An avalanche strikes Nyingchi, Tibet, killing 28 people
An avalanche strikes Nyingchi, Tibet, killing 28 people.
Historical Events on January 17: 58 Remarkable Moments in History
Discover the fascinating historical events that occurred on January 17 throughout history. Explore 58 significant moments from Modern era that shaped our world, from ancient civilizations to modern times. Updated daily with comprehensive details and historical context.
Navigate to the detailed historical timeline showing all 58 events that happened on January 17
58
Historical Events
19
Centuries Spanned
2026
Current Year
Complete Historical Timeline for January 17
Explore the comprehensive chronological timeline of 58 significant historical events that occurred on January 17. From ancient civilizations to modern history, discover how this date has been pivotal throughout human civilization across multiple centuries and cultures.
Filter historical events by time period to focus on specific eras
The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 is announced to be suspended
The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 is announced to be suspended.
President Barack Obama announces the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, an agreement intended to li...
President Barack Obama announces the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, an agreement intended to limit Iran's nuclear program.
Former cyclist Lance Armstrong confesses to his doping in an airing of Oprah's Next Chapter
Former cyclist Lance Armstrong confesses to his doping in an airing of Oprah's Next Chapter.
Shahzad Luqman is murdered by members of Golden Dawn in Petralona, Athens, leading the creation of n...
Shahzad Luqman is murdered by members of Golden Dawn in Petralona, Athens, leading the creation of new measures to combat race-based attacks in Greece.
Rioting begins between Muslim and Christian groups in Jos, Nigeria, results in at least 200 deaths
Rioting begins between Muslim and Christian groups in Jos, Nigeria, results in at least 200 deaths.
British Airways Flight 38 crashes short of the runway at Heathrow Airport, injuring 47
British Airways Flight 38 crashes short of the runway at Heathrow Airport, injuring 47.
The Doomsday Clock is set to five minutes to midnight in response to North Korea's nuclear testing
The Doomsday Clock is set to five minutes to midnight in response to North Korea's nuclear testing.
Mount Nyiragongo erupts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, displacing an estimated 400,000 peo...
Mount Nyiragongo erupts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, displacing an estimated 400,000 people.
Clinton–Lewinsky scandal: Matt Drudge breaks the story of the Bill Clinton–Monica Lewinsky affair on...
Clinton–Lewinsky scandal: Matt Drudge breaks the story of the Bill Clinton–Monica Lewinsky affair on his Drudge Report website.
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station: A Delta II carrying the GPS IIR-1 satellite explodes 13 seconds af...
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station: A Delta II carrying the GPS IIR-1 satellite explodes 13 seconds after launch, dropping 250 tons of burning rocket remains around the launch pad.
The Czech Republic applies for membership in the European Union
The Czech Republic applies for membership in the European Union.
The 6
The 6.9 Mw Great Hanshin earthquake shakes the southern Hyōgo Prefecture with a maximum Shindo of 7, leaving 5,502–6,434 people dead, and 251,301–310,000 displaced.
The 6
The 6.7 Mw Northridge earthquake shakes the Greater Los Angeles Area with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), leaving 57 people dead and more than 8,700 injured.
During a visit to South Korea, Japanese Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa apologizes for forcing Korean...
During a visit to South Korea, Japanese Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa apologizes for forcing Korean women into sexual slavery during World War II.
Gulf War: Operation Desert Storm begins early in the morning as aircraft strike positions across Ira...
Gulf War: Operation Desert Storm begins early in the morning as aircraft strike positions across Iraq, it is also the first major combat sortie for the F-117. LCDR Scott Speicher's F/A-18C Hornet from VFA-81 is shot down by a Mig-25 and is the first American casualty of the War. Iraq fires eight Scud missiles into Israel in an unsuccessful bid to provoke Israeli retaliation.
Crown Prince Harald of Norway becomes King Harald V, following the death of his father, King Olav V
Crown Prince Harald of Norway becomes King Harald V, following the death of his father, King Olav V.
President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos lifts martial law eight years and five months after de...
President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos lifts martial law eight years and five months after declaring it.
Capital punishment in the United States resumes after a ten-year hiatus, as convicted murderer Gary ...
Capital punishment in the United States resumes after a ten-year hiatus, as convicted murderer Gary Gilmore is executed by firing squad in Utah.
Black Panther Party members Bunchy Carter and John Huggins are killed during a meeting in Campbell H...
Black Panther Party members Bunchy Carter and John Huggins are killed during a meeting in Campbell Hall on the campus of UCLA.
Palomares incident: A B-52 bomber collides with a KC-135 Stratotanker over Spain, killing seven airm...
Palomares incident: A B-52 bomber collides with a KC-135 Stratotanker over Spain, killing seven airmen, and dropping three 70-kiloton nuclear bombs near the town of Palomares and another one into the sea.
U
U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivers a televised farewell address to the nation three days before leaving office, in which he warns against the accumulation of power by the "military–industrial complex" as well as the dangers of massive spending, especially deficit spending.
Former Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba is murdered together with former Minister of Youth a...
Former Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba is murdered together with former Minister of Youth and Sports of the Republic of the Congo Maurice Mpolo and former Senator from Kasai Province Joseph Okito in circumstances suggesting the support and complicity of the governments of Belgium and the United States.
The Great Brink's Robbery: Eleven thieves steal more than $2 million from an armored car company's o...
The Great Brink's Robbery: Eleven thieves steal more than $2 million from an armored car company's offices in Boston.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 79 relating to arms control is adopted
United Nations Security Council Resolution 79 relating to arms control is adopted.
The Renville Agreement between the Netherlands and Indonesia is ratified
The Renville Agreement between the Netherlands and Indonesia is ratified.
The UN Security Council holds its first session
The UN Security Council holds its first session.
World War II: The Vistula–Oder Offensive forces German troops out of Warsaw
World War II: The Vistula–Oder Offensive forces German troops out of Warsaw.
The SS-Totenkopfverbände begin the evacuation of the Auschwitz concentration camp as the Red Army cl...
The SS-Totenkopfverbände begin the evacuation of the Auschwitz concentration camp as the Red Army closes in.
Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg is taken into Soviet custody while in Hungary; he is never publicl...
Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg is taken into Soviet custody while in Hungary; he is never publicly seen again.
World War II: Allied forces launch the first of four assaults on Monte Cassino with the intention of...
World War II: Allied forces launch the first of four assaults on Monte Cassino with the intention of breaking through the Winter Line and seizing Rome, an effort that would ultimately take four months and cost 105,000 Allied casualties.
World War II: Greek submarine Papanikolis captures the 200-ton sailing vessel Agios Stefanos and man...
World War II: Greek submarine Papanikolis captures the 200-ton sailing vessel Agios Stefanos and mans her with part of her crew.
Franco-Thai War: Vichy French forces inflict a decisive defeat over the Royal Thai Navy
Franco-Thai War: Vichy French forces inflict a decisive defeat over the Royal Thai Navy.
Alcohol Prohibition begins in the United States as the Volstead Act goes into effect
Alcohol Prohibition begins in the United States as the Volstead Act goes into effect.
Finnish Civil War: The first serious battles take place between the Red Guards and the White Guard
Finnish Civil War: The first serious battles take place between the Red Guards and the White Guard.
The United States pays Denmark $25 million for the Virgin Islands
The United States pays Denmark $25 million for the Virgin Islands.
Russia defeats Ottoman Turkey in the Battle of Sarikamish during the Caucasus Campaign of World War ...
Russia defeats Ottoman Turkey in the Battle of Sarikamish during the Caucasus Campaign of World War I.
British polar explorer Captain Robert Falcon Scott reaches the South Pole, one month after Roald Amu...
British polar explorer Captain Robert Falcon Scott reaches the South Pole, one month after Roald Amundsen.
Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard receives its premiere performance at the Moscow Art Theatre
Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard receives its premiere performance at the Moscow Art Theatre.
El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico becomes part of the United States National Forest System as...
El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico becomes part of the United States National Forest System as the Luquillo Forest Reserve.
The United States takes possession of Wake Island in the Pacific Ocean
The United States takes possession of Wake Island in the Pacific Ocean.
Lorrin A
Lorrin A. Thurston, along with the Citizens' Committee of Public Safety, led the Overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii and the government of Queen Liliʻuokalani.
A British force defeats a large Dervish army at the Battle of Abu Klea in the Sudan
A British force defeats a large Dervish army at the Battle of Abu Klea in the Sudan.
A group of Modoc warriors defeats the United States Army in the First Battle of the Stronghold, part...
A group of Modoc warriors defeats the United States Army in the First Battle of the Stronghold, part of the Modoc War.
The United Kingdom signs the Sand River Convention with the South African Republic
The United Kingdom signs the Sand River Convention with the South African Republic.
Mexican War of Independence: In the Battle of Calderón Bridge, a heavily outnumbered Spanish force o...
Mexican War of Independence: In the Battle of Calderón Bridge, a heavily outnumbered Spanish force of 6,000 troops defeats nearly 100,000 Mexican revolutionaries.
Maltese patriot Dun Mikiel Xerri, along with a number of other patriots, is executed
Maltese patriot Dun Mikiel Xerri, along with a number of other patriots, is executed.
American Revolutionary War: Battle of Cowpens: Continental troops under Brigadier General Daniel Mor...
American Revolutionary War: Battle of Cowpens: Continental troops under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan defeat British forces under Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton at the battle in South Carolina.
Captain James Cook leads the first expedition to sail south of the Antarctic Circle
Captain James Cook leads the first expedition to sail south of the Antarctic Circle.
The Second Ormonde Peace creates an alliance between the Irish Royalists and Confederates during the...
The Second Ormonde Peace creates an alliance between the Irish Royalists and Confederates during the War of the Three Kingdoms. The coalition was then decisively defeated during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland.
England's Long Parliament passes the "Vote of No Addresses", breaking off negotiations with King Cha...
England's Long Parliament passes the "Vote of No Addresses", breaking off negotiations with King Charles I and thereby setting the scene for the second phase of the English Civil War.
Emperor Susenyos I of Ethiopia surprises an Oromo army at Ebenat; his army reportedly kills 12,000 O...
Emperor Susenyos I of Ethiopia surprises an Oromo army at Ebenat; his army reportedly kills 12,000 Oromo at the cost of 400 of his men.
During the French Wars of Religion, Henry IV of France declares war on Spain
During the French Wars of Religion, Henry IV of France declares war on Spain.
France grants religious toleration to the Huguenots in the Edict of Saint-Germain
France grants religious toleration to the Huguenots in the Edict of Saint-Germain.
Giovanni da Verrazzano sets sail westward from Madeira to find a sea route to the Pacific Ocean
Giovanni da Verrazzano sets sail westward from Madeira to find a sea route to the Pacific Ocean.
Pope Gregory XI reaches Rome, after deciding to move the Papacy back to Rome from Avignon
Pope Gregory XI reaches Rome, after deciding to move the Papacy back to Rome from Avignon.
Saint Marcellus' flood kills at least 25,000 people on the shores of the North Sea
Saint Marcellus' flood kills at least 25,000 people on the shores of the North Sea.
Octavian divorces his wife Scribonia and marries Livia Drusilla, ending the fragile peace between th...
Octavian divorces his wife Scribonia and marries Livia Drusilla, ending the fragile peace between the Second Triumvirate and Sextus Pompey.