Summary of the Day ✨ 17 May (17/05)
Trains from North and South Korea crossed the Demilitarized Zone for the first time since 1953 while the USS Oriskany was intentionally sunk as an artificial reef in the Gulf of Mexico. Meanwhile, tragic plane crashes in Laos and Afghanistan claimed 61 lives total, while Massachusetts made history by performing the first legal same-sex marriages in the United States.
Historical Events 📜
- 2014: A military plane crash in northern Laos kills 17 people.
- 2010: Pamir Airways Flight 112 crashes in Afghanistan’s Shakardara District, killing 44.
- 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.
- 2006: The aircraft carrier USS Oriskany is sunk in the Gulf of Mexico as an artificial reef.
- 2004: The first legal same-sex marriages in the U.S. are performed in the state of Massachusetts.
- 2000: Arsenal and Galatasaray fans clash in the 2000 UEFA Cup Final riots in Copenhagen
- 1997: Troops of Laurent-Désiré Kabila march into Kinshasa. Zaire is officially renamed Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- 1995: Shawn Nelson steals an M60 tank from the California Army National Guard Armory in San Diego and proceeds to go on a rampage.
- 1994: Malawi holds its first multi-party elections.
- 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, hundreds of injuries, many disappearances, and more than 3,500 arrests.
- 1990: The General Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO) eliminates homosexuality from the list of psychiatric diseases.
- 1987: Iran–Iraq War: 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.
- 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.
- 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 [1.9 kt]), 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.
Famous Births 👶
- 1994: Julie Anne San Jose, Filipina singer-songwriter
- 1991: Johanna Konta, Australian-English tennis player
- 1991: Adil Omar, Pakistani rapper and music producer
- 1991: Abigail Raye, Canadian field hockey player
- 1990: Will Clyburn, American basketball player
- 1990: Fabian Giefer, German footballer
- 1990: Charlie Gubb, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1990: Katrina Hart, English runner
- 1990: Guido Pella, Argentine tennis player
- 1989: Mose Masoe, New Zealand rugby league player
- 1989: Rain Raadik, Estonian basketball player
- 1989: Tessa Virtue, Canadian ice dancer
- 1988: Nikki Reed, American actress, singer, and screenwriter
- 1987: Edvald Boasson Hagen, Norwegian cyclist
- 1987: Aleandro Rosi, Italian footballer
Notable Deaths 🕊️
- 2024: Bud Anderson, American World War II flying ace (born 1922)
- 2024: Sid Going, New Zealand rugby union footballer (born 1943)
- 2022: Vangelis, Greek musician, composer (born 1943)
- 2020: Lucky Peterson, American blues singer, keyboardist and guitarist (born 1964)
- 2019: Herman Wouk, American author (born 1915)
- 2017: Todor Veselinović, Serbian football player and manager (born 1930)
- 2015: Lionel Pickens, American rapper (born 1983)
- 2014: Gerald Edelman, American biologist and immunologist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1929)
- 2014: C. P. Krishnan Nair, Indian businessman, founded The Leela Palaces, Hotels and Resorts (born 1922)
- 2014: Douangchay Phichit, Laotian politician (born 1944)
- 2014: Thongbanh Sengaphone, Laotian politician (born 1953)
- 2013: Philippe Gaumont, French cyclist (born 1973)
- 2013: Peter Schulz, German politician, Mayor of Hamburg (born 1930)
- 2013: Ken Venturi, American golfer and sportscaster (born 1931)
- 2013: Jorge Rafael Videla, Argentine Commander in Chief and dictator (born 1925)
Holidays & Observances 🎉
- Birthday of the Raja (Perlis)
- Christian feast day:
Giulia Salzano - Christian feast day:
Paschal Baylon - Christian feast day:
William Hobart Hare (Episcopal Church (USA)) - Christian feast day:
Restituta - Christian feast day:
May 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) - Children’s Day (Norway)
- Constitution Day (Nauru)
- Constitution Day (Norway)
- Feast of ‘Aẓamat (Baháʼí Faith, day shifts with March Equinox, see List of observances set by the Baháʼí calendar)
- Galician Literature Day or Día das Letras Galegas (Galicia)
- International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia
- Liberation Day (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
- Navy Day (Argentina)
- World Hypertension Day