17 May
Notable Births
Julie Anne San Jose
b. 1994
Filipino singer (born 1994)
Johanna Konta
b. 1991
British tennis player (born 1991)
Will Clyburn
b. 1990
American basketball player (born 1990)
Fabian Giefer
b. 1990
German footballer
Charlie Gubb
b. 1990
New Zealand rugby league footballer
Katrina Hart
b. 1990
British paralympic sprinter (born 1990)
Guido Pella
b. 1990
Argentine tennis player (born 1990)
Tessa Virtue
b. 1989
Canadian ice dancer
Mose Masoe
b. 1989
Former Samoa international rugby league footballer
Nikki Reed
b. 1988
American actress
Edvald Boasson Hagen
b. 1987
Norwegian road racing cyclist
Aleandro Rosi
b. 1987
Italian footballer (born 1987)
Timo Simonlatser
b. 1986
Estonian cross-country skier (born 1986)
Jodie Taylor
b. 1986
English footballer (born 1986)
Teófilo Gutiérrez
b. 1985
Colombian footballer (born 1985)
Derek Hough
b. 1985
American dancer, choreographer, actor, singer (born 1985)
Christine Nesbitt
b. 1985
Canadian speed skater
Todd Redmond
b. 1985
American baseball player (born 1985)
Sugar Ray Leonard
b. 1956
American boxer (born 1956)
Earl Morrall
b. 1934
American football player (1934–2014)
Notable Deaths
Bud Anderson
d. 2024
American World War II flying ace (1922–2024)
Sid Going
d. 2024
New Zealand rugby union footballer (1943–2024)
Vangelis
d. 2022
Greek composer and musician (1943–2022)
Lucky Peterson
d. 2020
American musician (1964–2020)
Herman Wouk
d. 2019
American writer (1915–2019)
Todor Veselinović
d. 2017
Yugoslav and Serbian football manager and player (1930–2017)
Chinx
d. 2015
American rapper (1983–2015)
Gerald Edelman
d. 2014
American biologist
C. P. Krishnan Nair
d. 2014
Indian businessman (1922–2014)
Douangchay Phichit
d. 2014
Laotian politician
Thongbanh Sengaphone
d. 2014
Laotian politician
Philippe Gaumont
d. 2013
French cyclist (1973–2013)
Peter Schulz
d. 2013
German politician
Ken Venturi
d. 2013
American golfer and broadcaster (1931–2013)
Jorge Rafael Videla
d. 2013
President of Argentina from 1976 to 1981
Gideon Ezra
d. 2012
Israeli politician (1937–2012)
Donna Summer
d. 2012
American singer (1948–2012)
Harmon Killebrew
d. 2011
American baseball player (1936–2011)
Yvonne Loriod
d. 2010
French musician (1924–2010)
Walasse Ting
d. 2010
American painter
On This Day in History
All 61 ›
2014
A military plane crash in northern Laos kills 17 people.
2014 Lao People's Liberation Army Air Force An-74 crash
2010
Pamir Airways Flight 112 crashes in Afghanistan's Shakardara District, killing 44.
Pamir Airways Flight 112
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.
North Korea
2006
The aircraft carrier USS Oriskany is sunk in the Gulf of Mexico as an artificial reef.
USS Oriskany
2004
The first legal same-sex marriages in the U.S. are performed in the state of Massachusetts.
Same-sex marriage
2000
Arsenal and Galatasaray fans clash in the 2000 UEFA Cup Final riots in Copenhagen.
Arsenal F.C.
1997
Troops of Laurent-Désiré Kabila march into Kinshasa. Zaire is officially renamed Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Laurent-Désiré Kabila
1995
Shawn Nelson steals an M60 tank from the California Army National Guard Armory in San Diego and proceeds to go on a rampage.
1995 San Diego tank rampage
1994
Malawi holds its first multi-party elections.
Malawi
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.
Black May (Thailand)
1990
The General Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO) eliminates homosexuality from the list of psychiatric diseases.
World Health Organization
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.
Iran–Iraq War
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.
Charles III
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.
United States Department of Energy
1983
Lebanon, Israel, and the United States sign an agreement on Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.
Lebanon
1980
General Chun Doo-hwan of South Korea seizes control of the government and declares martial law in order to suppress student demonstrations.
Chun Doo-hwan
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.
Maoism
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.
1980 Miami riots
1977
Nolan Bushnell opens the first Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre (later renamed Chuck E. Cheese) in San Jose, California.
Nolan Bushnell
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.
The Troubles