October 17
October 17 is the 291st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 75 days remain until the year's end. It falls in autumn (northern hemisphere) and under the astrological sign of Libra.
External references
Curated jump-off points to the major almanacs, encyclopaedias and primary sources for this date.
Astronomy
On October 17 the Sun's declination is approximately -10.7°. At this latitude the Sun is south of the celestial equator, giving the Northern Hemisphere shorter 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 October 17.
Position in the year
Holidays & observances
- Christian feast day: Andrew of Crete
- Christian feast day: Anstrudis
- Christian feast day: Catervus
- Christian feast day: Ethelred and Ethelberht
- Christian feast day: Florentius of Orange
Events
A selection of widely-documented historical events that took place on this date. Years marked BCE follow standard astronomical convention.
2023 — An explosion at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza kills hundreds of Palestinians during the Gaza war. ↗(3 years ago)more
On 17 October 2023, an explosion took place in a courtyard of al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City during the Gaza war, resulting in a large number of displaced Palestinians seeking shelter there being killed or injured.
2019 — Drug dealers in Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico force the government to back down on an arrest. ↗(7 years ago)more
Culiacán, officially Culiacán Rosales, is the capital and largest city of Sinaloa in northwestern Mexico. It is located within the Culiacán Municipality. The city was founded on 29 September 1531 by the Spanish conquistadors Lázaro de Cebreros and Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán originally under the name "Villa de San Miguel", in honor of its patron saint Michael ...
2019 — The 17 October Revolution starts in Lebanon. ↗(7 years ago)more
The 17 October Protests, commonly referred to as the 17 October Revolution or Hirak or Thawrah, were a series of civil protests in Lebanon that began after the Lebanese cabinet announced financial measures on 17 October 2019.
2018 — The recreational use of cannabis is legalized in Canada. ↗(8 years ago)more
The Cannabis Act is a law which legalized recreational cannabis use in Canada in combination with its companion legislation Bill C-46, An Act to Amend the Criminal Code. The law is a milestone in the legal history of cannabis in Canada, alongside the 1923 prohibition.
2018 — A mass shooting and bombing at Kerch Polytechnic College in Crimea kills 21 people including the attacker and injures 70 others. ↗(8 years ago)more
On 17 October 2018, a school shooting and bombing attack occurred in Kerch, Crimea. The perpetrator, Vladislav Roslyakov, who was an 18-year-old student at the college, killed 20 people and wounded 73 others before taking his own life. It was the deadliest school shooting in Russia or Ukraine since the 2004 Beslan school siege.
2017 — 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. ↗(9 years ago)more
The Syrian Civil War was an armed conflict that began with the Syrian revolution in March 2011, when popular discontent with the Ba'athist regime ruled by Bashar al-Assad triggered large-scale protests and pro-democracy rallies across Syria, as part of the wider Arab Spring.
2004 — A fire that lasted over 15 hours destroyed almost one third of the East Tower of the Parque Central Urban Complex in Caracas, Venezuela. ↗(22 years ago)more
The Parque Central Complex fire was a fire on 17 October 2004, that destroyed almost one-third of the East Tower of the Parque Central Urban Complex in Caracas, Venezuela. At least 20 floors were completely destroyed by the fire, although the building was able to withstand more than 15 hours of fire without collapsing due to its strong structure.
2001 — Israeli tourism minister Rehavam Ze'evi is assassinated by Hamdi Quran, a member of the PFLP, thus becoming the highest-ranking Israeli to be killed by a Palestinian. ↗(25 years ago)more
Rehavam Ze'evi was an Israeli general and politician who founded the far-right nationalist Moledet party. He mainly advocated for complete cleansing of the Palestinian population through population transfer.
2000 — The Hatfield rail crash leads to the collapse of Railtrack. ↗(26 years ago)more
The Hatfield rail crash was a railway accident on 17 October 2000, at Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England. It was caused by a rolling contact fatigue-induced derailment, killing four people and injuring more than 70.
1994 — Russian journalist Dmitry Kholodov is assassinated while investigating corruption in the armed forces. ↗(32 years ago)more
Dmitry Yuryevich Kholodov was a Russian journalist who investigated corruption in the military and was assassinated on 17 October 1994 in Moscow. His assassination was the first of many killings of journalists in Russia.
1992 — Having gone to the wrong house, Japanese student Yoshihiro Hattori is killed by the homeowner in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. ↗(34 years ago)more
Yoshihiro Hattori was a Japanese student on an exchange program to the United States who was shot to death in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The shooting happened when Hattori, on his way to a Halloween party, went to the wrong house by mistake. Property owner Rodney Peairs fatally shot Hattori, erroneously thinking that he was trespassing with criminal intent.
- 1991 — Rudrapur bombings by Sikh separatists, who explode two bombs, during a Ramlila Hindu celebration in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand, killing 41 people. ↗(35 years ago)
more
1991 Rudrapur bombings were bombings by Khalistani terrorists in 1991 in Rudrapur city in Indian state of Uttarakhand.
Notable births
2002 — Matthew Knies, American professional ice hockey player ↗(24 years ago)more
Matthew Michael Knies is an American professional ice hockey player who is a forward for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). Knies was drafted 57th overall by the Maple Leafs in the 2021 NHL entry draft.
2002 — Lily, Australian-South Korean singer ↗(24 years ago)more
Lily Jin Park Morrow, known mononymously as Lily (Korean: 릴리), is an Australian and South Korean singer. She is best known as the vocalist of South Korean girl group Nmixx under JYP Entertainment. She began her career by competing on the South Korean reality show competition series K-pop Star 4 in November 2014, where she placed fourth.
2001 — Thomas Strudwick, British motorcycle road racer ↗(25 years ago)more
Thomas Strudwick is a British motorcycle road racer from West Sussex. During 2024, he raced in both the UK BMW F900 Cup national-level series winning the championship, and the inaugural National Sportbike Championship on a Triumph 765 where he finished third.
1997 — Robert Williams III, American basketball player ↗(29 years ago)more
Robert Lee Williams III is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Texas A&M Aggies.
1996 — Jake DeBrusk, Canadian ice hockey player ↗(30 years ago)more
Jake DeBrusk is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a left winger for the Vancouver Canucks in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 14th overall by the Boston Bruins in the 2015 NHL entry draft. DeBrusk is the son of colour commentator and former NHL forward Louie DeBrusk.
1995 — Jamal Adams, American football player ↗(31 years ago)more
Jamal Lee Adams is an American professional football linebacker. He played college football for the LSU Tigers, and was selected by the New York Jets sixth overall in the 2017 NFL draft. Adams quickly became an impactful starter for the Jets, making the Pro Bowl twice and being named an All-Pro.
Notable deaths
2024 — Mitzi Gaynor, American actress, singer, and dancer (born 1931) ↗(2 years ago)more
Francesca Marlene de Czanyi von Gerber, known professionally as Mitzi Gaynor, was an American actress, singer, and dancer. Her notable films included We're Not Married! (1952), There's No Business Like Show Business (1954), The Birds and the Bees (1956), and South Pacific (1958) – for which she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – M...
2024 — Toshiyuki Nishida, Japanese actor (born 1947) ↗(2 years ago)more
Toshiyuki Nishida was a Japanese actor. He won two Japanese Academy Awards for best actor, for The Silk Road (1988) and Tsuribaka Nisshi 6 (1993). He also won the Blue Ribbon Award for Best Actor for Get Up! and Tsuribaka Nisshi 14 (2003). Outside Japan he was best known for his role as Pigsy in the TV series Monkey.
2024 — Andrew Schally, Polish-American endocrinologist (born 1926) ↗(2 years ago)more
Andrzej Viktor "Andrew" Schally was a Polish-American endocrinologist who was a co-recipient, with Roger Guillemin and Rosalyn Sussman Yalow, of the 1977 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
2019 — Elijah Cummings, American politician and civil rights advocate (born 1951) ↗(7 years ago)more
Elijah Eugene Cummings was an American politician and lawyer who served in the United States House of Representatives for Maryland's 7th congressional district from 1996 until his death in 2019, when he was succeeded by his predecessor Kweisi Mfume.
2017 — Gord Downie, Canadian musician (born 1964) ↗(9 years ago)more
Gordon Edgar Downie was a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, musician, writer, poet, and activist. He was the singer and lyricist for the Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip, which he fronted from its formation in 1984 until his death in 2017. He is revered by many as one of the most influential artists in Canada's music history.
Numerical & calendrical curiosities
| Day-of-year (291) | 3 × 97 · composite (no) |
|---|---|
| Days remaining (75) | 3 × 5^2 |
| Date code DDMMYYYY | 17102026 · no palindrome in next 200 years |
| Sun declination | -10.69° (Cooper approximation) |
| Distance from solstice | 64 days |