What are the important events that happened on December 17? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.
December 17: Facts & Myths About This Day
December 17 is the 351st day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 14 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Wednesday.
Under the Julian calendar, this day is December 4, 2025 – a Wednesday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?
When this day started, 1,765,929,600 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 ‘trihectapentacontahenagon’ day.
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Sagittarius is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Turquoise is the modern birthstone for this month. Onyx is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.
According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 62 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 4,744 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.
Do people and celebrities interest you? Discover all the December 17 famous birthdays who share your special day. Learn some fun facts about your birthday!
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December 17 Historical Events
- 1583 –Cologne War: Forces under Ernest of Bavaria defeats the troops under Gebhard Truchsess von Waldburg at the Siege of Godesberg.
- 1600 –Marriage of Henry IV of France and Marie de' Medici.
- 1777 –France formally recognizes the United States of America.
- 1919 –Uruguay becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty.
- 1950 –The F-86 Sabre’s first mission over Korea.
- 1957 –The United States successfully launches the first Atlas intercontinental ballistic missile at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
- 1960 –1960 Munich Convair 340 crash: 20 passengers and crew on board as well as 32 people on the ground are killed.
- 1970 –Polish 1970 protests: In Gdynia soldiers fire at workers emerging from trains, killing dozens.
- 1997 –The United Kingdom commences its Firearms (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 1997, which extends the state’s gun ban to include all handguns—with the exception of antique and show weapons.
- 2009 –MV Danny F II sinks off the coast of Lebanon, resulting in the deaths of 44 people and over 28,000 animals.
Who were born on December 17?
- 1892 –Sam Barry, American basketball coach (d. 1950)
- 1906 –Russell C. Newhouse, American inventor (d. 1998)
- 1935 –Cal Ripken, Sr., American baseball coach (d. 1999)
- 1942 –Paul Butterfield, American musician (d. 1987)
- 1964 –Michele Tafoya, American sportcaster
- 1969 –Mick Quinn, English musician (Supergrass)
- 1976 –Patrick Müller, Swiss footballer
- 1977 –Arnaud Clément, French tennis player
- 1982 –Lorenzo Cittadini, Italian rugby player
- 1985 –Ryuichi Ogata, Japanese singer (w-inds.)
Who died on December 17?
- 1663 –Nzinga of Ndongo and Matamba (b. 1583)
- 1927 –Rajendra Lahiri, Indian British anti-occupation activist (b. 1892)
- 1930 –Peter Warlock, Anglo-Welsh composer (b. 1894)
- 1964 –Victor Franz Hess, Austrian-born American physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1883)
- 1978 –Don Ellis, American jazz band leader (b. 1934)
- 1987 –Marguerite Yourcenar, Belgian novelist (b. 1903)
- 1999 –Rex Allen, American actor, singer, and songwriter (b. 1920)
- 2003 –Otto Graham, American football player (b. 1921)
- 2006 –Larry Sherry, American baseball player (b. 1935)
- 2009 –Chris Henry, American football player (b. 1983)
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