August 17
People born on this day are Leo.
- 1978
Double Eagle II becomes first balloon to cross the Atlantic Ocean when it lands in Miserey, France near Paris, 137 hours after leaving Presque Isle, Maine.
Wikipedia ↗ - 1988
President of Pakistan Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq and U.S. Ambassador Arnold Raphel are killed in a plane crash.
Wikipedia ↗ - 1991
Strathfield massacre: In Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, taxi driver Wade Frankum shoots and kills seven people and injures six others before turning the gun on himself.
Wikipedia ↗ - 1998
Lewinsky scandal: US President Bill Clinton admits in taped testimony that he had an "improper physical relationship" with White House intern Monica Lewinsky; later that same day he admits before the nation that he "misled people" about the relationship.
Wikipedia ↗ - 1999
The 7.6 Mw İzmit earthquake shakes northwestern Turkey with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), leaving 17,118–17,127 dead and 43,953–50,000 injured.
Wikipedia ↗ - 2004
The National Assembly of Serbia unanimously adopts new state symbols for Serbia: Bože pravde becomes the new anthem and the coat of arms is adopted for the whole country.
Wikipedia ↗ - 2005
The first forced evacuation of settlers, as part of Israeli disengagement from Gaza, starts.
Wikipedia ↗ - 2005
Over 500 bombs are set off by terrorists at 300 locations in 63 out of the 64 districts of Bangladesh.
Wikipedia ↗ - 2008
American swimmer Michael Phelps becomes the first person to win eight gold medals at one Olympic Games.
Wikipedia ↗ - 2009
An accident at the Sayano-Shushenskaya Dam in Khakassia, Russia, kills 75 and shuts down the hydroelectric power station, leading to widespread power failure in the local area.
Wikipedia ↗ - 2015
A bomb explodes near the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok, Thailand, killing at least 19 people and injuring 123 others.
Wikipedia ↗ - 2017
Barcelona attacks: A van is driven into pedestrians in La Rambla, killing 14 and injuring at least 100.
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2003Rayan Cherki, French footballer
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2003Nastasja Schunk, German tennis player
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2003The Kid Laroi, Australian rapper and songwriter
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2000Lil Pump, American rapper and songwriter
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1998Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Japanese baseball player
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1996Jake Virtanen, Canadian ice hockey player
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1995Gracie Gold, American figure skater
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1995Dallin Watene-Zelezniak, New Zealand rugby league player
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1994Phoebe Bridgers, American singer/songwriter
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1994Jack Conklin, American football player
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1994Taissa Farmiga, American actress
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1993Kevin Byard, American football player
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Data: Wikipedia “August 17” and “On this day”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikipedia ↗