On this day›05-17

Discover · History

On this day — May 17

A hand-curated thread of what happened on this date, across centuries.

2014

Milestone

A military plane crash in northern Laos kills 17 people.

2010

Milestone

Pamir Airways Flight 112 crashes in Afghanistan's Shakardara District

killing 44.

2007

Milestone

Trains from North and South Korea cross the 38th Parallel in a test-run agreed by both governments

This is the first time that trains have crossed the Demilitarized Zone since 1953.

2006

Milestone

The aircraft carrier USS Oriskany is sunk in the Gulf of Mexico as an artificial reef.

2004

Milestone

The first legal same-sex marriages in the U.S

are performed in the state of Massachusetts.

2000

Sport

Arsenal and Galatasaray fans clash in the 2000 UEFA Cup Final riots in Copenhagen

1997

Milestone

Troops of Laurent-Désiré Kabila march into Kinshasa

Zaire is officially renamed Democratic Republic of the Congo.

1995

Milestone

Shawn Nelson steals an M60 tank from the California Army National Guard Armory in San Diego and proceeds to go on a rampage.

1994

Politics

Malawi holds its first multi-party elections.

1992

Milestone

Three days of popular protests against the government of Prime Minister of Thailand Suchinda Kraprayoon begin in Bangkok, leading to a military crackdown that results in 52 officially confirmed deaths, hundreds of injuries, many disappearances, and more than 3,500 arrests.

1990

Milestone

The General Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO) eliminates homosexuality from the list of psychiatric diseases.

1987

Politics

Iran–Iraq War: An Iraqi Dassault Mirage F1 fighter jet fires two missiles into the U.S

Navy warship USS Stark, killing 37 and injuring 21 of her crew.

1984

Milestone

Prince Charles calls a proposed addition to the National Gallery

London, a "monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved and elegant friend", sparking controversies on the proper role of the Royal Family and the course of modern architecture.

1983

Milestone

The U.S. Department of Energy declassifies documents showing world's largest mercury pollution event in Oak Ridge, Tennessee (ultimately found to be 4.2 million pounds [1.9 kt]), in response to the Appalachian Observer's Freedom of Information Act request.

1983

Milestone

Lebanon, Israel

and the United States sign an agreement on Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.