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

June 17: Facts & Myths About This Day

June 17 is the 168^th day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 197 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Tuesday.

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

When this day started, 486,144 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 ‘hectahexacontaoctagon’ day.

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

According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 245 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 4,561 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.

June 17 Historical Events

• 1773 –
  Cúcuta, Colombia, is founded by Juana Rangel de Cuéllar.
• 1775 –
  American Revolutionary War: Colonists inflict heavy casualties on British forces while losing the Battle of Bunker Hill.
• 1876 –
  Indian Wars: Battle of the Rosebud – 1,500 Sioux and Cheyenne led by Crazy Horse beat back General George Crook’s forces at Rosebud Creek in Montana Territory.
• 1877 –
  Indian Wars: Battle of White Bird Canyon – the Nez Perce defeat the U.S. Cavalry at White Bird Canyon in the Idaho Territory.
• 1930 –
  U.S. President Herbert Hoover signs the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act into law.
• 1940 –
  The three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania fall under the occupation of the Soviet Union.
• 1940 –
  World War II: the British Army’s 11th Hussars assault and take Fort Capuzzo in Libya, Africa from Italian forces.
• 1948 –
  A Douglas DC-6 carrying United Airlines Flight 624 crashes near Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania, killing all 43 people on board.
• 1958 –
  The Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing, in the process of being built to connect Vancouver and North Vancouver (Canada), collapses into the Burrard Inlet killing many of the ironworkers and injuring others.
• 1971 –
  President Richard Nixon declares the U.S. War on Drugs.

Who were born on June 17?

• 1839 –
  Arthur Tooth, English Anglican clergyman (d. 1931)
• 1920 –
  Jacob H. Gilbert, American politician (d. 1981)
• 1929 –
  Tigran Petrosian, Armenian chess player (d. 1984)
• 1947 –
  Paul Young, English singer and percussionist (Sad Café, Mike + The Mechanics) (d. 2000)
• 1951 –
  Joe Piscopo, American actor
• 1952 –
  Mike Milbury, American ice hockey player, coach and executive
• 1959 –
  Nikos Stavropoulos, Greek basketball player
• 1960 –
  Adrián Campos, Spanish racing driver
• 1967 –
  Eric Stefani, American keyboardist, songwriter (No Doubt) and cartoon animator
• 1971 –
  Paulina Rubio, Mexican singer

Who died on June 17?

• 1839 –
  Lord William Bentinck, British soldier, Governor-General of India (b. 1774)
• 1858 –
  Queen Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi (b. 1828)
• 1940 –
  Arthur Harden, English chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1865)
• 1957 –
  Dorothy Richardson, English writer (b. 1873)
• 1968 –
  José Nasazzi, Uruguayan footballer (b. 1901)
• 1987 –
  Dick Howser, American baseball player and manager (b. 1936)
• 2002 –
  Willie Davenport, American athlete (b. 1943)
• 2005 –
  Sam Loeb, American comic book writer (b. 1988)
• 2006 –
  Bussunda, Brazilian comedian (b. 1962)
• 2009 –
  Darrell Powers, American World War II figure (b. 1923)