On This Day: 17 March

17 March in world history

• 2011First Libyan Civil War: The United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1973, authorizing military intervention in Libya to protect civilians.
• 2004Unrest in Kosovo: More than 22 are killed and 200 wounded. Thirty-five Serbian Orthodox shrines in Kosovo and two mosques in Serbia are destroyed.
• 1988A Colombian Boeing 727 jetliner, Avianca Flight 410, crashes into a mountainside near the Venezuelan border killing 143.
• 1988Eritrean War of Independence: The Nadew Command, an Ethiopian army corps in Eritrea, is attacked on three sides by military units of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front in the opening action of the Battle of Afabet.
• 1973The Pulitzer Prize–winning photograph Burst of Joy is taken, depicting a former prisoner of war being reunited with his family, which came to symbolize the end of United States involvement in the Vietnam War.
• 1968As a result of nerve gas testing by the U.S. Army Chemical Corps in Skull Valley, Utah, over 6,000 sheep are found dead.
• 1957A plane crash in Cebu, Philippines kills Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay and 24 others.
• 1955Ice hockey fans in Montreal rioted to protest the suspension of Montreal Canadiens star Maurice Richard for hitting an official.
• 1950Scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory announced the synthesis of californium, a radioactive transuranium element.
• 1948Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom sign the Treaty of Brussels, a precursor to the North Atlantic Treaty establishing NATO.
• 1945World War II: The Ludendorff Bridge in Remagen, Germany, collapses, ten days after its capture.
• 1942The 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.
• 1917World 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.
• 1864Second 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.
• 1862The first railway line of Finland between cities of Helsinki and Hämeenlinna, called Päärata, is officially opened.
• 1776American Revolutionary War: The 11‑month Siege of Boston ended with the evacuation of the city's British garrison (depicted).
• 1452Reconquista: Combined Castilian and Murcian forces defeated the Emirate of Granada at the Battle of Los Alporchones around the city of Lorca.
• 1337Edward the Black Prince is made Duke of Cornwall, the first duchy in England.

Born on 17 March

• 1997Daniel Sprong, Dutch ice hockey player
• 1990Saina Nehwal, Indian badminton playerIndia
• 1975Puneeth Rajkumar, Indian actor, singer, and producer (died 2021)India
• 1948William Gibson, American-Canadian author and screenwriter
• 1864Joseph Baptista, Indian engineer, lawyer, and politician (died 1930)India
• 1676Thomas Boston, Scottish philosopher and theologian (died 1732)

Died on 17 March

• 2010Sid Fleischman, American author and screenwriter (born 1920)
• 1990Dinkar G. Kelkar, Indian art collector (born 1896)India
• 1957Ramon Magsaysay, Filipino captain and politician, 7th President of the Philippines (born 1907)
• 1527Rana Sanga, Indian ruler (born 1482)India

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 17 March in history?

2011: First Libyan Civil War: The United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1973, authorizing military intervention in Libya to protect civilians. 2004: Unrest in Kosovo: More than 22 are killed and 200 wounded. Thirty-five Serbian Orthodox shrines in Kosovo and two mosques in Serbia are destroyed. 1988: A Colombian Boeing 727 jetliner, Avianca Flight 410, crashes into a mountainside near the Venezuelan border killing 143. 1988: Eritrean War of Independence: The Nadew Command, an Ethiopian army corps in Eritrea, is attacked on three sides by military units of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front in the opening action of the Battle of Afabet.

Which famous people were born on 17 March?

Daniel Sprong, Dutch ice hockey player (1997); Saina Nehwal, Indian badminton player (1990); Puneeth Rajkumar, Indian actor, singer, and producer (died 2021) (1975); William Gibson, American-Canadian author and screenwriter (1948).

Which day is observed on 17 March?

Birthday of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (Bangladesh); Children's Day (Bangladesh); Evacuation Day (Suffolk County, Massachusetts); Saint Patrick's Day, a public holiday in Ireland, Montserrat and the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, widely celebrated in th.