121 things happened on 17 February, from AD 364 to 2026. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.
1989 · 37 years ago
Rebecca Adlington is an English former swimmer. At the 2008 Olympic Games she won two gold medals, in the 400 metres and 800 metres freestyle. In the 800 metres she broke a world record that had stood for 19 years. She was the first British swimmer since 1908…
UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
UK story
Myles Standish was elected the first commander of the militia, or local defence force, of Plymouth Colony in North America. He had sailed there with the Pilgrims on the Mayflower in 1620. Plymouth Colony was the first permanent English colony in New England. Standish was re-elected as commander for the rest of his life.
UK story
London's congestion charge began, so drivers had to pay to drive most vehicles into the city centre. The idea came from a similar road-charging system in Singapore. The charge aims to cut traffic, reduce air and noise pollution, and raise money for London's transport. Cameras that read number plates check who has paid.
UK story
Duke Frederick of Schleswig-Holstein and King John of Denmark attempt to subdue the peasantry of Dithmarschen, Denmark, in the Battle of Hemmingstedt.
UK story
The United Kingdom recognizes the independence of the Orange Free State.
UK story
The Ukrainian People's Republic asks the Entente and the United States for help fighting the Bolsheviks.
UK story
Chaim Weizmann begins his term as the first President of Israel.
A group of people in Geneva, Switzerland, set up the International Committee for Relief to the Wounded. It later became the International Committee of the Red Cross. This humanitarian organisation helps people caught up in wars and has won the Nobel Prize three times. It also works to make sure countries follow the Geneva Conventions, rules that protect people in wartime.
German engineer Rudolf Diesel's first working engine ran for one minute. In a diesel engine, the air inside is squeezed so hard that it becomes hot enough to set the fuel alight. Petrol engines use a spark plug to do this instead. Both the diesel engine and diesel fuel are named after their inventor.
Giacomo Puccini's opera Madama Butterfly was performed for the first time at La Scala, a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. It received poor reviews, so Puccini revised the opera. The words were written in Italian by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. Puccini is widely seen as the greatest Italian opera composer after Giuseppe Verdi.
The United States Navy launched Vanguard 2, the first weather satellite. It was designed to measure how much of the Earth was covered by cloud during the daylight part of its orbit. It was an important step in the Space Race between the USA and the Soviet Union. Vanguard 2 is still in orbit.
The total number of Volkswagen Beetles sold passed the total for the Ford Model T. The Beetle was a small German family car with a bug-like shape, made from 1938 to 2003. In all, 21.5 million were built, making it the best-selling car of one basic design in history. The Model T, first made in 1908, was the first car that ordinary American families could afford.
Polish climbers Krzysztof Wielicki and Leszek Cichy became the first people to reach the top of Mount Everest in winter. Everest, on the border between China and Nepal, is the highest mountain on Earth. In 2020 it was measured at 8,848.86 metres. Wielicki later became the first person to climb Everest, Kangchenjunga and Lhotse in winter.
World chess champion Garry Kasparov beat IBM's supercomputer Deep Blue in a six-game match in Philadelphia, USA. He won three games, drew two and lost one. Deep Blue's single win made it the first computer to beat a reigning world champion in a standard game. In a rematch in 1997, an upgraded Deep Blue won.
Northern Crusades: Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Teutonic Knights meet in the Battle of Rudau.
Following the successful campaigns during the Ottoman Interregnum, Musa Çelebi, one of the sons of Bayezid I, becomes Sultan of the Ottoman Empire with the support of Mircea I of Wallachia.
Nurhaci proclaims himself Khan of the Later Jin, precursor to the Qing Dynasty.
Sixteen men of Pascual de Iriate's expedition are lost at Evangelistas Islets at the western end of the Strait of Magellan.
The Battle of Vasai commences as the Marathas move to invade Portuguese-occupied territory.
In Sweden, February 17 is followed by March 1 as the country moves from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar.
United States presidential election: A tie in the Electoral College between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr is resolved when Jefferson is elected President of the United States and Burr Vice President by the United States House of Representatives.
War of the Sixth Coalition: The Battle of Mormant.
The United States ratifies the Treaty of Ghent – signed in late 1814 – formally ending the War of 1812.
The United States House of Representatives passes the Missouri Compromise for the first time.
Cochinchina campaign: French Navy forces captured the Citadel of Saigon, defended by 1,000 Vietnamese soldiers of the Nguyễn dynasty.
American Civil War: Columbia, South Carolina, is burned as Confederate forces flee from advancing Union forces.
The Armory Show (commemorative button pictured), the first large modern-art exhibition in the United States, opened at the 69th Regiment Armory in New York City.
World War II: The U.S. Navy began Operation Hailstone, a massive naval air and surface attack against the Japanese naval and air base at Chuuk Lagoon in the Caroline Islands.
World War II: The Battle of Eniwetok begins. The battle ends in an American victory on February 22.
Gabonese military officers overthrew President Léon M'ba, but French forces, honouring a 1960 treaty, forcibly reinstated him two days later.
In Wesberry v. Sanders the Supreme Court of the United States rules that congressional districts have to be approximately equal in population.
Project Ranger: The Ranger 8 probe launches on its mission to photograph the Mare Tranquillitatis region of the Moon in preparation for the crewed Apollo missions. Mare Tranquillitatis or the "Sea of Tranquility" would become the site chosen for the Apollo 11 lunar landing.
The Sino-Vietnamese War begins.
The Cenepa War between Peru and Ecuador ends on a ceasefire brokered by the UN.
NASA's Discovery Program begins as the NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft lifts off on the first mission ever to orbit and land on an asteroid, 433 Eros.
Kosovo declares independence from Serbia.
Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!
In which year did this happen: “Myles Standish is chosen to lead Plymouth Colony's defenders”?
A: 1621. 1621 — that’s 405 years ago. Find it on the page
In which year did this happen: “London starts charging drivers to enter the city centre”?
A: 2003. 2003 — that’s 23 years ago. Find it on the page
Which of these happened first?
C: Myles Standish is chosen to lead Plymouth Colony's defenders. 1904: Puccini's opera Madama Butterfly is performed for the first time · 2003: London starts charging drivers to enter the city centre · 1621: Myles Standish is chosen to lead Plymouth Colony's defenders Find it on the page
“Rebecca Adlington” happened in 1989. How many years ago was that?
A: 37 years. 2026 − 1989 = 37. Find it on the page
Famous people whose birthday is 17 February.
Michael Jordan is an American former basketball player. He played 15 seasons in the NBA, winning six championships with the Chicago Bulls. Many people consider him the greatest basketball player of all time. In the 1980s and 1990s, he helped to make basketball and the NBA popular around the world.
UK story
Rebecca Adlington is an English former swimmer. At the 2008 Olympic Games she won two gold medals, in the 400 metres and 800 metres freestyle. In the 800 metres she broke a world record that had stood for 19 years. She was the first British swimmer since 1908 to win more than one Olympic gold at a single Games.
Well-known people who died on 17 February.
Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 17 February somewhere in the world.
Content note: these entries mention things like war, violence, deaths, disasters or crime. They are part of history, but they can be upsetting. Grown-ups and teachers: you may want to read them first. They come straight from Wikipedia and have not been rewritten for children.
Stories with a heading have been written for young readers by A Day in the Past, using the linked articles as sources. Other entries show text from Wikipedia’s “February 17” page and its “On this day” feed, written by Wikipedia contributors and shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. Each “Read more” link goes to the article an entry is based on. Photos are credited under each picture. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us.