What Happened on September 17
Significant Events
- 642 Arab forces under Amr ibn al-'As conquer Alexandria
- 1683 Dutch scientist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek is the first to report the existence of bacteria
- 1862 Battle of Antietam [Battle of Sharpsburg], bloodiest day in the American Civil War 23,110 die in first battle on Union soil
- 1900 Commonwealth of Australia proclaimed
- 1916 The Red Baron [Manfred von Richthofen], WWI flying ace of the German Luftstreitkräfte, wins his first aerial combat near Cambrai, France
- 1978 Anwar Sadat, Menachem Begin and Jimmy Carter sign the Camp David Accords, frameworks for peace in the Middle East and between Egypt and Israel
Famous Birthdays
Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben
(1730 - 1794)
Marquis de Condorcet
(1743 - 1794)
Hank Williams
(1923 - 1953)
Anne Bancroft
(1931 - 2005)
Phil Jackson
72 Years Old
Narendra Modi
67 Years Old
Would You Believe?
Joshua Abraham Norton, English-born resident of San Francisco, proclaims himself his Imperial Majesty Emperor Norton I, Emperor of the United States of America
On September 17, 1859
Famous Weddings
- 1918 Abbott and Costello's Bud Abbott (22) weds Betty Smith
- 1937 Economist John Kenneth Galbraith (29) weds author Catherine Atwater (24) at the Reformed Church of North Hempstead in New York
- 1942 Ice hockey player Maurice Richard (20) weds Lucille Norchet (17)
- 1954 Film and theater actress Shirley MacLaine (20) weds Steve Parker in New York City
- 1957 Italian actress Sophia Loren (22) weds Carlo Ponti
Famous Divorces
- 1994 Princess Christina separates
Dred Scott
William Henry Fox Talbot
Karl Popper
Spiro AgnewSeptember in History
Dog Unearths Cave of Antiquity
A cave complex that contained wall paintings later described by experts as 'the cradle of art' was unearthed on this day by a curious dog, named Robot.
September 12, 1940
Fatal Legacy of a Beautiful Riviera
Two famous American women – Grace Kelly and Isadora Duncan, both died after tragic motoring accidents in the same area on this day, though half a century apart.
September 14, 1982
Arc Lamps Light the Way to World-Beating Display
"Artificial sunshine" came to a Northern England holiday resort in 1879, dazzling the visitors and showing the world the possibilities of outside electricity.
September 18, 1879
The Story of the First Country to Grant Women the Vote
In the late 19th century the women's suffrage movement was widespread in Europe, America, Britain and its colonies. But who was first to grant women the vote?
September 19, 1893