June 17 in history — What Happened Today in History
June 17 in history is full of turning points. This page walks you through what happened on June 17 in history, who was born on June 17 and who passed away on June 17, so nothing about this day slips past you.
On this page, June 17 in history is arranged as a timeline of major events in reverse order, with birthdays and deaths in their own sections, plus a short FAQ about June 17 in history at the bottom.
Major Events on June 17 in History 40
- 2021
Juneteenth National Independence Day is signed into law by President Joe Biden, to become the first federal holiday established since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983.
- 2017
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.
- 1994
Following a televised low-speed highway chase, O. J. Simpson is arrested for the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman.
- 1992
A "joint understanding" agreement on arms reduction is signed by U.S. president George Bush and Russian president Boris Yeltsin (this would be later codified in START II).
- 1991
Apartheid: The South African Parliament repeals the Population Registration Act which required racial classification of all South Africans at birth.
- 1989
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.
- 1985
Space Shuttle program: STS-51-G mission: Space Shuttle Discovery launches carrying Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the first Arab and first Muslim in space, as a payload specialist.
- 1972
Watergate scandal: Five White House operatives are arrested for burgling the offices of the Democratic National Committee during an attempt by members of the administration of President Richard M. Nixon to illegally wiretap the political opposition as part of a broader campaign to subvert the democratic process.
- 1971
U.S. president Richard Nixon in a televised press conference calls drug abuse "America's public enemy number one", starting the war on drugs.
- 1967
Nuclear weapons testing: China announces a successful test of its first thermonuclear weapon.
All entries for June 17（+28）
- 1963
The United States Supreme Court rules 8–1 in Abington School District v. Schempp against requiring the reciting of Bible verses and the Lord's Prayer in public schools.
- 1963
A day after South Vietnamese president Ngo Dinh Diem announced the Joint Communiqué to end the Buddhist crisis, a riot involving around 2,000 people breaks out. One person is killed.
- 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 1863 treaty.
- 1958
The Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing, in the process of being built to connect Vancouver and North Vancouver (Canada), collapses into the Burrard Inlet killing 18 ironworkers and injuring others.
- 1953
Cold War: East Germany Workers Uprising: In East Germany, the Soviet Union orders a division of troops into East Berlin to quell a rebellion.
- 1952
Guatemala passes Decree 900, ordering the redistribution of uncultivated land.
- 1948
United Air Lines 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.
- 1940
World War II: RMS Lancastria is attacked and sunk by the Luftwaffe near Saint-Nazaire, France. At least 3,000 are killed in Britain's worst maritime disaster.
- 1940
World War II: The British Army's 11th Hussars assault and take Fort Capuzzo in Libya from Italian forces.
- 1940
The three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania fall under the occupation of the Soviet Union.
- 1939
Last public guillotining in France: Eugen Weidmann, a convicted murderer, is executed in Versailles outside the Saint-Pierre prison.
- 1933
Union Station massacre: In Kansas City, Missouri, four FBI agents and captured fugitive Frank Nash are gunned down by gangsters attempting to free Nash.
- 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.
- 1930
U.S. president Herbert Hoover signs the Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act into law.
- 1929
The town of Murchison, New Zealand is rocked by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake killing 17. At the time it was New Zealand's worst natural disaster.
- 1922
Portuguese naval aviators Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral complete the first aerial crossing of the South Atlantic.
- 1910
Aurel Vlaicu pilots an A. Vlaicu nr. 1 on its first flight.
- 1901
The College Board introduces its first standardized test, the forerunner to the SAT.
- 1900
Boxer Rebellion: Western Allied and Japanese forces capture the Taku Forts in Tianjin, China.
- 1898
The United States Navy Hospital Corps is established.
- 1885
The Statue of Liberty arrives in New York Harbor.
- 1877
American Indian Wars: Battle of White Bird Canyon: The Nez Perce defeat the U.S. Cavalry at White Bird Canyon in the Idaho Territory.
- 1876
American Indian Wars: Battle of the Rosebud: One thousand five hundred Sioux and Cheyenne led by Crazy Horse beat back General George Crook's forces at Rosebud Creek in Montana Territory.
- 1863
American Civil War: Battle of Aldie in the Gettysburg campaign.
- 1861
American Civil War: Battle of Vienna, Virginia.
- 1843
The Wairau Affray, the first serious clash of arms between Māori and British settlers in the New Zealand Wars, takes place.
- 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 are established as a result.
Famous Birthdays on June 17 in History 25
- 2003
Rizki Juniansyah, Indonesian weightlifter
- 2000
Odessa A'zion, American actress
- 1999
Henri Jokiharju, Finnish ice hockey player
- 1999
Brianna LaPaglia, American influencer and podcaster
- 1999
Elena Rybakina, Russian-born Kazakhstani tennis player
- 1997
KJ Apa, New Zealand actor
- 1997
Raluca Șerban, Romanian-Cypriot tennis player
- 1997
Alexander Bublik, Russian-born Kazakhstani tennis player
- 1995
Clément Lenglet, French footballer
- 1995
Aoi Morikawa, Japanese actress and model
- 1995
Michel-Friedrich Schiefler, German politician
- 1994
Amari Cooper, American football player
All entries for June 17（+13）
- 1993
Nikita Kucherov, Russian ice hockey player
- 1991
Daniel Tupou, Australian-Tongan rugby league player
- 1990
Jordan Henderson, English footballer
- 1990
Josh Mansour, Australian rugby league player
- 1989
Georgios Tofas, Cypriot footballer
- 1989
Simone Battle, American singer and actress (died 2014)
- 1988
Andrew Ogilvy, Australian basketball player
- 1988
Shaun MacDonald, Welsh footballer
- 1988
Stephanie Rice, Australian swimmer
- 1987
Kendrick Lamar, American rapper
- 1987
Nozomi Tsuji, Japanese singer and actress
- 1986
Apoula Edel, Armenian footballer
- 1986
Helen Glover, English rower
Notable Deaths on June 17 in History 25
- 2021
Kenneth Kaunda, Zambian educator and politician, first president of Zambia (born 1924)
- 2020
Jean Kennedy Smith, American activist, humanitarian, author and diplomat (United States Ambassador to Ireland, 1993–1998) (born 1928)
- 2019
Gloria Vanderbilt, American artist, author actress, fashion designer, heiress and socialite (born 1924)
- 2019
Mohamed Morsi, Egyptian professor and politician, first elected president of Egypt after Egyptian revolution (born 1951)
- 2017
Baldwin Lonsdale, president of Vanuatu (born 1948)
- 2015
Ron Clarke, Australian runner and politician, Mayor of the Gold Coast (born 1937)
- 2015
John David Crow, American football player and coach (born 1935)
- 2015
Süleyman Demirel, Turkish engineer and politician, 9th President of Turkey (born 1924)
- 2015
Roberto M. Levingston, Argentinian general and politician, 36th President of Argentina (born 1920)
- 2015
Clementa C. Pinckney, American minister and politician (born 1973)
- 2014
Patsy Byrne, English actress (born 1933)
- 2014
Éric Dewailly, Canadian epidemiologist and academic (born 1954)
All entries for June 17（+13）
- 2014
Stanley Marsh 3, American businessman and philanthropist (born 1938)
- 2014
Arnold S. Relman, American physician and academic (born 1923)
- 2014
Larry Zeidel, Canadian-American ice hockey player and sportscaster (born 1928)
- 2013
Michael Baigent, New Zealand-English theorist and author (born 1948)
- 2013
Atiqul Haque Chowdhury, Bangladeshi playwright and producer (born 1930)
- 2013
Pierre F. Côté, Canadian lawyer and civil servant (born 1927)
- 2013
Bulbs Ehlers, American basketball player (born 1923)
- 2013
James Holshouser, American politician, 68th Governor of North Carolina (born 1934)
- 2012
Stéphane Brosse, French mountaineer (born 1971)
- 2012
Patricia Brown, American baseball player (born 1931)
- 2012
Nathan Divinsky, Canadian mathematician and chess player (born 1925)
- 2012
Rodney King, American victim of police brutality (born 1965)
- 2012
Fauzia Wahab, Pakistani actress and politician (born 1956)
That is the story of June 17 in history. Bookmark this page and come back next year on June 17 to relive these world-changing moments — or take a random trip through time and see what happened on another day in history.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What happened on June 17 in history?
The biggest event on June 17 in history is: 2021 — Juneteenth National Independence Day is signed into law by President Joe Biden, to become the first federal holiday established since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983.. In total, 40 major events are recorded for this day.
Who was born on June 17?
25 famous people were born on June 17 in history, the best known being 2003 — Rizki Juniansyah, Indonesian weightlifter.
Who died on June 17?
25 notable people died on June 17 in history, including 2021 — Kenneth Kaunda, Zambian educator and politician, first president of Zambia (born 1924).
Why should I read about June 17 in history?
Exploring June 17 in history helps you grasp the day's place in history in just a few minutes: events, birthdays and deaths in one read — perfect for students, teachers and curious minds.
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