Today June 17th 2009 this day in history Read more below to view events, deaths, births, Holidays observances and video clips. Last database updated: Jan 17th, 2009
Events
1462 – Vlad III the Impaler attempts to assassinate Mehmed II (The Night Attack) forcing him to retreat from Wallachia.
1497 – Battle of Deptford Bridge – forces under King Henry VII soundly defeat troops led by Michael An Gof.
1565 – Matsunaga Hisahide assassinates the 13th Ashikaga shogun, Ashikaga Yoshiteru.
1579 – Sir Francis Drake claims a land he calls Nova Albion (modern California) for England.
1631 – Mumtaz Mahal dies during childbirth. Her husband, Mughal emperor Shah Jahan I, then spends more than 20 years building her tomb, the Taj Mahal.
1773 – Cúcuta, Colombia is founded by Juana Rangel de Cuéllar
1775 – American Revolutionary War: Battle of Bunker Hill
1789 – In France, the Third Estate declares itself the national assembly.
1839 – In the Kingdom of Hawaii, Kamehameha III issues the Edict of toleration which gives Roman Catholics the freedom to worship in the Hawaiian Islands. The Hawaii Catholic Church and the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace is later established as a result.
1863 – Battle of Aldie in the Gettysburg Campaign of the American Civil War.
1876 – Indian Wars: Battle of the Rosebud – 1,500 Sioux and Cheyenne led by Crazy Horse beat back General George Crook s forces at Rosebud Creek in Montana Territory.
1877 – Indian Wars: Battle of White Bird Canyon – the Nez Perce defeat the US Cavalry at White Bird Canyon in the Idaho Territory.
1885 – The Statue of Liberty arrives in New York Harbor.
1898 – The United States Navy Hospital Corps is established.
1901 – The College Board introduces its first standardized test, the forerunner to the SAT.
1930 – U.S. President Herbert Hoover signs the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act into law.
1932 – Bonus Army: around a thousand World War I veterans amass at the United States Capitol as the U.S. Senate considers a bill that would give them certain benefits.
1933 – Union Station Massacre: in Kansas City, Missouri, four FBI agents and captured fugitive Frank Nash were gunned down by gangsters attempting to free Nash.
1939 – Last public guillotining in France. Eugen Weidmann, a convicted murderer, is guillotined in Versailles outside the prison Saint-Pierre.
1940 – World War II: Operation Ariel begins – Allied troops start to evacuate France, following Germany s takeover of Paris and most of the nation.
1940 – World War II: sinking of the RMS Lancastria by the Luftwaffe near Saint-Nazaire, France.
1940 – World War II: the British Army s 11th Hussars assault and take Fort Capuzzo in Libya, Africa from Italian forces.
1940 – The three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania fall under the occupation of the Soviet Union.
1944 – Iceland declares independence from Denmark and becomes a republic
1948 – A Douglas DC-6 carrying United Airlines Flight 624 crashes near Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania, killing all 43 people on board.
1953 – Workers Uprising: in East Germany, the Soviet Union orders a division of troops into East Berlin to quell a rebellion.
1958 – The Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing being built connecting Vancouver and North Vancouver, Canada, collapses into the Burrard Inlet, killing many of the ironworkers and injuring others.
1958 – The Wooden Roller Coaster at Playland, which is in the Pacific National Exhibition, Vancouver, Canada opened, and is still open to this day
1961 – The New Democratic Party of Canada is founded with the merger of the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) and the Canadian Labour Congress.
1963 – The United States Supreme Court rules 8 to 1 in Abington School District v. Schempp against allowing the reciting of Bible verses and the Lord s Prayer in public schools.
1972 – Watergate scandal: five White House operatives are arrested for burglarizing the offices of the Democratic National Committee, in an attempt by some members of the Republican party to illegally wiretap the opposition.
1987 – With the death of the last individual, the Dusky Seaside Sparrow becomes extinct.
1991 – Apartheid: the South African Parliament repeals the Population Registration Act, which had required all racial classification of all South Africans at birth.
1992 – A Joint Understanding agreement on arms reduction is signed by U.S. President George H. W. Bush and Russian President Boris Yeltsin (this would be later codified in START II).
1994 – Following a televised low-speed highway chase and a failed attempt at suicide, O.J. Simpson is arrested for the murders of his wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman.
2008 – First day of legal same-sex marriage in California
Births
1239 – King Edward I of England (d. 1307)
1603 – Joseph of Cupertino, Italian saint (d. 1663)
1682 – King Charles XII of Sweden (d. 1718)
1691 – Giovanni Paolo Pannini, Italian painter and architect (d. 1765)
1693 – Johann Georg Walch, German theologian (d. 1775)
1704 – John Kay, English inventor (d. 1780)
1714 – Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten, German philosopher (d. 1762)
1714 – César-François Cassini de Thury, French astronomer (d. 1784)
1718 – George Howard, British field marshal (d. 1796)
1742 – William Hooper, American signer of the Declaration of Independence (d. 1790)
1808 – Henrik Wergeland, Norwegian author (d. 1845)
1810 – Ferdinand Freiligrath, German writer (d. 1876)
1811 – Jón Sigurðsson, Icelandic independence fighter (d. 1879)
1818 – Charles Gounod, French composer (d. 1893)
1818 – Sophie of Württemberg, queen of the Netherlands (d. 1877)
1832 – Sir William Crookes, English physicist and chemist (d. 1919)
1839 – Arthur Tooth, English Anglican Clergyman (d. 1931)
1858 – Ebenezer Sumner Draper, 44th Governor of Massachusetts (d. 1914)
1861 – Pete Browning, American baseball player (d. 1905)
1861 – Omar Bundy, American army general (d. 1940)
1863 – Duke Charles Michael of Mecklenburg, head of the House of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (d. 1934)
1867 – John Robert Gregg, American inventor (d. 1948)
1867 – Henry Lawson, Australian poet (d. 1922)
1880 – Carl Van Vechten, American writer and photographer (d. 1964)
1881 – Tommy Burns, Canadian boxer (d. 1955)
1882 – Adolf Friedrich VI, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (d. 1918)
1882 – Igor Stravinsky, Russian composer (d. 1971)
1888 – Heinz Guderian, German General (d. 1954)
1898 – M. C. Escher, Dutch artist (d. 1972)
1898 – Carl Hermann, German physicist (d. 1961)
1900 – Martin Bormann, Nazi official (d. 1945)
1902 – Sammy Fain, American popular music composer (d. 1989)
1902 – Alec Hurwood, Australian cricketer (d. 1982)
1903 – Ruth Wakefield, American cook and hotelier (d. 1977)
1904 – Ralph Bellamy, American actor (d. 1991)
1907 – Maurice Cloche, French film director and screenwriter (d. 1990)
1907 – Charles Eames, American designer and architect (d. 1978)
1909 – Elmer Lee Andersen, Governor of Minnesota (d. 2004)
1909 – Ralph E. Winters, Canadian film editor (d. 2004)
1910 – Red Foley, American musician (d. 1968)
1910 – George Hees, Canadian politician (d. 1996)
1914 – John Hersey, American author (d. 1993)
1915 – David Stringbean Akeman, American musician and actor (d. 1973)
1915 – Karl Targownik, Hungarian psychiatrist (d. 1996)
1917 – Atle Selberg, Norwegian mathematician (d. 2007)
1918 – Ajahn Chah, Buddhist meditation master (d. 1992)
1920 – Jacob H. Gilbert, American politician (d. 1981)
1920 – François Jacob, French biologist, Nobel laureate
1923 – Elroy Hirsch, American football player (d. 2004)
1927 – Martin Böttcher, German conductor
1929 – Tigran Petrosian, Armenian chess player (d. 1984)
1930 – Brian Statham, English cricketer (d. 2000)
1931 – John Baldessari, American artist
1932 – Peter Lupus, American actor
1932 – John Murtha, American politician
1933 – Harry Browne, American writer and investment analyst (d. 2006)
1933 – Christian Ferras, French violinist (d. 1982)
1933 – Maurice Stokes, American basketball player (d. 1970)
1936 – Ken Loach, British film director
1940 – George Akerlof, American economist, Nobel laureate
1942 – Mohamed ElBaradei, Egyptian IAEA director, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize
1943 – Newt Gingrich, American politician
1943 – Barry Manilow, American musician
1943 – Burt Rutan, American aerospace engineer
1944 – Randy Johnson, American football player
1945 – Frank Ashmore, American actor
1945 – Tommy Franks, American General
1945 – Ken Livingstone, English politician
1945 – Eddy Merckx, Belgian cyclist
1946 – Peter Rosei, Austrian writer
1947 – Christopher Allport, American actor (d. 2008)
1947 – George S. Clinton, American composer and musician
1947 – Paul Young, English singer and percussionist (d. 2000)
1948 – Dave Concepción, Venezuelan baseball player
1948 – Aurelio López, Mexican baseball player (d. 1992)
1949 – Snakefinger, British-born musician (d. 1987)
1950 – Lee Tamahori, New Zealand film director
1951 – Joe Piscopo, American actor
1952 – Mike Milbury, American ice hockey player, coach and executive
1955 – Gail Jones, Australian author
1957 – Phil Chevron, Irish musician (The Pogues, The Radiators From Space)
1957 – Martin Dillon, American opera singer (d. 2005)
1957 – Jon Gries, American actor
1957 – Jack Wouterse, Dutch actor
1958 – Jello Biafra, American musician and activist
1958 – Bobby Farrelly, American film director
1958 – Sam Hamad, Syrian-born Canadian politician
1958 – Derek Lee Ragin, American countertenor
1960 – Adrián Campos, Spanish racing driver
1960 – Thomas Haden Church, American actor
1961 – Koichi Yamadera, Japanese seiyu, actor and tarento
1962 – Michael Monroe, Finnish singer (Hanoi Rocks)
1963 – Greg Kinnear, American actor
1964 – Rinaldo Capello, Italian racing driver
1964 – Michael Gross, German swimmer
1964 – Erin Murphy, American actress
1965 – Dermontti Dawson, American football player
1966 – Jason Patric, American actor
1967 – Eric Stefani, American musician
1968 – Minoru Suzuki, Japanese professional wrestler
1969 – Paul Tergat, Kenyan athlete
1970 – Stéphane Fiset, Canadian ice hockey player
1970 – Will Forte, American writer, actor and comedian
1970 – Jason Hanson, American football player
1970 – Michael Showalter, American comedian
1970 – Sasha Sokol, Mexican singer and actress
1971 – Mildred Fox, Irish politician
1971 – Paulina Rubio, Mexican singer
1972 – Sebastian White, English musician
1973 – Krayzie Bone, American rapper (Bone Thugs-N-Harmony)
1973 – Louis Leterrier, French film director
1973 – Leander Paes, Indian tennis player
1973 – Christian Claudio, Puerto Rican Business Consultant
1974 – Evangelia Psarra, Greek archer
1975 – Jennifer Irwin, Canadian actress
1975 – Chloe Jones, American pornographic actress (d. 2005)
1975 – Joshua Leonard, American actor
1976 – Sven Nys, Belgian mountainbiker
1977 – Roger Manganelli, American bassist (Less Than Jake)
1977 – Mark Tauscher, American football player
1977 – Branko Tomovic, Serbian actor
1978 – Kumiko Aso, Japanese actress
1978 – Isabelle Delobel, French European ice dancer
1979 – Nick Rimando, American soccer player
1980 – Kimeru, Japanese singer
1980 – Venus Williams, American tennis player
1981 – Kyle Boller, American football quarterback
1981 – Amrita Rao, Bollywood actress
1981 – Shane Watson, Australian cricket all-rounder
1982 – Marek Svatoš, Slovakian ice hockey player
1983 – Connie Fisher, English stage actress
1983 – Kazunari Ninomiya, Japanese singer and actor
1983 – Lee Ryan, British singer (Blue)
1984 – John Gallagher Jr., American stage actor
1985 – Marcos Baghdatis, Cypriot professional tennis player
1985 – Rafael Sóbis, Brazilian footballer
1988 – Andrew Ogilvy, Australian basketball player
Deaths
900 – Fulk the Venerable, Archbishop of Rheims (assassinated by Count Baldwin II of Flanders)
1025 – Boleslaw I the Brave, first king of Poland
1091 – Dirk V, Count of Holland (b. 1052)
1463 – Princess Catherine of Portugal, writer (b. 1436)
1565 – Ashikaga Yoshiteru, Japanese shogun (b. 1536)
1694 – Philip Cardinal Howard, English Catholic Cardinal (b. 1629)
1696 – John III Sobieski, King of Poland (b. 1629)
1719 – Joseph Addison, English politician and writer (b. 1672)
1734 – Claude-Louis-Hector de Villars, Marshal of France (b. 1653)
1740 – Sir William Wyndham, English politician (b. 1687)
1762 – Prosper Jolyot de Crébillon, French writer (b. 1674)
1775 – Major John Pitcairn, British marine (killed in battle) (b. 1722)
1797 – Agha Muhammad Khan, Shah of Persia (b. 1742)
1813 – Charles Middleton, 1st Baron Barham, English sailor and politician (b. 1726)
1821 – Martín Miguel de Güemes Argentine military leader (b. 1785)
1858 – Rani Lakshmibai, queen of Jhansi in North India, one of the leading figures of the Indian rebellion of 1857 (b. 1828)
1898 – Edward Burne-Jones, English artist (b. 1833)
1904 – Nikolai Ivanovich Bobrikov, Russian politician, Governor-General of Finland (assassinated) (b. 1839)
1939 – Allen Sothoron, American baseball player (b. 1893)
1940 – Arthur Harden, English chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1865)
1941 – Johan Wagenaar, Dutch composer and organist (b. 1862)
1942 – Charles Fitzpatrick, Canadian politician (b. 1853)
1952 – Jack Parsons, American rocket-fuel pioneer and renegade occultist (b. 1914)
1956 – Paul Rostock, German doctor (b. 1892)
1956 – Bob Sweikert, American racing driver (b. 1926)
1957 – Dorothy Richardson, English writer (b. 1873)
1961 – Jeff Chandler, American actor (b. 1918)
1963 – Aleksander Kesküla, Estonian politician and nationalist (b. 1882)
1968 – José Nasazzi, Uruguayan footballer (b. 1901)
1974 – Pamela Britton, American actress (b. 1923)
1979 – Duffy Lewis, baseball player (b. 1888)
1981 – Richard O Connor, British general (b. 1889)
1981 – Zerna Sharp, American writer and educator (Dick and Jane) (b. 1889)
1982 – Roberto Calvi, Italian banker (b. 1920)
1983 – Peter Mennin, American composer and teacher (b. 1923)
1986 – Kate Smith, American singer (God Bless America) (b. 1907)
1987 – Dick Howser, American baseball player and manager (b. 1936)
1996 – Thomas Kuhn, American philosopher of science (b. 1922)
1999 – Basil Hume, Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, England (b. 1923)
2000 – Ismail Mahomed, South African and Namibian Chief Justice (d. 1931)
2001 – Donald J. Cram, American chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1919)
2001 – Thomas Joseph Winning, Cardinal Archbishop of Glasgow, Scotland (b. 1925)
2002 – Willie Davenport, American athlete (b. 1943)
2002 – Fritz Walter, German footballer (b. 1920)
2004 – Gerry McNeil, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1926)
2005 – Karl Mueller, American bassist (Soul Asylum) (b. 1962)
2005 – Sam Loeb, comic book writer (b. 1988)
2006 – Cláudio Besserman Vianna, aka Bussunda, Brazilian comedian (b. 1962)
2006 – Arthur Franz, American actor (b. 1920)
2007 – Gianfranco Ferrè, Italian fashion designer (b. 1944)
2007 – Serena Wilson, American belly dancer (b. 1933)
2008 – Tsutomu Miyazaki, Japanese serial killer (b. 1962)
2008 – Cyd Charisse, American dancer and actress (b. 1922)
Holidays and observances
Iceland s national day, celebrating independence from Denmark in 1944.
National holiday of West Germany until 1990, see Workers Uprising of 1953 in East Germany.
Saint Albert Chmielowski
Saint Gondulf
Saint Hervé patron of the blind
Saint Hypatius of Bithynia
Saint Rainier
Saint Botolph, Abbot (d. c. 680)
