May is the fifth month of the year in our modern-day Gregorian calendar. In older versions of the ancient Roman calendar, May was the third month of the year. It became the fifth month when January and February were added to the calendar.
According to Gregory calendar, the day number 365 in a year and if it is a leap year then the day number is 366. May 17 has its own special significance in India and world history.
There are 31 days in May and it does not start or end on the same day of the week as any other month.
May’s birth flower is the Lily of the Valley and the Crataegus monogyna.
Here you will find some important events that happened today in Indian and world History on May 17. Read on to know more about this day.
List of Important Historical events of 17 May:
- 1498: Portugal’s famous investigative sailor Vasco da Gama first arrived near Calicut.
- 1742: Battle of Chutzitz: Frederick II and Persia defeated the Ostries.
- 1744: French King Louis XV declares war on Britain.
- 1756: Britain declares war against France.
- 1782: The Parliament of Great Britain passed the repeal of the Act to secure the dependency of the Ireland Act.
- 1792: From the beginning of the New York Stock Exchange, the Buttonwood Agreement was signed.
- 1814: The Constitution of Norway is signed and Christian Frederick is elected the new King of Norway by the Constituent Assembly of Norway.
- 1857: Bahadur Shah was declared the second Mughal emperor.
- 1865: World Communication Day begins.
- 1865: International Telegraph Union is established.
- 1884: Alaska was merged into an American territory.
- 1900: Boxers in China burn three villages within 100 miles of Peking, killing 60 Chinese and Christian citizens.
- 1909: The first Giro d’Talia cycle race begins in the city of Milan, with Luigi Sugarcane winning.
- 1970: Thor Heyerdal started the journey from Morocco on this day and crossed the Atlantic Ocean in 57 days.
- 1975: 28 people are killed in bombings in Dublin and Monaghan, Ireland.
- 1976: Japanese woman Mrs. Junko Taibei became the first woman to climb Mount Everest.
- 1978: The stolen coffin of famous comedian Charlie Chaplin is discovered.
- 1983: A peace treaty is signed between Israel and Lebanon.
- 2004: Massachusetts becomes the first US state to legalize gay marriage.
- 2010: Indian boxers won all six gold medals of the Commonwealth Boxing Championship.
- 2013: 90 people killed, 200 injured in serial bombings in Iraq.