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

July 17: Facts & Myths About This Day

July 17 is the 198^th day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 167 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Thursday.

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

When this day started, 486,864 hours 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 ‘hectaenneacontaoctagon’ day.

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

According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 215 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 4,591 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.

July 17 Historical Events

• 180 –
  Twelve inhabitants of Scillium in North Africa are executed for being Christians. This is the earliest record of Christianity in that part of the world.
• 1717 –
  King George I of Great Britain sails down the River Thames with a barge of 50 musicians, where George Frideric Handel’s Water Music is premiered.
• 1771 –
  Bloody Falls Massacre: Chipewyan chief Matonabbee, travelling as the guide to Samuel Hearne on his Arctic overland journey, massacres a group of unsuspecting Inuit.
• 1933 –
  After successfully crossing the Atlantic Ocean, the Lithuanian research aircraft Lituanica crashes in Europe under mysterious circumstances.
• 1948 –
  The South Korean constitution is proclaimed.
• 1973 –
  King Mohammed Zahir Shah of Afghanistan is deposed by his cousin Mohammed Daoud Khan while in Italy undergoing eye surgery.
• 1976 –
  History of East Timor: East Timor is annexed, and becomes the 27th province of Indonesia.
• 1976 –
  The opening of the Summer Olympics in Montreal is marred by 25 African teams boycotting the New Zealand team.
• 1998 –
  A diplomatic conference adopts the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, establishing a permanent international court to prosecute individuals for genocide, crime against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.
• 2007 –
  TAM Airlines (TAM Linhas Aéreas) Flight 3054 crashes upon landing during rain in São Paulo. This is Brazil’s deadliest aviation accident to date with an estimated 199 deaths.

Who were born on July 17?

• 1853 –
  Alexius Meinong, Austrian philosopher (d. 1920)
• 1898 –
  Osmond Borradaile, Canadian cinematographer (d. 1999)
• 1917 –
  Red Sovine, American country music singer (d. 1980)
• 1925 –
  Jimmy Scott, American jazz singer
• 1926 –
  Charles Champlin, American film critic and writer
• 1929 –
  Sergei K. Godunov, Russian mathematician
• 1938 –
  Hermann Huppen, Belgian comic book artist (Bernard Prince, Comanche, Jeremiah)
• 1942 –
  Gale Garnett, Canadian singer
• 1976 –
  Eric Winter, American actor
• 1988 –
  Summer Bishil, American actress

Who died on July 17?

• 656 –
  Uthman ibn Affan, Third Caliph, assassinated.
• 1588 –
  Mimar Sinan, Ottoman architect (b. 1489)
• 1794 –
  John Roebuck, British inventor (b. 1718)
• 1845 –
  Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (b. 1764)
• 1894 –
  Josef Hyrtl, Austrian anatomist (b. 1810)
• 1959 –
  Billie Holiday, American singer (b. 1915)
• 1987 –
  Yujiro Ishihara, Japanese actor (b. 1934)
• 1996 –
  Chas Chandler, bass guitarist (The Animals), record producer and manager (b. 1938)
• 2007 –
  Júlio Redecker, Brazilian politician (b. 1956)
• 2008 –
  Larry Haines, American actor (b. 1918)