May 17

May 17 is the 137th day of the year (138th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 228 days remaining until the end of the year.

Events

• 1395 – Battle of Rovine, Wallachians defeat an invading Ottoman army.
• 1521 – Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for treason.
• 1536 – George Boleyn, 2nd Viscount Rochford and four other men are executed for treason.
• 1536 – The annulment of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn’s marriage.
• 1590 – Anne of Denmark is crowned Queen of Scotland.
• 1642 – Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve (1612–1676) founds the Ville Marie de Montréal.
• 1673 – Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette begin exploring the Mississippi River.
• 1775 – American Revolutionary War: the Continental Congress bans trade with Quebec.
• 1792 – The New York Stock Exchange is formed under the Buttonwood Agreement.
• 1805 – Muhammad Ali becomes Wāli of Egypt.
• 1808 – Napoleon I of France orders the annexation of the Papal States to the French Empire.
• 1814 – Occupation of Monaco changes from French to Austrian.
• 1814 – The Constitution of Norway is signed and Crown Prince Christian Frederick of Denmark is elected King of Norway by the Norwegian Constituent Assembly.
• 1849 – A large fire nearly burns St. Louis, Missouri to the ground.
• 1863 – Rosalía de Castro publishes Cantares Gallegos, the first book in the Galician language.
• 1865 – The International Telegraph Union (later the International Telecommunication Union) is established in Paris.
• 1869 – Imperial Japanese forces defeat the remnants of the Tokugawa shogunate in the Battle of Hakodate to end the Boshin War.
• 1875 – Aristides wins the first Kentucky Derby.
• 1900 – Second Boer War: British troops relieve Mafeking.
• 1902 – Greek archaeologist Valerios Stais discovers the Antikythera mechanism, an ancient mechanical analog computer.
• 1914 – The Protocol of Corfu is signed, recognising full autonomy to Northern Epirus under nominal Albanian sovereignty.
• 1915 – The last British Liberal Party government (led by Herbert Henry Asquith) falls.
• 1933 – Vidkun Quisling and Johan Bernhard Hjort form Nasjonal Samling — the national-socialist party of Norway.
• 1939 – The Columbia Lions and the Princeton Tigers play in the United States' first televised sporting event, a collegiate baseball game in New York City.
• 1940 – World War II: Germany occupies Brussels, Belgium.
• 1940 – World War II: the old city centre of the Dutch town of Middelburg is bombed by the German Luftwaffe, to force the surrender of the Dutch armies in Zeeland.
• 1943 – World War II: the Dambuster Raids by No. 617 Squadron RAF on German dams.
• 1954 – The United States Supreme Court hands down a unanimous decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas.
• 1967 – Six-Day War: President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt demands dismantling of the peace-keeping UN Emergency Force in Egypt.
• 1969 – Venera program: Soviet Venera 6 begins its descent into the atmosphere of Venus, sending back atmospheric data before being crushed by pressure.
• 1970 – Thor Heyerdahl sets sail from Morocco on the papyrus boat Ra II to sail the Atlantic Ocean.
• 1973 – Watergate scandal: Televised hearings begin in the United States Senate.
• 1974 – The Troubles: Thirty-three civilians are killed and 300 injured when the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) detonates four car bombs in Dublin and Monaghan, Republic of Ireland. It is the deadliest attack of the Troubles and the deadliest terrorist attack in the Republic's history. There are allegations that British state forces were involved.
• 1974 – Police in Los Angeles raid the Symbionese Liberation Army's headquarters, killing six members, including Camilla Hall.
• 1980 – General Chun Doo-hwan of South Korea seizes control of the government and declares martial law in order to suppress student demonstrations.
• 1980 – On the eve of presidential elections, Maoist guerrilla group Shining Path attacks a polling location in the town of Chuschi, Ayacucho, starting the Internal conflict in Peru.
• 1983 – The U.S. Department of Energy declassifies documents showing world's largest mercury pollution event in Oak Ridge, Tennessee (ultimately found to be 4.2 million pounds), in response to the Appalachian Observer's Freedom of Information Act request.
• 1983 – Lebanon, Israel, and the United States sign an agreement on Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.
• 1984 – Prince Charles calls a proposed addition to the National Gallery, London, a "monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved and elegant friend", sparking controversies on the proper role of the Royal Family and the course of modern architecture.
• 1987 – An Iraqi Dassault Mirage F1 fighter jet fires two missiles into the U.S. Navy warship USS Stark, killing 37 and injuring 21 of her crew.
• 1990 – The General Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO) eliminates homosexuality from the list of psychiatric diseases.
• 1992 – Three days of popular protests against the government of Prime Minister of Thailand Suchinda Kraprayoon begin in Bangkok, leading to a military crackdown that results in 52 officially confirmed deaths, many disappearances, hundreds of injuries, and over 3,500 arrests.
• 1995 – Shawn Nelson steals a tank from a military installation and goes on a rampage in San Diego resulting in a 25 minute police chase. Nelson is killed by an officer after the tank got stuck on a concrete barrier and tried to break free.
• 1994 – Malawi holds its first multi-party elections.
• 1997 – Troops of Laurent Kabila march into Kinshasa. Zaire is officially renamed Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• 2000 – Arsenal and Galatasaray fans clash in the 2000 UEFA Cup Final riots in Copenhagen
• 2004 – The first legal same-sex marriages in the U.S. are performed in the state of Massachusetts.
• 2006 – The aircraft carrier USS Oriskany is sunk in the Gulf of Mexico as an artificial reef.
• 2007 – Trains from North and South Korea cross the 38th Parallel in a test-run agreed by both governments. This is the first time that trains have crossed the Demilitarized Zone since 1953.
• 2013 – Two Metro-North commuter trains collide near Bridgeport, Connecticut injuring at least 72 people.
• 2014 – A plane crash in northern Laos kills 17 people.

Births

• 1155 – Jien, Japanese monk, poet, and historian (d. 1225)
• 1443 – Edmund, Earl of Rutland (d. 1460)
• 1551 – Martin Delrio, Belgian theologian and occultist (d. 1601)
• 1628 – Ferdinand Charles, Archduke of Austria (d. 1662)
• 1682 – Bartholomew Roberts, Welsh pirate (d. 1722)
• 1706 – Andreas Felix von Oefele, German historian and librarian (d. 1780)
• 1718 – Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness, English politician, Secretary of State for the Southern Department (d. 1778)
• 1732 – Francesco Pasquale Ricci, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1817)
• 1743 – Seth Warner, American colonel (d. 1784)
• 1749 – Edward Jenner, English physician and microbiologist (d. 1823)
• 1758 – Sir John St Aubyn, 5th Baronet, English politician (d. 1839)
• 1768 – Caroline of Brunswick (d. 1821)
• 1768 – Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey, English general and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (d. 1854)
• 1794 – Anna Brownell Jameson, Irish-English author (d. 1860)
• 1821 – Sebastian Kneipp, German priest (d. 1897)
• 1836 – Virginie Loveling, Belgian author and poet (d. 1923)
• 1836 – Wilhelm Steinitz, Austrian-American chess player (d. 1900)
• 1844 – Julius Wellhausen, German orientalist and scholar (d. 1918)
• 1845 – Jacint Verdaguer, Catalan poet and priest (d. 1902)
• 1860 – Martin Kukučín, Slovak author and playwright (d. 1928)
• 1863 – Léon Gérin, Canadian lawyer, sociologist, and civil servant (d. 1951)
• 1864 – Louis Richardet, Swiss target shooter (d. 1923)
• 1864 – Ante Trumbić, Croatian politician, 27th Mayor of Split (d. 1938)
• 1866 – Erik Satie, French pianist and composer (d. 1925)
• 1868 – Horace Elgin Dodge, American businessman, co-founded Dodge (d. 1920)
• 1873 – Henri Barbusse, French author and journalist (d. 1935)
• 1873 – Dorothy Richardson, English author and journalist (d. 1957)
• 1874 – George Sheldon, American diver (d. 1907)
• 1882 – Karl Burman, Estonian architect and painter (d. 1965)
• 1886 – Alfonso XIII of Spain (d. 1941)
• 1888 – Tich Freeman, English cricketer (d. 1965)
• 1889 – Dorothy Gibson, American actress and singer (d. 1946)
• 1891 – Princess Alexandra, 2nd Duchess of Fife (d. 1959)
• 1891 – Napoleon Zervas, Greek general (d. 1957)
• 1895 – Saul Adler Belarusian-English captain and parasitologist (d. 1966)
• 1895 – Reinhold Saulmann, Estonian sprinter and bandy player (d. 1936)
• 1895 – Mary Josephine Ray, Canadian-American super-centenarian (d. 2010)
• 1897 – Odd Hassel, Norwegian chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1981)
• 1898 – A. J. Casson, Canadian painter (d. 1992)
• 1901 – Werner Egk, German composer (d. 1983)
• 1903 – Cool Papa Bell, American baseball player (d. 1991)
• 1904 – Marie-Anne Desmarest, French novelist (d. 1973)
• 1904 – Jean Gabin, French actor and singer (d. 1976)
• 1906 – Zinka Milanov, Croatian-American soprano (d. 1989)
• 1909 – Julius Sumner Miller, American physicist (d. 1987)
• 1911 – Lisa Fonssagrives, Swedish model (d. 1992)
• 1911 – Maureen O'Sullivan, Irish-American actress (d. 1998)
• 1912 – Archibald Cox, American lawyer and politician, 31st United States Solicitor General (d. 2004)
• 1912 – Ace Parker, American baseball and football player (d. 2013)
• 1913 – Hans Ruesch, Swiss race car driver and author (d. 2007)
• 1914 – Robert N. Thompson, American-Canadian politician (d. 1997)
• 1918 – A. C. Lyles, American screenwriter and producer (d. 2013)
• 1918 – Birgit Nilsson, Swedish soprano (d. 2005)
• 1919 – Antonio Aguilar, Mexican singer-songwriter, producer, actor, and screenwriter (d. 2007)
• 1919 – Merle Miller, American author (d. 1986)
• 1919 – Gustav Naan, Soviet Estonian physicist and philosopher (d. 1994)
• 1919 – Vern Pyles, American politician (d. 2013)
• 1920 – Harry Männil, Estonian-Venezuelan businessman, co-founded ACO Group (d. 2010)
• 1921 – Dennis Brain, English horn player (d. 1957)
• 1921 – Bob Merrill, American composer and screenwriter (d. 1998)
• 1922 – Jean Rédélé, French racing driver and founded Alpine (d. 2007)
• 1923 – Michael Beetham, English pilot and marshal
• 1923 – Anthony Eyton, English painter and educator
• 1924 – Francis Tombs, Baron Tombs, English businessman and politician
• 1926 – Cicely Berry, English actor and director
• 1926 – David Ogilvy, 13th Earl of Airlie, English-Scottish politician
• 1926 – Dietmar Schönherr, Austrian-Spanish actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2014)
• 1926 – Franz Sondheimer, German-English chemist and academic (d. 1981)
• 1931 – Marshall Applewhite, American cult leader, founded Heaven's Gate (d. 1997)
• 1932 – Rodric Braithwaite, English diplomat, British Ambassador to Russia
• 1933 – Yelena Gorchakova, Russian javelin thrower (d. 2002)
• 1934 – Friedrich-Wilhelm Kiel, German politician
• 1934 – Earl Morrall, American football player (d. 2014)
• 1934 – Ronald Wayne, American computer scientist, co-founded Apple Inc.
• 1935 – Dennis Potter, English voice actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1994)
• 1936 – Dennis Hopper, American actor and director (d. 2010)
• 1937 – Hazel R. O'Leary, American politician, 7th United States Secretary of Energy
• 1938 – Jason Bernard, American actor (d. 1996)
• 1938 – Pervis Jackson, American singer (The Spinners) (d. 2008)
• 1939 – Hugh Dykes, Baron Dykes, English politician
• 1939 – Gary Paulsen, American author
• 1940 – Alan Kay, American computer scientist
• 1940 – Reynato Puno, Filipino jurist, 22nd Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
• 1941 – David Cope, American composer and author
• 1941 – Ben Nelson, American politician, 37th Governor of Nebraska
• 1941 – Grace Zabriskie, American actress
• 1942 – Taj Mahal, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Rising Sons)
• 1942 – Al White, American actor
• 1943 – Johnny Warren, Australian footballer, coach, and sportscaster (d. 2004)
• 1943 – David Simeon, English actor
• 1944 – Paul Crossley, English pianist
• 1944 – Peter Price, English bishop
• 1944 – Jesse Winchester, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (d. 2014)
• 1945 – B. S. Chandrasekhar, Indian cricketer
• 1945 – Tony Roche, Australian tennis player and coach
• 1946 – Udo Lindenberg, German singer-songwriter and drummer (Passport)
• 1946 – F. Paul Wilson, American author
• 1947 – Andrew Latimer, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Camel)
• 1947 – Stephen Platten, English bishop
• 1947 – Ronald Poppo, American cannibal victim
• 1948 – Dick Gaughan, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist (The Boys of the Lough)
• 1948 – Marlene Willoughby, American porn actress
• 1949 – Bill Bruford, English drummer, songwriter, and producer (Yes, King Crimson, UK, Earthworks, Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe, and National Health)
• 1950 – Howard Ashman, American playwright and composer (d. 1991)
• 1950 – Keith Bradley, Baron Bradley, English politician
• 1950 – Janez Drnovšek, Slovenian politician, 2nd President of Slovenia (d. 2008)
• 1950 – Alan Johnson, English politician, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
• 1950 – Valeriya Novodvorskaya, Russian journalist and politician (d. 2014)
• 1951 – Simon Hughes, English politician
• 1952 – Patricia Aakhus, American author and academic (d. 2012)
• 1952 – Howard Hampton, Canadian lawyer and politician
• 1953 – Luca Prodan, Italian-Argentinian singer-songwriter (Sumo and Hurlingham Reggae Band)
• 1953 – Kathleen Sullivan, American journalist
• 1954 – Michael Roberts, South African jockey
• 1955 – Bill Paxton, American actor and director
• 1955 – David Townsend, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Surface) (d. 2005)
• 1956 – Sugar Ray Leonard, American boxer and actor
• 1956 – Bob Saget, American comedian, actor, and television host
• 1956 – Dave Sim, Canadian cartoonist
• 1957 – Anne Main, Welsh politician
• 1957 – Pascual Pérez, Dominican baseball player (d. 2012)
• 1958 – Ivor Bolton, English harpsichord player and conductor
• 1958 – Paul Di'Anno, English singer-songwriter (Iron Maiden and Gogmagog)
• 1958 – Paul Whitehouse, Welsh-English actor, producer, and screenwriter
• 1959 – Richard Barrons, English general
• 1959 – Marcelo Loffreda, Argentinian rugby player and coach
• 1959 – Jim Nantz, American sportscaster
• 1960 – Lou DiBella, American boxing promoter, actor, and producer
• 1960 – Simon Fuller, Cypriot-English talent manager and producer, created the Idols series
• 1961 – Enya, Irish singer-songwriter and producer (Clannad)
• 1961 – Jamil Azzaoui, Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1961 – Justin King, English businessman
• 1962 – Lise Lyng Falkenberg, Danish author
• 1962 – Craig Ferguson, Scottish-American comedian, actor, and talk show host
• 1962 – Jane Moore, English journalist and author
• 1962 – Rosalind Picard, American computer scientist
• 1963 – Jon Koncak, American basketball player
• 1963 – Page McConnell, American keyboard player and songwriter (Phish, Vida Blue, and Phil Lesh and Friends)
• 1963 – Taimo Toomast, Estonian opera singer
• 1964 – Stratos Apostolakis, Greek footballer and coach
• 1964 – David Eigenberg, American actor
• 1964 – Mauro Martini, Italian race car driver
• 1964 – Menno Oosting, Dutch tennis player (d. 1999)
• 1965 – Trent Reznor, American singer-songwriter and producer (Nine Inch Nails, How to Destroy Angels, and Tapeworm)
• 1965 – Paige Turco, American actress
• 1965 – Jeremy Vine, English journalist and author
• 1966 – Hill Harper, American actor and producer
• 1966 – Qusay Hussein, Iraqi politician (d. 2003)
• 1966 – Mark Kratzmann, Australian tennis player and coach
• 1966 – Danny Manning, American basketball player and coach
• 1966 – Gilles Quénéhervé, French sprinter
• 1967 – Paul D'Amour, American bass player (Tool and Replicants)
• 1967 – Mohamed Nasheed, Maldivian politician 4th President of the Maldives
• 1969 – Tabatha Coffey, Australian hairstylist
• 1969 – Alan Doyle, Canadian singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor (Great Big Sea)
• 1969 – Thom Filicia, American interior designer
• 1969 – Keith Hill, English footballer and manager.
• 1970 – Angelica Agurbash, Belarusian singer and model
• 1970 – Jeremy Browne, English politician, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
• 1970 – Hubert Davis, American basketball player and coach
• 1970 – Jordan Knight, American singer-songwriter (New Kids on the Block)
• 1970 – Matt Lindland, American mixed martial artist, wrestler, and politician
• 1970 – René Vilbre, Estonian director and screenwriter
• 1971 – Martin Aunin, Estonian architect
• 1971 – Shaun Hart, Australian footballer, coach, and sportscaster
• 1971 – Queen Máxima of the Netherlands
• 1972 – Roman Genn, Russian-American illustrator
• 1973 – Sasha Alexander, American actress and producer
• 1973 – Steve Barakatt, Canadian singer-songwriter, pianist, and producer
• 1973 – Josh Homme, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal, Them Crooked Vultures, and Kyuss)
• 1973 – Matthew McGrory, American actor (d. 2005)
• 1973 – Tamsier Joof, British dancer, choreographer, actor, model and entrepreneur (of Senegalese and Gambian ancestry)
• 1974 – Andrea Corr, Irish singer-songwriter, pianist, and actress (The Corrs)
• 1974 – Wiki González, Venezuelan baseball player
• 1974 – Eddie Lewis, American soccer player
• 1974 – Sendhil Ramamurthy, American actor
• 1974 – William Yiampoy, Kenyan runner
• 1975 – Cheick Kongo, French mixed martial artist and kick-boxer
• 1975 – Jonti Picking, English animator
• 1975 – Kostas Sommer, German-Greek actor
• 1975 – Laura Voutilainen, Finnish singer
• 1975 – Alex Wright, German-English wrestler and promoter
• 1976 – Kandi Burruss, American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress (Xscape)
• 1976 – José Guillén, Dominican-American baseball player
• 1976 – Daniel Komen, Kenyan runner
• 1976 – Wang Leehom, American-Taiwanese singer-songwriter, producer, actor, and director
• 1976 – Mayte Martínez, Spanish runner
• 1978 – John Foster, American baseball player and coach
• 1978 – Paddy Kenny, English footballer
• 1978 – Carlos Peña, Dominican-American baseball player
• 1978 – Magdalena Zděnovcová, Czech tennis player
• 1979 – David Jarolím, Czech footballer
• 1979 – Wayne Thomas, English footballer
• 1980 – Davor Džalto, Bosnian historian and philosopher
• 1980 – Fredrik Kessiakoff, Swedish cyclist
• 1980 – Dallas Taylor, American singer-songwriter (Underoath and Maylene and the Sons of Disaster)
• 1981 – Beñat Albizuri, Spanish cyclist
• 1981 – Lim Jeong-hee, South Korean singer
• 1981 – Shiri Maimon, Israeli singer and actress
• 1981 – Leon Osman, English footballer
• 1981 – Chris Skidmore, English historian and politician
• 1981 – Giannis Taralidis, Greek footballer
• 1982 – Matt Cassel, American football player
• 1982 – Dan Hardy, English mixed martial artist
• 1982 – Reiko Nakamura, Japanese swimmer
• 1982 – Tony Parker, French-American basketball player
• 1982 – Chloe Smith, English politician
• 1982 – Kaye Abad, Filipino-American actress
• 1983 – Channing Frye, American basketball player
• 1983 – Chris Henry, American football player (d. 2009)
• 1983 – Nicky Hofs, Dutch footballer
• 1983 – Jeremy Sowers, American baseball player
• 1983 – DJ Yonny, American DJ and producer
• 1984 – Christian Bolaños, Costa Rican footballer
• 1984 – Christine Ohuruogu, English runner
• 1984 – Christine Robinson, Canadian water polo player
• 1984 – Michael David Rosenberg, English folk-rock singer-songwriter
• 1985 – Teófilo Gutiérrez, Colombian footballer
• 1985 – Derek Hough, American dancer, singer, and actor (Ballas Hough Band)
• 1985 – Christine Nesbitt, Canadian speed skater
• 1985 – Matt Ryan, American football player
• 1985 – Emil Sitoci, Dutch wrestler
• 1985 – Alyssa Stringfellow, New Zealand actress
• 1985 – Greg Van Avermaet, Belgian cyclist
• 1985 – Todd Redmond, American baseball player
• 1986 – Marius Činikas, Lithuanian footballer
• 1986 – Tahj Mowry, American actor
• 1986 – Timo Simonlatser, Estonian skier
• 1987 – Edvald Boasson Hagen, Norwegian cyclist
• 1987 – Ott Lepland, Estonian singer
• 1987 – Aleandro Rosi, Italian footballer
• 1988 – Soccer, American acting dog (d. 2001)
• 1988 – Nikki Reed, American actress, singer, and screenwriter
• 1988 – Jennison Myrie-Williams, English footballer
• 1989 – Kris Bernal, Filipino actress
• 1989 – Rain Raadik, Estonian basketball player
• 1989 – Tessa Virtue, Canadian ice dancer
• 1990 – Fabian Giefer, German footballer
• 1990 – Kree Harrison, American singer
• 1990 – Katrina Hart, English runner
• 1990 – Guido Pella, Argentinian tennis player
• 1990 – Leven Rambin, American actress
• 1991 – Johanna Konta, Australian-English tennis player
• 1991 – Daniel Curtis Lee, American actor and rapper
• 1991 – Adil Omar, Pakistani rapper, producer, and actor
• 1994 – Julie Anne San Jose, Filipino singer and actress (Sugarpop)
• 1996 – Ryan Ochoa, American actor

Deaths

• 290 – Emperor Wu of Jin, Chinese emperor (b. 236)
• 1336 – Emperor Go-Fushimi of Japan (b. 1288)
• 1365 – Louis II, Elector of Brandenburg (b. 1328)
• 1395 – Constantine Dragaš, Serbian ruler (b. 1355)
• 1464 – Thomas de Ros, 9th Baron de Ros, English politician (b. 1427)
• 1510 – Sandro Botticelli, Italian painter (b. 1445)
• 1521 – Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, English politician, Lord High Constable of England (b. 1478)
• 1536 – George Boleyn, 2nd Viscount Rochford, English courtier and diplomat (b. 1504)
• 1536 – William Brereton, English courtier (b. 1487)
• 1536 – Henry Norris, English courtier (b. 1482)
• 1536 – Mark Smeaton, English lute player and dancer (b. 1512)
• 1536 – Francis Weston, English courtier (b. 1511)
• 1551 – Shin Saimdang, South Korean poet and calligraphist (b. 1504)
• 1575 – Matthew Parker, English archbishop (b. 1504)
• 1626 – Joan Pau Pujol, Catalan organist and composer (b. 1570)
• 1643 – Giovanni Picchi, Italian organist and composer (b. 1571)
• 1727 – Catherine I of Russia (b. 1684)
• 1729 – Samuel Clarke, English clergyman and philosopher (b. 1675)
• 1765 – Alexis Clairaut, French mathematician, astronomer, and geophysicist (b. 1713)
• 1797 – Michel-Jean Sedaine, French playwright (b. 1719)
• 1801 – William Heberden, English physician (b. 1710)
• 1807 – John Gunby, American general (b. 1745)
• 1809 – Leopold Auenbrugger, Austrian physician (b. 1722)
• 1822 – Armand-Emmanuel de Vignerot du Plessis, Duc de Richelieu, French politician, 2nd Prime Minister of France (b. 1766)
• 1829 – John Jay, American politician and diplomat, 1st Chief Justice of the United States (b. 1745)
• 1838 – René Caillié, French explorer (b. 1799)
• 1838 – Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, French politician, Prime Minister of France (b. 1754)
• 1839 – Archibald Alison, Scottish priest and author (b. 1757)
• 1868 – Kondō Isami, Japanese commander (b. 1834)
• 1875 – John C. Breckinridge, American lawyer and politician, 14th Vice President of the United States (b. 1821)
• 1879 – Asa Packer, American businessman, founded Lehigh University (b. 1805)
• 1886 – John Deere, American blacksmith and businessman, founded the Deere & Company (b. 1804)
• 1888 – Giacomo Zanella, Italian poet (b. 1820)
• 1911 – Frederick August Otto Schwarz, German-American businessman, founded FAO Schwarz (b. 1836)
• 1916 – Boris Borisovich Galitzine, Russian physicist (b. 1862)
• 1917 – Charles Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak (b. 1829)
• 1919 – Guido von List, Austrian-German journalist, author, and poet (b. 1848)
• 1921 – Karl Mantzius, Danish actor and director (b. 1860)
• 1927 – Harold Geiger, American pilot and lieutenant (b. 1884)
• 1935 – Paul Dukas, French composer, critic, scholar, and educator (b. 1865)
• 1936 – Panagis Tsaldaris, Greek politician, 124th Prime Minister of Greece (b. 1868)
• 1938 – Jakob Ehrlich, Czech-Austrian politician (b. 1877)
• 1943 – Johanna Elberskirchen, German activist (b. 1864)
• 1947 – George Forbes, New Zealand politician, 22nd Prime Minister of New Zealand (b. 1869)
• 1951 – William Birdwood, 1st Baron Birdwood, Indian-English field marshal (b. 1865)
• 1960 – Jules Supervielle, Uruguayan-French poet and author (b. 1884)
• 1963 – John Wilce, American football player, coach, and physician (b. 1888)
• 1964 – Nandor Fodor, Hungarian-American psychologist and parapsychologist (b. 1895)
• 1966 – Randolph Turpin, English boxer (b. 1928)
• 1974 – Ernest Nash, German-American photographer (b. 1898)
• 1977 – Charles E. Rosendahl, American admiral (b. 1892)
• 1985 – Abe Burrows, American director, composer, and author (b. 1910)
• 1986 – Lyudmila Pakhomova, Soviet ice dancer (b. 1946)
• 1987 – Gunnar Myrdal, Swedish economist, sociologist, and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1898)
• 1992 – Lawrence Welk, American accordion player and bandleader (b. 1903)
• 1995 – Toe Blake, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1912)
• 1996 – Scott Brayton, American race car driver (b. 1959)
• 1996 – Kevin Gilbert (musician), American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1966)
• 1996 – Johnny "Guitar" Watson, American singer and guitarist (b. 1935)
• 1997 – James Bennett Griffin, American archaeologist (b. 1905)
• 1999 – Bruce Fairbairn, Canadian trumpet player and producer (b. 1949)
• 1999 – Lembit Oll, Estonian chess player (b. 1966)
• 2000 – Donald Coggan, English archbishop (b. 1909)
• 2001 – Frank G. Slaughter, American physician and author (b. 1908)
• 2002 – Dave Berg, American cartoonist (b. 1920)
• 2002 – László Kubala, Hungarian-Spanish footballer, coach, and manager (b. 1927)
• 2002 – Aşık Mahzuni Şerif, Turkish poet and composer (b. 1940)
• 2002 – Sharon Sheeley, American songwriter (b. 1940)
• 2003 – Pop Ivy, American-Canadian football player and coach (b. 1916)
• 2004 – Gunnar Graps, Estonian singer (Magnetic Band and Gunnar Graps Group) (b. 1951)
• 2004 – Jørgen Nash, Danish poet and painter (b. 1920)
• 2004 – Tony Randall, American actor, director, and producer (b. 1920)
• 2004 – Ezzedine Salim, Iraqi politician (b. 1943)
• 2004 – Vladislav Terzyul, Siberian mountaineer (b. 1953)
• 2005 – Frank Gorshin, American actor (b. 1934)
• 2006 – Cy Feuer, American director, producer, and composer (b. 1911)
• 2006 – Eric Forth, Scottish-English politician, Shadow Leader of the House of Commons (b. 1944)
• 2006 – Nichola Goddard, Papua New Guinean-Canadian captain (b. 1980)
• 2007 – Lloyd Alexander, American author (b. 1924)
• 2007 – T. K. Doraiswamy, Indian poet and author (b. 1921)
• 2009 – Mario Benedetti, Uruguayan journalist, author, and poet (b. 1920)
• 2009 – Jung Seung-hye, South Korean journalist and producer (b. 1965)
• 2010 – Yvonne Loriod, French pianist, composer, and educator (b. 1924)
• 2010 – Walasse Ting, Chinese-American painter and poet (b. 1929)
• 2011 – Harmon Killebrew, American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1936)
• 2012 – Warda Al-Jazairia, French-Lebanese singer (b. 1939)
• 2012 – Herbert Breslin, American publicist and manager (b. 1924)
• 2012 – Gideon Ezra, Israeli politician (b. 1937)
• 2012 – Patrick Mafisango, Congolese-Rwandan footballer (b. 1980)
• 2012 – Ron Shock, American comedian (b. 1942)
• 2012 – Donna Summer, American singer-songwriter (b. 1948)
• 2013 – Philippe Gaumont, French cyclist (b. 1973)
• 2013 – Penne Hackforth-Jones, American-Australian actress (b. 1949)
• 2013 – Alan O'Day, American singer-songwriter (b. 1940)
• 2013 – Peter Schulz, German politician, Mayor of Hamburg (b. 1930)
• 2013 – Albert Seedman, American police officer (b. 1918)
• 2013 – Ken Venturi, American golfer and sportscaster (b. 1931)
• 2013 – Jorge Rafael Videla, Argentinian general and politician, 42nd President of Argentina (b. 1925)
• 2014 – Miss Beazley, American dog of George W. Bush (b. 2004)
• 2014 – Gerald Edelman, American biologist and immunologist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1929)
• 2014 – Clarence Ellis, American computer scientist and academic (b. 1943)
• 2014 – C. P. Krishnan Nair, Indian businessman, founded The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts (b. 1922)
• 2014 – Bob Odom, American soldier and politician (b. 1935)
• 2014 – Douangchay Phichit, Laotian politician (b. 1944)
• 2014 – Thongbanh Sengaphone, Laotian politician (b. 1953)

Holidays and observances

• Birthday of the Raja (Perlis)
• Christian feast day:
  • Giulia Salzano
  • Paschal Baylon
  • William Hobart Hare (Episcopal Church (USA))
  • Restituta
  • May 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Constitution Day (Nauru)
• Constitution Day (Norway)
• Earliest date on which Trinity Sunday can fall, while June 20 is the latest; celebrated on the first Sunday after Pentecost. (Western Christianity)
• Feast of ‘Aẓamat (Bahá'í Faith)
• Galician Literature Day or Día das Letras Galegas (Galicia)
• International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia aka IDAHO
• Liberation Day (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
• National Famine Memorial Day (Ireland)
• Navy Day (Argentina)
• World Information Society Day (International)

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to May 17.

• BBC: On This Day
• The New York Times: On This Day
• On This Day in Canada