September 17
September 17 is the 261st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 105 days remain until the year's end. It falls in summer (northern hemisphere) and under the astrological sign of Virgo.
External references
Curated jump-off points to the major almanacs, encyclopaedias and primary sources for this date.
Astronomy
On September 17 the Sun's declination is approximately +1.0°. 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 September 17.
Position in the year
Holidays & observances
- Australian Citizenship Day
- Christian feast day: Albert of Vercelli
- Christian feast day: Ariadne of Phrygia
- Christian feast day: Blessed Cecilia Eusepi
- Christian feast day: Stanislaus Papczyński
Events
A selection of widely-documented historical events that took place on this date. Years marked BCE follow standard astronomical convention.
2025 — Saudi Arabia and Pakistan sign the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement. ↗(1 years ago)more
The Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA) is a security and defence pact between the countries of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Under this agreement, both countries have committed to treating any act of aggression against one as an act against both.
- 2018 — A Russian reconnaissance aircraft carrying 15 people on board is brought down by a Syrian surface-to-air missile over the Mediterranean Sea. ↗(8 years ago)
more
On 17 September 2018, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) conducted missile strikes against multiple targets in government-controlled western Syria. Syrian air defences responded to the Israeli fighter jets, accidentally shooting a Russian military Il-20, killing 15 crew aboard.
2016 — Two bombs explode in Seaside Park, New Jersey, and Manhattan. Thirty-one people are injured in the Manhattan bombing. ↗(10 years ago)more
On September 17–19, 2016, a series of three constructed bombs exploded, and several unexploded devices were discovered in the New York metropolitan area followed by a subsequent shooting in Linden, New Jersey during a nationwide manhunt for the perpetrator. The bombings and additional shootout left 33 people wounded, but no fatalities were reported.
2013 — Grand Theft Auto V earns more than half a billion dollars on its first day of release. ↗(13 years ago)more
Grand Theft Auto V is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the seventh main entry in the Grand Theft Auto series, following 2008's Grand Theft Auto IV, and the fifteenth instalment overall.
2011 — Occupy Wall Street movement begins in Zuccotti Park, New York City. ↗(15 years ago)more
Occupy Wall Street (OWS) was a left-wing populist and progressive movement against economic inequality, capitalism, corporate greed, big finance, and the influence of money in politics. It began in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City's Financial District, and lasted for fifty-nine days—from September 17 to November 15, 2011.
2006 — Fourpeaked Mountain in Alaska erupts, marking the first eruption for the volcano in at least 10,000 years. ↗(20 years ago)more
Fourpeaked Mountain, also known as Fourpeaked Volcano, is an active stratovolcano located in the U.S. state of Alaska within Katmai National Park and Preserve. The volcano is nearly completely covered by Fourpeaked Glacier.
2006 — An audio tape of a private speech by Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány is leaked to the public, in which he confessed that his Hungarian Socialist Party had lied to win the 2006 election, sparking widespread protests across the country. ↗(20 years ago)more
The Őszöd speech was a speech Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány delivered to the 2006 Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) congress in Balatonőszöd. Though the May congress was confidential, Gyurcsány's address was leaked and broadcast by Magyar Rádió on Sunday, 17 September 2006, igniting a nationwide political crisis.
2001 — The New York Stock Exchange reopens for trading after the September 11 attacks, the longest closure since the Great Depression. ↗(25 years ago)more
The New York Stock Exchange is an American stock exchange headquartered at the New York Stock Exchange Building in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is the largest stock exchange in the world by market capitalization, exceeding $44 trillion in January 2026.
2001 — George W. Bush, president of the United States, delivers remarks at the Islamic Center of Washington praising Muslim Americans and condemning Islamophobia in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. ↗(25 years ago)more
George Walker Bush is an American politician, businessman, and former United States Air Force officer who was the 43rd president of the United States, serving from 2001 to 2009. The eldest son of George H. W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States, he was the governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000.
1992 — An Iranian Kurdish leader and his two joiners are assassinated by political militants in Berlin. ↗(34 years ago)more
In the Mykonos restaurant assassinations, Iranian-Kurdish opposition leaders Sadegh Sharafkandi, Fattah Abdoli, Homayoun Ardalan and their translator Nouri Dehkordi, were assassinated at the Mykonos Greek restaurant in Berlin, Germany on 17 September 1992.
1991 — Estonia, North Korea, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, the Marshall Islands and Micronesia join the United Nations. ↗(35 years ago)more
Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Russia.
1991 — The first version of the Linux kernel (0.01) is released to the Internet. ↗(35 years ago)more
Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, a kernel first released on 17 September 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, which includes the kernel and supporting system software and libraries – most of which are provided by third parties – to create a complete operating s...
Notable births
2002 — Elina Avanesyan, Russian-Armenian tennis player ↗(24 years ago)more
Elina Ararati Avanesyan is an Armenian tennis player. She has a career-high WTA singles ranking of No. 36, achieved on 17 March 2025 and a best doubles ranking of No. 163, achieved on 12 August 2024. She is currently the No. 1 singles player from Armenia.
1999 — Jaimee Fourlis, Australian tennis player ↗(27 years ago)more
Jaimee Fourlis is an Australian tennis player of Greek descent. She has a career-high singles ranking of world No. 147, achieved on 18 July 2022, and a highest doubles ranking of world No. 138, reached on 2 March 2020.
- 1999 — Daniel Huttlestone, English actor ↗(27 years ago)
more
Daniel Richard Huttlestone is a British actor and singer. He is best known for his role as Gavroche in Tom Hooper's Les Misérables (2012) and Jack in the musical film Into the Woods (2014), which both earned him a 2013 and 2015 Young Artist Award nomination as Best Young Supporting Actor in a Feature Film.
1998 — Kim Dong-hyun, South Korean singer ↗(28 years ago)more
Kim Dong-hyun, known mononymously as Donghyun, is a South Korean singer-songwriter and actor. He is known for his participation in the reality competition show Produce 101 Season 2. He later debuted as a part of the musical duo, MXM. He is a member of South Korean boy group AB6IX.
1997 — Auston Matthews, American ice hockey player ↗(29 years ago)more
Auston Taylour Matthews is an American professional ice hockey player who is a center and captain for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed "Papi" or "Tone," he is widely considered as one of the best players in the world with his all-around game and lethal shot.
1996 — Duje Ćaleta-Car, Croatian footballer ↗(30 years ago)more
Duje Ćaleta-Car is a Croatian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for La Liga club Real Sociedad, on loan from Ligue 1 club Lyon, and the Croatia national team.
Notable deaths
2025 — Roger Climpson, English-Australian journalist and television host (born 1932) ↗(1 years ago)more
Roger Climpson was a British-born Australian media personality who served a lengthy career in both radio and television, as a journalist and reporter, announcer, newsreader, weather presenter and host. He started his career as an actor in radio, but also appeared in theatre and television productions; post his mainstream media career, he went into Christi...
2024 — Nelson DeMille, American lieutenant and author (born 1943) ↗(2 years ago)more
Nelson Richard DeMille was an American author of action adventure and suspense novels. His novels include Plum Island, The Charm School, and The General's Daughter. DeMille also wrote under the pen names Jack Cannon, Kurt Ladner, Ellen Kay, and Brad Matthews.
2024 — Neil King Jr., American journalist and author (born 1959) ↗(2 years ago)more
Neil Caldwell King Jr. was an American journalist and author. He shared in the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting in 2002. His first book, American Ramble: A Walk of Memory and Renewal, was published by HarperCollins in 2023.
2024 — JD Souther, American singer, songwriter, and actor (born 1945) ↗(2 years ago)more
John David Souther was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was "a principal architect of the Southern California sound and a major influence on a generation of songwriters". Souther wrote and co-wrote songs recorded by Linda Ronstadt and some of the Eagles' biggest hits, including "Best of My Love", "Victim of Love", "Heartache Tonight" and "New...
2022 — Maarten Schmidt, Dutch astronomer (born 1929) ↗(4 years ago)more
Maarten Schmidt was a Dutch-born American astronomer who first measured the distances of quasars. He was the first astronomer to identify a quasar, and so was pictured on the March cover of Time magazine in 1966.
Numerical & calendrical curiosities
| Day-of-year (261) | 3^2 × 29 · composite (no) |
|---|---|
| Days remaining (105) | 3 × 5 × 7 |
| Date code DDMMYYYY | 17092026 · no palindrome in next 200 years |
| Sun declination | +1.01° (Cooper approximation) |
| Distance from solstice | 89 days |