Al-Ahli Arab Hospital explosion
An explosion at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza kills hundreds of Palestinians during the Gaza war.
What happened on October 17
33 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 1346 to 2024.
Standout on October 17
2023
Al-Ahli Arab Hospital explosion
An explosion at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza kills hundreds of Palestinians during the Gaza war.
About October 17
October 17 is the 290th day of the year. These facts are computed from the calendar, not copied from anywhere.
- Day of the year
- Day 290 of 365 (291 in leap years)75 days left in the year (75 in leap years)
- Falls on
- Saturday in 2026, Sunday in 2027, Tuesday in 2028, Wednesday in 2029, Thursday in 2030
- Week
- ISO week 42 of 2026 · Q4
- Zodiac sign
- ♎ Libra (September 23 – October 22)
- Season
- Autumn in the north · Spring in the south
- October birthstone
- Opal / Tourmalinehope, creativity and confidence
- October birth flower
- Marigold / Cosmoswarmth, creativity and harmony
- Next occurrence
- In 355 days
- Roman numerals
- XVII.Xday.month — see the Roman numeral date tool
Anniversaries in 2026
- 30thJake DeBrusk1996
- 25thRehavam Ze'evi2001
- 25thThomas Strudwick2001
October 17 through the years
- 10 years ago2016
- Nothing recorded
- 25 years ago2001
- Rehavam Ze'evi · Thomas Strudwick
- 50 years ago1976
- Nothing recorded
- 100 years ago1926
- Nothing recorded
- 200 years ago1826
- Nothing recorded
Born on October 17 — ages this year
- 2002Lily (singer, born 2002)turns 24
- 2002Matthew Kniesturns 24
- 2001Thomas Strudwickturns 25
- 1997Robert Williams IIIturns 29
- 1996Jake DeBruskturns 30
- 1995Ha-seong Kimturns 31
Historical events 33
A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
17 October Revolution
The 17 October Revolution starts in Lebanon.
Culiacán
Drug dealers in Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico force the government to back down on an arrest.
Kerch Polytechnic College massacre
A mass shooting and bombing at Kerch Polytechnic College in Crimea kills 21 people including the attacker and injures 70 others.
Cannabis Act (Canada)
The recreational use of cannabis is legalized in Canada.
Syrian civil war
Syrian civil war: The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) capture the last foothold of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Raqqa, marking the end of the Battle of Raqqa.
Parque Central Complex fire
A fire that lasted over 15 hours destroyed almost one third of the East Tower of the Parque Central Urban Complex in Caracas, Venezuela.
Rehavam Ze'evi
Rehavam Ze'evi, the Israeli minister of tourism, was assassinated in revenge for the killing of PFLP leader Abu Ali Mustafa.
Hatfield rail crash
A fatal rail crash at Hatfield, Hertfordshire, led to the introduction of widespread speed limit reductions throughout the British rail network and eventually caused the collapse of the railway management group Railtrack.
Dmitry Kholodov
Russian journalist Dmitry Kholodov is assassinated while investigating corruption in the armed forces.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Having gone to the wrong house in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for a Halloween party, Japanese exchange student Yoshihiro Hattori was shot and killed by the homeowner.
Killing of Yoshihiro Hattori
Having gone to the wrong house, Japanese student Yoshihiro Hattori is killed by the homeowner in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
1991 Rudrapur bombings
Rudrapur bombings by Sikh separatists, who explode two bombs, during a Ramlila Hindu celebration in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand, killing 41 people.
Seismic magnitude scales
The 6.9 Mw Loma Prieta earthquake shakes the San Francisco Bay Area and the Central Coast, killing 63.
Erich Honecker
The East German Politburo votes to remove Erich Honecker from his role as General Secretary.
Uganda Airlines Flight 775
Uganda Airlines Flight 775 crashes at Rome–Fiumicino International Airport, in Rome, Italy, killing 33 people.
Holy See–United Kingdom relations
As part of the Holy See–United Kingdom relations a British monarch makes the first state visit to the Vatican.
Department of Education Organization Act
The Department of Education Organization Act creates the U.S. Department of Education.
Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
Lufthansa Flight 181
The hijacked Lufthansa Flight 181 lands in Mogadishu. The remaining hostages are later rescued.
'Salem's Lot
'Salem's Lot, an American vampire novel by Stephen King, is published.
Yom Kippur War
Yom Kippur War: Egyptian forces retreated from the Battle of the Chinese Farm, allowing Israeli forces to build their first bridge across the Suez Canal.
Robert Menzies
Prime Minister Robert Menzies inaugurated the artificial Lake Burley Griffin (pictured) in the centre of the Australian capital Canberra.
Indonesian Army
Indonesian Army elements surrounded the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, demanding that President Sukarno disband the Provisional People's Representative Council.
Al Capone
American gangster Al Capone was convicted on five counts of income-tax evasion.
Texel
Off the coast of the Dutch island of Texel, a British naval squadron sank the German 7th Half Flotilla of torpedo boats in the Battle off Texel.
The Open Championship
The Open Championship, the oldest of the four major championships in men's golf, was first played at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland.
London Beer Flood
A wooden beer-fermenting vat in London burst, destroying a second vat and causing a large flood of at least 128,000 imperial gallons (580,000 l; 154,000 US gal) of porter that killed eight people.
American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War: British general John Burgoyne's Saratoga campaign ended with his surrender to the Americans, later convincing France to enter the war in alliance with the United States.
Ascanio in Alba
Ascanio in Alba, an opera composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (pictured) at the age of 15, premiered in Milan.
List of regicides of Charles I of England
A series of executions of the commissioners who signed the death warrant of King Charles I of England concluded; six were hanged, drawn and quartered for treason.
Johannes Kepler
German astronomer Johannes Kepler began observations of an exceptionally bright object, now known as Kepler's Supernova, that had appeared in the constellation Ophiuchus.
Hundred Years' War
Hundred Years' War: Under the terms of Scotland's Auld Alliance with France, King David II of Scotland (pictured) was captured at the Battle of Neville's Cross following his invasion of England.
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.
Elijah Cummings
Elijah Cummings, American politician and civil rights advocate (born 1951)
Tom Smith (Pennsylvania politician)
Tom Smith, American businessman and politician (born 1947)
Berndt von Staden
Berndt von Staden, German diplomat, German Ambassador to the United States (born 1919)
Lou Scheimer
Lou Scheimer, American animator, producer, and voice actor, co-founded the Filmation Company (born 1928)
Arthur Maxwell House
Arthur Maxwell House, Canadian neurologist and politician, 10th Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador (born 1926)
Holidays & observances 8
A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
Florentius of Orange
Christian feast day: Florentius of Orange
Æthelred and Æthelberht
Christian feast day: Ethelred and Ethelberht
Anstrudis
Christian feast day: Anstrudis
François-Isidore Gagelin
Christian feast day: François-Isidore Gagelin (one of Vietnamese Martyrs)
Ignatius of Antioch
Christian feast day: Ignatius of Antioch
Catervus
Christian feast day: Catervus
Andrew of Crete (martyr)
Christian feast day: Andrew of Crete
Hosea
Christian feast day: Hosea
Spread across the centuries
- 14th century1
- 17th century2
- 18th century2
- 19th century2
- 20th century35
- 21st century31
Earliest: Hundred Years' War (1346). Most recent: Mitzi Gaynor (2024).
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 October 17
What day of the year is October 17?
October 17 is the 290th day of the year, with 75 days left after it.
What star sign is October 17?
October 17 falls under Libra (September 23 – October 22), a air sign ruled by Venus. The birthstone for the month is Opal or Tourmaline.
How many things happened on October 17?
We record 81 entries for October 17: 33 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 1346 to 2024.
Who was born on October 17?
Lily (singer, born 2002) (2002) is among the notable births on October 17. The births section lists the rest.
How often is the October 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 October 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.