What are the important events that happened on August 17? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.

August 17: Facts & Myths About This Day

August 17 is the 229^th day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 136 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Sunday.

Under the Julian calendar, this day is August 4, 2025 – a Sunday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?

When this day started, 1,755,388,800 seconds has elapsed since midnight of January 1, 1970 – the Unix epoch.

Strange as it may, if we name this day after a polygon then it will be called ‘dihectaicosaenneagon’ day.

Leo is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Peridot is the modern birthstone for this month. Diamond is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.

According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 184 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.

The ancient Maya civilization believes that the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012. There are now 4,622 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.

August 17 Historical Events

• 1863 –
  American Civil War: In Charleston, South Carolina, Union batteries and ships bombard Confederate-held Fort Sumter.
• 1918 –
  Bolshevik revolutionary leader Moisei Uritsky is assassinated.
• 1943 –
  World War II: The U.S. Eighth Air Force suffers the loss of 60 bombers on the Schweinfurt–Regensburg mission.
• 1945 –
  Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta proclaim the independence of Indonesia, igniting the Indonesian National Revolution against the Dutch Empire.
• 1959 –
  Kind of Blue by Miles Davis, the much acclaimed and highly influential best selling jazz recording of all time, is released.
• 1960 –
  Decolonization: Gabon gains independence from France.
• 1978 –
  Double Eagle II becomes first balloon to cross the Atlantic Ocean when it lands in Miserey near Paris, 137 hours after leaving Presque Isle, Maine.
• 1998 –
  Monica Lewinsky scandal: US President Bill Clinton admits in taped testimony that he had an “improper physical relationship” with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. On the same day he admits before the nation that he “misled people” about the relationship.
• 2004 –
  The National Assembly of Serbia unanimously adopts new state symbols for Serbia: Boze Pravde becomes the new anthem and the coat of arms is adopted for the whole country.
• 2005 –
  Over 500 bombs are set off by terrorists at 300 locations in 63 out of the 64 districts of Bangladesh

Who were born on August 17?

• 1828 –
  Jules Bernard Luys, French neurologist (d. 1897)
• 1866 –
  Mir Mahboob Ali Khan, 6th Nizam of Hyderabad (d. 1911)
• 1909 –
  Larry Clinton, American trumpeter and bandleader (d. 1985)
• 1941 –
  Jean Pierre Lefebvre, French Canadian film director
• 1952 –
  Guillermo Vilas, Argentinian tennis player
• 1959 –
  Chika Sakamoto, Japanese voice actress and singer
• 1969 –
  Donnie Wahlberg, American actor and singer (New Kids On The Block)
• 1972 –
  Habibul Bashar, Bangladeshi cricketer
• 1972 –
  Ken Ryker, American pornographic actor
• 1976 –
  Scott Halberstadt, American actor

Who died on August 17?

• 1304 –
  Emperor Go-Fukakusa of Japan (b. 1243)
• 1720 –
  Anne Lefèvre, French scholar (b. 1654)
• 1785 –
  Jonathan Trumbull, Governor of Connecticut (b. 1710)
• 1861 –
  Alcée Louis la Branche, American Politician (b. 1806)
• 1925 –
  Ioan Slavici, Transylvanian writer (b. 1848)
• 1973 –
  Paul Williams, American singer (The Temptations) (b. 1939)
• 1988 –
  Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, Pakistani politician, Former Martial Law Administrator and President of Pakistan (b. 1924)
• 1990 –
  Pearl Bailey, American singer and actress (b. 1918)
• 1994 –
  Luigi Chinetti, Italian-American race car driver and team owner (b. 1901)
• 2010 –
  Francesco Cossiga, Italian politician and eighth President of the Italian Republic (b. 1928)