Discover what happened on January 17 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

January 17

Discover what happened on January 17 with HISTORY&#8217;s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

What Happened on January 17 | History.com

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Nuclear Weapons

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Eastern Front

America’s Founding Fathers decided that one elected civilian - the U.S. president - would lead the executive branch of the federal government, a governmental structure that has remained in place for more than 200 years.

U.S. Presidents

World War I pitted Germany, Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire against Great Britain, the United States, France, Russia, Italy and Japan. New military technology resulted in unprecedented carnage. By the time the war was over and the Allied Powers claimed victory, more than 16 million people—soldiers and civilians alike—were dead.

World War I

Los Angeles

The Vietnam War pitted communist North Vietnam and the Viet Cong against South Vietnam and the United States. The war ended when U.S. forces withdrew in 1973 and Vietnam unified under Communist control two years later.

Vietnam War

Poland

Crime has been a dark and powerful undercurrent in human society throughout history. Uncover the facts behind some of the most daring robberies, brazen scams and brutal murders ever committed.&nbsp;

Crime

The Civil War was America's bloodiest and most divisive conflict, pitting the Union Army against the Confederate States of America. The war resulted in the deaths of more than 620,000 people, with millions more injured and the South left in ruins.

Civil War

The 1990s is often remembered as a decade of relative peace and prosperity: The Soviet Union fell, ending the decades-long Cold War, and the rise of the Internet ushered in a radical new era of communication, business and entertainment.&nbsp;

1990s

Sports and recreation are an integral part of human history, from the ancient Olympics to the Kentucky Derby, Jackie Robinson, Negro League Baseball, the Super Bowl and more.

Sports

American Revolution

The Revolutionary War waged by the American colonies against Britain influenced political ideas and revolutions around the globe, as a small fledgling nation won its freedom from the greatest military force of its time.

Art history tells the complex story of human civilization through art and design. It ranges from prehistoric art of the Neolithic period through Renaissance masterpieces, Impressionism, Modernism, the Bauhaus and contemporary art.

Art, Literature, and Film History

<a href="http://history.com/">HISTORY.com</a> works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the <a href="http://history.com/">HISTORY.com</a> team. Articles with the “<a href="http://history.com/">HISTORY.com</a> Editors” byline have been written or edited by the <a href="http://history.com/">HISTORY.com</a> editors, including Amanda Onion, Missy Sullivan and Matt Mullen.

History.com Editors

<a href="https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/world-war-ii-history">World War II</a> was the biggest and deadliest war in history, involving more than 30 countries. Sparked by the 1939 Nazi invasion of Poland, the war dragged on for six bloody years until the Allies defeated Nazi Germany and Japan in 1945.

World War II

Inventions from the telephone to the Model T and the computer have defined human history, and inventors like Leonardo da Vinci, Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, Eli Whitney and Alexander Graham Bell have transformed our society.

Inventions & Science

The history of sports is the history of power, politics and progress. From ancient origins to groundbreaking firsts: Sometimes sports makes history, sometimes sports is history.

Sports History

The Cold War rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union lasted for decades and resulted in anti-communist suspicions and international incidents that led the two superpowers to the brink of nuclear disaster.

Cold War

Football

Though the 19th century saw the rise of populism, the labor movement and Jacksonian democracy, it also ushered in the Gilded Age, when men like Cornelius Vanderbilt and J. P. Morgan wielded control over politics and business.

19th Century

Natural disasters and the environment, such as climate change, the San Francisco Earthquake, Hurricane Katrina, the Galveston Hurricane, the Krakatoa eruption and others, have profoundly shaped human history.

This Day In History: January 17

This Day in History

NFL’s Rams announce move to St. Louis

Ireland grants a divorce for the first time in the country’s history

The execution of Gary Gilmore

H‑bomb lost in Spain

Americans overthrow Hawaiian monarchy

Boston thieves pull off historic Brink’s robbery

Soviets capture Warsaw

President Nixon threatens President Thieu

PGA is formed

Paula Jones accuses Bill Clinton of sexual harassment

President Eisenhower warns of military‑industrial complex

NBC greenlights “The Monkees”

English author Anne Brontë is born

Earthquake rocks Los Angeles

Heavy rain traps Union Army

Corvette unveiled at GM Motorama

Battle of Cowpens, South Carolina

Winston Churchill hears speech on the tragedy of war

This Day in History

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