canadian comedian (born 1954)

Michael Allan MacDonald was a Canadian stand-up comedian and actor. He wrote and appeared in several films, including Mr. Nice Guy. He appeared in such television shows as the Late Show with David Letterman and The…

2018

Phan Văn Khải

the fifth Prime Minister of Vietnam (born 1933)

Phan Văn Khải was a Vietnamese politician who served as the fifth Prime Minister of Vietnam from 25 September 1997 until his resignation on 27 June 2006. He was considered to be a technocratic, innovative and benevolent…

2018

Meir Dagan

Israeli general (born 1945)

Aluf Meir Dagan was an Israel Defense Forces major general (reserve) and director of the Mossad.

2016

Zoltán Kamondi

Hungarian director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1960)

Zoltán Kamondi was a Hungarian film director, actor, screenwriter and producer. He was born in 1960 in Budapest, Hungary.

2016

Frank Perris

Canadian motorcycle racer (born 1931)

Frank Perris was a Canadian Grand Prix motorcycle road racer and TT rider from Toronto. Perris was noticed by the Suzuki team after his third-place in the 1961 500 cc World Championship, becoming a contracted-rider from…

2015

Marek Galiński

Polish cyclist (born 1974)

Marek Galiński was a Polish professional mountain biker and road racing cyclist. During his sporting career, he won nine Polish national championship titles and a silver medal in men's cross-country racing at the 2003…

2014

Joseph Kerman

American musicologist and critic (born 1924)

Joseph Wilfred Kerman was an American musicologist and music critic. Among the leading musicologists of his generation, his 1985 book Contemplating Music: Challenges to Musicology was described by Philip Brett in The…

2014

Rachel Lambert Mellon

American gardener, philanthropist, art collector and political patron (born 1910)

Rachel Lambert "Bunny" Mellon was an American horticulturalist, gardener, philanthropist, and art collector. She designed and planted a number of significant gardens, including the White House Rose Garden, and assembled…

2014

William B. Caldwell III

American general (born 1925)

William Burns Caldwell III was a United States Army general who retired as the Fifth United States Army commanding general at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. A combat veteran of wars in Korea and Vietnam, he was…

2013

Lawrence Fuchs

American scholar and academic (born 1927)

Lawrence Howard Fuchs was an American academic and author. He was a scholar of American studies and an expert on immigration policy who founded the American studies department at Brandeis University, where he was the…

2013

A.B.C. Whipple

American journalist and historian (born 1918)

Addison Beecher Colvin ("Cal") Whipple was an American journalist, editor, historian and author. He was born in Glens Falls, New York, on July 15, 1918, and spent most of his childhood in Suffield, Connecticut. He…

2013

Shenouda III

pope of Alexandria (born 1923)

Pope Shenouda III was the 117th Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the See of St. Mark. His papacy lasted 40 years, 4 months, and 4 days, from 14 November 1971 until his death in 2012.

2012

Margaret Whitlam

Australian swimmer and author (born 1919)

Margaret Elaine Whitlam AO was an Australian social campaigner, author, and athlete. She was a representative of Australia in swimming at the 1938 British Empire Games in Sydney. Her husband was Gough Whitlam, the 21st…

2012

Michael Gough

English actor (born 1916)

Francis Michael Gough was a British actor who made more than 150 film and television appearances. He is known for his roles in the Hammer horror films from 1958, with his first role as Sir Arthur Holmwood in Dracula,…

2011

Ferlin Husky

American country music singer (born 1925)

Ferlin Eugene Husky was an American country music singer who was equally adept at honky-tonk, ballads, spoken recitations, rockabilly and pop tunes.

2011

Alex Chilton

American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (born 1950)

William Alexander Chilton was an American musician, best known as the lead singer of the rock bands the Box Tops and Big Star. Chilton's early commercial success in the 1960s as a teen vocalist for the Box Tops was not…

2010

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St. Patrick's Day — March 17, 1631

Over 1 million attend St. Patrick's Day in 1631 Dublin, Ireland, as the emerald legend unfolds on March 17

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What happened on March 17 in history?

On March 17, one notable event in history was 2004: Unrest in Kosovo: More than 22 are killed and 200 wounded. Thirty-five Serbian Orthodox shrines in Kosovo and two mosques in Serbia are destroyed..

This date currently highlights 38 recorded events on thisDay.info, spanning 45 BC – 2016.

DateMarch 17

Featured year2004

LocationKosovo

Events listed38

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March 17 in History

2004 — Unrest in Kosovo: More than 22 are killed and 200 wounded

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March 17 in History

2004 — Unrest in Kosovo: More than 22 are killed and 200 wounded

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March 17 in the Blog

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