On This Day in History for December 17
Events in History
- 283 St Gaius begins his reign as Catholic Pope
- 546 Gothic War (535-554): The Ostrogoths of King Totila conquer Rome by bribing the Byzantine garrison.
- 920 Romanos I is crowned as co-emperor of the underage Emperor Constantine VII.
- 942 Assassination of William I Longsword, 2nd Duke of Normandy.
- 1206 Crusader Wallon de Sarton presents Bishop of Amiens Richard de Gerberoy with purported skull of John the Baptist, stolen from Constantinople (Amiens cathedral later built to house it)
- 1398 Tamerlane captures and sacks Delhi, defeating Sultan Nasir-u Din Mehmud's armies by setting camels loaded with hay alight and charging them at the Sultan's armored elephants
- 1526 Ferdinand of Austria chosen as King of Bohemia
- 1531 Pope Clemens VII publishes decree "Cum ad nihil magis"- introduces Inquisition into Portugal at Evora, Coimbra, and Lisbon
- More Events in History
Mackenzie King
Willard Libby
William Safire
Bob Guccione
Pope Francis
Muhammadu BuhariWeddings in History
- 1600 Religious wedding of Henry IV of France and Marie de' Medici at Lyon Cathedral
- 1915 Journalist Benito Mussolini marries Rachele Guidi in Treviglio Lombardy
- 1918 Philippine Senator (and later 2nd President) Manuel L. Quezon (40) weds first cousin Aurora Aragon (30) in Hong Kong
More Weddings in History
Simón Bolívar
William Thomson
Kim Jong-ilDecember in History
Great White Fleet
American naval ships leave Virginia on December 16, 1907, the first day of their two-year voyage
December 16, 1907
Bowled Over by William and Harry
The royal princes are the latest celebrities to favour headgear that was introduced on this day
December 17, 1849
1st Airplane Flight
Seconds into the first ever flight of the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Orville Wright is flying, Wilbur Wright is running alongside.
December 17, 1903
The Face that Launched a Thousand Quips...
The greatest and most famous clown of them all, and by whose name, Joey, all circus clowns became known, was born on this day, December 18, 1778.
December 18, 1778