Historical events on March 17
MARCH 17, 1917
World War I: Hugh Grosvenor, 2nd Duke of Westminster led a force to rescue 92 prisoners of war from Bir Hakeim, killing the Senussi guards and their families.
World War I or the First World War, also known as the Great War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the
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MARCH 17, 1979
The Penmanshiel Tunnel in the Scottish Borders collapsed during refurbishing construction, killing two workers, and leading to the abandonment of the tunnel.
Penmanshiel Tunnel is a now-disused railway tunnel near Grantshouse, Berwickshire, in the Scottish Borders region of Scotland. It was formerly part of
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MARCH 17, 1955
Ice hockey fans in Montreal rioted to protest the suspension of Montreal Canadiens star Maurice Richard for hitting an official.
Ice hockey is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to
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MARCH 17, 1991
In a referendum, nearly 70 percent of voters in nine Soviet republics agreed that the Soviet Union should be preserved.
A referendum on the future of the Soviet Union was held on 17 March 1991 across the Soviet Union. It was the
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MARCH 17, 1902
The Dorchester Heights Monument (pictured), memorializing the siege of Boston during the American Revolutionary War, was dedicated.
The Dorchester Heights Monument is a large public monument in the Dorchester Heights area of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The monument, consisting
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MARCH 17, 2004
Unrest in Kosovo broke out, resulting in the deaths of 28, the wounding of more than 600 others, and the destruction of several Serb Orthodox churches and shrines.
On 17–18 March 2004, violence erupted in Kosovo, leaving hundreds wounded and at least 19 people dead. The unrest was precipitated by
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MARCH 17, 1776
American Revolutionary War: The 11‑month Siege of Boston ended with the evacuation of the city's British garrison.
The American Revolutionary War, also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the
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MARCH 17, 2011
First Libyan Civil War: The United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1973, authorizing military intervention in Libya to protect civilians.
The Libyan civil war, also known as the First Libyan Civil War and Libyan Revolution, was an armed conflict in 2011 in
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MARCH 17, 1942
The Holocaust: The first mass killings of Jews began at Belzec extermination camp in occupied Poland, the first of the Operation Reinhard camps to begin operation.
The Holocaust, known in Hebrew as the Shoah (שואה), was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945,
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MARCH 17, 1963
An eruption of Mount Agung on Bali, Indonesia, killed at least 1,100 people.
Mount Agung is an active volcano in Karangasem Regency, Bali, Indonesia. It is located southeast of Mount Batur volcano, also in Bali.
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MARCH 17, 1337
Edward the Black Prince (pictured) 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
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MARCH 17, 1677
Franco-Dutch War: France captured the town of Valenciennes in the Spanish Netherlands.
The Franco-Dutch War, 1672 to 1678, was primarily fought by France and the Dutch Republic, with both sides backed at different times
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MARCH 17, 1950
Scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory announced the synthesis of californium, a radioactive transuranium element.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is a federally funded research and development center in the hills of Berkeley, California, United States. Established in
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MARCH 17, 1864
Second Schleswig War: In an attempt to end a Danish blockade, Eduard von Jachmann led a Prussian squadron in an attack against a Danish fleet led by Edvard van Dockum.
The Second Schleswig War, also sometimes known as the Dano-Prussian War or Prusso-Danish War, was the second military conflict over the Schleswig–Holstein
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MARCH 17, 1957
A plane crash on the slopes of Mount Manunggal killed Philippine president Ramon Magsaysay and 24 others.
On March 17, 1957, a Douglas C-47 Skytrain transport aircraft crashed on the slopes of Mount Manunggal on the island of Cebu,
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MARCH 17, 1968
Six thousand sheep were killed on ranches near Dugway Proving Ground in Utah as a result of the U.S. Army spraying a nerve agent.
Dugway Proving Ground (DPG) is a United States Army facility established in 1942 to test biological and chemical weapons, located about 85
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MARCH 17, 1452
Reconquista: 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 and cultural campaigns that European Christian kingdoms waged against the
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MARCH 17, 1973
Slava Veder took his Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph Burst of Joy, which came to symbolize the end of United States involvement in the Vietnam War.
The Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography is one of the American Pulitzer Prizes annually awarded for journalism. It recognizes a distinguished example
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MARCH 17, 1891
The transatlantic steamship Utopia accidentally collided with the battleship HMS Anson in the Bay of Gibraltar, sinking in less than twenty minutes and killing 562.
SS Utopia was a transatlantic passenger steamship built in 1874 by Robert Duncan & Co of Glasgow. From 1874 to 1882 she
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MARCH 17, 1988
Eritrean War of Independence: Eritrean People's Liberation Front troops encircled Ethiopian forces in the Battle of Afabet, gaining a decisive victory three days later.
The Eritrean War of Independence was an armed conflict and insurgency aimed at achieving self-determination and independence for Eritrea from Ethiopian rule.
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MARCH 17, 455
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.
Valentinian III was Roman emperor in the West from 425 to 455. Starting in childhood, his reign over the Roman Empire was
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