April 17 in History

The funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, takes place at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.

NASA's Kepler space telescope confirms the discovery of the first Earth-size planet in the habitable zone of another star.

An explosion at a fertilizer plant in the city of West, Texas, kills 15 people and injures 160 others.

The ceremonial funeral of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher takes place at St Paul's Cathedral.

A Palestinian suicide bomber detonates an explosive device in a Tel Aviv restaurant, killing 11 people and injuring 70.

Anneli Jäätteenmäki takes office as the first female prime minister of Finland.

Space Shuttle Columbia is launched on STS-90, the final Spacelab mission.

The Katina P is deliberately run aground off Maputo, Mozambique, and 60,000 tons of crude oil spill into the ocean.

An alleged state of war lasting 335 years between the Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly is declared over.

Constitution Act, 1982 Patriation of the Canadian constitution in Ottawa by Proclamation of Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada.

Mir Akbar Khyber is assassinated, provoking the Saur Revolution in Afghanistan.

The Cambodian Civil War ends and the Cambodian Genocide begins. The Khmer Rouge captures the capital Phnom Penh and Cambodian government forces surrender.

The Provisional Government of Bangladesh is formed.

Apollo program: The damaged Apollo 13 spacecraft returns to Earth safely.

Sirhan Sirhan is convicted of assassinating Robert F. Kennedy.

Communist Party of Czechoslovakia chairman Alexander Dubček is deposed.

Jerrie Mock completes the first around-the-world airplane flight by a woman. Her solo flight in the Spirit of Columbus, which took 29+1⁄2 days, took off and landed at the Port Columbus International Airport in Ohio.

Bay of Pigs Invasion: A group of Cuban exiles financed and trained by the CIA lands at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba with the aim of ousting Fidel Castro.

The Peak District becomes the United Kingdom's first National Park.

The last French troops are withdrawn from Syria.

World War II: Montese, Italy, is liberated from Nazi forces.

Historian Tran Trong Kim is appointed the Prime Minister of the Empire of Vietnam.

Forces of the Communist-controlled Greek People's Liberation Army attack the smaller National and Social Liberation resistance group, which surrenders. Its leader Dimitrios Psarros is murdered.

World War II: French prisoner of war General Henri Giraud escapes from his castle prison in Königstein Fortress.

World War II: The Axis powers invasion of Yugoslavia is completed when it signs an armistice with Germany and Italy.

After negotiations between Catalan and Spanish provisional governments, the Catalan Republic proclaimed in April 14 becomes the Generalitat de Catalunya, the autonomous government of Catalonia within the Spanish Republic.

The Communist Party of Korea (CPK) was founded in Japanese-ruled Korea (Chōsen) in Keijō (now Seoul) by Kim Yong-bom and Pak Hon-yong.

Russian troops open fire on striking goldfield workers in northeast Siberia, killing at least 150.

The Ellis Island immigration center processes 11,747 people, more than on any other day.

The Supreme Court of the United States decides Lochner v. New York, which holds that the "right to free contract" is implicit in the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

The Treaty of Shimonoseki between China and Japan is signed. This marks the end of the First Sino-Japanese War, and the defeated Qing Empire is forced to renounce its claims on Korea and to concede the southern portion of the Fengtian province, Taiwan and the Penghu to Japan.

Catalpa rescue: The rescue of six Fenian prisoners from Fremantle Prison in Western Australia.

Morelos is admitted as the 27th state of Mexico.

American Civil War: The Battle of Plymouth begins: Confederate forces attack Plymouth, North Carolina.

American Civil War: Grierson's Raid begins: Troops under Union Army Colonel Benjamin Grierson attack central Mississippi.

The state of Virginia's secession convention votes to secede from the United States; Virginia later becomes the eighth state to join the Confederate States of America.

Sir Ralph Abercromby attacks San Juan, Puerto Rico, in what would be one of the largest invasions of the Spanish territories in the Americas.

Citizens of Verona begin an unsuccessful eight-day rebellion against the French occupying forces.

American Revolutionary War: Colbert's Raid: A Spanish garrison under Captain Jacobo du Breuil defeat British irregulars at Arkansas Post.

Giovanni da Verrazzano reaches New York harbor.

Trial of Martin Luther over his teachings begins during the assembly of the Diet of Worms. Initially intimidated, he asks for time to reflect before answering and is given a stay of one day.

Spain and Christopher Columbus sign the Capitulations of Santa Fe for his voyage to Asia to acquire spices.

Kaunas Castle falls to the Teutonic Order after a month-long siege.

The rule of the Bavand dynasty in Mazandaran is brought to an end by the murder of Hasan II.

Harald III of Denmark dies and is succeeded by Canute IV, who would later be the first Dane to be canonized.

Antonio Nusa, Norwegian footballer

Shin Ryujin, South Korean rapper, singer and dancer

Violette Dorange, French Professional Round the World Sailor

Anna Odine Strøm, Norwegian ski jumper and two-time Olympic champion

Suppapong Udomkaewkanjana (Saint), Thai actor and singer

Lorna Fitzgerald, British actress

Caitlin Parker, Australian boxer

Helene Spilling, Norwegian dancer

Jung Wheein, South Korean singer

Alanna Goldie, Canadian fencer

Yang Hongseok, South Korean singer and actor

Lachlan Maranta, Australian rugby league footballer

Jo Jinho, South Korean singer

Jonathan Brown, Welsh footballer

Paraskevi Papachristou, Greek triple jumper

Avi Kaplan, singer and songwriter

Takahiro Moriuchi, Japanese singer-songwriter

Romain Grosjean, French race car driver

Rooney Mara, American actress

Luke Mitchell, Australian actor and model

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, French tennis player

Pablo Sebastián Álvarez, Argentinian footballer

Jed Lowrie, American baseball player

Raffaele Palladino, Italian footballer

Stanislav Chistov, Russian ice hockey player

Roberto Jiménez, Peruvian footballer

Andrea Marcato, Italian rugby player

Brad Boyes, Canadian ice hockey player

Chuck Kobasew, Canadian ice hockey player

Tyron Woodley, American mixed martial artist

Jenny Meadows, English runner

Hanna Pakarinen, Finnish singer-songwriter

Ryan Raburn, American baseball player

Chris Thompson, English runner

Zhang Yaokun, Chinese footballer

Fabián Vargas, Colombian footballer

Curtis Woodhouse, English footballer, boxer, and manager

Eric Brewer, Canadian ice hockey player

Marija Šestak, Serbian-Slovenian triple jumper

Monika Bergmann-Schmuderer, German skier

Lindsay Hartley, American actress

Daniel Hensel, German composer and musicologist

Jason White, Scottish rugby player

Chad Hedrick, American speed skater

Frederik Magle, Danish composer, organist, and pianist

Maurice Wignall, Jamaican hurdler and long jumper

Heidi Alexander, English politician

Travis Roy, American ice hockey player (died 2020)

Mikael Åkerfeldt, Swedish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer

Victoria Beckham, English singer and fashion designer

Katrin Koov, Estonian architect

Brett Maher, Australian basketball player and sportscaster

Theo Ratliff, American basketball player

Gary Bennett, American baseball player

Tony Boselli, American football player and sportscaster

Jennifer Garner, American actress

Muttiah Muralitharan, Sri Lankan cricketer

Yuichi Nishimura, Japanese footballer and referee

Terran Sandwith, Canadian ice hockey player

Claire Sweeney, English actress

Redman, American rapper, producer, and actor

Julie Fagerholt, Danish fashion designer

Phil Henderson, American basketball player and coach (died 2013)

Eric Lamaze, Canadian jockey

Roger Twose, New Zealand cricketer

Richie Woodhall, English boxer and trainer

Henry Ian Cusick, Peruvian-Scottish actor

Kimberly Elise, American actress

Marquis Grissom, American baseball player and coach

Ian Jones, New Zealand rugby player

Barnaby Joyce, Australian politician, 17th Deputy Prime Minister of Australia

Liz Phair, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

Vikram, Indian actor and singer

Ken Daneyko, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster

Maynard James Keenan, American singer-songwriter and producer

Rachel Notley, Canadian politician

Lela Rochon, American actress

Paul Nicholls, English jockey and trainer

Norman Cowans, Jamaican-English cricketer

Boomer Esiason, American football player and sportscaster

Bella Freud, English fashion designer

Vladimir Polyakov, Russian pole vaulter

Sean Bean, English actor

Jimmy Mann, Canadian ice hockey player

Li Meisu, Chinese shot putter

Laslo Babits, Canadian javelin thrower (died 2013)

Teri Austin, Canadian actress

Afrika Bambaataa, American disc jockey (died 2026)

Dwane Casey, American basketball coach

Nick Hornby, English novelist, essayist, lyricist, and screenwriter

Julia Macur, English lawyer and judge

Frank McDonough, British historian

Colin Tyre, Lord Tyre, Scottish lawyer and judge

Todd Lickliter, American basketball player and coach

Pete Shelley, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2018)

Mike Stroud, English physician and explorer

Riccardo Patrese, Italian race car driver

Roddy Piper, Canadian professional wrestler and actor (died 2015)

Michael Sembello, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

Joe Alaskey, American voice actor (died 2016)

Pierre Guité, Canadian ice hockey player

John McColl, English general and politician, Lieutenant Governor of Jersey

Željko Ražnatović, Serbian commander "Arkan" (died 2000)

John Robertson, Scottish businessman and politician

Olivia Hussey, Argentinian-English actress (died 2024)

Börje Salming, Swedish ice hockey player and businessman (died 2022)

Jan Hammer, Czech pianist, composer, and producer

Alice Harden, American educator and politician (died 2012)

Pekka Vasala, Finnish runner

Nigel Emslie, Lord Emslie, Scottish lawyer and judge

Richard Field, English lawyer and judge

Sherrie Levine, American photographer

Tsutomu Wakamatsu, Japanese baseball player, coach, and manager

Clare Francis, English sailor and author

Richard Allen Epstein, American lawyer, author, and academic

Buster Williams, American jazz bassist

Dnyaneshwar Agashe, Indian businessman and cricketer (died 2009)

Lagle Parek, Estonian architect and politician, Estonian Minister of the Interior

Eric Dancer, English businessman and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Devon

Billy Fury, English singer-songwriter (died 1983)

John McCririck, English journalist (died 2019)

Chuck Menville, American animator and screenwriter (died 1992)

Anja Silja, German soprano and actress

Agostino Vallini, Italian cardinal and vicar general of Rome

Robert Miller, American art dealer (died 2011)

Ben Barnes, American businessman and politician, 36th Lieutenant Governor of Texas

Doug Lewis, Canadian lawyer and politician, 41st Canadian Minister of Justice

Ronald H. Miller, American theologian, author, and academic (died 2011)

Kerry Wendell Thornley, American theorist and author (died 1988)

Ronald Hamowy, Canadian historian and academic (died 2012)

Ferdinand Piëch, Austrian-German engineer and businessman (died 2019)

Urs Wild, Swiss chemist (died 2022)

Bud Paxson, American broadcaster, founded Home Shopping Network and Pax TV (died 2015)

Don Kirshner, American songwriter and producer (died 2011)

David J. Farber, American computer scientist (died 2026)

Peter Morris, Australian-English surgeon and academic (died 2022)

John Barrett, English tennis player and sportscaster

Malcolm Browne, American journalist and photographer (died 2012)

Bill Ramsey, American jazz and pop singer, journalist and actor (died 2021)

Chris Barber, English trombonist and bandleader (died 2021)

James Last, German-American bassist, composer, and bandleader (died 2015)

Victor Lownes, American businessman (died 2017)

Cynthia Ozick, American short story writer, novelist, and essayist

Heinz Putzl, Austrian fencer

Fabien Roy, Canadian accountant and politician (died 2023)

Margot Honecker, East German politician and First Lady (died 2016)

Joan Lorring, British actress (died 2014)

Gerry McNeil, Canadian ice hockey player and manager (died 2004)

René Moawad, Lebanese lawyer and politician, 13th President of Lebanon (died 1989)

Kenneth Norman Jones, Australian public servant (died 2022)

Donald Richie, American-Japanese author and critic (died 2013)

Lindsay Anderson, English actor, director, and screenwriter (died 1994)

Solly Hemus, American baseball player, coach, and manager (died 2017)

Neville McNamara, Australian air marshal (died 2014)

Gianni Raimondi, Italian lyric tenor (died 2008)

Harry Reasoner, American soldier and journalist (died 1991)

Melvin Storer, American shipfitter and navy diver (died 2003)

Edmonde Charles-Roux, French journalist and author (died 2016)

Gilles Lamontagne, Canadian lieutenant and politician, 24th Lieutenant Governor of Quebec (died 2016)

Chavela Vargas, Costa Rican-Mexican singer-songwriter and actress (died 2012)

William Holden, American actor (died 1981)

Win Maung, 3rd President of Union of Myanmar (died 1989)

A. Thiagarajah, Sri Lankan educator and politician (died 1981)

Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, world's first female prime minister (died 2000)

Martin Clemens, Scottish soldier (died 2009)

Joe Foss, American general and politician, 20th Governor of South Dakota (died 2003)

Regina Ghazaryan, Armenian painter (died 1999)

George Davis, American art director (died 1984)

Mac Raboy, American illustrator (died 1967)

Marta Eggerth, Hungarian-American actress and singer (died 2013)

Hervé Bazin, French author and poet (died 1996)

Lester Rodney, American soldier and journalist (died 2009)

Evangelos Averoff, Greek historian and politician, Greek Minister of Defence (died 1990)

Ivan Goff, Australian screenwriter and producer (died 1999)

Helenio Herrera, French footballer and manager (died 1997)

Alain Poher, French politician, President of France (died 1996)

Sidney Garfield, American physician, co-founded Kaiser Permanente (died 1984)

Louis Jean Heydt, American journalist and actor (died 1960)

Arthur Lake, American actor (died 1987)

Nicolas Nabokov, Russian-American composer and educator (died 1978)

Gregor Piatigorsky, Ukrainian-American cellist and educator (died 1976)

Morgan Taylor, American hurdler and coach (died 1975)

Aleksander Klumberg, Estonian decathlete and coach (died 1958)

Nisargadatta Maharaj, Indian philosopher and educator (died 1981)

Thornton Wilder, American novelist and playwright (died 1975)

Edouard Wyss-Dunant, Swiss physician and mountaineer (died 1983)

Señor Wences, Spanish-American ventriloquist (died 1999)

Robert Dean Frisbie, American soldier and author (died 1948)

George Adamski, Polish-American ufologist and author (died 1965)

Herms Niel, German soldier, trombonist, and composer (died 1954)

Karen Blixen, Danish writer (died 1962)

Artur Schnabel, Polish pianist and composer (died 1951)

Henri Tauzin, French hurdler (died 1918)

Emil Fuchs, German-American lawyer and businessman (died 1961)

Demetrios Petrokokkinos, Greek tennis player (died 1942)

Matsudaira Tsuneo, Japanese diplomat (died 1949)

Aleksander Tõnisson, Estonian general and politician, 5th Estonian Minister of War (died 1941)

Zdeňka Wiedermannová-Motyčková, Moravian educator (died 1915)

Ernest Starling, English physiologist and academic (died 1927)

Ursula Ledóchowska, Polish-Austrian nun and saint, founded the Congregation of the Ursulines of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus (died 1939)

Augustus Edward Hough Love, English mathematician and theorist (died 1940)

Cap Anson, American baseball player and manager (died 1922)

William R. Day, American jurist and politician, 36th United States Secretary of State (died 1923)

Maurice Rouvier, French businessman and politician, 53rd Prime Minister of France (died 1911)

J. P. Morgan, American banker and financier, founded J.P. Morgan & Co. (died 1913)

Jean-Baptiste Accolay, Belgian violinist, composer, and conductor (died 1900)

Alexander Cartwright, American firefighter and (disputed) inventor of baseball (died 1892)

Thomas Hazlehurst, English architect and philanthropist (died 1876)

Josif Pančić, Serbian botanist and academic (died 1888)

Eliza Acton, English food writer and poet (died 1859)

Étienne Bobillier, French mathematician and academic (died 1840)

Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius, German botanist and explorer (died 1868)

Collin McKinney, American surveyor, merchant, and politician (died 1861)

Dheeran Chinnamalai, Indian commander (died 1805)

François de Neufchâteau, French academic and politician, French Minister of the Interior (died 1828)

Samuel Chase, American lawyer and jurist (died 1811)

Taksin, King of Thailand (died 1782)

Henry Erskine, 10th Earl of Buchan, Scottish politician (died 1767)

Johann David Heinichen, German composer and theorist (died 1729)

Edward Stillingfleet, British theologian and scholar (died 1699)

Marguerite Bourgeoys, French-Canadian nun and saint, founded the Congregation of Notre Dame of Montreal (died 1700)

Giovanni Battista Riccioli, Italian priest and astronomer (died 1671)

John Ford, English poet and playwright (died 1639)

Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria (died 1651)

Pedro de Valdivia, Spanish conquistador, conquered northern Chile (died 1553)

Andrea Gritti, Doge of Venice (died 1538)

Michael IX Palaiologos, Byzantine emperor (died 1320)

Radu Lupu, Romanian pianist (born 1945)

Alan García, Peruvian lawyer and politician, twice President of Peru (born 1949)

Gwen Marston, American quilter and writer (born 1936)

Barbara Bush, American political matriarch and literacy advocate, First Lady of the United States (1989–1993), and Second Lady of the United States (1981–1989) (born 1925)

Carl Kasell, American radio personality (born 1934)

Chyna, American wrestler (born 1969)

Doris Roberts, American actress (born 1925)

Robert P. Griffin, American soldier, lawyer, and politician (born 1923)

Scotty Probasco, American businessman and philanthropist (born 1928)

Jeremiah J. Rodell, American general (born 1921)

A. Alfred Taubman, American businessman and philanthropist (born 1924)

Gabriel García Márquez, Colombian journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1927)

Bernat Klein, Serbian-Scottish fashion designer and painter (born 1922)

Wojciech Leśnikowski, Polish–American architect and academic (born 1938)

Karpal Singh, Malaysian lawyer and politician (born 1940)

Carlos Graça, São Toméan politician, Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe (born 1931)

Bi Kidude, Tanzanian Taarab singer (born ≈1910)

Yngve Moe, Norwegian bass player and songwriter (born 1957)

V. S. Ramadevi, Indian politician, 13th Governor of Karnataka (born 1934)

Leila Berg, English journalist and author (born 1917)

J. Quinn Brisben, American educator and politician (born 1934)

Dimitris Mitropanos, Greek singer (born 1948)

Nityananda Mohapatra, Indian journalist, poet, and politician (born 1912)

Jonathan V. Plaut, American rabbi and author (born 1942)

Stanley Rogers Resor, American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 9th United States Secretary of the Army (born 1917)

Eric Gross, Austrian-Australian pianist and composer (born 1926)

Michael Sarrazin, Canadian actor (born 1940)

Robert Vickrey, American artist and author (born 1926)

Aimé Césaire, Caribbean-French poet and politician (born 1913)

Danny Federici, American organist and accordion player (born 1950)

Kitty Carlisle, American actress, singer, socialite and game show panelist (born 1910)

Jean Bernard, French physician and haematologist (born 1907)

Scott Brazil, American director and producer (born 1955)

Henderson Forsythe, American actor (born 1917)

Edmond Pidoux, Swiss author and poet (born 1908)

Robert Atkins, American physician and cardiologist, created the Atkins diet (born 1930)

H. B. Bailey, American race car driver (born 1936)

John Paul Getty Jr., American-English philanthropist (born 1932)

Earl King, American blues singer, guitarist and songwriter (born 1934)

Yiannis Latsis, Greek businessman (born 1910)

Linda McCartney, American photographer, activist, and musician (born 1941)

Chaim Herzog, Israeli general, lawyer, and politician, 6th President of Israel (born 1918)

Piet Hein, Danish poet and mathematician (born 1905)

Frank E. Resnik, American sergeant and businessman (born 1928)

Roger Wolcott Sperry, American psychologist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1913)

Turgut Özal, Turkish engineer and politician, 8th president of Turkey (born 1927)

Gamal Hamdan, Egyptian scholar and geographer (born 1928)

Ralph Abernathy, American minister and activist (born 1936)

Louise Nevelson, Ukrainian-American sculptor and educator (born 1900)

Cecil Harmsworth King, English publisher (born 1901)

Dick Shawn, American actor (born 1923)

Marcel Dassault, French businessman, founded Dassault Aviation (born 1892)

Claude Provost, Canadian-American ice hockey player (born 1933)

Felix Pappalardi, American singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer (born 1939)

William Conway, Irish cardinal (born 1913)

Henrik Dam, Danish biochemist and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1895)

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Indian philosopher and politician, 2nd President of India (born 1888)

Red Allen, American singer and trumpet player (born 1908)

Elda Anderson, American physicist and health researcher (born 1899)

Eddie Cochran, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1938)

Lucrețiu Pătrășcanu, Romanian lawyer and politician, Romanian Minister of Justice (born 1900)

Kantarō Suzuki, Japanese admiral and politician, 42nd Prime Minister of Japan (born 1868)

Juan Bautista Sacasa, Nicaraguan medical doctor, politician and 20th President of Nicaragua (born 1874)

J. T. Hearne, English cricketer and coach (born 1867)

Dimitrios Psarros, Greek lieutenant, founded the National and Social Liberation (born 1893)

Jean Baptiste Perrin, French-American physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1870)

Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck, Dutch lawyer and politician, 28th Prime Minister of the Netherlands (born 1873)

Kote Marjanishvili, Georgian director and playwright (born 1872)

Alexander Golovin, Russian painter and stage designer (born 1863)

Laurence Ginnell, Irish lawyer and politician (born 1852)

Manwel Dimech, Maltese journalist, author, and philosopher (born 1860)

Svetozar Ćorović, Serbian novelist (born 1875)

Alexander Mackenzie, Scottish-Canadian politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Canada (born 1822)

E. G. Squier, American archaeologist and journalist (born 1821)

George Jennings, English engineer and plumber, invented the flush toilet (born 1810)

Samuel Morey, American engineer (born 1762)

Hannah Webster Foster, American journalist and author (born 1758)

Richard Jupp, English surveyor and architect (born 1728)

Benjamin Franklin, American inventor, publisher, and politician, 6th President of Pennsylvania (born 1706)

Johann Mattheson, German lexicographer and composer (born 1681)

David Hollatz, Polish pastor and theologian (born 1648)

Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor (born 1678)

Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de Sévigné, French author (born 1626)

Juana Inés de la Cruz, Mexican poet and scholar (born 1651)

Kateri Tekakwitha, Mohawk-born Native American saint (born 1656)

Antonio Bertali, Italian violinist and composer (born 1605)

Joachim Camerarius, German scholar and translator (born 1500)

George, Duke of Saxony (born 1471)

John IV, Duke of Brabant (born 1403)

Marin Falier, Doge of Venice (born 1285)

Constantine II, King of Armenia

Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford, English nobleman (born 1257)

Infanta Branca of Portugal, daughter of King Afonso III of Portugal (born 1259)

Árni Þorláksson, Icelandic bishop (born 1237)

Robert of Molesme, Christian saint and abbot (born 1027)

Harald III of Denmark (born 1041)

Manuel Komnenos, Byzantine military commander (born c. 1045)

Benedict III, pope of the Catholic Church

Bernard of Italy, Frankish king (born 797)

Al-Walid II, Umayyad caliph (born 706)

Xiao, empress of the Sui dynasty

Donnán of Eigg, Irish priest and saint

Proclus, Greek mathematician and philosopher (born 412)