June 17 in History

2021 5 years ago

Juneteenth National Independence Day, was signed into law by President Joe Biden, to become the first federal holiday es

Juneteenth, officially Juneteenth National Independence Day, is a federal holiday in the United States. It is celebrated annually on June 19 to commemorate the end of slavery in t…

Juneteenth National Independence Day, was signed into law by President Joe Biden, to become the first federal holiday es

2017

A series of wildfires in central Portugal kill at least 64 people and injure 204 others

A series of four initial deadly wildfires erupted across central Portugal in the afternoon of 17 June 2017 within minutes of each other, resulting in at least 66 deaths and 204 in…

A series of wildfires in central Portugal kill at least 64 people and injure 204 others

2015

Nine people are killed in a mass shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina

On June 17, 2015, an anti-black mass shooting and hate crime occurred in Charleston, South Carolina. Nine people were killed and another injured during a Bible study at the Emanue…

Nine people are killed in a mass shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina

1994

Following a televised low-speed highway chase, O

Orenthal James Simpson, nicknamed "the Juice", was an American football player, actor, and media personality. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons—nine w…

Following a televised low-speed highway chase, O

1992

A "joint understanding" agreement on arms reduction is signed by U

George Herbert Walker Bush was the 41st president of the United States, serving from 1989 to 1993. Bush was Ronald Reagan's vice president from 1981 to 1989. He was the father of …

A "joint understanding" agreement on arms reduction is signed by U

1991 35 years ago

Apartheid: The South African Parliament repeals the Population Registration Act which required racial classification of

Apartheid was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa from 1948 to the early 1990s. It was characterised by an authorit…

Apartheid: The South African Parliament repeals the Population Registration Act which required racial classification of

1989

Interflug Flight 102 crashes during a rejected takeoff from Berlin Schönefeld Airport, killing 21 people

Interflug Flight 102 ended in a crash involving an Ilyushin Il-62M on 17 June 1989. The aircraft, while attempting to take off from Berlin Schönefeld Airport, East Germany, crashe…

Interflug Flight 102 crashes during a rejected takeoff from Berlin Schönefeld Airport, killing 21 people

1987

With the death of the last individual of the species, the dusky seaside sparrow becomes extinct

The dusky seaside sparrow is an extinct non-migratory subspecies of the seaside sparrow, found in Florida in the natural salt marshes of Merritt Island and along the St. Johns Riv…

With the death of the last individual of the species, the dusky seaside sparrow becomes extinct

1985

Space Shuttle program: STS-51-G mission: Space Shuttle Discovery launches carrying Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Sa

The Space Shuttle program was the fourth human spaceflight program carried out by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which accomplished routine transpo…

Space Shuttle program: STS-51-G mission: Space Shuttle Discovery launches carrying Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Sa

1972

Watergate scandal: Five White House operatives are arrested for burgling the offices of the Democratic National Committe

The Watergate scandal, or simply Watergate, was a political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon. On June 17, 1972, operatives asso…

Watergate scandal: Five White House operatives are arrested for burgling the offices of the Democratic National Committe

1971 55 years ago

U

Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he represented California in …

U

1967

Nuclear weapons testing: China announces a successful test of its first thermonuclear weapon

Nuclear weapons tests are experiments carried out to determine the performance of nuclear weapons and the effects of their explosion. Over 2,000 nuclear weapons tests have been ca…

Nuclear weapons testing: China announces a successful test of its first thermonuclear weapon

1963

The United States Supreme Court rules 8–1 in Abington School District v

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal co…

The United States Supreme Court rules 8–1 in Abington School District v

1963

A day after South Vietnamese president Ngô Đình Diệm announced the Joint Communiqué to end the Buddhist crisis, a riot i

This is a list of leaders of South Vietnam, since the establishment of the Autonomous Republic of Cochinchina in 1946, the establishment of the State of Vietnam in 1949, and the d…

A day after South Vietnamese president Ngô Đình Diệm announced the Joint Communiqué to end the Buddhist crisis, a riot i

1960

The Nez Perce tribe is awarded $4 million for 7 million acres (28,000 km2) of land undervalued at four cents/acre in the

The Nez Perce are an Indigenous people of the Plateau who still live on a fraction of the lands on the southeastern Columbia River Plateau in the Pacific Northwest. This region ha…

The Nez Perce tribe is awarded $4 million for 7 million acres (28,000 km2) of land undervalued at four cents/acre in the

1958

The Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing, in the process of being built to connect Vancouver and North Vancouver

The Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing, also called the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge and Second Narrows Bridge, is the second bridge constructed at the Second (east) Narr…

The Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing, in the process of being built to connect Vancouver and North Vancouver

1953

Cold War: East Germany Workers Uprising: In East Germany, the Soviet Union orders a division of troops into East Berlin

The Cold War was a period of international geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc…

Cold War: East Germany Workers Uprising: In East Germany, the Soviet Union orders a division of troops into East Berlin

1952

Guatemala passes Decree 900, ordering the redistribution of uncultivated land

Decree 900, also known as the Agrarian Reform Law, was a Guatemalan land-reform law passed on June 17, 1952, during the Guatemalan Revolution. The law was introduced by President …

Guatemala passes Decree 900, ordering the redistribution of uncultivated land

1948

United Airlines Flight 624, a Douglas DC-6, crashes near Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania, killing all 43 people on board

United Air Lines Flight 624 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from San Diego, California, to New York City, with stopovers in Los Angeles and Chicago. The four-engined, pr…

United Airlines Flight 624, a Douglas DC-6, crashes near Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania, killing all 43 people on board

1944

Iceland declares independence from Denmark and becomes a republic

Iceland is a Nordic island country between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean, located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between Europe and North America. It is culturally and …

Iceland declares independence from Denmark and becomes a republic