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Historical events on December 17

DECEMBER 17, 1945
The modern flag of Kurdistan was raised for the first time in Mahabad, Iran.
The flag of Kurdistan is the flag of Kurds and was created by the Society for the Rise of Kurdistan in 1920. Read More
DECEMBER 17, 1939
World War II: After sustaining moderate damage in the Battle of the River Plate two days earlier, the German cruiser Graf Spee was scuttled by its commander, Hans Langsdorff, to avoid its internment by Uruguay.
World War II or the Second World War was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all Read More
DECEMBER 17, 1583
Cologne War: Forces under Ernest of Bavaria defeated Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg's troops at the siege of Godesberg.
The Cologne War was a conflict between Protestant and Catholic factions that devastated the Electorate of Cologne, a historical ecclesiastical principality of Read More
DECEMBER 17, 1790
The Aztec sun stone, now a modern symbol of Mexican culture, was excavated in the Zócalo, the main square of Mexico City.
The Aztec sun stone is a late post-classic Mexica sculpture housed in the National Anthropology Museum in Mexico City, and is perhaps Read More
DECEMBER 17, 942
William Longsword of Normandy was ambushed and assassinated by supporters of Arnulf I, Count of Flanders, while both were at a peace conference to settle their differences.
William Longsword was the second ruler of Normandy, from 927 until his assassination in 942.
DECEMBER 17, 2016
The first victims of a mass methanol poisoning which eventually killed over 70 inhabitants of Irkutsk, Russia, began arriving at hospitals.
In December 2016, over 70 people died of methanol poisoning in the Russian city of Irkutsk. Caused by the consumption of adulterated Read More
DECEMBER 17, 1990
American gay rights activist William E. Woods brought three same-sex couples to fill out marriage licenses in Honolulu, leading to the eventual legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) movements are social movements that advocate for LGBTQ people in society. (Image Credits)
DECEMBER 17, 1903
Aboard the Wright Flyer (pictured) in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville and Wilbur Wright conducted the first successful flights of a powered fixed-wing aircraft.
The Wright Flyer made the first sustained flight by a manned heavier-than-air powered and controlled aircraft on December 17, 1903. Invented and Read More
DECEMBER 17, 1970
Polish soldiers fired at workers (memorial pictured) emerging from trains in Gdynia, beginning the government's crackdown on mass anti-communist protests across the country.
The 1970 Polish protests, also known as the December 1970 Events and the Coast Massacre, occurred in northern Poland from 14–19 December Read More
DECEMBER 17, 2010
Arab Spring: Mohamed Bouazizi, a street vendor in Sidi Bouzid, set himself on fire in protest against police harassment, triggering the Tunisian revolution.
The Arab Spring was a series of anti-government protests, uprisings, and armed rebellions that spread across much of the Arab world in Read More
DECEMBER 17, 1989
The Simpsons, the longest running American prime-time entertainment series, made its debut on the Fox television network with the episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire".
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for Read More
DECEMBER 17, 1948
The Finnish Security Police was established to remove communist leadership from its predecessor, the State Police.
The Finnish Security and Intelligence Service, formerly the Finnish Security Police and Finnish Security Intelligence Service, is the security and intelligence agency Read More
DECEMBER 17, 1862
American Civil War: Union General Ulysses S. Grant issued General Order No. 11, expelling Jews from Tennessee, Mississippi, and Kentucky.
The American Civil War was a civil war in the United States between the Union and the Confederacy, which was formed in Read More
DECEMBER 17, 1926
A coup d'état by the Lithuanian military replaced the democratically elected President Kazys Grinius with Antanas Smetona.
The 1926 Lithuanian coup d'état was a military coup d'état in Lithuania that replaced the democratically elected government with a authoritarian regime Read More
DECEMBER 17, 1944
Nazi troops under Joachim Peiper killed unarmed prisoners of war, captured during the Battle of the Bulge, with machine guns near Malmedy, Belgium.
Joachim Peiper was a German Schutzstaffel (SS) colonel, convicted war criminal and car salesman. During the Second World War in Europe, Peiper Read More
DECEMBER 17, 497 BC
The temple to the Roman god Saturn was dedicated in the Roman Forum; its anniversary was celebrated as Saturnalia.
The Temple of Saturn was an ancient Roman temple to the god Saturn, in what is now Rome, Italy. Its ruins stand Read More
DECEMBER 17, 1983
The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army detonated a car bomb outside Harrods in London, killing six people and injuring about 90 others.
The Troubles were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted for about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also Read More
DECEMBER 17, 1918
About 1,000 demonstrators marched (pictured) on Government House in Darwin, Australia, where they burned an effigy of Administrator John Gilruth and demanded his resignation.
The Darwin rebellion of 17 December 1918 was the culmination of unrest in the Australian Workers' Union which had existed between 1911 Read More
DECEMBER 17, 1967
Harold Holt, the prime minister of Australia, disappeared while swimming near Portsea, Victoria; his body was never recovered.
Harold Edward Holt was an Australian politician and lawyer who served as the 17th prime minister of Australia from 1966 until his Read More

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