17 August 2019 Kabul bombing
A bomb explodes at a wedding in Kabul killing 63 people and leaving 182 injured.
What happened on August 17
34 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 986 to 2025.
Standout on August 17
2009
Sayano-Shushenskaya power station accident
An accident at the Sayano-Shushenskaya Dam in Khakassia, Russia, kills 75 and shuts down the hydroelectric power station, leading to widespread power failure in the local area.
About August 17
August 17 is the 229th day of the year. These facts are computed from the calendar, not copied from anywhere.
- Day of the year
- Day 229 of 365 (230 in leap years)136 days left in the year (136 in leap years)
- Falls on
- Monday in 2026, Tuesday in 2027, Thursday in 2028, Friday in 2029, Saturday in 2030
- Week
- ISO week 34 of 2026 · Q3
- Zodiac sign
- ♌ Leo (July 23 – August 22)
- Season
- Summer in the north · Winter in the south
- August birthstone
- Peridot / Spinel / Sardonyxstrength, good fortune and calm
- August birth flower
- Gladiolus / Poppystrength of character and remembrance
- Next occurrence
- In 294 days
- Roman numerals
- XVII.VIIIday.month — see the Roman numeral date tool
Anniversaries in 2026
- 350thScanian War1676
- 150thGötterdämmerung1876
- 50th1976 Moro Gulf earthquake1976
- 30thJake Virtanen1996
- 10thArthur Hiller2016
- 1stTerence Stamp2025
August 17 through the years
- 10 years ago2016
- Arthur Hiller
- 25 years ago2001
- Nothing recorded
- 50 years ago1976
- 1976 Moro Gulf earthquake
- 100 years ago1926
- Nothing recorded
- 200 years ago1826
- Nothing recorded
Born on August 17 — ages this year
- 2003Nastasja Schunkturns 23
- 2003The Kid Laroiturns 23
- 2003Rayan Cherkiturns 23
- 2000Lil Pumpturns 26
- 1998Yoshinobu Yamamototurns 28
- 1996Jake Virtanenturns 30
Historical events 34
A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
2017 Barcelona attacks
Barcelona attacks: A van is driven into pedestrians in La Rambla, killing 14 and injuring at least 100.
2015 Bangkok bombing
A bomb explodes near the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok, Thailand, killing at least 19 people and injuring 123 others.
Sayano-Shushenskaya power station accident
An accident at the Sayano-Shushenskaya Dam in Khakassia, Russia, kills 75 and shuts down the hydroelectric power station, leading to widespread power failure in the local area.
Michael Phelps
Michael Phelps won his eighth gold medal of the Summer Olympics in Beijing, setting the record for the most gold medals won by an athlete at a single games.
2005 Bangladesh bombings
Over 500 bombs are set off by terrorists at 300 locations in 63 out of the 64 districts of Bangladesh.
Israeli settlement
The first forced evacuation of settlers, as part of Israeli disengagement from Gaza, starts.
National Assembly (Serbia)
The National Assembly of Serbia unanimously adopts new state symbols for Serbia: Bože pravde becomes the new anthem and the coat of arms is adopted for the whole country.
1999 İzmit earthquake
The 7.6 Mw İzmit earthquake shakes northwestern Turkey with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), leaving 17,118–17,127 dead and 43,953–50,000 injured.
Clinton–Lewinsky scandal
Lewinsky scandal: US President Bill Clinton admits in taped testimony that he had an "improper physical relationship" with White House intern Monica Lewinsky; later that same day he admits before the nation that he "misled people" about the relationship.
Strathfield massacre
Strathfield massacre: In Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, taxi driver Wade Frankum shoots and kills seven people and injures six others before turning the gun on himself.
Zia-ul-Haq
President of Pakistan Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq and U.S. Ambassador Arnold Raphel are killed in a plane crash.
1985–1986 Hormel strike
The 1985–86 Hormel strike begins in Austin, Minnesota.
Double Eagle II
Double Eagle II becomes first balloon to cross the Atlantic Ocean when it lands in Miserey, France near Paris, 137 hours after leaving Presque Isle, Maine.
Arktika (1972 icebreaker)
The Soviet icebreaker Arktika becomes the first surface ship to reach the North Pole.
1976 Moro Gulf earthquake
A magnitude 7.9 earthquake hits off the coast of Mindanao, Philippines, triggering a destructive tsunami, killing between 5,000 and 8,000 people and leaving more than 90,000 homeless.
Venera program
Soviet Union Venera program: Venera 7 launched. It will become the first spacecraft to successfully transmit data from the surface of another planet (Venus).
Saffir–Simpson scale
Category 5 Hurricane Camille hits the U.S. Gulf Coast, killing 256 and causing $1.42 billion in damage.
Killing of Peter Fechter
Peter Fechter is shot and bleeds to death while trying to cross the new Berlin Wall.
Aeroflot Flight 036
Aeroflot Flight 036 crashes in Soviet Ukraine, killing 34.
Miles Davis
American musician Miles Davis released Kind of Blue, which became one of the best-selling and most critically acclaimed jazz recordings of all time.
Korean War
Korean War: Forty-two American prisoners of war were massacred by the Korean People's Army on a hill above Waegwan, South Korea.
Proclamation of Indonesian Independence
The independence of Indonesia was proclaimed, igniting a revolution against the Dutch Empire.
Animal Farm
Animal Farm, George Orwell's satirical allegory of Soviet totalitarianism, was first published.
World War II
World War II: The Royal Air Force began a strategic bombing campaign against Nazi Germany's V-weapon programme by attacking the Peenemünde Army Research Center.
Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt met in a secret conference in Quebec.
1915 Galveston hurricane
A category 4 hurricane made landfall in Galveston, Texas, leaving at least 275 people dead.
World War I
World War I: Ignoring orders to retreat, Hermann von François led a successful counterattack defending East Prussia at the Battle of Stallupönen and scored the first German victory in the Eastern Front.
Pike Place Market
Pike Place Market (pictured), one of the oldest continuously operated public farmers' markets in the U.S. and a popular tourist attraction, opened in Seattle, Washington.
Götterdämmerung
The premiere of Götterdämmerung by Richard Wagner (pictured) closed the first Bayreuth Festival.
Scanian War
Scanian War: Swedish forces defeated Danish troops at the Battle of Halmstad.
1668 North Anatolia earthquake
An earthquake struck the North Anatolia region, killing over 8,000 people.
Scottish Reformation Parliament
The Scottish Reformation Parliament approved a Protestant confession of faith, initiating the Scottish Reformation and disestablishing Catholicism as the national religion.
Byzantine–Bulgarian wars
Byzantine–Bulgarian wars: The Bulgarians defeated Byzantine forces at the battle of the Gates of Trajan near present-day Ihtiman, with Emperor Basil II barely escaping.
Births 20
A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
Deaths 20
A notable person who died on this day.
Virginia Ogilvy, Countess of Airlie
Virginia Ogilvy, Countess of Airlie, British countess (born 1933)
Sophie Masloff
Sophie Masloff, American civil servant and politician, 56th Mayor of Pittsburgh (born 1917)
Aase Bjerkholt
Aase Bjerkholt, Norwegian politician, Minister of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion (born 1915)
Holidays & observances 8
A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
Beatrice of Silva
Christian feast day: Saint Beatrice of Silva
Jeanne Delanoue
Christian feast day: Saint Jeanne Delanoue
Mammes of Caesarea
Christian feast day: Saint Mammes of Caesarea
Clare of Montefalco
Christian feast day: Saint Clare of Montefalco
Elias of Enna
Christian feast day: Elias of Enna
Samuel Johnson (American educator)
Christian feast day: Samuel Johnson, Timothy Cutler, and Thomas Bradbury Chandler (Episcopal Church)
Jacobo Kyushei Tomonaga
Christian feast day: Jacobo Kyushei Tomonaga
Hyacinth of Poland
Christian feast day: Saint Hyacinth of Poland
Spread across the centuries
- 10th century1
- 16th century1
- 17th century2
- 19th century1
- 20th century38
- 21st century31
Earliest: Byzantine–Bulgarian wars (986). Most recent: Terence Stamp (2025).
What the categories mean, and how the standout is chosen
- Historical events
- A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
- Births
- A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
- Deaths
- A notable person who died on this day.
- Milestones
- A first, a founding or a turning point our editors flagged as a landmark moment.
- Holidays & observances
- A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
- Standout / notable
- Editor-written entries come first, then entries covered by the most Wikipedia language editions. For the standout tile we prefer an entry that has a picture.
Nearby and related
Questions about August 17
What day of the year is August 17?
August 17 is the 229th day of the year, with 136 days left after it.
What star sign is August 17?
August 17 falls under Leo (July 23 – August 22), a fire sign ruled by Sun. The birthstone for the month is Peridot or Spinel or Sardonyx.
How many things happened on August 17?
We record 82 entries for August 17: 34 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 986 to 2025.
Who was born on August 17?
Nastasja Schunk (2003) is among the notable births on August 17. The births section lists the rest.
How often is the August 17 page updated?
The day is filled the first time anyone opens it and then re-checked for new entries about every 90 days. Computed facts such as the weekday and the anniversaries update every year.
Get a daily entry like August 17
One short email a day from this calendar. Kept for this site only.
Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.