What happened today in history
March
What happened on March 17
On March 17 history recorded 38 notable events. 160 people who left a mark were born on this day, and 109 died. Here is the full almanac.
- 38events
- 160births
- 109deaths
- 10observances
Highlights
Highlights
455After arranging for the assassination of Valentinian III, Petronius Maximus secured the throne of the Western Roman Empire, only to be killed 11 weeks later during the sack of Rome.
Valentinian III was Roman emperor in the West from 425 to 455. Starting in childhood, his reign over the Roman Empire was one of the longest, but was dominated by civil wars among powerful generals and the barbarian invasions. He was the youngest sole emperor
1337Edward the Black Prince was created Duke of Cornwall, the first English dukedom.
Edward of Woodstock, known as the Black Prince, was the eldest son and heir apparent of King Edward III of England. He died before his father, and his son Richard II therefore succeeded to the throne instead. Edward was one of the most successful English comma
1452Reconquista: Combined Castilian and Murcian forces defeated the Emirate of Granada at the Battle of Los Alporchones around the city of Lorca.
The Reconquista or the fall of al-Andalus was a series of military campaigns by northern Iberian Christian polities against Muslim-ruled al-Andalus, which had previously been part of the Visigothic Kingdom before the Muslim Conquest of 711. The Reconquista con
March 17
On this day
I century BC
- 45 BC
45 BCIn his last victory, Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger in the Battle of Munda.
II century
V century
XIV century
XVIII century
XIX century
- 1805
1805The Italian Republic, with Napoleon as president, becomes the Kingdom of Italy, with Napoleon as King of Italy. - 1824
1824The Anglo-Dutch Treaty is signed in London, dividing the Malay archipelago. As a result, the Malay Peninsula is dominated by the British, while Sumatra and Java and surrounding areas are dominated by the Dutch. - 1842
1842The Female Relief Society of Nauvoo is formally organized with Emma Smith as president. - 1860
1860The First Taranaki War begins in Taranaki, New Zealand, a major phase of the New Zealand Wars. - 1861
1861The Kingdom of Italy is proclaimed. - 1862
1862The first railway line of Finland between cities of Helsinki and Hämeenlinna, called Päärata, is officially opened. - 1891
1891SS Utopia collides with HMS Anson in the Bay of Gibraltar and sinks, killing 562 of the 880 passengers on board.
XX century
- 1921
1921The Second Polish Republic adopts the March Constitution. - 1942
1942Holocaust: The first Jews from the Lvov Ghetto are gassed at the Belzec death camp in what is today eastern Poland. - 1945
1945World War II: The Ludendorff Bridge in Remagen, Germany, collapses, ten days after its capture. - 1948
1948Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom sign the Treaty of Brussels, a precursor to the North Atlantic Treaty establishing NATO. - 1950
1950Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley announce the creation of element 98, which they name "californium". - 1957
1957A plane crash in Cebu, Philippines kills Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay and 24 others. - 1958
1958The United States launches the first solar-powered satellite, which is also the first satellite to achieve a long-term orbit. - 1960
1960U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs the National Security Council directive on the anti-Cuban covert action program that will ultimately lead to the Bay of Pigs Invasion. - 1960
1960Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 710 crashes in Tobin Township, Perry County, Indiana, killing 63. - 1963
1963Mount Agung erupts on Bali killing more than 1,100 people. - 1966
1966Off the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean, the DSV Alvin submarine finds a missing American hydrogen bomb. - 1968
1968As a result of nerve gas testing by the U.S. Army Chemical Corps in Skull Valley, Utah, over 6,000 sheep are found dead. - 1969
1969Golda Meir becomes the first female Prime Minister of Israel. - 1973
1973The Pulitzer Prize–winning photograph Burst of Joy is taken, depicting a former prisoner of war being reunited with his family, which came to symbolize the end of United States involvement in the Vietnam War. - 1979
1979The Penmanshiel Tunnel collapses during engineering works, killing two workers. - 1979
1979Aeroflot Flight 1691 crashes on approach to Vnukovo International Airport, killing 58. - 1985
1985Serial killer Richard Ramirez, aka the "Night Stalker", commits the first two murders in his Los Angeles murder spree. - 1988
1988A Colombian Boeing 727 jetliner, Avianca Flight 410, crashes into a mountainside near the Venezuelan border killing 143. - 1988
1988Eritrean War of Independence: The Nadew Command, an Ethiopian army corps in Eritrea, is attacked on three sides by military units of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front in the opening action of the Battle of Afabet. - 1992
1992Israeli Embassy attack in Buenos Aires: Car bomb attack kills 29 and injures 242. - 1992
1992A referendum to end apartheid in South Africa is passed 68.7% to 31.2%. - 2000
2000Five hundred and thirty members of the Ugandan cult Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God die in a fire, considered to be a mass murder or suicide orchestrated by leaders of the cult. Elsewhere another 248 members are later found dead.
XXI century
- 2003
2003Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council, Robin Cook, resigns from the British Cabinet in disagreement with government plans for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. - 2004
2004Unrest in Kosovo: More than 22 are killed and 200 wounded. Thirty-five Serbian Orthodox shrines in Kosovo and two mosques in Serbia are destroyed. - 2016
2016Rojava conflict: At a conference in Rmelan, the Movement for a Democratic Society declares the establishment of the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria.
Best known
Born on March 17
Best known
Died on March 17
Holidays and observances
- Birthday of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (Bangladesh)
- Children's Day (Bangladesh)
- Christian feast day: Alexius of Rome (Eastern Church)
- Christian feast day: Gertrude of Nivelles
- Christian feast day: John Sarkander
- Christian feast day: Joseph of Arimathea (Western Church)
- Christian feast day: Patrick of Ireland
- Christian feast day: March 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
- Evacuation Day (Suffolk County, Massachusetts)
- Saint Patrick's Day, a public holiday in Ireland, Montserrat and the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, widely celebrated in the English-speaking world and to a lesser degree in other parts of the world.
Frequently asked questions
What happened on March 17?
38 documented historical events happened on March 17, from antiquity to the present day. The best known is this: After arranging for the assassination of Valentinian III, Petronius Maximus secured the throne of the Western Roman Empire, only to be killed 11 weeks later during the sack of Rome. On the same day, in another year: Edward the Black Prince was created Duke of Cornwall, the first English dukedom. On Almanaccolo every event is listed in chronological order, grouped by century, and links to the Wikipedia article it comes from, so you can always read further or check the source. Alongside the events you find who was born and who died on this date, and which observances are celebrated around the world.
Who was born on March 17?
160 people with a Wikipedia article were born on March 17, including Jean Van Houtte, Brigitte Helm, Sonny Werblin. The list spans every era and every field — art, science, politics, sport, entertainment — ordered by year of birth, from the earliest to the most recent. The six featured people are those most has been written about: the ordering uses the length of their Wikipedia article as an indicator of prominence. For each one you find their occupation, year of birth and a link to the full biography.
Who died on March 17?
109 people with a Wikipedia article died on March 17, including AD 180, Gertrude of Nivelles, Harold Harefoot. The list is in chronological order by year of death and spans all of documented history, from antiquity to the present day. For each person you find their occupation, the year and a link to the Wikipedia biography, where the full story and its sources can be read.
What is celebrated on March 17?
10 observances are celebrated on March 17 around the world: Birthday of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (Bangladesh), Children's Day (Bangladesh), Christian feast day: Alexius of Rome (Eastern Church), Christian feast day: Gertrude of Nivelles, Christian feast day: John Sarkander, Christian feast day: Joseph of Arimathea (Western Church). The list gathers national holidays, international days and religious or civil observances falling on this date in different countries, as recorded on Wikipedia. Some are fixed and recur on the same day every year; others depend on the local calendar. Each links to the article explaining its origin and meaning.
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Source: Wikipedia · Calendar