Historical Events on November 17

  • 1603: English explorer Sir Walter Raleigh is tried for treason.
  • 1777: The U.S Articles of Confederation are submitted to the states for possible ratification.
  • 1796: During the French Revolutionary War, Austrian forces in Italy are defeated by the French.
  • 1800: Congress in the U.S begins its first session in Washington, D.C.
  • 1856: On the Sonoita River in what is now Arizona, Fort Buchanan is established by the U.S. Army to keep control and order in the lands that were just acquired in the Gadsden Purchase.
  • 1863: During the American Civil War, Knoxville Tennessee is besieged by Confederate soldiers under the command of General James Longstreet.
  • 1871: The NRA is granted a charter by New York State.
  • 1933: The U.S officially recognizes the Soviet Union.
  • 1947: An Anti-Communist Oath is implemented by the Screen Actor’s Guild.
  • 1962: Washington Dulles International Airport is dedicated by U.S President John F. Kennedy.
  • 1978: CBS airs the Star Wars Holiday Special. A special that receives complaints from fans, critics and even Star Wars creator George Lucas himself.
  • 1989: A student demonstration in Prague, Czechoslovakia is put down by riot police.
  • 1993: The resolution to create the North American Free Trade Agreement is passed by the U.S House of Representatives.
  • 2000: In Log pod Mangartom, Slovenia, a landslide kills seven people and causes millions of SIT of damage. It’s considered by many to be one of the worst natural catastrophes in the country in over 100 years.

Famous Birthdays on November 17

  • American biochemist and Nobel Prize laureate, Stanley Cohen is born in 1922.
  • American actor Rock Hudson is born in 1925.
  • American director, producer and screenwriter, Martin Scorsese is born in 1942.
  • American actress and model Lauren Hutton is born in 1943.
  • American actor, director and producer, Danny DeVito is born in 1944.
  • Canadian-American screenwriter, producer and creator of Saturday Night Live, Lorne Michaels is born in 1944.