On This Day: 17 November

17 November in Indian history

• 1921Rioting broke out in Bombay, India, during the visit of Edward, Prince of Wales, leading to at least 58 deaths.India

17 November in world history

• 2013An outbreak of 77 confirmed tornadoes occurred in seven U.S. states; it became the largest November tornado outbreak in Illinois and Indiana.
• 2000Alberto Fujimori is removed from office as president of Peru.
• 1989Walt Disney Pictures released The Little Mermaid to theatres, beginning the Disney Renaissance.
• 1973Watergate scandal: In Orlando, Florida, U.S. President Richard Nixon tells 400 Associated Press managing editors "I am not a crook."
• 1970Luna programme: The Soviet Union lands Lunokhod 1 on Mare Imbrium (Sea of Rains) on the Moon. This is the first roving remote-controlled robot to land on another world and is released by the orbiting Luna 17 spacecraft.
• 1970Vietnam War: Lieutenant William Calley goes on trial for the My Lai Massacre.
• 1969Cold War: Negotiators from the Soviet Union and the United States meet in Helsinki, Finland to begin SALT I negotiations aimed at limiting the number of strategic weapons on both sides.
• 1968NBC controversially cut away from an American football game between the Oakland Raiders and New York Jets to broadcast Heidi, causing viewers in the Eastern United States to miss the game's dramatic ending.
• 1947American scientists John Bardeen and Walter Houser Brattain observe the basic principles of the transistor, a key element for the electronics revolution of the 20th century.
• 1943World War II: Australian forces launched an assault on Sattelberg, New Guinea, against Japanese forces, initiating the Battle of Sattelberg.
• 1941World War II: Hjalmar Siilasvuo ordered Finnish forces to halt their assault against Soviet forces near Salla, concluding Operation Arctic Fox.
• 1869In Egypt, the Suez Canal, linking the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea, is inaugurated.
• 1863American Civil War: Siege of Knoxville begins: During the Knoxville campaign, Confederate forces under General James Longstreet besiege the city of Knoxville, Tennessee and its Union defenders led by General Ambrose Burnside.
• 1856American Old West: On the Sonoita River in present-day southern Arizona, the United States Army establishes Fort Buchanan in order to help control new land acquired in the Gadsden Purchase.
• 1837An earthquake in Valdivia, south-central Chile, causes a tsunami that leads to significant destruction along Japan's coast.
• 1796French Revolutionary Wars: French forces won the Battle of Arcole in a manoeuvre to cut the Austrians' line of retreat.
• 1592Sigismund III Vasa, who was already King of Poland, succeeded his father John III as King of Sweden.

Born on 17 November

• 1982Yusuf Pathan, Indian cricketerIndia
• 1972Kimya Dawson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1960RuPaul, American drag queen performer, actor, and singer
• 1951Butch Davis, American football player and coach
• 1925Charles Mackerras, American-Australian oboe player and conductor (died 2010)
• 1920Gemini Ganesan, Indian actor and director (died 2002)India

Died on 17 November

• 2006Ferenc Puskás, Hungarian footballer and manager (born 1927)
• 2003Surjit Bindrakhia, Indian singer (born 1962)India
• 1928Lala Lajpat Rai, Indian author and politician (born 1865)India
• 1104Nikephoros Melissenos, Byzantine general (born 1045)

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 17 November in history?

2013: An outbreak of 77 confirmed tornadoes occurred in seven U.S. states; it became the largest November tornado outbreak in Illinois and Indiana. 2000: Alberto Fujimori is removed from office as president of Peru. 1989: Walt Disney Pictures released The Little Mermaid to theatres, beginning the Disney Renaissance. 1973: Watergate scandal: In Orlando, Florida, U.S. President Richard Nixon tells 400 Associated Press managing editors "I am not a crook.".

What happened on 17 November in Indian history?

1921: Rioting broke out in Bombay, India, during the visit of Edward, Prince of Wales, leading to at least 58 deaths.

Which famous people were born on 17 November?

Yusuf Pathan, Indian cricketer (1982); Kimya Dawson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (1972); RuPaul, American drag queen performer, actor, and singer (1960); Butch Davis, American football player and coach (1951).

Which day is observed on 17 November?

Athens Polytechnic Uprising Remembrance Day (Greece); International Students' Day; Martyrs' Day (Odisha, India); Presidents Day (Marshall Islands).