June 17
June 17 is the 169th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 197 days remain until the year's end. It falls in spring (northern hemisphere) and under the astrological sign of Gemini.
External references
Curated jump-off points to the major almanacs, encyclopaedias and primary sources for this date.
Astronomy
On June 17 the Sun's declination is approximately +23.4°. 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 June 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.
1775 — American Revolutionary War: Battle of Bunker Hill near Boston. ↗(251 years ago)more
The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on June 17, 1775, during the Siege of Boston in the first stage of the American Revolutionary War. The battle is named after Bunker Hill in Charlestown, Massachusetts, which was peripherally involved.
1885 — The Statue of Liberty arrived in New York Harbor aboard the French ship Isère. ↗(141 years ago)more
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture of a robed and crowned woman on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. The copper-clad statue, a gift to the United States from the people of France, was designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, and its metal framework built by Gustave Eiffel.
1944 — Iceland became an independent republic. ↗(82 years ago)more
Iceland is a Nordic island country between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean, located on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between Europe and North America. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the region's westernmost and most sparsely populated country.
1972 — Five men were arrested for breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex. ↗(54 years ago)more
The Watergate scandal, or simply Watergate, was a political scandal in the United States involving the administration of President Richard Nixon. On June 17, 1972, operatives associated with Nixon's 1972 re-election campaign were caught burglarizing and planting listening devices in the Democratic National Committee headquarters at Washington, D.C.'s Wate...
Notable births
1882 — Igor Stravinsky, Russian composer. ↗(144 years ago)more
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky was a Russian composer and conductor with French and American citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the 20th century and a pivotal figure in modernist music.
1980 — Venus Williams, American tennis player. ↗(46 years ago)more
Venus Ebony Starr Williams is an American professional tennis player. She has been ranked as the world No. 1 in both women's singles and doubles by the Women's Tennis Association. Williams has won 49 WTA Tour-level singles titles, including seven majors, as well as a gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 2008 WTA Tour Championships.
Notable deaths
1719 — Joseph Addison, English essayist. ↗(307 years ago)more
Joseph Addison was a British writer and politician. He was the eldest son of Lancelot Addison. His name is usually remembered alongside that of his long-standing friend Richard Steele, with whom he founded The Spectator magazine. His simple prose style marked the end of the mannerisms and conventional classical images of the 17th century.
Numerical & calendrical curiosities
| Day-of-year (169) | 13^2 · composite (no) |
|---|---|
| Days remaining (197) | 197 |
| Date code DDMMYYYY | 17062026 · no palindrome in next 200 years |
| Sun declination | +23.40° (Cooper approximation) |
| Distance from solstice | 3 days |