Who are famous people born on October 17?

Famous people born on October 17 include: Matthew Knies, Lily, Thomas Strudwick.

What famous people died on October 17?

Notable historical figures who died on October 17 include: Mitzi Gaynor, Toshiyuki Nishida, Andrew Schally.

October 17 in History

Q: What happened on October 17 in history?

On October 17, 2019: The 17 October Revolution starts in Lebanon.

2019 — The 17 October Revolution starts in Lebanon

October 17 spans 61 recorded events across recorded history — from 690 – 2023. Below is a curated digest of the most significant moments tied to this date.

By thisDay.info Editorial Team · October 17 — Wikipedia

Historical Events 61 events 690 – 2023

Did you know

In 2019, The 17 October Revolution starts in Lebanon. This featured entry focuses on the immediate decision and its direct historical impact.

Did you know

The 17 October Protests, commonly referred to as the 17 October Revolution or Hirak or Thawrah, were a series of civil protests in Lebanon that began after the Lebanese cabinet announced financial measures on 17 October 2019. This helps explain why the event mattered beyond the initial announcement.

Did you know

These nationwide protests were triggered by planned taxes on gasoline, tobacco, and VoIP calls on applications such as WhatsApp, but quickly expanded into a country-wide condemnation of sectarian rule, the stagnation of the economy, unemployment, endemic corruption in the public sector, legislation that was perceived to shield the ruling class from accountability and failures of the government to provide basic services, such as electricity, water, and sanitation. This clarifies the institutional and public response around the event.

Did you know

In 2019, The 17 October Revolution starts in Lebanon 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

Empress Wu Zetian establishes the Zhou Dynasty of China.

Empress regnant of China from 690 to 705

Empress Wu, commonly known as Wu Zetian, personal name Wu Zhao, was the only undisputed female sovereign in the history of China. She had previously held power as the empress consort of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang dynasty from 660 to 683 and as empress dowager during the reigns of her sons, Emperors Zhongzong and Ruizong, between 683 and 690. She was the sole ruler of the self-styled Zhou dynasty from 690 to 705.

690

London tornado of 1091: A tornado thought to be of strength T8/F4 strikes the heart of London.

One of the strongest tornadoes in British Isles

The London Tornado of 1091 is the earliest reported tornado in England, occurring in London on Friday, 17 October 1091. It has been estimated by modern assessment as possibly a T8 on the TORRO scale, making it one of the strongest recorded tornadoes in the British Isles, alongside the 1666 Lincolnshire tornado, although this estimate is based on reports written 30 years later.

1091

The English capture King David II of Scotland at Neville's Cross and imprison him for eleven years.

King of Scotland from 1329 to 1371

David II was King of Scotland from 1329 until his death in 1371. Upon the death of his father, Robert the Bruce, David succeeded to the throne at the age of five and was crowned at Scone in November 1331, becoming the first Scottish monarch to be anointed at his coronation. During his childhood, David was governed by a series of guardians, and Edward III of England sought to take advantage of David's minority by supporting an invasion of Scotland by Edward Balliol, beginning the Second War of Scottish Independence. Following the English victory at the Battle of Halidon Hill in 1333, King David, Queen Joan and the rump of his government were evacuated to France, where he remained in exile until it was safe for him to return to Scotland in 1341.

1346

An Ottoman army defeats a Hungarian army at the Second Battle of Kosovo.

Part of the Ottoman wars in Europe and Ottoman-Hungarian Wars

The Second Battle of Kosovo was a land battle between a Hungarian-led Crusader army and the Ottoman Empire at Kosovo field that took place from 17–20 October 1448. It was the culmination of a Hungarian offensive to avenge the defeat at the Battle of Varna four years earlier. In the three-day battle the Ottoman army under the command of Sultan Murad II defeated the Crusader army of regent John Hunyadi.

1448

The University of Greifswald is established as the second oldest university in northern Europe.

Public university in Greifswald, Mecklenburg, Germany

The University of Greifswald, formerly known as Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University of Greifswald, is a public research university located in Greifswald, Germany, in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

1456

Anti-Catholic posters appear in Paris and other cities supporting Huldrych Zwingli's position on the Mass.

1534 anti-Catholic protest in France

The Affair of the Placards was an incident in which anti-Catholic posters appeared in public places in Paris and in four major provincial cities, Blois, Rouen, Tours and Orléans, in the night of the 17 to 18 October 1534. One of the posters was posted on the bedchamber door of King Francis I at Amboise, an affront and a breach of security that left him shaken. The Affaire des Placards brought an end to the conciliatory policies of Francis, which had formerly attempted to protect the Protestants from the more extreme measures of the Parlement de Paris, and also of the public entreaties for moderation of Philip Melanchthon.

1534

Poczta Polska, the Polish postal service, is founded.

National postal service of Poland

The Polish Post is the state postal administration of Poland, initially founded in 1558. The company is headquartered in Warsaw and employs over 67,000 people. It is the largest mail-handling company in the country, which additionally provides courier, banking, insurance and logistics services. The digital services, such as neo-stamps, neo-letters and neo-postcards, are available through the Internet-based platform Envelo.

1558

Kepler's Supernova is observed in the constellation of Ophiuchus.

Supernova visible from Earth in the 17th century

SN 1604, also known as Kepler's Supernova, Kepler's Nova or Kepler's Star, was a Type Ia supernova that occurred in the Milky Way, in the constellation Ophiuchus. Appearing in 1604, it is the most recent supernova in the Milky Way galaxy to have been unquestionably observed by the naked eye, occurring no farther than 6 kiloparsecs from Earth. Before the adoption of the current naming system for supernovae, it was named for Johannes Kepler, the German astronomer who described it in De Stella Nova.

1604

French king Louis XIII is crowned in Reims Cathedral.

King of France from 1610 to 1643

Louis XIII was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crown.

1610

The nine regicides who signed the death warrant of Charles I of England are hanged, drawn and quartered.

The Regicides of Charles I were the men responsible for the execution of Charles I on 30 January 1649. The term generally refers to the fifty-nine commissioners who signed the execution warrant. This followed his conviction for treason by the High Court of Justice.

1660

Charles II of England sells Dunkirk to Louis XIV of France for 40,000 pounds.

King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1660 to 1685

Charles II was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651 and King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685.

1662

Great Northern War: Russia defeats Sweden in the Battle of Kostianvirta in Pälkäne.

Swedish-Russian conflict (1700–1721)

In the Great Northern War (1700–1721) a coalition led by Russia successfully contested the supremacy of Sweden in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I of Russia, Frederick IV of Denmark–Norway and Augustus II the Strong of Saxony-Poland-Lithuania. Frederick IV and Augustus II were defeated by Sweden, under Charles XII, and forced out of the alliance in 1700 and 1706, respectively, but rejoined it in 1709 after the defeat of Charles XII at the Battle of Poltava. George I of Great Britain and the Electorate of Hanover joined the coalition in 1714 for Hanover and in 1717 for Britain, and Frederick William I of Brandenburg-Prussia joined it in 1715.

1713

Premiere in Milan of the opera Ascanio in Alba, composed by Mozart at age 15.

1771 pastoral opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Ascanio in Alba, K. 111, is a pastoral opera in two parts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Giuseppe Parini. It was commissioned by the Empress Maria Theresa for the wedding of her son, Archduke Ferdinand Karl, to Maria Beatrice d'Este on 15 October 1771.

1771

American Revolutionary War: British General John Burgoyne surrenders his army at Saratoga, New York.

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.

1777

American Revolutionary War: British General Charles, Earl Cornwallis surrenders at the Siege of Yorktown.

1781 siege of the American Revolutionary War

The Siege of Yorktown, also known as the Battle of Yorktown and the surrender at Yorktown, took place in 1781 and was the final major land engagement of the American Revolutionary War. It was won decisively by the Continental Army, led by George Washington, with support from the Marquis de Lafayette and French Army troops, led by Comte de Rochambeau, and a French Navy force commanded by the Comte de Grasse, defeating the British Army commanded by British Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis.

1781

Treaty of Campo Formio is signed between France and Austria, ending the War of the First Coalition.

1797 treaty during the War of the First Coalition

The Treaty of Campo Formio was signed on 17 October 1797 by Napoleon Bonaparte and Count Philipp von Cobenzl as representatives of the French Republic and the Austrian monarchy, respectively. The treaty followed the armistice of Leoben, which had been forced on the Habsburgs by Napoleon's victorious campaign in Italy. It ended the War of the First Coalition and left Great Britain fighting alone against revolutionary France.

1797

War of the Second Coalition: Britain takes control of the Dutch colony of Curaçao.

Military incursion as part of the French Revolutionary Wars

An invasion of Curaçao was launched by French forces against the Dutch colony in 1800 during the War of the Second Coalition. French forces landed on the island on 22 July, and on 5 September attacked and captured a fort protecting the town of Willemstad. The American consul there sent for help, and on 10 September the Dutch governor of the island surrendered to the British frigate HMS Nereide under the command of Frederick Watkins. On 22 September the American sloops USS Patapsco and USS Merrimack arrived, and on 23 September the Patapsco sailed into the harbor and landed troops to reinforce the garrison protecting the town.

1800

Former leader of the Haitian Revolution, Emperor Jacques I, is assassinated after an oppressive rule.

Haitian revolutionary and first ruler (1758–1806)

Jean-Jacques Dessalines was the first Haitian Emperor, leader of the Haitian Revolution, and the first ruler of an independent Haiti under the 1805 constitution. Initially regarded as governor-general, Dessalines was later named Emperor of Haiti as Jacques I (1804–1806) by generals of the Haitian Revolutionary army and ruled in that capacity until being assassinated in 1806. He spearheaded the resistance against French rule of Saint-Domingue, and eventually became the architect of the 1804 massacre of the remaining White French residents of newly independent Haiti. Alongside Toussaint Louverture, he has been referred to as one of the fathers of the nation of Haiti. Under the rule of Dessalines, Haiti became the first country in the Americas to permanently abolish slavery.

1806

The silver deposits of Agua Amarga are discovered in Chile becoming in the following years instrumental for the Patriots to finance the Chilean War of Independence.

Defunct silver mining district in Chile's Atacama Region

Agua Amarga is a silver deposit and defunct mining district in Chile's Atacama Region. It is located 30 km south of Vallenar. Agua Amarga was discovered in 1811 and its silver was instrumental to finance the Chilean War of Independence. An enquiry by Ignacy Domeyko tells of 150 individual mines active in Agua Amarga in 1822. Calera, Colorada and Aris are mentioned as the most productive mines of Agua Amarga.

1811

Eight people die in the London Beer Flood.

1814 brewery disaster in London

The London Beer Flood was an accident at Meux & Co's Horse Shoe Brewery, London, on 17 October 1814. It took place when one of the 22-foot-tall (6.7 m) wooden vats of fermenting porter burst. The escaping liquid dislodged the valve of another vessel and destroyed several large barrels: between 128,000 and 323,000 imperial gallons of beer were released in total.

1814

Riots start, which lead to a massacre in Aleppo.

Anti-Christian riots in Syria

The Massacre of Aleppo , often referred to simply as The Events, was a riot perpetrated by Muslim residents of Aleppo, largely from the eastern quarters of the city, against Christian residents, largely located in the northern suburbs of Judayde (Jdeideh) and Salibeh. The riot began on the evening of October 17, 1850, and ended two days later on October 19, 1850. The riot resulted in numerous deaths, including that of Peter VII Jarweh, the Syriac Catholic Patriarch.

1850

First The Open Championship (referred to in North America as the British Open).

Golf tournament held in the UK

The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open outside of the UK, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later the venue rotated between a select group of coastal links golf courses in the United Kingdom. It is organised by The R&A.

1860

Aboriginal Australians kill nineteen Europeans in the Cullin-la-ringo massacre.

1861 massacre of white settlers by Aboriginal men in Queensland

The Cullin-la-ringo massacre, also known as the Wills tragedy, was a massacre of European settlers by Indigenous Australians that occurred on 17 October 1861, north of modern-day Springsure in Central Queensland, Australia. Nineteen men, women and children were killed in the attack, including Horatio Wills, the owner of Cullin-la-ringo station. It is the single largest massacre of European settlers by Aboriginal people in Australian history.

1861

Marconi begins the first commercial transatlantic wireless service.

1897–2006 British telecommunications and engineering company

The Marconi Company was a British telecommunications and engineering company founded by Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi in 1897 which was a pioneer of wireless long distance communication and mass media broadcasting, eventually becoming one of the UK's most successful manufacturing companies.

1907

Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia declare war on the Ottoman Empire, joining Montenegro in the First Balkan War.

1912–1913 war between the Balkan League and the Ottoman Empire

The First Balkan War lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and involved actions of the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire. The Balkan states' combined armies overcame the initially numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies, achieving rapid success.

1912

Leeds United F.C.

founded at Salem Chapel, Holbeck after the winding up of Leeds City F.C. for making illegal payments to players during World War I

Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football.

1919

Al Capone is convicted of income tax evasion.

American gangster and businessman (1899–1947)

Alphonse Gabriel Capone, sometimes known by the nickname "Scarface", was an American gangster and businessman who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era as the co-founder and boss of the Chicago Outfit from 1925 to 1931. His seven-year reign as a crime boss ended when he was imprisoned at the age of 33.

1931

Albert Einstein flees Nazi Germany and moves to the United States.

German-born theoretical physicist (1879–1955)

Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist best known for developing the known theory of relativity. Einstein also made important contributions to quantum theory. His mass–energy equivalence formula E = mc2, which arises from special relativity, has been called "the world's most famous equation". He received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics for "his services to theoretical physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect".

1933

The body of Communist propagandist Willi Münzenberg is found in South France, starting a never-resolved mystery.

German Communist politician and activist (1889–1940)

Wilhelm Münzenberg was a German Communist activist and publisher who served as the first head of the Young Communist International from 1919 to 1921 and as a member of the Reichstag from 1924 to 1933. He also founded the famine relief and propaganda organization Workers International Relief in 1921.

1940

World War II: The USS Kearny becomes the first U.S.

Navy vessel to be torpedoed by a U-boat.

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.

1941

The Burma Railway (Burma–Thailand Railway) is completed.

WWII Japanese Thai–Burma railway

The Burma Railway, also known as the Siam–Burma Railway, Thai–Burma Railway and similar names, or as the Death Railway, is a 415 km (258 mi) railway between Ban Pong, Thailand, and Thanbyuzayat, Burma. It was built from 1940 to 1943 by abducted Southeast Asian civilians and captured Allied soldiers forced to work by the Japanese, to supply troops and weapons in the Burma campaign of World War II. It completed the rail link between Bangkok, Thailand, and Rangoon, Burma. The name used by the Imperial Japanese Government was Tai–Men Rensetsu Tetsudō (泰緬連接鉄道), which means Thailand-Burma-Link-Railway.

1943

Nazi Holocaust in Poland: Sobibór extermination camp is closed.

Nazi extermination camp in Poland (1942–1943)

Sobibor was an extermination camp built and operated by Nazi Germany as part of Operation Reinhard. It was located in the forest near the village of Żłobek Duży in the General Government region of German-occupied Poland.

1943

A large demonstration in Buenos Aires, Argentina, demands Juan Perón's release.

Holiday in Argentina commemorating the founding of Peronism (17 October 1945)

Loyalty Day is a commemoration day in Argentina. It remembers 17 October 1945, when a large labour demonstration at the Plaza de Mayo, in downtown Buenos Aires, demanded the liberation of Juan Domingo Perón, jailed on Isla Martín García. It is considered the foundational moment of the Peronist movement.

1945

Indonesian Army elements surrounded the Merdeka Palace demanding President Sukarno disband the Provisional People's Representative Council.

1952 political crisis in Indonesia

The 17 October affair was an event during which Indonesian soldiers pressured the president to disband the Provisional People's Representative Council, at the behest of the administration's chief of staff, along with the commander of the armed forces. The demand was made of President Sukarno while the Merdeka Palace was surrounded.

1952

The first commercial nuclear power station is officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in Sellafield, England.

Nuclear site in Cumbria, England

Sellafield, formerly known as Windscale, is a large multi-function nuclear site close to Seascale on the coast of Cumbria, England. As of August 2022, primary activities are nuclear waste processing and storage and nuclear decommissioning. Former activities included nuclear power generation from 1956 to 2003, and nuclear fuel reprocessing from 1952 to 2022.

1956

Directed by their chief Maurice Papon, Paris police massacre scores of Algerian protesters.

French policeman, politician, and Axis collaborator (1910–2007)

Maurice Papon was a French civil servant, mass murderer and Nazi collaborator who was convicted of crimes against humanity committed during the occupation of France. Papon led the police in major prefectures from the 1930s to the 1960s, before he became a Gaullist politician. When he was secretary general for the police in Bordeaux during World War II, he participated in the deportation of more than 1,600 Jews. He is also known for his activities in the Algerian War (1954–1962), during which he tortured insurgent prisoners as prefect of the Constantinois department, and ordered, as prefect of the Paris police, the 1961 Paris massacre of pro-National Liberation Front (FLN) demonstrators for violating a curfew that he had "advised".

1961

The first attempt of the apartheid analogy by Ahmad Shukeiri.

Israeli system of racial segregation and discrimination

Israeli apartheid is a system of institutionalized segregation and discrimination in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories and to a lesser extent in Israel proper. This system is characterized by near-total physical separation between the Palestinian and the Israeli settler populations of the West Bank, as well as the judicial separation that governs both communities, which discriminates against Palestinians in a wide range of ways. Israel also discriminates against Palestinian refugees in the diaspora and against its own Palestinian citizens.

1961

The 1964–65 New York World's Fair closes after two years and more than 51 million attendees.

World's fair held in New York City

The 1964 New York World's Fair was an international exposition at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City, United States. The fair included exhibitions, activities, performances, films, art, and food presented by 80 nations, 24 U.S. states, and nearly 350 American companies. The five sections of the 646-acre (261 ha) fairground were the Federal and State, International, Transportation, Lake Amusement, and Industrial areas. The fair's theme was "Peace through Understanding", and its symbol was the Unisphere, a stainless-steel model of Earth. Initially, the fair had 139 pavilions, and 34 concessions and shows.

1965

The 23rd Street Fire in New York City kills 12 firefighters.

1966 major fire in New York City

The 23rd Street Fire was an incident that took place in the Flatiron District neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, on October 17, 1966. A group of firefighters from the New York City Fire Department responding to a fire at 7 East 22nd Street entered a building at 6 East 23rd Street as part of an effort to fight the fire. Twelve firefighters were killed after the floor collapsed, the largest loss of life in the department's history until the collapse of the World Trade Center in the September 11 attacks of 2001.

1966

The Caravaggio painting Nativity with St.

Francis and St. Lawrence is stolen from the Oratory of Saint Lawrence in Palermo.

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, known mononymously as Caravaggio, was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the final four years of his life, he moved between Naples, Malta, and Sicily. His paintings have been characterized by art critics as combining a realistic observation of the human state, both physical and emotional, with a dramatic use of lighting, which had a formative influence on Baroque painting.

1969

FLQ terrorists murder Quebec Vice-Premier and Minister of Labour Pierre Laporte.

1970 series of events in Quebec, Canada

The October Crisis was a chain of political events in Canada that started in October 1970 when members of the Front de libération du Québec (FLQ) kidnapped the provincial Labour Minister Pierre Laporte and British diplomat James Cross from his Montreal residence. These events saw Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau invoking the War Measures Act for the first time in Canadian history during peacetime. Laporte was assassinated over the course of the crisis.

1970

OPEC imposes an oil embargo against countries they deem to have helped Israel in the Yom Kippur War.

OAPEC petroleum embargo

In October 1973, the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) announced that it was implementing a total oil embargo against countries that had supported Israel at any point during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, which began after Egypt and Syria launched a large-scale surprise attack in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to recover the territories that they had lost to Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War.

1973

The hijacked Lufthansa Flight 181 lands in Mogadishu.

The remaining hostages are later rescued.

Lufthansa Flight 181, a Boeing 737-230C jet airliner named Landshut, was hijacked on 13 October 1977 by four militants of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine while en route from Palma de Mallorca, Spain, to Frankfurt am Main, West Germany. The hijacking aimed to secure the release of eleven notorious Red Army Faction leaders held in West German prisons and two Palestinians held in Turkey. This event was part of the so-called German Autumn, intended to increase pressure on the West German government. The hijackers diverted the flight to several locations before ending in Mogadishu, Somalia, where the crisis concluded in the early morning hours of 18 October 1977 under the cover of darkness. The West German counter-terrorism unit GSG 9, with ground support from the Somali Armed Forces, stormed the aircraft, rescuing all 87 passengers and four crew members. The captain of the flight was killed by the hijackers earlier in the ordeal.

1977

Mother Teresa is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Albanian-Indian Catholic saint (1910–1997)

Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, better known as Mother Teresa or Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta, was an Albanian-Indian Catholic nun, founder of the Missionaries of Charity and a Catholic saint.

1979

The Department of Education Organization Act creates the U.S.

Department of Education.

The Department of Education Organization Act is a United States federal law enacted in 1979, which created the Department of Education. The new department was split off from the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, which the Act also renamed the Department of Health and Human Services.

1979

As part of the Holy See–United Kingdom relations a British monarch makes the first state visit to the Vatican.

Bilateral relations

Holy See–United Kingdom relations are foreign relations between the Holy See and the United Kingdom.

1980

Uganda Airlines Flight 775 crashes at Rome–Fiumicino International Airport, in Rome, Italy, killing 33 people.

1988 aviation accident in Italy

Uganda Airlines Flight 775 was a Boeing 707-338C, registration 5X-UBC, that crashed while attempting to land at Rome-Fiumicino Airport in Rome, Italy on 17 October 1988. Out of the 52 occupants onboard, 33 were killed.

1988

The 6.9 Mw Loma Prieta earthquake shakes the San Francisco Bay Area and the Central Coast, killing 63.

Scales to describe earthquake strength

Seismic magnitude scales are used to describe the overall strength or "size" of an earthquake. These are distinguished from seismic intensity scales that categorize the intensity or severity of ground shaking (quaking) caused by an earthquake at a given location. Magnitudes are usually determined from measurements of an earthquake's seismic waves as recorded on a seismogram. Magnitude scales vary based on what aspect of the seismic waves are measured and how they are measured. Different magnitude scales are necessary because of differences in earthquakes, the information available, and the purposes for which the magnitudes are used.

1989

The East German Politburo votes to remove Erich Honecker from his role as General Secretary.

Leader of East Germany from 1971 to 1989

Erich Ernst Paul Honecker was a German communist politician who led the German Democratic Republic from 1971 until shortly before the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989. He held the posts of General Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) and Chairman of the National Defence Council; in 1976, he replaced Willi Stoph as Chairman of the State Council, the official head of state. As the leader of East Germany, Honecker was viewed as a dictator. During his leadership, the country had close ties to the Soviet Union, which maintained a large army in the country.

1989

Rudrapur bombings by Sikh separatists, who explode two bombs, during a Ramlila Hindu celebration in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand, killing 41 people.

Terror attack in Uttarakhand, India

1991 Rudrapur bombings were bombings by Khalistani terrorists in 1991 in Rudrapur city in Indian state of Uttarakhand.

1991

Having gone to the wrong house, Japanese student Yoshihiro Hattori is killed by the homeowner in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

1992 shooting in Louisiana, US

Yoshihiro Hattori was a Japanese student on an exchange program to the United States who was shot to death in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The shooting happened when Hattori, on his way to a Halloween party, went to the wrong house by mistake. Property owner Rodney Peairs fatally shot Hattori, erroneously thinking that he was trespassing with criminal intent. The killing and Peairs's trials received worldwide attention, initiating discussion about race relations and attitudes toward Asians in the United States.

1992

Russian journalist Dmitry Kholodov is assassinated while investigating corruption in the armed forces.

Russian investigative journalist assassinated in Moscow (1967–1994)

Dmitry Yuryevich Kholodov was a Russian journalist who investigated corruption in the military and was assassinated on 17 October 1994 in Moscow. His assassination was the first of many killings of journalists in Russia.

1994

The Hatfield rail crash leads to the collapse of Railtrack.

2000 rail accident in Hertfordshire, England

The Hatfield rail crash was a railway accident on 17 October 2000, at Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England. It was caused by a rolling contact fatigue-induced derailment, killing four people and injuring more than 70.

2000

Israeli tourism minister Rehavam Ze'evi is assassinated by Hamdi Quran, a member of the PFLP, thus becoming the highest-ranking Israeli to be killed by a Palestinian.

Israeli politician (1926–2001)

Rehavam Ze'evi was an Israeli general and politician who founded the far-right nationalist Moledet party. He mainly advocated for complete cleansing of the Palestinian population through population transfer.

2001

A fire that lasted over 15 hours destroyed almost one third of the East Tower of the Parque Central Urban Complex in Caracas, Venezuela.

Skyscraper fire in Caracas, Venezuela

The Parque Central Complex fire was a fire on 17 October 2004, that destroyed almost one-third of the East Tower of the Parque Central Urban Complex in Caracas, Venezuela. At least 20 floors were completely destroyed by the fire, although the building was able to withstand more than 15 hours of fire without collapsing due to its strong structure.

2004

Syrian civil war: The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) capture the last foothold of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Raqqa, marking the end of the Battle of Raqqa.

2011–2024 armed conflict in Syria

The Syrian civil war was an armed conflict that began with the Syrian revolution in March 2011, when popular discontent with the Ba'athist regime ruled by Bashar al-Assad triggered large-scale protests and pro-democracy rallies across Syria, as part of the wider Arab Spring. The Assad regime responded to the protests with lethal force, which led to a series of defections, the emergence of armed opposition groups, and the civilian uprising descending into a civil war. The war lasted almost 14 years and culminated in the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024. Many sources regard this as the end of the civil war even though clashes have continued into 2026.

2017

The recreational use of cannabis is legalized in Canada.

2018 Canadian law legalizing recreational cannabis use

The Cannabis Act is a law which legalized recreational cannabis use in Canada in combination with its companion legislation Bill C-46, An Act to Amend the Criminal Code. The law is a milestone in the legal history of cannabis in Canada, alongside the 1923 prohibition.

2018

A mass shooting and bombing at Kerch Polytechnic College in Crimea kills 21 people including the attacker and injures 70 others.

2018 school shooting in Crimea

On 17 October 2018, a school shooting and bombing attack occurred in Kerch, Crimea. The perpetrator, Vladislav Roslyakov, who was an 18-year-old student at the college, killed 20 people and wounded 73 others before killing himself. It was the deadliest school shooting in Russia or Ukraine since the 2004 Beslan school siege.

2018

Drug dealers in Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico force the government to back down on an arrest.

City in Sinaloa, Mexico

Culiacán, officially Culiacán Rosales, is the capital and largest city of Sinaloa in northwestern Mexico. It is located within the Culiacán Municipality. The city was founded on 29 September 1531 by the Spanish conquistadors Lázaro de Cebreros and Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán originally under the name "Villa de San Miguel", in honor of its patron saint Michael the Archangel.

2019

An explosion at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza kills hundreds of Palestinians during the Gaza war.

2023 deadly explosion in the Gaza Strip

On 17 October 2023, an explosion took place in a courtyard of al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City during the Gaza war, resulting in a large number of displaced Palestinians seeking shelter there being killed or injured.

2023

Born on October 17

20 people 1989 – 2002

Matthew Knies

American professional ice hockey player

Matthew Michael Knies is an American professional ice hockey player who is a forward for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). Knies was drafted 57th overall by the Maple Leafs in the 2021 NHL…

2002

Lily

Australian-South Korean singer

Lily Jin Park Morrow, known mononymously as Lily (Korean: 릴리), is an Australian and South Korean singer. She is best known as the vocalist of South Korean girl group Nmixx under JYP Entertainment. She began her career…

2002

Thomas Strudwick

British motorcycle road racer

Thomas Strudwick is a British motorcycle road racer from West Sussex. During 2024, he raced in both the UK BMW F900 Cup national-level series winning the championship, and the inaugural National Sportbike Championship…

2001

Robert Williams III

American basketball player

Robert Lee Williams III is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Texas A&M Aggies.

1997

Jake DeBrusk

Canadian ice hockey player

Jake DeBrusk is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a left winger for the Vancouver Canucks in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 14th overall by the Boston Bruins in the 2015 NHL entry draft.…

1996

Jamal Adams

American football player

Jamal Lee Adams is an American professional football linebacker. He played college football for the LSU Tigers, and was selected by the New York Jets sixth overall in the 2017 NFL draft. Adams quickly became an…

1995

Ha-seong Kim

South Korean baseball player

Ha-seong Kim is a South Korean professional baseball infielder for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the San Diego Padres and Tampa Bay Rays, and in the KBO League…

1995

Kenneth Omeruo

Nigerian footballer

Kenneth Josiah Omeruo is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a defender.

1993

Vincent Poirier

French basketball player

Vincent Yann Poirier is a French professional basketball player for Anadolu Efes of the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi and the EuroLeague. He also represents the French national team in international competition.

1993

Jacob Artist

American actor, singer, and dancer

Jacob Artist is an American actor, singer, and dancer. He is best known for his roles as Jake Puckerman on the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee and as Brandon Fletcher on the ABC drama-thriller series Quantico.

1992

Sam Concepcion

Filipino musician and dancer

Samuel Lawrence Lopez Concepcion is a Filipino singer, dancer, actor, VJ and host. in April 2006 Concepcion won the Big Division in the first season of Little Big Star. Concepcion signed a contract under Stages and…

1992

Anthony Gill

American basketball player

Anthony Remeral Gill is an American professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Gill played college basketball for the South Carolina Gamecocks and the…

1992

Keerthy Suresh

Indian actress

Keerthy Suresh is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. Her film accolades include one National Film Award, five SIIMA Awards, one Tamil Nadu State Film Award and two Filmfare…

1992

Brenda Asnicar

Argentine actress

Brenda Asnicar is an Argentinian actress and singer who gained international popularity for her debut role as Antonella Lamas Bernardi in the Disney Channel television series Patito Feo.

1991

Paolo Campinoti

Italian footballer

Paolo Campinoti is an Italian footballer, who plays as a left midfielder for S.S.D. Massese.

1990

Maica García Godoy

Spanish water polo player

María del Carmen "Maica" García Godoy is a Spanish water polo player, playing at the centre forward position. She is 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) tall and she plays for the Spanish club CN Sabadell. Maica is part of the Spain…

1990

Ronald González Tabilo

Chilean footballer

Ronald Damián González Tabilo is a Chilean footballer who plays as a winger for Municipal Mejillones.

1990

Saki Kumagai

Japanese footballer

Saki Kumagai is a Japanese professional footballer who plays as a midfielder or defender for Women's Super League club London City Lionesses and the Japan national team. A versatile defensive midfielder with keen sense…

1990

Patrick Lambie

South African rugby player

Patrick Jonathan Lambie is a retired South African professional rugby union player who represented the Sharks and Racing 92, and played fly-half, fullback and centre. Widely regarded as one of the most composed and…

1990

Débora García

Spanish footballer

Débora García Mateo, commonly known as Débora, is a Spanish footballer who plays as a midfielder for Primera División club Sevilla. In October 2012 she made her debut for the Spain national team at Glasgow's Hampden…

1989

See all birthdays on October 17

Died on October 17

20 people 2012 – 2024

Mitzi Gaynor

American actress, singer, and dancer (born 1931)

Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber, known professionally as Mitzi Gaynor, was an American actress, singer, and dancer. Her notable films included We're Not Married! (1952), There's No Business Like Show Business…

2024

Toshiyuki Nishida

Japanese actor (born 1947)

Toshiyuki Nishida was a Japanese actor. He won two Japanese Academy Awards for best actor, for The Silk Road (1988) and Tsuribaka Nisshi 6 (1993). He also won the Blue Ribbon Award for Best Actor for Get Up! and…

2024

Andrew Schally

Polish-American endocrinologist (born 1926)

Andrzej Viktor "Andrew" Schally was a Polish-American endocrinologist who was a co-recipient, with Roger Guillemin and Rosalyn Sussman Yalow, of the 1977 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.

2024

Elijah Cummings

American politician and civil rights advocate (born 1951)

Elijah Eugene Cummings was an American politician and lawyer who served in the United States House of Representatives for Maryland's 7th congressional district from 1996 until his death in 2019, when he was succeeded by…

2019

Gord Downie

Canadian musician (born 1964)

Gordon Edgar Downie was a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, musician, writer, poet, and activist. He was the singer and lyricist for the Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip, which he fronted from its formation in 1984…

2017

Danièle Delorme

French actress and producer (born 1926)

Gabrielle Danièle Marguerite Andrée Girard, known by her stage name Danièle Delorme, was a French actress and film producer, famous for her roles in films directed by Marc Allégret, Julien Duvivier and Yves Robert.

2015

Howard Kendall

English footballer and manager (born 1946)

Howard Kendall was an English footballer and manager.

2015

Anne-Marie Lizin

Belgian lawyer and politician (born 1949)

Anne-Marie Lizin-Vanderspeeten was a Belgian politician, who served as the President of the Senate of Belgium from 2004 to 2007.

2015

Tom Smith

American businessman and politician (born 1947)

Thomas Joel Smith was an American politician and businessman from Pennsylvania. A Democrat for four decades before seeking elective office, Smith switched his registration in 2011 and ran for the United States Senate in…

2015

Edwards Barham

American farmer and politician (born 1937)

Erle Edwards Barham was a Republican member of the Louisiana State Senate. He first won the Senate seat in December 1975 beating L. B. Loftin by just 89 votes.

2014

Masaru Emoto

Japanese author and activist (born 1943)

Masaru Emoto was a Japanese businessman, author and pseudoscientist who claimed that human consciousness could affect the molecular structure of water. His 2004 book The Hidden Messages in Water was a New York Times…

2014

Tom Shaw

American bishop (born 1945)

Marvil Thomas Shaw III was an American Episcopal bishop based in New England and a member of the Society of St. John the Evangelist religious order. In 1995, he was called as the fifteenth Bishop of Massachusetts.

2014

Berndt von Staden

German diplomat, German Ambassador to the United States (born 1919)

Berndt Robert Alexander Michael von Staden was a German diplomat who was the West German Ambassador to the United States from 1973 until 1979.

2014

Mother Antonia

American-Mexican nun and activist (born 1926)

Mother Antonia Brenner, better known as Mother Antonia was an American religious sister and activist who chose to reside and care for inmates at the notorious maximum-security La Mesa Prison in Tijuana, Mexico. As a…

2013

Terry Fogerty

English rugby player and coach (born 1944)

Terence "Terry" H. Fogerty was an English professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1960s and 1970s, and coached in the 1980s. He played at representative level for Great Britain, Lancashire, and…

2013

Arthur Maxwell House

Canadian neurologist and politician, 10th Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador (born 1926)

Arthur Maxwell House, was a Canadian neurologist and the tenth lieutenant governor of Newfoundland and Labrador.

2013

Lou Scheimer

American animator, producer, and voice actor, co-founded the Filmation Company (born 1928)

Louis Scheimer was an American producer and voice actor who was one of the original founders of Filmation. He was also credited as an executive producer of many of its cartoons.

2013

Rene Simpson

Canadian-American tennis player (born 1966)

Rene Simpson Collins was a Canadian professional tennis player from Sarnia, Ontario. She reached a WTA singles ranking of 70 in 1989 and had a successful NCAA career for Texas Christian University.

2013

Milija Aleksic

English-South African footballer (born 1951)

Milija Anthony Aleksic was an English professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper, making 138 appearances in the Football League.

2012

Émile Allais

French skier (born 1912)

Émile Allais was a champion alpine ski racer from France; he won all three events at the 1937 world championships in Chamonix and the gold in the combined in 1938. Born in Megève, he was a dominant racer in the late…

2012

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What happened on October 17 in history?

On October 17, one notable event in history was 2019: The 17 October Revolution starts in Lebanon..

This date currently highlights 61 recorded events on thisDay.info, spanning 690 – 2023.

DateOctober 17

Featured year2019

LocationLebanon

Events listed61

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2019 — The 17 October Revolution starts in Lebanon

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October 17 in History

2019 — The 17 October Revolution starts in Lebanon

Born on October 17

Died on October 17

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