# On this day: April 17

April 17 is the 107th day of the year (108th in leap years), with 258 days left until the end of the year.

## April 17 in one line

Headline entries for April 17, from Wikipedia: in 1973, George Lucas began writing a 13-page film treatment that later formed the basis of Star Wars; born 1974: Victoria Beckham, English singer and fashion designer; died 1790: Benjamin Franklin, American inventor, publisher, and politician, 6th President of Pennsylvania (born 1706). In 2026 it is a Friday, in 2027 a Saturday.

## Events on April 17

- 1080 Canute IV became King of Denmark upon the death of his brother Harald III. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canute_IV_of_Denmark)
- 1362 Lithuanian Crusade: After a month-long siege, the Teutonic Order captured and destroyed Kaunas Castle, which was defended by troops of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Kaunas_(1362))
- 1521 Trial of Martin Luther over his teachings begins during the assembly of the Diet of Worms. Initially intimidated, he asks for time to reflect before answering and is given a stay of one day. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diet_of_Worms)
- 1783 The Mechanical Turk, a fraudulent chess-playing "machine" by Wolfgang von Kempelen that was secretly controlled by a hidden human, began a tour of Europe. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechanical_Turk)
- 1797 French Revolutionary Wars: British forces commanded by Lieutenant-General Ralph Abercromby invaded the Spanish colonial port of San Juan, Puerto Rico. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_San_Juan_(1797))
- 1809 Napoleonic Wars: After a three-day chase, the French ship D'Hautpoul was captured off Puerto Rico by a British squadron under Alexander Cochrane. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troude's_expedition_to_the_Caribbean)
- 1895 The Treaty of Shimonoseki between China and Japan is signed. This marks the end of the First Sino-Japanese War, and the defeated Qing Empire is forced to renounce its claims on Korea and to concede the southern portion of the Fengtian province, Taiwan and the Penghu to Japan. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Shimonoseki)
- 1907 Minas Geraes, the first of three Brazilian dreadnought battleships, was laid down, sparking a vastly expensive South American naval arms race with Argentina and Chile. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_battleship_Minas_Geraes)
- 1941 World War II: The Axis powers invasion of Yugoslavia is completed when it signs an armistice with Germany and Italy. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_Yugoslavia)
- 1942 World War II: Captured French general Henri Giraud escaped from German captivity in the Königstein Castle. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Giraud)
- 1945 Historian Tran Trong Kim is appointed the Prime Minister of the Empire of Vietnam. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_of_Vietnam)
- 1951 The Peak District was designated the first national park in the United Kingdom. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peak_District)
- 1961 Bay of Pigs Invasion: A group of Cuban exiles financed and trained by the CIA lands at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba with the aim of ousting Fidel Castro. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_of_Pigs_Invasion)
- 1969 Czechoslovak Communist Party chairman Alexander Dubček was deposed. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Dub%C4%8Dek)
- 1969 Sirhan Sirhan was convicted of the assassination of U.S. senator Robert F. Kennedy. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirhan_Sirhan)
- 1970 Apollo program: The damaged Apollo 13 spacecraft returns to Earth safely. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_13)
- 1973 George Lucas began writing a 13-page film treatment that later formed the basis of Star Wars. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars_(film))
- 1975 The Khmer Rouge captured Phnom Penh, the capital of the Khmer Republic, ending the Cambodian Civil War and establishing the socialist state of Democratic Kampuchea. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_Phnom_Penh)
- 1978 Mir Akbar Khyber is assassinated, provoking the Saur Revolution in Afghanistan. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saur_Revolution)
- 1984 Metropolitan Police officer Yvonne Fletcher was shot and killed while on duty during a protest outside the Libyan embassy in London, resulting in an 11-day police siege of the building and a breakdown of Libya–United Kingdom relations. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Yvonne_Fletcher)
- 1986 The Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly declared peace, having hypothetically been at war for 335 years without a single shot being fired and no casualties incurred. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isles_of_Scilly)
- 2003 Anneli Jäätteenmäki takes office as the first female prime minister of Finland. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anneli_J%C3%A4%C3%A4tteenm%C3%A4ki)
- 2006 A Palestinian suicide bomber detonated explosives in a restaurant in Tel Aviv, Israel, killing 11 people and injuring 70 others. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2nd_Rosh_Ha'ir_restaurant_bombing)
- 2013 An ammonium nitrate explosion occurred at a fertilizer company facility in West, Texas, U.S., killing 15 people and injuring 160 others. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Fertilizer_Company_explosion)
- 2013 The ceremonial funeral of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher takes place at St Paul's Cathedral. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_and_funeral_of_Margaret_Thatcher)
- 2014 NASA announced the discovery of Kepler-186f, the first exoplanet with a radius similar to Earth's discovered in the habitable zone of another star. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kepler-186f)

## Born on April 17

- 1277 Michael IX Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (died 1320) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_IX_Palaiologos)
- 1497 Pedro de Valdivia, Spanish conquistador, conquered northern Chile (died 1553) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_de_Valdivia)
- 1573 Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria (died 1651) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximilian_I%2C_Elector_of_Bavaria)
- 1598 Giovanni Battista Riccioli, Italian priest and astronomer (died 1671) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_Battista_Riccioli)
- 1734 Taksin, King of Thailand (died 1782) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taksin)
- 1837 J. P. Morgan, American banker and financier, founded J.P. Morgan & Co. (died 1913) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._P._Morgan)
- 1885 Karen Blixen, Danish writer (died 1962) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Blixen)
- 1897 Thornton Wilder, American novelist and playwright (died 1975) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thornton_Wilder)
- 1909 Alain Poher, French politician, President of France (died 1996) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alain_Poher)
- 1916 Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, world's first female prime minister (died 2000) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirimavo_Bandaranaike)
- 1918 William Holden, American actor (died 1981) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Holden)
- 1919 Chavela Vargas, Costa Rican-Mexican singer-songwriter and actress (died 2012) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chavela_Vargas)
- 1951 Olivia Hussey, Argentinian-English actress (died 2024) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olivia_Hussey)
- 1952 Joe Alaskey, American voice actor (died 2016) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Alaskey)
- 1952 Željko Ražnatović, Serbian commander "Arkan" (died 2000) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkan)
- 1957 Nick Hornby, English novelist, essayist, lyricist, and screenwriter [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Hornby)
- 1959 Sean Bean, English actor [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Bean)
- 1972 Jennifer Garner, American actress [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Garner)
- 1974 Victoria Beckham, English singer and fashion designer [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Beckham)
- 1985 Rooney Mara, American actress [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooney_Mara)
- 1985 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, French tennis player [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jo-Wilfried_Tsonga)
- 1986 Romain Grosjean, French race car driver [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romain_Grosjean)

## Died on April 17

- 485 Proclus, Greek mathematician and philosopher (born 412) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proclus)
- 858 Benedict III, pope of the Catholic Church [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Benedict_III)
- 1695 Juana Inés de la Cruz, Mexican poet and scholar (born 1651) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juana_In%C3%A9s_de_la_Cruz)
- 1696 Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de Sévigné, French author (born 1626) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_de_Rabutin-Chantal%2C_marquise_de_S%C3%A9vign%C3%A9)
- 1711 Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor (born 1678) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_I%2C_Holy_Roman_Emperor)
- 1790 Benjamin Franklin, American inventor, publisher, and politician, 6th President of Pennsylvania (born 1706) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin)
- 1942 Jean Baptiste Perrin, French-American physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1870) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Perrin)
- 1975 Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Indian philosopher and politician, 2nd President of India (born 1888) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarvepalli_Radhakrishnan)
- 1976 Henrik Dam, Danish biochemist and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1895) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henrik_Dam)
- 1993 Turgut Özal, Turkish engineer and politician, 8th president of Turkey (born 1927) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turgut_%C3%96zal)
- 1997 Chaim Herzog, Israeli general, lawyer, and politician, 6th President of Israel (born 1918) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaim_Herzog)
- 2014 Gabriel García Márquez, Colombian journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1927) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriel_Garc%C3%ADa_M%C3%A1rquez)
- 2018 Barbara Bush, American political matriarch and literacy advocate, First Lady of the United States (1989–1993), and Second Lady of the United States (1981–1989) (born 1925) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Bush)
- 2019 Alan García, Peruvian lawyer and politician, twice President of Peru (born 1949) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Garc%C3%ADa)

## Holidays and observances

- Christian feast day: Donnán of Eigg [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donn%C3%A1n_of_Eigg)
- Christian feast day: Henry Heath [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Heath_(martyr))
- Christian feast day: Kateri Tekakwitha (Canada) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kateri_Tekakwitha)
- Christian feast day: Robert of Molesme [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_of_Molesme)
- Christian feast day: Shemon bar Sabbae [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shemon_bar_Sabbae)
- Christian feast day: April 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_17_(Eastern_Orthodox_liturgics))
- Evacuation Day (Syria), celebrates the recognition of the independence of Syria from France in 1946. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_(Syria))
- FAO Day (Iraq) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_Iraq)
- Flag Day (American Samoa) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_American_Samoa)
- Malbec World Day [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malbec_World_Day)
- Women's Day (Gabon) [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_holidays_in_Gabon)
- World Hemophilia Day [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Federation_of_Hemophilia)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia — “April 17”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_17) — events, births, deaths and observances (text under CC BY-SA 4.0) (checked 2026-10-15)
- [Wikipedia — “Selected anniversaries/April 17”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Selected_anniversaries/April_17) — the anniversaries editors chose for the date and the article each one is about (checked 2026-10-15)
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/) — in how many language editions each entry's own article exists, used to fill the lists (CC0) (checked 2026-10-15)
- [vacanza/holidays (open-source holiday rules, MIT licence)](https://github.com/vacanza/holidays) — holiday rules used to build the lists (checked 2026-10-15)

The events, births, deaths and observances above are from the English Wikipedia article [“April 17”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_17) and the articles it links to ([authors and history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_17?action=history)), retrieved 2026-10-15 through the Wikimedia “On this day” feed. They are licensed under [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/); this selection is shared under the same licence. Every anniversary that Wikipedia's editors selected for April 17 stays on the list; the remaining places, up to 26 events, 22 births and 14 deaths, go to the entries whose own article — about the event itself, or else the person or thing it is about — appears in the most language editions (counted from Wikidata); an article about a person or thing, which covers far more than one day, counts half. An entry with no article of its own counts, also at half, by the least covered article it links, and one that links only places counts for nothing. Each list runs by year, and the wording is unchanged apart from removing references to pictures, audio and video.

## April 17 in the calendar

| Year | Weekday | ISO week | Moon (UTC) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 2026 | Friday | 2026-W16 | 🌑 New Moon |
| 2027 | Saturday | 2027-W15 | 🌔 Waxing Gibbous |
| 2028 | Monday | 2028-W16 | 🌘 Waning Crescent |
| 2029 | Tuesday | 2029-W16 | 🌒 Waxing Crescent |
| 2030 | Wednesday | 2030-W16 | 🌔 Waxing Gibbous |

Moon phases are for the day in UTC; at the edges of a phase your local date can differ.

## Public holidays on April 17

None of the 28 countries we track has a public holiday on April 17 in 2026 or 2027.

[Today's holidays in 28 countries →](https://whathappen.today/holidays/)

## Nearby dates

[← April 16](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/april-16/) · [April 18 →](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/april-18/)

[All 366 days](https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/)

Last updated: 15 October 2026

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Web page: https://whathappen.today/on-this-day/april-17/