On This Day — 17 December

2000s

2014

The United States and Cuba re-establish diplomatic relations after severing them in 1961.

Cuba–United States relations

2010

Mohamed Bouazizi sets himself on fire. This act became the catalyst for the Tunisian Revolution and the wider Arab Spring.

Mohamed Bouazizi

2009

MV Danny F II sinks off the coast of Lebanon, resulting in the deaths of 44 people and over 28,000 animals.

MV Danny F II

2005

Anti-World Trade Organization protesters riot in Wan Chai, Hong Kong.

World Trade Organization

2005

Jigme Singye Wangchuck abdicates the throne as King of Bhutan.

Jigme Singye Wangchuck

2003

The Soham murder trial ends at the Old Bailey in London, with Ian Huntley found guilty of two counts of murder. His girlfriend, Maxine Carr, is found guilty of perverting the course of justice.

Soham murders

2003

SpaceShipOne, piloted by Brian Binnie, makes its first powered and first supersonic flight.

SpaceShipOne

2003

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

International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers

2002

Second Congo War: The Congolese parties of the Inter Congolese Dialogue sign a peace accord which makes provision for transitional governance and legislative and presidential elections within two years.

Second Congo War

1900s

1997

Peruvian internal conflict: Fourteen members of the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement provoke a hostage crisis by taking over the Japanese embassy in Lima.

Internal conflict in Peru

1997

Aerosvit Flight 241: A Yakovlev Yak-42 crashes into the Pierian Mountains near Thessaloniki Airport in Thessaloniki, Greece, killing all 70 people on board.

Aerosvit Flight 241

1989

Romanian Revolution: Protests continue in Timișoara, Romania, with rioters breaking into the Romanian Communist Party's District Committee building and attempting to set it on fire.

Romanian revolution

1989

Fernando Collor de Mello defeats Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the second round of the Brazilian presidential election, becoming the first democratically elected President in almost 30 years.

Fernando Collor de Mello

1989

The Simpsons premieres on television with the episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire".

The Simpsons

1983

Provisional IRA members detonate a car bomb at Harrods Department Store in London. Three police officers and three civilians are killed.

Provisional Irish Republican Army

1981

American Brigadier General James L. Dozier is abducted by the Red Brigades in Verona, Italy.

James L. Dozier

1973

Thirty passengers are killed in an attack by Palestinian terrorists on Rome's Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport.

1973 Rome airport attacks and hijacking

1970

Polish protests: In Gdynia, soldiers fire at workers emerging from trains, killing dozens.

December 1970 protests in Poland

1969

Project Blue Book: The United States Air Force closes its study of UFOs.

Project Blue Book

1967

Harold Holt, Prime Minister of Australia, disappears while swimming near Portsea, Victoria, and is presumed drowned.

Harold Holt

📅

1961

Niterói circus fire: Fire breaks out during a performance by the Gran Circus Norte-Americano in the city of Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, killing more than 500.

Niterói circus fire

1960

Troops loyal to Emperor Haile Selassie in Ethiopia crush the coup that began December 13, returning power to their leader upon his return from Brazil. Haile Selassie absolves his son of any guilt.

Haile Selassie

1960

Munich C-131 crash: Twenty passengers and crew on board as well as 32 people on the ground are killed.

1960 Munich C-131 crash

📅

1957

The United States successfully launches the first Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile at Cape Canaveral, Florida.

SM-65 Atlas

📅

1951

The American Civil Rights Congress delivers "We Charge Genocide" to the United Nations.

Civil Rights Congress

1950

The F-86 Sabre's first mission over Korea.

North American F-86 Sabre

1948

The Finnish Security Police is established to remove communist leadership from its predecessor, the State Police.

Finnish Security and Intelligence Service

1947

First flight of the Boeing B-47 Stratojet strategic bomber.

Boeing B-47 Stratojet

1945

Kurdistan flag day, the flag of Kurdistan is raised for the first time in Mahabad in eastern Kurdistan.

Kurdistan

1944

World War II: Battle of the Bulge: Malmedy massacre: American 285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion POWs are shot by Waffen-SS Kampfgruppe Joachim Peiper.

Battle of the Bulge

1943

All Chinese are again permitted to become citizens of the United States upon the repeal of the Act of 1882 and the introduction of the Magnuson Act.

Chinese Exclusion Act

1939

World War II: Battle of the River Plate: The Admiral Graf Spee is scuttled by Captain Hans Langsdorff outside Montevideo.

World War II

1938

Otto Hahn discovers the nuclear fission of the heavy element uranium, the scientific and technological basis of nuclear energy.

Otto Hahn

1935

Douglas DC-3: The twin-engine airliner makes its maiden flight from Santa Monica.

Douglas DC-3

1933

The first NFL Championship Game is played at Wrigley Field in Chicago between the New York Giants and Chicago Bears. The Bears win 23–21.

1933 NFL Championship Game

1928

Indian revolutionaries Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev Thapar and Shivaram Rajguru assassinate British police officer James Saunders in Lahore, Punjab, to avenge the death of Lala Lajpat Rai at the hands of the police. The three were executed in 1931.

Bhagat Singh

1927

Indian revolutionary Rajendra Lahiri is hanged in Gonda jail, Uttar Pradesh, India, two days before the scheduled date.

Rajendra Lahiri

1926

Antanas Smetona assumes power in Lithuania as the 1926 coup d'état is successful.

Antanas Smetona

1918

Darwin Rebellion: Up to 1,000 demonstrators march on Government House in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

Darwin rebellion

1907

Ugyen Wangchuck is crowned first King of Bhutan.

Ugyen Wangchuck

1903

The Wright brothers make the first controlled powered, heavier-than-air flight in the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

Wright brothers

1800s

1896

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Schenley Park Casino, which was the first multi-purpose arena with the technology to create an artificial ice surface in North America, is destroyed in a fire.

Pittsburgh

1892

First issue of Vogue is published.

Vogue (magazine)

1865

First performance of the Unfinished Symphony by Franz Schubert.

Symphony No. 8 (Schubert)

1862

American Civil War: General Ulysses S. Grant issues General Order No. 11, expelling Jews from parts of Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky.

American Civil War

1837

A fire in the Winter Palace of Saint Petersburg kills 30 guards.

Fire in the Winter Palace

1835

The second Great Fire of New York destroys 53,000 square metres (13 acres) of New York City's Financial District.

Great Fire of New York

1819

Simón Bolívar declares the independence of Gran Colombia in Angostura (now Ciudad Bolívar in Venezuela).

Simón Bolívar

1812

War of 1812: U.S. forces attack a Lenape village in the Battle of the Mississinewa.

War of 1812

1807

Napoleonic Wars: France issues the Milan Decree, which confirms the Continental System.

Napoleonic Wars

Before 1800

1790

The Aztec calendar stone is discovered at El Zócalo, Mexico City.

Aztec sun stone

1777

American Revolution: France formally recognizes the United States.

American Revolution

1718

War of the Quadruple Alliance: Great Britain declares war on Spain.

War of the Quadruple Alliance

1665

The first account of a blood transfusion is published, in the form of a letter from physician Richard Lower to chemist Robert Boyle, in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society

Blood transfusion