Did you know
The United Nations Emergency Force was established by the United Nations General Assembly through Resolution 1001 on 7 November 1956.
May 17 in History
1967 — Six-Day War: President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt demands dismantling of the peace-keeping UN Emergency Force in Egypt
May 17 spans 60 recorded events across recorded history, from 352 to 2014. Below is a curated digest of the most significant moments tied to this date.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Historical Events
60 events
352 – 2014
Today in history
More major events on May 17
The featured story and these ranked highlights form a quick summary. Every recorded event remains available in the chronology below.
- 1983 The U.S. Department of Energy declassifies documents showing world's largest mercury pollution event in Oak Ridge, Tennessee (ultimately found to be 4.2 million pounds [1.9 kt]), in response to the Appalachian Observer's Freedom of Information Act request. Source
- 1959 In Cuba, the First Agrarian Reform Law – a cornerstone of the Cuban Revolution – is signed by Fidel Castro, aiming to eliminate large foreign-owned estates and redistribute land to over 100,000 peasants. Source
- 1863 Rosalía de Castro publishes Cantares Gallegos, the first book in the Galician language. Source
Did you know
UN secretary-general Dag Hammarskjöld played a significant role in developing the UNEF.
Did you know
Lester B. Pearson, the Canadian Minister of External Affairs, proposed the idea of the UNEF and later won the Nobel Peace Prize for it.
Did you know
The UNEF was deployed along the Sinai and Gaza borders from 1956 until its withdrawal in May 1967.
Did you know
The Suez Crisis of 1956 was the primary reason for the establishment of the United Nations Emergency Force.
352
Election of Pope Liberius following the death of Pope Julius I in the previous month.
Head of the Catholic Church from 352 to 366
884
Election of Pope Hadrian III following the death of Pope Marinus I earlier that month.
Head of the Catholic Church from 884 to 885
1395
Battle of Rovine: The Wallachians defeat an invading Ottoman army.
1395 battle between the Ottomans and Wallachians
1521
Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for treason.
English nobleman (1478–1521)
1527
Pánfilo de Narváez departs Spain to explore Florida with 600 men – by 1536 only four survive.
Spanish conquistador (1478–1528)
1536
George Boleyn, 2nd Viscount Rochford and four other men are executed for treason.
English nobleman and politician (c. 1504–1536)
1536
Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn's marriage is annulled.
King of England from 1509 to 1547
1590
Anne of Denmark is crowned Queen of Scotland.
Queen of Scotland (1589–1619); Queen of England and Ireland (1603–1619)
1639
The treaty of Zuhab ends the fifteen-year-long war between the Ottomans and the Safavids.
Ottoman–Safavid treaty (1639)
1642
Paul de Chomedey, Sieur de Maisonneuve founds the Ville Marie de Montréal.
16th-century French military officer and founder of present-day Montreal, Canada
1648
An allied French and Swedish army defeats Imperial and Bavarian forces in the Battle of Zusmarshausen.
1648 battle of the Thirty Years' War
1673
Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette begin exploring the Mississippi River.
Explorer of North America (1645–1700)
1756
Seven Years' War formally begins when Great Britain declares war on France.
Global war among European powers (1756–1763)
1760
French forces besieging Quebec retreat after the Royal Navy arrives to relieve the British garrison.
Part of the Seven Years War
1792
The New York Stock Exchange is formed under the Buttonwood Agreement.
American stock exchange
1809
Emperor Napoleon I orders the annexation of the Papal States to the French Empire.
French general and emperor (1769–1821)
1814
Occupation of Monaco changes from French to Austrian.
Effective provisional control of one sovereign power over another sovereign's territory
1814
The Constitution of Norway is signed and Crown Prince Christian Frederick of Denmark is elected King of Norway by the Norwegian Constituent Assembly.
Supreme law of the Kingdom of Norway
1859
Members of the Melbourne Football Club codify the first rules of Australian rules football.
Australian rules football club
1863
Rosalía de Castro publishes Cantares Gallegos, the first book in the Galician language.
Spanish Galician poet, writer (1837–1885)
1863
American Civil War: During the Vicksburg campaign, Union forces under John A.
McClernand defeat a Confederate rearguard and capture around 1,700 men at the Battle of Big Black River Bridge.
1865
The International Telegraph Union (later the International Telecommunication Union) is established in Paris.
Specialized agency of the United Nations
1875
Aristides wins the first Kentucky Derby with the jockey Oliver Lewis (2:37.75).
American thoroughbred racehorse
1900
The children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L.
Frank Baum, is first published in the United States. The first copy is given to the author's sister.
1902
Greek archaeologist Valerios Stais discovers the Antikythera mechanism, an ancient mechanical analog computer.
Greek archaeologist (1857-1923)
1914
The Protocol of Corfu is signed, recognising full autonomy to Northern Epirus under nominal Albanian sovereignty.
1914 agreement recognizing Northern Epirus
1933
Vidkun Quisling and Johan Bernhard Hjort form Nasjonal Samling — the national-socialist party of Norway.
Norwegian politician and Nazi collaborator (1887–1945)
1937
Spanish Civil War: The Largo Caballero government resigns in the wake of the Barcelona May Days, leading Juan Negrín to form a government, without the anarcho-syndicalist CNT, in its stead.
1936–1939 civil war in Spain
1939
The Columbia Lions and the Princeton Tigers play in the United States' first televised sporting event, a collegiate baseball game in New York City.
Athletic teams of Columbia University
1953
Delta Air Lines Flight 318 crashes near Marshall, Texas, killing 19.
1953 aviation accident
1954
The United States Supreme Court hands down a unanimous decision in Brown v.
Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, outlawing racial segregation in public schools.
1959
In Cuba, the First Agrarian Reform Law – a cornerstone of the Cuban Revolution – is signed by Fidel Castro, aiming to eliminate large foreign-owned estates and redistribute land to over 100,000 peasants.
1959 and 1963 laws to redistribute land
1969
Venera program: Soviet Venera 6 begins its descent into the atmosphere of Venus, sending back atmospheric data before being crushed by pressure.
Soviet program that explored Venus with multiple probes
1973
Watergate scandal: Televised hearings begin in the United States Senate.
1970s political scandal in the U.S.
1974
The Troubles: Thirty-three civilians are killed and 300 injured when the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) detonates four car bombs in Dublin and Monaghan, Ireland.
1960s–1998 conflict in Northern Ireland
1974
Police in Los Angeles raid the Symbionese Liberation Army's headquarters, killing six members, including Camilla Hall.
American municipal police department
1977
Nolan Bushnell opens the first Chuck E.
Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre (later renamed Chuck E. Cheese) in San Jose, California.
1980
General Chun Doo-hwan of South Korea seizes control of the government and declares martial law in order to suppress student demonstrations.
Leader of South Korea from 1979 to 1988
1980
On the eve of presidential elections, Maoist guerrilla group Shining Path attacks a polling location in Chuschi (a town in Ayacucho), starting the Internal conflict in Peru.
Variety of Marxism–Leninism in China
1980
Rioting breaks out in downtown Miami, following the acquittal of four white police officers in the killing of Arthur McDuffie, a black insurance salesman.
Period of civil unrest in Miami, Florida
1983
The U.S.
Department of Energy declassifies documents showing world's largest mercury pollution event in Oak Ridge, Tennessee (ultimately found to be 4.2 million pounds [1.9 kt]), in response to the Appalachian Observer's Freedom of Information Act request.
1983
Lebanon, Israel, and the United States sign an agreement on Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.
Country in West Asia
1984
Prince Charles calls a proposed addition to the National Gallery, London, a "monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved and elegant friend", sparking controversies on the proper role of the Royal Family and the course of modern architecture.
King of the United Kingdom since 2022
1987
Iran–Iraq War: An Iraqi Dassault Mirage F1 fighter jet fires two missiles into the U.S.
Navy warship USS Stark, killing 37 and injuring 21 of her crew.
1990
The General Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO) eliminates homosexuality from the list of psychiatric diseases.
Specialized agency of the United Nations
1992
Three days of popular protests against the government of Prime Minister of Thailand Suchinda Kraprayoon begin in Bangkok, leading to a military crackdown that results in 52 officially confirmed deaths, hundreds of injuries, many disappearances, and more than 3,500 arrests.
Mass protest in Bangkok and mass killing by Thai army and police
1995
Shawn Nelson steals an M60 tank from the California Army National Guard Armory in San Diego and proceeds to go on a rampage.
Destruction wrought by stolen tank
1997
Troops of Laurent-Désiré Kabila march into Kinshasa.
Zaire is officially renamed Democratic Republic of the Congo.
2000
Arsenal and Galatasaray fans clash in the 2000 UEFA Cup Final riots in Copenhagen.
Association football club in England
2004
The first legal same-sex marriages in the U.S.
are performed in the state of Massachusetts.
2006
The aircraft carrier USS Oriskany is sunk in the Gulf of Mexico as an artificial reef.
Essex-class aircraft carrier of the US Navy
2007
Trains from North and South Korea cross the 38th Parallel in a test-run agreed by both governments.
This is the first time that trains have crossed the Demilitarized Zone since 1953.
2010
Pamir Airways Flight 112 crashes in Afghanistan's Shakardara District, killing 44.
2010 aviation accident
2014
