Discover what happened on December 17 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

December 17

Discover what happened on December 17 with HISTORY&#8217;s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

What Happened on December 17 | HISTORY

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1903

japanese internment camp, roosevelt, franklin d roosevelt, fdr, war

2010

1892

1963

The decade-long manhunt for 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden ended in 2011 with his killing by U.S. Navy SEALs in Pakistan. Japan faced disaster with the Fukushima nuclear reactor meltdown. Anti-government demonstrations spread through the Middle East in the Arab Spring, while the Occupy Wall Street movement protested America’s economic inequality. “Game of Thrones” premiered on TV, R-rated novel “Fifty Shades of Grey” published, becoming the decade’s bestselling book, and England’s Prince William wed Kate Middleton, watched by millions.

2011

1975

Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy on D-Day in 1944, the largest amphibious invasion in history. Weeks later, the Allies liberated Paris from its Nazi occupiers. Meanwhile, Soviet forces battered the Nazis on WWII’s eastern front. In the U.S., Franklin Roosevelt won an unprecedented fourth presidential term and Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall starred in their first film together, “To Have and Have Not,” introducing the immortal line, “You know how to whistle, don’t you?” 

1944

1996

1990

1979

1873

1971

2000

1862

The nearly 1,000-foot Eiffel Tower opened for business in Paris in 1889, reigning as the tallest structure in the world until 1930. That same year, fire in Seattle destroyed much of the city, while the Johnstown Flood in Pennsylvania swept more than 2,200 to their deaths after a dam collapse. In Japan, the videogame company now known as Nintendo started in business as a maker of playing cards.

1889

1872

In 1991, the Soviet Union dissolved into 15 separate states, the Persian Gulf war both began and ended and a coup in Haiti overthrew that country’s first democratically elected president. In the U.S., Los Angeles police beat motorist Rodney King on videotape, and Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls won their first NBA championship. Nirvana released its landmark single “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” helping bring indie music mainstream, while movies like “Slacker” and “My Own Private Idaho” heralded the ascendance of independent film.

1991

2003

1961

1986 was a year of tragedy, with the explosion of the U.S. space shuttle Challenger, killing all seven crew members, and the explosion of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor, killing two instantly and many thousands over time. But it also had brighter moments: Hands Across America united 5 million people from coast to coast, Oprah Winfrey debuted her iconic talk show, Halley’s Comet made a triumphant return after 76 years and the Voyager completed the first around-the-world flight without refueling.

1986

Though overshadowed by 1776, 1777 would be a momentous year for American patriots. Victory over British troops at the Battle of Saratoga became an early turning point in the war for independence. The Continental Congress adopted the Stars and Stripes as the new nation’s flag and the Articles of Confederation as its first constitution. The 19-year-old Marquis de Lafayette arrived from France to join the fight. Meanwhile, Spain and Portugal concluded a two-year conflict over their own colonies in the Americas.

1777

After the surprise December 7, 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the U.S. entered World War II. Earlier in the year, Germany invaded the Soviet Union and, in one of many Nazi atrocities, executed 30,000 Jews in the Babi Yar massacre. In the U.S., Mount Rushmore was completed, Wonder Woman made her debut, “Citizen Kane” launched at the box office and General Mills introduced a new breakfast cereal called Cheerioats.

1941

The 21st century saw the dawn of the war on terrorism, as the 9/11 attacks and the Boston Marathon bombing dramatically changed society. Economic issues moved to the forefront during the Great Recession. The COVID-19 pandemic upended lives and economies around the world. Awareness of social inequality grew as the killings of Black Americans, including Trayvon Martin and George Floyd, spurred widespread protests.

21st Century

The continent of Asia, home to the majority of the world's population and countries as diverse as China, South Korea and India, has thousands of years of rich history.

Asian History

Legacy Unpublished

The 1960s was one of the most tumultuous and divisive decades in world history. The era was marked by the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War and antiwar protests, countercultural movements, political assassinations and the emerging "generation gap."

1960s

Crime has been a dark and powerful undercurrent in human society throughout history. Uncover the facts behind some of the most daring robberies, brazen scams and brutal murders ever committed.

Crime

The U.S. government, with its three branches of government and a system of checks and balances, is responsible for governing the 50 states and all districts and territories of the United States.

U.S. Government and Politics

The Civil War was America's bloodiest and most divisive conflict, pitting the Union Army against the Confederate States of America. The war resulted in the deaths of more than 620,000 people, with millions more injured and the South left in ruins.

Civil War

The Revolutionary War waged by the American colonies against Britain influenced political ideas and revolutions around the globe, as a small fledgling nation won its freedom from the greatest military force of its time.

American Revolution

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History.com Editors

The history of art and entertainment tells the complex story of human civilization through visual art, design, literature, music, film and television. It ranges from cave drawings of the Neolithic period to Renaissance masterpieces to rock 'n' roll and video games.

Arts & Entertainment

World War II was the biggest and deadliest war in history, involving more than 30 countries. Sparked by the 1939 Nazi invasion of Poland, the war dragged on for six bloody years until the Allies defeated the Axis powers of Nazi Germany, Japan and Italy in 1945. Explore the battles, leaders and atrocities from the war and its impact on geopolitics and humankind.

World War II

Inventions from the telephone to the Model T and the computer have defined human history, and inventors like Leonardo da Vinci, Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, Eli Whitney and Alexander Graham Bell have transformed our society.

Inventions & Science

Though the 19th century saw the rise of populism, the labor movement and Jacksonian democracy, it also ushered in the Gilded Age, when men like Cornelius Vanderbilt and J. P. Morgan wielded vast control over politics and business.

19th Century

The Cold War rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union lasted for decades and resulted in anti-communist suspicions and international incidents that led two superpowers to the brink of nuclear disaster.

Cold War

The Middle East is a large and diverse region composed of several countries and cultures in north Africa and western Asia. Its complex history includes the Persian Gulf War, the Iran Hostage Crisis, the Yom Kippur War, Zionism and more.

This Day In History: December 17

First airplane flies

Also on This Day in History December | 17

Street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi self‑immolates in Tunisia, igniting the Arab Spring

First issue of “Vogue” is published

Clean Air Act becomes law

This Day in History Video: What Happened on December 17

Kim Jong Il, leader of North Korea, dies

Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme sentenced to life for assassination attempt

U.S. approves end to internment of Japanese Americans

Peruvian rebels seize Japanese ambassador’s home

Aristide wins Haiti’s first free election

Stuntman Stan Barrett breaks the sound barrier, unofficially

Ford Madox Ford is born

Cambodian forces under heavy pressure

Terrell Owens makes record‑breaking 20 catches

Grant expels Jews from Tennessee, Kentucky and Mississippi

“Silver Dollar” Tabor born in Denver

Buffalo Bill Cody makes his first stage appearance

A federal court puts its stamp on hip‑hop

Third and final “Lord of the Rings” movie opens

Circus catches fire in Brazil, killing hundreds

“Operation Iceman” nabs notorious mafia hitman Richard Kuklinski

Union General Ulysses S. Grant expels Jews from his military district

Boris Yeltsin announces the Soviet Union will cease to exist by New Year’s Eve

France formally recognizes the United States

Commander at Pearl Harbor relieved of his duties

Also on This Day in History December | 17

Wake Up to This Day in History