On This Day: 17 January

17 January in world history

• 2002Mount Nyiragongo, a volcano in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, began an eruption that killed hundreds and left about 120,000 people homeless in the nearby town of Goma.
• 1998Clinton–Lewinsky scandal: Matt Drudge breaks the story of the Bill Clinton–Monica Lewinsky affair on his Drudge Report website.
• 1994The 6.7 Mw Northridge earthquake shakes the Greater Los Angeles Area with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), leaving 57 people dead and more than 8,700 injured.
• 1991Gulf War: Operation Desert Storm begins early in the morning as aircraft strike positions across Iraq, it is also the first major combat sortie for the F-117. LCDR Scott Speicher's F/A-18C Hornet from VFA-81 is shot down by a Mig-25 and is the first American c
• 1969Black Panther Party members Bunchy Carter and John Huggins are killed during a meeting in Campbell Hall on the campus of UCLA.
• 1966Palomares incident: A B-52 bomber collides with a KC-135 Stratotanker over Spain, killing seven airmen, and dropping three 70-kiloton nuclear bombs near the town of Palomares and another one into the sea.
• 1961Patrice Lumumba, a former prime minister of Congo-Léopoldville, was murdered in circumstances suggesting the support and complicity of the Belgian and US governments.
• 1948Indonesian National Revolution: The Renville Agreement between the Netherlands and Indonesian republicans was ratified, in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to resolve disputes arising from the Linggadjati Agreement of 1946.
• 1946The UN Security Council holds its first session.
• 1945World War II: Australian troops advanced along the northern part of Bougainville Island (in present-day Papua New Guinea) and began fighting Japanese forces in the Battle of Tsimba Ridge.
• 1945Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, who had saved thousands of Jews from the Holocaust, was taken into Soviet custody during the Siege of Budapest and was never seen in public again.
• 1918Finnish Civil War: The first serious battles take place between the Red Guards and the White Guard.
• 1915Russia defeats Ottoman Turkey in the Battle of Sarikamish during the Caucasus Campaign of World War I.
• 1912Robert Falcon Scott's ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition reached the South Pole, only to find that Roald Amundsen's team had beaten them by 33 days.
• 1903El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico becomes part of the United States National Forest System as the Luquillo Forest Reserve.
• 1893Lorrin A. Thurston and the Citizens' Committee of Public Safety led the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom and the government of Queen Liliʻuokalani.
• 1781American Revolutionary War: Battle of Cowpens: Continental troops under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan defeat British forces under Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton at the battle in South Carolina.
• 1773On James Cook's second voyage, his vessel HMS Resolution became the first vessel to cross the Antarctic Circle.

Born on 17 January

• 1959Susanna Hoffs, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress
• 1945Javed Akhtar, Indian poet, playwright, and composerIndia
• 1917M. G. Ramachandran, Indian actor, director, and politician, 3rd Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (died 1987)India
• 1905Eduard Oja, Estonian composer, conductor, educator, and critic (died 1950)
• 1888Babu Gulabrai, Indian philosopher and author (died 1963)India
• 1871Nicolae Iorga, Romanian historian and politician, 34th Prime Minister of Romania (died 1940)

Died on 17 January

• 2022Birju Maharaj, Indian dancer (born 1937)India
• 2010Jyoti Basu, Indian politician and 9th Chief Minister of West Bengal (born 1914)India
• 1893Rutherford B. Hayes, American general, lawyer, and politician, 19th President of the United States (born 1822)
• 1345Martino Zaccaria, Genoese Lord of Chios

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 17 January in history?

2002: Mount Nyiragongo, a volcano in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, began an eruption that killed hundreds and left about 120,000 people homeless in the nearby town of Goma. 1998: Clinton–Lewinsky scandal: Matt Drudge breaks the story of the Bill Clinton–Monica Lewinsky affair on his Drudge Report website. 1994: The 6.7 Mw Northridge earthquake shakes the Greater Los Angeles Area with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), leaving 57 people dead and more than 8,700 injured. 1991: Gulf War: Operation Desert Storm begins early in the morning as aircraft strike positions across Iraq, it is also the first major combat sortie for the F-117. LCDR Scott Speicher's F/A-18C Hornet from VFA-81 is shot down by a Mig-25 and is the first American c.

Which famous people were born on 17 January?

Susanna Hoffs, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress (1959); Javed Akhtar, Indian poet, playwright, and composer (1945); M. G. Ramachandran, Indian actor, director, and politician, 3rd Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (died 1987) (1917); Eduard Oja, Estonian composer, conductor, educator, and critic (died 1950) (1905).

Which day is observed on 17 January?

National Day (Menorca, Spain); The opening ceremony of Patras Carnival, celebrated until Clean Monday. (Patras, Greece).