July 17

July 17 in recent years

2024 (Wednesday)

2023 (Monday)

2022 (Sunday)

2021 (Saturday)

2020 (Friday)

2019 (Wednesday)

2018 (Tuesday)

2017 (Monday)

2016 (Sunday)

2015 (Friday)

July 17is the 198th day of the year (199th inleap years) in theGregorian calendar;167 days remain until the end of the year.

Events

Pre-1600

• 180–Twelve inhabitantsofScillium(near Kasserine, modern-dayTunisia) in North Africa are executed for being Christians. This is the earliest record of Christianity in that part of the world.
• 1048–Damasus IIis elected pope, and dies 23 days later.
• 1203– TheFourth CrusadeassaultsConstantinople.TheByzantine emperorAlexios III Angelosflees from his capital into exile.
• 1402– Zhu Di, better known by hisera nameas theYongle Emperor,assumes the throne over theMing dynastyof China.
• 1429–Hundred Years' War:Charles VII of Franceiscrownedthe King of France in theReims Cathedralafter a successful campaign byJoan of Arc.
• 1453–Battle of Castillon:The last battle of theHundred Years' War,the French underJean Bureaudefeat the English under theEarl of Shrewsbury,who is killed in the battle inGascony.

1601–1900

• 1717– KingGeorge I of Great Britainsails down theRiver Thameswith a barge of 50 musicians, whereGeorge Frideric Handel'sWater Musicis premiered.
• 1762– Former emperorPeter III of Russiais murdered.
• 1771–Bloody Falls massacre:ChipewyanchiefMatonabbee,traveling as the guide toSamuel Hearneon his Arctic overland journey, massacres a group of unsuspectingInuit.
• 1791– Members of theFrench National Guardunder the command ofGeneral Lafayetteopen fireon a crowd of radicalJacobinsat theChamp de Mars,Paris, during theFrench Revolution,killing scores of people.
• 1794– The 16CarmeliteMartyrs of Compiègneare executed ten days prior to the end of the French Revolution'sReign of Terror.
• 1821– TheKingdom of Spaincedes the territory ofFloridato the United States.
• 1850–Vegabecame the first star (other than the Sun) to be photographed.
• 1867–Harvard School of Dental Medicineis established inBoston,Massachusetts. It is the first dental school in the U.S. that is affiliated with a university.
• 1899–NECCorporation is organized as the first Japanese joint venture with foreign capital.

1901–present

• 1901– LinerDeutschlandsets east to west transatlantic record of five days, eleven hours and five minutes.
• 1902–Willis Carriercreates the firstair conditionerinBuffalo, New York.
• 1917– KingGeorge Vissues a proclamation stating that the male line descendants of theBritish royal familywill bear the surnameWindsor.
• 1918–Tsar Nicholas IIofRussiaand his immediate family and retainersare executedbyBolshevikChekistsat theIpatiev HouseinYekaterinburg,Russia.
• 1918 – TheRMSCarpathia,the ship that rescued the 705 survivors from theRMSTitanic,is sunk off Ireland by the GermanSMU-55;five lives are lost.
• 1919– The form of government in theRepublic of Finlandis officially confirmed. For this reason, July 17 is known as theDay of Democracy(Kansanvallan päivä) in Finland.
• 1932–Altona Bloody Sunday:A riot between theNazi Partyparamilitary forces, theSSandSA,and theGerman Communist Partyensues.
• 1936–Spanish Civil War:AnArmed Forces rebellionagainst the recently elected leftistPopular Frontgovernment of Spain starts the civil war.
• 1938–Douglas Corrigantakes off fromBrooklynto fly the "wrong way" to Ireland and becomes known as "Wrong Way" Corrigan.
• 1944–Port Chicago disaster:Near theSan Francisco Bay,two ships laden withammunitionfor the war explode inPort Chicago, California,killing 320.
• 1944 –World War II:AtSainte-Foy-de-Montgommeryin Normandy, Field MarshalErwin Rommelis seriously injured byAlliedaircraft while returning to his headquarters.
• 1945– World War II: The main three leaders of theAlliednations,Winston Churchill,Harry S. TrumanandJoseph Stalin,meetin the German city ofPotsdamto decide the future of a defeated Germany.
• 1953– The largest number of United Statesmidshipmancasualties in a single event results from anaircraft crashin Florida, killing 44.
• 1954–First Indochina War:Viet Minhtroops successfully ambush the armoured French column 'G.M. 42' in theBattle of Chu Dreh Passin theCentral Highlands.It is the last battle of the war.
• 1955–Disneylandis dedicated and opened byWalt DisneyinAnaheim, California.
• 1962–Nuclear weapons testing:The "Small Boy" test shotLittle Feller Ibecomes the last atmospheric test detonation at theNevada National Security Site.
• 1968–Abdul Rahman Arifisoverthrownand theBa'ath Partyis installed as the governing power inIraqwithAhmed Hassan al-Bakras the new Iraqi President.
• 1973– KingMohammed Zahir ShahofAfghanistan,while having surgery in Italy, is deposed by his cousinMohammed Daoud Khan.
• 1975–Apollo–Soyuz Test Project:An AmericanApolloand a SovietSoyuz spacecraftdock with each other inorbitmarking the first such link-up between spacecraft from the two nations.
• 1976–East Timorisannexedand becomes the 27thprovinceofIndonesia.
• 1976 – The opening of theSummer OlympicsinMontrealis marred by 25 African teams boycotting the games because ofNew Zealand's participation. Contrary to rulings by other international sports organizations, theIOChad declined to exclude New Zealand because of their participation inSouth Africansporting events duringapartheid.
• 1979–Nicaraguandictator GeneralAnastasio Somoza Debayleresigns and flees toMiami, Florida,United States.
• 1981– A structural failure leads to the collapse ofa walkway at the Hyatt RegencyinKansas City, Missouri,killing 114 people and injuring more than 200.
• 1984– The national drinking age in the United States waschangedfrom 18 to 21.
• 1985– Founding of theEUREKA Networkby former head of statesFrançois Mitterrand(France) andHelmut Kohl(Germany).
• 1989– First flight of theB-2 SpiritStealth Bomber.
• 1989 –Holy See–Poland relationsare restored.
• 1996–TWA Flight 800:Off the coast ofLong Island,New York, a Paris-bound TWABoeing 747explodes, killing all 230 on board.
• 1997– After takeoff fromHusein Sastranegara International Airport,Sempati Air Flight 304crashes into a residential neighborhood inBandung,killing 28 people.
• 1998– The 7.0 M_w Papua New Guinea earthquaketriggers atsunamithat destroys ten villages inPapua New Guinea,killing up to 2,700 people, and leaving several thousand injured.
• 1998 – A diplomatic conference adopts theRome Statute of the International Criminal Court,establishing thepermanent international courtinThe Hague,to prosecute individuals forgenocide,crimes against humanity,war crimes,and thecrime of aggression.
• 2000– During approach toLok Nayak Jayaprakash Airport,Alliance Air Flight 7412suddenly crashes into a residential neighborhood inPatna,India,killing 60 people.
• 2001–Concordeis brought back into service nearly a year after theJuly 2000crash.
• 2006– The 7.7 M_w Pangandaran tsunami earthquakeseverely affects the Indonesian island ofJava,killing 668 people, and leaving more than 9,000 injured.
• 2007–TAM Airlines Flight 3054,anAirbus A320,crashes into a warehouse after landing too fast and missing the end of theSão Paulo–Congonhas Airportrunway, killing 199 people.
• 2014–Malaysia Airlines Flight 17,aBoeing 777,crashes near the border ofUkraineand Russia after being shot down. All 298 people on board are killed.
• 2014 – A Frenchregional trainon the Pau-Bayonne linecrashesinto ahigh-speed trainnear the town ofDenguin,resulting in at least 25 injuries.
• 2014 –Eric Garneriskilledby police officerDaniel Pantaleoin New York City, after the latter put him in a prohibitedchokeholdwhile arresting him.
• 2015– At least 120 people are killed and 130 injured by asuicide bombinginDiyala Governorate,Iraq.
• 2018–Scott S. Sheppardannounces that his team has discovered a dozen irregularmoons of Jupiter.

Births

Pre-1600

• 1487–Ismail Iof Iran (d. 1524)
• 1499–Maria Salviati,Italian noblewoman (d. 1543)
• 1531–Antoine de Créqui Canaples,Roman Catholic cardinal (d. 1574)

1601–1900

• 1674–Isaac Watts,English hymnwriter and theologian (d. 1748)
• 1695–Christian Karl Reinhard of Leiningen-Dachsburg-Falkenburg-Heidesheim(d. 1766)
• 1698–Pierre Louis Maupertuis,French mathematician and philosopher (d. 1759)
• 1708–Frederick Christian, Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth(d. 1769)
• 1714–Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten,German philosopher and academic (d. 1762)
• 1744–Elbridge Gerry,American merchant and politician, 5thVice President of the United States(d. 1814)
• 1763–John Jacob Astor,German-American businessman and philanthropist (d. 1848)
• 1774–John Wilbur,American minister and theologian (d. 1856)
• 1797–Paul Delaroche,French painter and academic (d. 1856)
• 1823–Leander Clark,American businessman, judge, and politician (d. 1910)
• 1831–Xianfeng Emperorof China (d. 1861)
• 1831-Naser al-Din ShahofQajar Iran(a. 1896)
• 1837–Joseph-Alfred Mousseau,Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician, 7thSecretary of State for Canada(d. 1886)
• 1839–Ephraim Shay,American engineer, invented theShay locomotive(d. 1916)
• 1853–Alexius Meinong,Ukrainian-Austrian philosopher and academic (d. 1920)
• 1868–Henri Nathansen,Danish director and playwright (d. 1944)
• 1870–Charles Davidson Dunbar,Scottish soldier andbagpipeplayer (d. 1939)
• 1871–Lyonel Feininger,German-American painter and illustrator (d. 1956)
• 1873–Many Benner,French painter (d. 1965)
• 1879–Jack Laviolette,Canadian ice hockey player, coach, and manager (d. 1960)
• 1882–James Somerville,English admiral and politician,Lord Lieutenant of Somerset(d. 1949)
• 1888–Shmuel Yosef Agnon,Ukrainian-Israeli novelist, short story writer and poet,Nobel Prizelaureate (d. 1970)
• 1889–Erle Stanley Gardner,American lawyer and author (d. 1970)
• 1894–Georges Lemaître,Belgian priest, astronomer, and cosmologist (d. 1966)
• 1896–Rupert Atkinson,English RAF officer (d. 1919)
• 1898–Berenice Abbott,American photographer (d. 1991)
• 1898 –Osmond Borradaile,Canadian soldier and cinematographer (d. 1999)
• 1899–James Cagney,American actor and dancer (d. 1986)

1901–present

• 1901–Luigi Chinetti,Italian-American race car driver (d. 1994)
• 1901 –Bruno Jasieński,Polish poet and author (d. 1938)
• 1901 –Patrick Smith,Irish farmer and politician,Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine(d. 1982)
• 1902–Christina Stead,Australian author and academic (d. 1983)
• 1905–William Gargan,American actor (d. 1979)
• 1910–James Coyne,Canadian lawyer and banker, 2ndGovernor of the Bank of Canada(d. 2012)
• 1910 –Frank Olson,American chemist and microbiologist (d. 1953)
• 1911–Lionel Ferbos,American trumpet player (d. 2014)
• 1911 –Heinz Lehmann,German-Canadian psychiatrist and academic (d. 1999)
• 1912–Erwin Bauer,German race car driver (d. 1958)
• 1912 –Art Linkletter,Canadian-American radio and television host (d. 2010)
• 1913–Bertrand Goldberg,American architect, designed theMarina City Building(d. 1997)
• 1914–Eleanor Steber,American soprano and educator (d. 1990)
• 1915–Bijon Bhattacharya,Indian actor, singer, and screenwriter (d. 1978)
• 1915 –Arthur Rothstein,American photographer and educator (d. 1985)
• 1916–Eleanor Hadley,American economist and policymaker (d. 2007)
• 1917–Lou Boudreau,American baseball player and manager (d. 2001)
• 1917 –Phyllis Diller,American actress, comedian, and voice artist (d. 2012)
• 1917 –Kenan Evren,Turkish general and politician, 7thPresident of Turkey(d. 2015)
• 1917 –Christiane Rochefort,French author (d. 1998)
• 1918–Carlos Manuel Arana Osorio,Guatemalan soldier and politician,President of Guatemala(d. 2003)
• 1919–Albert Stubbins,English footballer (d. 2002)
• 1920–Gordon Gould,American physicist and academic, invented thelaser(d. 2005)
• 1920 –Juan Antonio Samaranch,Spanish businessman, 7thPresident of the International Olympic Committee(d. 2010)
• 1921–George Barnes,American guitarist, producer, and songwriter (d. 1977)
• 1921 –Louis Lachenal,French mountaineer (d. 1955)
• 1921 –Mary Osborne,American guitarist (d. 1992)
• 1921 –Toni Stone,American baseball player (d. 1996)
• 1921 –František Zvarík,Slovak actor (d. 2008)
• 1923–Jeanne Block,American psychologist (d. 1981)
• 1923 –John Cooper,English car designer, co-founded theCooper Car Company(d. 2000)
• 1924–Garde Gardom,Canadian lawyer and politician, 26thLieutenant Governor of British Columbia(d. 2013)
• 1925–Jimmy Scott,American singer and actor (d. 2014)
• 1925 –Mohammad Hasan Sharq,Afghan politician
• 1926–Édouard Carpentier,French-Canadian wrestler (d. 2010)
• 1926 –Willis Carto,American activist and theorist (d. 2015)
• 1928–Vince Guaraldi,American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 1976)
• 1929–Sergei K. Godunov,Russian mathematician and academic (d. 2023)
• 1932–Niccolò Castiglioni,Italian composer (d. 1996)
• 1932 –Red Kerr,American basketball player and coach (d. 2009)
• 1932 –Wojciech Kilar,Polish pianist and composer (d. 2013)
• 1932 –Karla Kuskin,American author and illustrator (d. 2009)
• 1932 –Slick Leonard,American basketball player and coach (d. 2021)
• 1932 –Ian Moir,Australian rugby league player (d. 1990)
• 1932 –Quino,Spanish-Argentinian cartoonist (d. 2020)
• 1932 –Hal Riney,American businessman, foundedPublicis & Hal Riney(d. 2008)
• 1933–Keiko Awaji,Japanese actress (d. 2014)
• 1933 –Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici,Maltese politician, 9thPrime Minister of Malta(d. 2022)
• 1933 –Tony Pithey,Zimbabwean-South African cricketer (d. 2006)
• 1934–Lucio Tan,Chinese-Filipino billionaire businessman and educator
• 1935–Diahann Carroll,American actress and singer (d. 2019)
• 1935 –Peter Schickele,American composer and educator (d. 2024)
• 1935 –Donald Sutherland,Canadian actor and producer (d. 2024)
• 1938–Hermann Huppen,Belgian author and illustrator
• 1939–Andrée Champagne,Canadian actress and politician (d. 2020)
• 1939 –Spencer Davis,Welsh singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2020)
• 1940–Tim Brooke-Taylor,English actor and screenwriter (d. 2020)
• 1941–Daryle Lamonica,American football player (d. 2022)
• 1941 –Bob Taylor,English cricketer
• 1941 –Achim Warmbold,German race car driver and manager
• 1942–Gale Garnett,New Zealand–born Canadian singer
• 1942 –Connie Hawkins,American basketball player (d. 2017)
• 1942 –Don Kessinger,American baseball player and manager
• 1942 –Zoot Money,English singer-songwriter and keyboard player
• 1943–LaVyrle Spencer,American author and educator
• 1944–Mark Burgess,New Zealand cricketer and footballer
• 1944 –Catherine Schell,Hungarian-English actress
• 1944 –Carlos Alberto Torres,Brazilian footballer and manager (d. 2016)
• 1945–Alexander, Crown Prince of Yugoslavia
• 1945 –John Patten, Baron Patten,English politician,Secretary of State for Education
• 1946–Chris Crutcher,American novelist and short story writer
• 1946 –Ted Sampley,American POW/MIA activist (d. 2009)
• 1947–Joyce Anelay, Baroness Anelay of St John's,English educator and politician
• 1947 –Robert Begerau,German footballer and manager
• 1947 –Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom
• 1947 –Wolfgang Flür,German musician (Kraftwerk)
• 1947 –Mick Tucker,English rock drummer (Sweet) (d. 2002)
• 1948–Ron Asheton,American guitarist and songwriter (d. 2009)
• 1948 –Luc Bondy,Swiss director and producer (d. 2015)
• 1949–Geezer Butler,English bass player and songwriter
• 1949 –Charley Steiner,American journalist and sportscaster
• 1950–Sadhan Chandra Majumder,Bangladeshi politician
• 1950 –Tengku Sulaiman Shah,Malaysian corporate figure
• 1950 –Phoebe Snow,American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2011)
• 1951–Lucie Arnaz,American actress and singer
• 1951 –Mark Bowden,American journalist and author
• 1951 –Andrew Robathan,English soldier and politician,Minister of State for the Armed Forces
• 1952–David Hasselhoff,American actor, singer, and producer
• 1952 –Nicolette Larson,American singer-songwriter (d. 1997)
• 1952 –Thé Lau,Dutch singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 2015)
• 1952 –Robert R. McCammon,American author
• 1954–Angela Merkel,German chemist and politician,Chancellor of Germanyfrom 2005 to 2021.
• 1954 –Edward Natapei,Vanuatuan politician, 6thPrime Minister of Vanuatu(d. 2015)
• 1954 –J. Michael Straczynski,American author, screenwriter, and producer
• 1955–Sylvie Léonard,Canadian actress and screenwriter
• 1955 –Paul Stamets,American mycologist and author
• 1956–Julie Bishop,Australian lawyer and politician, 38thAustralian Minister for Foreign Affairs
• 1956 –Bryan Trottier,Canadian-American ice hockey player and coach
• 1957–Bruce Crump,American drummer and songwriter (d. 2015)
• 1957 –Wendy Freedman,Canadian-American cosmologist and astronomer
• 1958–Wong Kar-wai,Chinese director, producer, and screenwriter
• 1958 –Suzanne Moore,English journalist
• 1958 –Thérèse Rein,Australian businesswoman, foundedIngeus
• 1958 –Susan Silver,American music manager
• 1959–Pola Uddin, Baroness Uddin,Bangladeshi-English politician
• 1960–Kim Barnett,English cricketer and coach
• 1960 –Mark Burnett,English-American screenwriter and producer
• 1960 –Nancy Giles,American journalist and actress
• 1960 –Robin Shou,Hong Kong martial artist and actor
• 1960 –Dawn Upshaw,American soprano
• 1960 –Jan Wouters,Dutch footballer and manager
• 1961–António Costa,Portuguese politician, 119thPrime Minister of Portugal
• 1961 –Jeremy Hardy,English comedian and actor (d. 2019)
• 1963–Regina Belle,American singer-songwriter, producer, and actress
• 1963 –Letsie III of Lesotho
• 1963 –Matti Nykänen,Finnish ski jumper and singer (d. 2019)
• 1964–Heather Langenkamp,American actress and producer
• 1965–Craig Morgan,American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1965 –Alex Winter,English-American actor, film director and screenwriter
• 1966–Lou Barlow,American guitarist and songwriter
• 1966 –Sten Tolgfors,Swedish lawyer and politician, 30thSwedish Minister of Defence
• 1969–Jason Clarke,Australian actor
• 1969 –Scott Johnson,American cartoonist
• 1969 –Jaan Kirsipuu,Estonian cyclist
• 1971–Calbert Cheaney,American basketball player and coach
• 1971 –Cory Doctorow,Canadian author and activist
• 1971 –Nico Mattan,Belgian cyclist
• 1972–Elizabeth Cook,American singer and guitarist
• 1972 –Donny Marshall,American basketball player and sportscaster
• 1972 –Jason Rullo,American drummer
• 1972 –Jaap Stam,Dutch footballer and manager
• 1972 –Eric Williams,American basketball player
• 1973–Eric Moulds,American football player
• 1974–Claudio López,Argentine footballer
• 1975–Andre Adams,New Zealand cricketer
• 1975 –Elena Anaya,Spanish actress
• 1975 –Darude,Finnish DJ and producer
• 1975 –Loretta Harrop,Australian triathlete
• 1975 –Konnie Huq,English television presenter
• 1975 –Terence Tao,Australian-American mathematician
• 1976–Luke Bryan,American singer-songwriter and guitarist
• 1976 –Gino D'Acampo,Italian chef and author
• 1976 –Dagmara Domińczyk,Polish-American actress
• 1976 –Marcos Senna,Brazilian-Spanish footballer
• 1976 –Anders Svensson,Swedish footballer and sportscaster
• 1976 –Eric Winter,American actor
• 1977–Andrew Downton,Australian cricketer
• 1977 –Leif Hoste,Belgian cyclist
• 1977 –Marc Savard,Canadian ice hockey player
• 1978–Ricardo Arona,Brazilian mixed martial artist
• 1978 –Panda Bear,American musician and songwriter
• 1978 –Jason Jennings,American baseball player
• 1978 –Justine Triet,French film director and screenwriter
• 1979–Mike Vogel,American actor
• 1980–Javier Camuñas,Spanish footballer
• 1980 –Brett Goldstein,British actor, comedian and writer
• 1980 –Ryan Miller,American ice hockey player
• 1981–Hely Ollarves,Venezuelan runner
• 1982–Omari Banks,Anguillan cricketer
• 1983–Adam Lind,American baseball player
• 1985–Loui Eriksson,Swedish ice hockey player
• 1985 –Neil McGregor,Scottish footballer
• 1986–DeAngelo Smith,American football player
• 1987–Darius Boyd,Australian rugby league player
• 1987 –Jeremih,American singer, songwriter, and record producer
• 1991–Oliver Ekman-Larsson,Swedish ice hockey player
• 1992–Billie Lourd,American actress
• 1992 –Tatu Sinisalo,Finnish actor
• 1994–Kali Uchis,American singer-songwriter
• 1997–OG Anunoby,British basketball player
• 1998–Rosana Serrano,Cuban rower
• 2002–Jordan Lawlar,American baseball player
• 2005–Connor Bedard,Canadian ice hockey player

Deaths

Pre-1600

• 521–Magnus Felix Ennodius,Gallo-Roman bishop
• 855–Leo IV,pope of theCatholic Church(b. 790)
• 952–Wu Hanyue,Chinese noblewoman (b. 913)
• 961–Du,empress dowager of theSong dynasty
• 1070–Baldwin VI,count ofFlanders(b. 1030)
• 1085–Robert Guiscard,Norman adventurer
• 1119–Baldwin VII,count of Flanders (b. 1093)
• 1210–Sverker II,king ofSweden(b. 1210)
• 1304–Edmund Mortimer, 2nd Baron Mortimer(b. 1251)
• 1399–Jadwiga,queen ofPoland(b. 1374)
• 1453–Dmitry Shemyaka,Grand Prince ofMoscow
• 1453 –John Talbot, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury,English commander and politician (b. 1387)
• 1531–Hosokawa Takakuni,Japanese commander (b. 1484)
• 1571–Georg Fabricius,German poet and historian (b. 1516)
• 1588–Mimar Sinan,Ottoman architect and engineer, designed theSokollu Mehmet Pasha MosqueandSüleymaniye Mosque(b. 1489)

1601–1900

• 1603–Mózes Székely,Hungarian noble (b. 1553)
• 1642–William, Count of Nassau-Siegen,German count, field marshal of the Dutch State Army (b. 1592)
• 1645–Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset,English-Scottish politician,Lord Chamberlain of the United Kingdom(b. 1587)
• 1704–Pierre-Charles Le Sueur,French fur trader and explorer (b. 1657)
• 1709–Robert Bolling,English planter and merchant (b. 1646)
• 1725–Thomas King,English and British soldier, MP for Queenborough, lieutenant-governor of Sheerness (b. before 1660?).
• 1762–Peter III of Russia(b. 1728)
• 1790–Adam Smith,Scottish economist and philosopher (b. 1723)
• 1791–Martin Dobrizhoffer,Austrian missionary and author (b. 1717)
• 1793–Charlotte Corday,French murderer (b. 1768)
• 1794–John Roebuck,English chemist and businessman (b. 1718)
• 1845–Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey,English politician,Prime Minister of the United Kingdom(b. 1764)
• 1871–Karl Tausig,Polish virtuoso pianist, arranger and composer (b. 1841)
• 1878–Aleardo Aleardi,Italian poet and politician (b. 1812)
• 1879–Maurycy Gottlieb,Ukrainian-Polish painter (b. 1856)
• 1881–Jim Bridger,American scout and explorer (b. 1804)
• 1883–Tự Đức,Vietnamese emperor (b. 1829)
• 1885–Jean-Charles Chapais,Canadian farmer and politician, 1stCanadian Minister of Agriculture(b. 1811)
• 1893–Frederick A. Johnson,American banker and politician (b. 1833)
• 1894–Leconte de Lisle,French poet and translator (b. 1818)
• 1894 –Josef Hyrtl,Austrian anatomist and biologist (b. 1810)
• 1900–Thomas McIlwraith,Scottish-Australian politician, 8thPremier of Queensland(b. 1835)

1901–present

• 1907–Hector Malot,French author and critic (b. 1830)
• 1912–Henri Poincaré,French mathematician, physicist, and engineer (b. 1854)
• 1918– Victims of theShooting of the Romanov family:
  • Nicholas II of Russia(b. 1868)
  • Alexandra Fyodorovna of Russia(b. 1872)
  • Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia(b. 1895)
  • Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna of Russia(b. 1897)
  • Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia(b. 1899)
  • Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia(b. 1901)
  • Alexei Nikolaevich, Tsarevich of Russia(b. 1904)
  • Anna Demidova(b. 1878)
  • Ivan Kharitonov(b. 1872)
  • Alexei Trupp(b. 1858)
  • Yevgeny Botkin(b. 1865)
• 1925–Lovis Corinth,German painter (b. 1858)
• 1928–Giovanni Giolitti,Italian politician, 13thPrime Minister of Italy(b. 1842)
• 1928 –Álvaro Obregón,Mexican general and politician, 39thPresident of Mexico(b. 1880)
• 1932–Rasmus Rasmussen,Norwegian actor, singer, and director (b. 1862)
• 1935–George William Russell,Irish poet and painter (b. 1867)
• 1942–Robina Nicol,New Zealand photographer and suffragist (b. 1861)
• 1944–William James Sidis,American mathematician and anthropologist (b. 1898)
• 1945–Ernst Busch,German field marshal (b. 1885)
• 1946–Florence Fuller,South African-born Australian artist (b. 1867)
• 1946 –Draža Mihailović,Serbian general (b. 1893)
• 1950–Evangeline Booth,English 4thGeneral of The Salvation Army(b. 1865)
• 1950 –Antonie Nedošinská,Czech actress (b. 1885)
• 1959–Billie Holiday,American singer (b. 1915)
• 1959 –Eugene Meyer,American businessman and publisher (b. 1875)
• 1960–Maud Menten,Canadian physician and biochemist (b. 1879)
• 1961–Ty Cobb,American baseball player and manager (b. 1886)
• 1961 –Emin Halid Onat,Turkish architect and academic (b. 1908)
• 1967–John Coltrane,American saxophonist and composer (b. 1926)
• 1974–Dizzy Dean,American baseball player and sportscaster (b. 1910)
• 1975–Konstantine Gamsakhurdia,Georgian author (b. 1893)
• 1980–Don "Red" Barry,American actor and screenwriter (b. 1912)
• 1980 –Boris Delaunay,Russian mathematician and academic (b. 1890)
• 1988–Bruiser Brody,American football player and wrestler (b. 1946)
• 1989–Itubwa Amram,Nauruan pastor and politician (b. 1922)
• 1991–John Patrick Spiegel,American psychiatrist and academic (b. 1911)
• 1994–Jean Borotra,French tennis player (b. 1898)
• 1995–Juan Manuel Fangio,Argentinian race car driver (b. 1911)
• 1996– Victims ofTWA Flight 800:
  • Michel Breistroff,French ice hockey player (b. 1971)
  • Marcel Dadi,Tunisian-French guitarist (b. 1951)
  • David Hogan,American composer (b. 1949)
  • Jed Johnson,American interior designer and director (b. 1948)
• 1996 –Chas Chandler,English bass player and producer (b. 1938)
• 1998–Lillian Hoban,American author and illustrator (b. 1925)
• 2001–Katharine Graham,American publisher (b. 1917)
• 2002–Joseph Luns,Dutch politician andDutch Minister of Foreign Affairs(b. 1911)
• 2003–David Kelly,Welsh weapons inspector (b. 1944)
• 2003 –Rosalyn Tureck,American pianist andharpsichordplayer (b. 1914)
• 2003 –Walter Zapp,Latvian-Swiss inventor, invented theMinox(b. 1905)
• 2005–Geraldine Fitzgerald,Irish-American actress (b. 1913)
• 2005 –Edward Heath,English colonel and politician,Prime Minister of the United Kingdom(b. 1916)
• 2005 –Joe Vialls,Australian journalist and theorist (b. 1944)
• 2006–Sam Myers,American singer-songwriter (b. 1936)
• 2006 –Mickey Spillane,American crime novelist (b. 1918)
• 2007–Grant Forsberg,American actor and businessman (b. 1959)
• 2007 –Júlio Redecker,Brazilian politician (b. 1956)
• 2007 –Paulo Rogério Amoretty Souza,Brazilian lawyer and businessman (b. 1945)
• 2009–Walter Cronkite,American journalist and actor (b. 1916)
• 2009 –Leszek Kołakowski,Polish historian and philosopher (b. 1927)
• 2010–Larry Keith,American actor (b. 1931)
• 2011–David Ngoombujarra,Australian actor (b. 1967)
• 2012–Richard Evatt,English boxer (b. 1973)
• 2012 –Forrest S. McCartney,American general (b. 1931)
• 2012 –İlhan Mimaroğlu,Turkish-American composer and producer (b. 1926)
• 2012 –William Raspberry,American journalist and academic (b. 1935)
• 2012 –Marsha Singh,Indian-English politician (b. 1954)
• 2013–Henri Alleg,English-French journalist and author (b. 1921)
• 2013 –Peter Appleyard,English-Canadianvibraphoneplayer and composer (b. 1928)
• 2013 –Vincenzo Cerami,Italian screenwriter and producer (b. 1940)
• 2013 –Don Flye,American tennis player (b. 1933)
• 2013 –Ian Gourlay,English general (b. 1920)
• 2013 –David White,Scottish footballer and manager (b. 1933)
• 2014–Malaysia Airlines Flight 17victims:
  • Liam Davison,Australian author and critic (b. 1957)
  • Shuba Jay,Malaysian actress (b. 1976)
  • Joep Lange,Dutch physician and academic (b. 1954)
  • Willem Witteveen,Dutch scholar and politician (b. 1952)
• 2014 –Henry Hartsfield,American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (b. 1933)
• 2014 –Otto Piene,German sculptor and academic (b. 1928)
• 2014 –Elaine Stritch,American actress and singer (b. 1925)
• 2015–Bill Arnsparger,American football player and coach (b. 1926)
• 2015 –Jules Bianchi,French race car driver (b. 1989)
• 2015 –Owen Chadwick,English rugby player, historian, and academic (b. 1916)
• 2015 –Van Miller,American sportscaster (b. 1927)
• 2015 –John Taylor,English pianist and educator (b. 1942)
• 2019–Marie Sophie Hingst,German historian and blogger who falsely claimed to be descended fromHolocaust survivors
• 2020–John Lewis,American Politician and Civil Rights Leader. (b. 1940)
• 2020 –Ekaterina Alexandrovskaya,Russian-Australian pair skater (b. 2000)
• 2024–Cheng Pei-pei,Chinese actress (b. 1946)
• 2024 –Bernice Johnson Reagon,American singer, songwriter and scholar (b. 1942)
• 2024 –Pat Williams,American basketball player (b. 1940)

Holidays and observances

• Christianfeast day:
  • Alexius of Rome(Western Church)
  • Andrew Zorard
  • Cynehelm
  • Cynllo
  • Inácio de Azevedo
  • Jadwiga of Poland
  • Magnus Felix Ennodius
  • Marcellina
  • Martyrs of Compiègne
  • BlessedPavel Peter Gojdič(Greek Catholic Church)
  • Pope Leo IV
  • Romanov sainthood(Russian Orthodox Church)
  • Speratus and companions
  • William White(Episcopal Church)
  • July 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
• Constitution Day (South Korea)
• Gion Matsuri(Yasaka Shrine,Kyoto)
• Independence Day (Slovakia)
• International Firgun Day(International)
• King's Birthday (Lesotho)
• U Tirot Sing Day(Meghalaya,India)
• World Day for International Justice(International)
• World Emoji Day(International)

External links

• "On This Day".BBC.
• The New York Times:On This Day
• "Historical Events on July 17".OnThisDay.com.