April 17
April 17 is the 108th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 258 days remain until the year's end. It falls in spring (northern hemisphere) and under the astrological sign of Aries.
External references
Curated jump-off points to the major almanacs, encyclopaedias and primary sources for this date.
Astronomy
On April 17 the Sun's declination is approximately +10.5°. At this latitude the Sun is north of the celestial equator, giving the Northern Hemisphere longer days than nights.
For specific rise/set times at your location, see the U.S. Naval Observatory, or the NASA APOD archive for any imagery published on a April 17.
Position in the year
Holidays & observances
No widely-observed holidays catalogued for this day in our base set. See the external almanacs above for region-specific observances.
Events
A selection of widely-documented historical events that took place on this date. Years marked BCE follow standard astronomical convention.
1492 — Christopher Columbus signed the Capitulations of Santa Fe with Spain, agreeing to fund his voyage west. ↗(534 years ago)more
The Capitulations of Santa Fe between Christopher Columbus and the Catholic Monarchs, Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, were signed in Santa Fe, Granada on April 17, 1492. They granted Columbus the titles of admiral of the Ocean Sea, viceroy, and governor-general and the honorific don, and also the tenth part of all riches to be...
1961 — The Bay of Pigs Invasion: U.S.-trained Cuban exiles landed in Cuba intending to overthrow Fidel Castro; it failed. ↗(65 years ago)more
The Bay of Pigs Invasion was a failed military landing operation on the southwestern coast of Cuba in April 1961 by the United States and the Cuban Democratic Revolutionary Front (DRF), consisting of Cuban exiles who opposed Fidel Castro's Cuban Revolution, clandestinely and directly financed by the U.S. government.
1970 — Apollo 13 returned safely to Earth after its emergency. ↗(56 years ago)more
Apollo 13 was the seventh crewed mission in the Apollo space program and would have been the third Moon landing. The craft was launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 11, 1970, but the landing was aborted after an oxygen tank in the service module (SM) exploded two days into the mission, disabling its electrical and life-support system.
1975 — Khmer Rouge forces captured Phnom Penh, beginning the rule of the Cambodian genocide regime. ↗(51 years ago)more
Khmer Rouge is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK), and by extension to Democratic Kampuchea, which ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. The name was coined in the 1960s by Norodom Sihanouk to describe his country's heterogeneous, communist-led dissidents, with whom he allied after the 1970 Cambodian cou...
Notable births
1837 — J. P. Morgan, American financier. ↗(189 years ago)more
John Pierpont Morgan Sr. was an American financier and investment banker who dominated corporate finance on Wall Street throughout the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. As the head of the banking firm that ultimately became known as JPMorgan Chase & Co., he was the driving force behind a wave of industrial consolidations in the United States at the turn of ...
1972 — Jennifer Garner, American actress. ↗(54 years ago)more
Jennifer Anne Garner is an American actress. Born in Houston, Texas and raised in Charleston, West Virginia, Garner studied theater at Denison University and began acting as an understudy for the Roundabout Theatre Company in New York City.
Notable deaths
1790 — Benjamin Franklin, U.S. Founding Father. ↗(236 years ago)more
Benjamin Franklin was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and political philosopher. Among the most influential intellectuals of his time, Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States; a drafter and signer of the Declaration of Independence; and the first postmaster general.
Numerical & calendrical curiosities
| Day-of-year (108) | 2^2 × 3^3 · composite (no) |
|---|---|
| Days remaining (258) | 2 × 3 × 43 |
| Date code DDMMYYYY | 17042026 · no palindrome in next 200 years |
| Sun declination | +10.51° (Cooper approximation) |
| Distance from solstice | 64 days |