April 17

Events

 * - After the First, becomes.
 * - tells the  for the first time at the court of . Chaucer scholars have also identified this date (in ) as when the book's  to  starts.
 * - and  sign a contract for him to sail to  to get s.
 * - speaks to the assembly at the, refusing to recant his.
 * - reaches  harbor.
 * - After 18 months of siege, surrenders to the - army. The  is incorporated into the.
 * - Sir attacks  in what would be one of the largest invasions to Spanish territories in America.
 * - : secedes from the.
 * - American Civil War: begins –  forces attack.
 * - is arrested as a conspirator in the  of.
 * - The between  and  is signed. This marks the end of the, and the defeated  is forced to renounce its claims on  and to concede the southern portion of the  ,  and the  to.
 * - studios is formed from a merger of, , and the.
 * - : The surrenders to.
 * -  General  escapes from his castle prison in.
 * - In, ,   seizes half a ton of , in an attempt to foil  plans to build an.
 * - : A group of  financed and trained n refugees lands at the  in  with the aim of ousting.
 * 1961  -  receives an  in the best music category, for his Song  from the film of the same name.
 * - The unveils the  at the.
 * 1964  -  becomes the first woman to circumnavigate the world by air.
 * - is convicted of assassinating.
 * 1969  -   chairman  is deposed.
 * - : The ill-fated spacecraft returns to  safely.
 * - People's Republic of forms, under  at Mujibnagor.
 * - delivers its first package.
 * - ends: The  captures the capital  and n government forces surrender.
 * - Patriation of the in  by  of,.
 * - Police  is killed by gunfire from the  in  during a small demonstration outside the embassy. Ten others are wounded. The events lead to an 11-day  of the building.
 * - Treaty signed, ending between the  and the.
 * - The closes above 3,000 for the  gaining 17.58 to 3,004.46.
 * - Four soldiers are killed in  by  from two  s, the first deaths in a combat zone for  since the.

Births

 * -, co-ruling (d. )
 * - (d. )
 * -, English dramatist
 * -, Italian astronomer (d. )
 * -, founder of the (d. )
 * -, Welsh poet (d. )
 * -, British Freemason (d. )
 * -, King of Thailand (d. )
 * -, Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (d. )
 * -, French statesman and intellectual figure (d. )
 * -, German botanist (d. )
 * -, French mathematician (d. )
 * -, English Methodist chapel builder (d. )
 * -, Belgian composer (d. )
 * -, American financier (d. )
 * -, French statesman (d. )
 * -, American diplomat and Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (d. )
 * -, English mathematician (d. )
 * 1863  -, Greek poet (d. )
 * -, Polish-Austrian Catholic saint (d. )
 * -, British physiologist (d. )
 * -, Polish pianist (d. )
 * -, Danish author (d. )
 * -, American actor and rodeo rider (d. )
 * -, (d. )
 * -, Spanish ventriloquist (d. )
 * -, American dramatist (d. )
 * -, Mexican politician (d. )
 * -, Russian cellist (d. )
 * 1903  -, American athlete (d. )
 * -, American physician (d. )
 * -, French politician (d. )
 * -, American art director (d. )
 * -, American soldier and politician (d. )
 * -, French footballer player and manager (d. )
 * -, American politician
 * -, American actor (d. )
 * -, French Canadian politician
 * 1919  -, Costa Rican-Mexican singer
 * -, English film director (d. )
 * 1923  -, American journalist (d. )
 * 1923  -, American baseball player
 * -, Canadian ice hockey player (d. )
 * -, American writer
 * -, German band leader
 * 1929  -, 11th Chancellor of the )
 * -, British jazz band leader
 * -, American composer
 * 1935  -, Greek film director
 * -, American politician
 * -, British singer (d. )
 * 1940  -, English television horse racing pundit
 * 1940  -, German soprano
 * -, British actor
 * -, American actress
 * -, German biologist, recipient of the (d. )
 * -, Irish singer
 * -, Czech composer
 * -, American former team owner
 * -, Argentine-born actress
 * 1951  -, Swedish ice hockey player
 * -, Serbian warlord (d. )
 * -, Italian race car driver
 * 1954  -, Canadian professional wrestler
 * 1954  -, American musician
 * -, British musician
 * -, English author
 * - (born Kevin Donovan), American DJ
 * -, English actor
 * -, American football player
 * -, American actor
 * -, American singer ( and )
 * 1964  -, Canadian ice hockey player
 * 1964  -, American actress
 * -, American actor
 * -, Indian actor
 * -, American baseball player
 * 1967  -, American actress
 * 1967  -, Peruvian-born Scottish actor
 * 1967  -, American musician/songwriter
 * -, American rapper
 * -, American baseball player
 * 1972  -, American football player
 * 1972  -, American actress
 * 1972  -, Sri Lankan cricketer
 * 1972  -, American thoroughbred racehorse (d. )
 * 1972  -, Canadian ice hockey player
 * 1972  -, English actress
 * -, Australian basketballer
 * -, English singer
 * 1974  -, Swedish singer
 * -, Mexican actor
 * 1975  -, American hockey player
 * -, American speed skater
 * 1977  -, Jamaican dancehall artist
 * 1977 - , lead singer for alternative rock band
 * -, American actress
 * 1978  -, Scottish rugby player
 * -, Indian actor
 * -, English footballer/boxer
 * -, Finnish singer
 * -, South Korean actor and model
 * 1982  -, Canadian hockey player
 * -, Russian hockey player
 * -, American actress

Deaths

 * -, Greek philosopher (b. )
 * -, Celtic Christian martyr, patron saint of Eigg
 * - King (b. )
 * - (b. )
 * - (b. )
 * -, German classical scholar (b. )
 * -, first American Indian to receive beatification (b. )
 * -, Mexican writer
 * -, French writer (b. )
 * - (b. )
 * -, Pomeranian dogmatician (b. )
 * -, Swedish statesman (b. )
 * -, English mathematician
 * -, German composer (b. )
 * -, American inventor, diplomat, and printer (b. )
 * -, English architect (b. )
 * -, American inventor (b. )
 * -, Russian painter (b. )
 * - Sanitary engineer (b. )
 * -, 2nd (b. )
 * -, King Consort of Spain (b. )
 * -, Russian painter (b. )
 * -, Dutch prime minister (b. )
 * -, Korean Poet (b. )
 * -, British dance band vocalist (b. )
 * -, French physicist, laureate (b. )
 * -, English cricketer (b. )
 * -, Romanian communist activist (b. )
 * -, American musician (b. )
 * -, American jazz trumpeter (b. )
 * -, Indian philosopher (b. )
 * -, Danish biochemist, laureate (b. )
 * -, Northern Irish clergyman (b. )
 * -, French Canadian ice hockey player (b. )
 * -, French Canadian ice hockey player (b. )


 * -, owner of Mirror Group Newspapers (b. )
 * -, American sculptor (b. )
 * -, American civil rights activist (b. )
 * -, 8th president of Turkey (b. )
 * -, American neurobiologist, laureate (b. )
 * -, American business executive (b. )
 * -, American documentarian
 * 1997  -, Danish scientist and poet (b. )
 * -, American-born wife of (b. )
 * -, American dietician (b. )
 * 2003  -, American-born philanthropist (b. )
 * 2003  -, American musician and songwriter (b. )
 * 2003  -, Greek shipping tycoon (b. )
 * -, Swiss writer (b. )
 * 2004  -, Indian actress (b. )
 * -, American actress and television personality (b. )

Holidays and observances

 * World Day
 * Liturgical of the following Catholic s:
 * (died )
 * (d. 1117)
 * (d. )
 * (d.1142)
 * (d.1142)


 * and companions