On This Day: 17 August

17 August in Indian history

• 1947The Radcliffe Line, the border between the Dominions of India and Pakistan, is revealed.India
• 1862American Indian Wars: The Dakota War of 1862 begins in Minnesota as Dakota warriors attack white settlements along the Minnesota River.India

17 August in world history

• 2008Michael Phelps won his eighth gold medal of the Summer Olympics in Beijing, setting the record for the most gold medals won by an athlete at a single games.
• 2005The first forced evacuation of settlers, as part of Israeli disengagement from Gaza, starts.
• 1999The 7.6 Mw İzmit earthquake shakes northwestern Turkey with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), leaving 17,118–17,127 dead and 43,953–50,000 injured.
• 1998Lewinsky scandal: US President Bill Clinton admits in taped testimony that he had an "improper physical relationship" with White House intern Monica Lewinsky; later that same day he admits before the nation that he "misled people" about the relationship.
• 1955Hurricane Diane makes landfall near Wilmington, North Carolina; it went on to cause major floods and kill more than 184 people.
• 1950Korean War: Forty-two American prisoners of war were massacred by the Korean People's Army on a hill above Waegwan, South Korea.
• 1949Matsukawa derailment: Unknown saboteurs cause a passenger train to derail and overturn in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, killing three crew members and igniting a political firestorm between the Japanese Communist Party and the government of Occupied Japan that
• 1945Animal Farm, George Orwell's satirical allegory of Soviet totalitarianism, was first published.
• 1943World War II: The Royal Air Force began a strategic bombing campaign against Nazi Germany's V-weapon programme by attacking the Peenemünde Army Research Center.
• 1943Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt met in a secret conference in Quebec.
• 1915A category 4 hurricane made landfall in Galveston, Texas, leaving at least 275 people dead.
• 1914World War I: Ignoring orders to retreat, Hermann von François led a successful counterattack defending East Prussia at the Battle of Stallupönen and scored the first German victory in the Eastern Front.
• 1876Richard Wagner's Götterdämmerung, the last opera in his Ring cycle, premieres at the Bayreuth Festspielhaus.
• 1717Austro-Turkish War of 1716–18: The month-long Siege of Belgrade ends with Prince Eugene of Savoy's Austrian troops capturing the city from the Ottoman Empire.
• 1585Eighty Years' War: Siege of Antwerp: Antwerp is captured by Spanish forces under Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma, who orders Protestants to leave the city and as a result over half of the 100,000 inhabitants flee to the northern provinces.
• 986Byzantine–Bulgarian wars: The Bulgarians defeated Byzantine forces at the battle of the Gates of Trajan near present-day Ihtiman, with Emperor Basil II barely escaping.

Born on 17 August

• 1952Guillermo Vilas, Argentinian tennis player
• 1939Luther Allison, American blues guitarist and singer (died 1997)
• 1926Jiang Zemin, Chinese engineer and politician, former General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (paramount leader) and President of China (died 2022)
• 1894William Rootes, 1st Baron Rootes, English businessman, founded Rootes Group (died 1964)
• 1866Mahbub Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VI, Indian 6th Nizam of Hyderabad (died 1911)India
• 1582John Matthew Rispoli, Maltese philosopher (died 1639)

Died on 17 August

• 1909Madan Lal Dhingra, Indian activist (born 1883)India
• 1785Jonathan Trumbull, English-American merchant and politician, 16th Governor of Connecticut (born 1710)
• 1510Edmund Dudley, English politician, Speaker of the House of Commons (born 1462)
• 754Carloman, mayor of the palace of Austrasia

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 17 August in history?

2008: Michael Phelps won his eighth gold medal of the Summer Olympics in Beijing, setting the record for the most gold medals won by an athlete at a single games. 2005: The first forced evacuation of settlers, as part of Israeli disengagement from Gaza, starts. 1999: The 7.6 Mw İzmit earthquake shakes northwestern Turkey with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), leaving 17,118–17,127 dead and 43,953–50,000 injured. 1998: Lewinsky scandal: US President Bill Clinton admits in taped testimony that he had an "improper physical relationship" with White House intern Monica Lewinsky; later that same day he admits before the nation that he "misled people" about the relationship.

What happened on 17 August in Indian history?

1947: The Radcliffe Line, the border between the Dominions of India and Pakistan, is revealed. 1862: American Indian Wars: The Dakota War of 1862 begins in Minnesota as Dakota warriors attack white settlements along the Minnesota River.

Which famous people were born on 17 August?

Guillermo Vilas, Argentinian tennis player (1952); Luther Allison, American blues guitarist and singer (died 1997) (1939); Jiang Zemin, Chinese engineer and politician, former General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (paramount leader) and President of China (died 2022) (1926); William Rootes, 1st Baron Rootes, English businessman, founded Rootes Group (died 1964) (1894).

Which day is observed on 17 August?

Engineer's Day (Colombia); Independence Day, celebrates the independence proclamation of Indonesia from Japan in 1945..