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Historical events on February 17

FEBRUARY 17, 1913
The Armory Show, the first large modern-art exhibition in the United States, opened at the 69th Regiment Armory in New York City.
The 1913 Armory Show, also known as the International Exhibition of Modern Art, was organized by the Association of American Painters and Read More
FEBRUARY 17, 1815
The United States ratifies the Treaty of Ghent – signed in late 1814 – formally ending the War of 1812.
The Treaty of Ghent was the peace treaty that ended the War of 1812 between the United States and the United Kingdom. Read More
FEBRUARY 17, 1621
Myles Standish was elected the first commander of the militia of Plymouth Colony.
Myles Standish was an English military officer and colonist. He was hired as military adviser for Plymouth Colony in present-day Massachusetts, United Read More
FEBRUARY 17, 1978
The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army carried out a bombing of a restaurant near Belfast, Northern Ireland, killing twelve people and injuring thirty 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
FEBRUARY 17, 1944
World War II: The U.S. Navy began Operation Hailstone, a massive naval air and surface attack against the Japanese naval and air base at Chuuk Lagoon in the Caroline Islands.
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
FEBRUARY 17, 1964
Gabonese military officers overthrew President Léon M'ba, but French forces, honouring a 1960 treaty, forcibly reinstated him two days later.
The 1964 Gabonese coup d'état was staged between 17 and 19 February 1964 by Gabonese military officers who rose against Gabonese President Read More
FEBRUARY 17, 1904
Italian composer Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly premiered at La Scala in Milan to poor reviews, forcing him to revise the opera.
Giacomo Puccini was an Italian composer known primarily for his operas. Regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of Italian opera Read More
FEBRUARY 17, 1838
Zulu impis massacred about 532 Voortrekkers, Khoekhoe, and Basuto near present-day Weenen, South Africa.
Impi is a Nguni word meaning war or combat and by association any body of men gathered for war, for example impi Read More
FEBRUARY 17, 1959
Vanguard 2 (model pictured), the first weather satellite, was launched to measure cloud cover distribution.
Vanguard 2 is an Earth-orbiting satellite launched 17 February 1959 at 15:55:02 GMT, aboard a Vanguard SLV-4 rocket as part of the Read More
FEBRUARY 17, 2011
Arab Spring: Bahraini security forces killed four protesters in a pre-dawn raid at the Pearl Roundabout in Manama, while the "Day of Rage" took place in Libya with nationwide protests against Muammar Gaddafi's government.
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
FEBRUARY 17, 1974
A U.S. Army soldier stole a Bell UH-1 helicopter (pictured) and landed it on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C.
The Bell UH-1 Iroquois is a utility military helicopter designed and produced by the American aerospace company Bell Helicopter. It is the Read More
FEBRUARY 17, 1894
Rudolf Diesel's first working diesel engine ran for one minute.
Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel was a German inventor and mechanical engineer who invented the Diesel engine, which burns Diesel fuel; both are named after him.
FEBRUARY 17, 1859
Cochinchina campaign: French Navy forces captured the Citadel of Saigon, defended by 1,000 Vietnamese soldiers of the Nguyễn dynasty.
The Cochinchina campaign was a series of military operations between 1858 and 1862, launched by a joint naval expedition force on behalf Read More

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