1585 In March 1584, Queen Elizabeth granted Sir Walter Raleigh a royal charter authorizing him to found a colony in North America in return for one-fifth of all the gold and silver that might be mined there. Raleigh put together a persuasive brochure encouraging Europeans to move to the New World. Eventually, a voyage was created, and the ships landed at Roanoke Island. They dropped the 225 settlers off on August 17, 1585 promising to return a few months later with supplies for them.
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| The arrival of the Englishmen in Virginia by John White |
1786 Frederick the Great died in an armchair in his San Souci palace study on August 17, 1786 after taking a military review in heavy rain. Frederick wished to be buried next to his greyhounds on the vineyard terrace at his Sans Souci palace. His successor Frederick William II instead ordered the body to be entombed next to his father in the Potsdam Garrison Church. On the 205th anniversary of Frederick's death, his body was returned to a vault at Sans Souci Palace, so that he would be close to his adored greyhounds.
1807 Robert Fulton's North River Steamboat left New York City for Albany, New York on the Hudson River on August 17, 1807, inaugurating the first commercial steamboat service in the world. Fulton's steamboat could travel from New York City to Albany in 32 hours and was the first steam-powered passenger marine vehicle that could make money.
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| The 1909 replica of the North River Steamboat |
1883 The first public performance of the Dominican National Anthem, "Himno Nacional," took place on August 17, 1883. Its music was composed by José Rufino Reyes Siancas and its lyrics were authored by Emilio Prud'Homme Though the music was an instant success, several objections were made to the lyrics for having various historical inaccuracies. In 1897, Prud'homme submitted revised lyrics which stand to this day.
1896 The first pedestrian knocked down and killed by an automobile in Britain was a certain Bridget Driscoll. According to eye-witness accounts, on August 17, 1896, the accident occurred when she walked in front of a Benz vehicle going four miles an hour (6.4 km/h) at Crystal Palace and was so startled that she stood rooted to the spot and was struck.
1907 Pike Place Market, the most popular tourist destination in Seattle, opened for business on August 17, 1907. It is known for its vibrant atmosphere, fresh produce, crafts, and various shops. Pike Place Market is also known for its iconic fish throwing ceremony. This tradition began in the 1960s when fishmongers would toss salmon to each other across the counter. Today, the fish throwing ceremony is a popular tourist attraction and is performed several times a day.
1914 During the early days of World War 1, the Russians attacked the Germans. The Russians at first pushed back the Germans, but then the Germans defeated the Russians at the Battle of Tannenberg, which was fought between August 17 and September 2, 1914. The battle ended with the almost complete destruction of the Russian Second Army.
1920 Cleveland Indians shortstop Ray Chapman became the only baseball player to die from an injury received at a MLB game.on August 17, 1920. He was hit on the head and fatally wounded by a fastball from Carl Mays of the New York Yankees and passed away the next day.
1943 Robert Anthony De Niro was born in the Greenwich Village area of Manhattan, New York on August 17, 1943. His father, Robert De Niro Sr. was a noted abstract Expressionist artist, and his mother was a painter. Later, his father came out as gay As a boy his nickname was 'Bobby Milk', after his pale skinny frame. At the age of 10, Robert De Niro played the Lion in a local production of the Wizard of Oz.
1945 During World War II, the Japanese drove out the Dutch and took control of Indonesia. After Japan surrendered in the war, Indonesia claimed its independence. At 10 o'clock on August 17, 1945, Sukarno read Indonesia's Declaration of Independence in Jakarta. Sukarno later became Indonesia's first President serving his country from 1945 to 1967. He led Indonesians in resisting Dutch re-colonization efforts until the Dutch acknowledgment of Indonesian independence in 1949.
1945 George Orwell wrote Animal Farm at a time when the UK was in its wartime alliance with the Soviet Union and the British people and intelligentsia held Stalin in high esteem. An allegory of Marxist analysis of capitalism, Orwell had great difficulties in publishing the novel, as many were afraid that it would offend Britain's Russian war allies. Animal Farm was eventually published in England on August 17, 1945 and within two weeks it had sold out.
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| First edition cover |
1960 The French gained control of modern-day Gabon in 1839, when a local chief surrendered the sovereignty of his land to them. Gabon became one of the four territories of French Equatorial Africa in 1910, a federation that survived for 49 years. With the rise of the decolonization movement in Africa, the French were obliged to grant limited autonomy to Gabon as a self-governing republic within the French Community. Gabon gained its independence from France on August 17, 1960.
1977 The Soviet nuclear-powered icebreaker Arktika completed the first surface vessel journey to the North Pole on August 17, 1977. The Arktika's journey to the North Pole demonstrated the capabilities of modern technology and engineering in navigating the challenging Arctic conditions.
1982 The first commercial compact disc was produced at the Polydor Pressing Operations plant in Langenhagen near Hannover, Germany on August 17, 1982. It was a recording from 1979 of Claudio Arrau performing Chopin waltzes. Arrau was invited to the Langenhagen plant to press the start button.
2000 Prince William secured a place at St Andrew's University in Scotland to study history of art on August 17, 2000. William enrolled at St. Andrew's under the name William Wales in 2001. While there, he was called "Steve" to avoid any journalists overhearing and discovering his identity. He also first met his future wife Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge, during his time at St Andrew's. William later switched to geography and got a 2:1, the highest degree ever obtained by an heir to the British throne.
2008 With his victory in the 4×100 m medley relay at the Beijing Summer Olympics on August 17, 2008, Michael Phelps set the records for the most gold medals won by an athlete in a single Olympics (8) as well as total career gold medals (14) in modern Olympic history.
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