A Day in the Past

On this day: 17 March

118 things happened on 17 March, from AD 180 to 2021. UK stories come first, then the rest of the world.

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In the UK 6

UK history first: stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

1824 202 years ago

UK story

The Anglo-Dutch Treaty is signed in London, dividing the Malay archipelago. As a result, the Malay Peninsula is dominated by the British, while Sumatra and Java and surrounding areas are dominated by the Dutch.

Find out more: Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 (Wikipedia)

Around the world 21

Quick quiz

Every answer is somewhere on this page. Have a go, then check!

  1. In which year did this happen: “American Revolutionary War: The 11‑month Siege of Boston ended with the”?

    1. 2003
    2. 1776
    3. 1337
    Show the answer

    B: 1776. 1776 — that’s 250 years ago. Find it on the page

  2. In which year did this happen: “Edward the Black Prince was created Duke of Cornwall, the first English dukedom”?

    1. 1988
    2. 1337
    3. 1989
    Show the answer

    B: 1337. 1337 — that’s 689 years ago. Find it on the page

  3. Which of these happened first?

    1. A Clockwork Orange, a British dystopian novel by Anthony Burgess, is published
    2. American Revolutionary War: The 11‑month Siege of Boston ended with the
    3. Edward the Black Prince was created Duke of Cornwall, the first English dukedom
    Show the answer

    C: Edward the Black Prince was created Duke of Cornwall, the first English dukedom. 1962: A Clockwork Orange, a British dystopian novel by Anthony Burgess, is published · 1776: American Revolutionary War: The 11‑month Siege of Boston ended with the · 1337: Edward the Black Prince was created Duke of Cornwall, the first English dukedom Find it on the page

  4. “A Clockwork Orange, a British dystopian novel by Anthony Burgess, is published” happened in 1962. How many years ago was that?

    1. 74 years
    2. 64 years
    3. 54 years
    Show the answer

    B: 64 years. 2026 − 1962 = 64. Find it on the page

Born on this day 39

Famous people whose birthday is 17 March.

Remembering 22

Well-known people who died on 17 March.

Special days 10

Festivals, holidays and saints’ days celebrated on 17 March somewhere in the world.

For older readers 20 Show stories about war, disasters, crime and other difficult history

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.

Where these facts come from

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 “March 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.