1500s / 16th century history on the 17th of June
1596 : Willem Barentsz the Dutch explorer discovered the Arctic archipelago of Spitsbergen, now known as SVALBARD, part of the Norwegian archipelago. It is located between Norway and the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean, and is one of the world’s most northern inhabited areas, with a population of 2939 people (in 2020). The largest town is Longyearbyen. VisitSVALBARD.com
1800s / 19th century history on the 17th of June
1885 : The STATUE of LiBERTY arrived in New York from France, on the French steamer Isère, disassembled in 350 pieces packed in over 200 crates. The New York docks were lined by 200,000 people and 100s of boats to welcome the ship with the long awaited statue on board. The dismantled State of Liberty was a gift of friendship from the people of France to the people of America. The copper and iron statue was reassembled and dedicated the following year in a ceremony presided over by U.S. President Grover Cleveland, and became known around the world as an enduring symbol of freedom and democracy.
1898 : M. C. ESCHER the Dutch graphic artist was born Maurits Cornelis Escher in Leeuwarden, Netherlands (died in 1972 aged 73). for long somewhat neglected in the art world, even in his native Netherlands. He was 70 before a retrospective exhibition was held. In the late twentieth century, he became more widely appreciated, and in the twenty-first century he has been celebrated in exhibitions across the world.
1900s / 20th century history on the 17th of June
1927 : WALLY WOOD the American comic book writer and artist was born Wallace Allan Wood in Menahga, Minnesota, United States (died in 1981 aged 54). He was best known as one of Mad’s founding cartoonists in 1952, and also for his work on Marvel’s Daredevil.
1929 : Earthquake hit Murchison in New Zealand, killing 17 people. It was New Zealand’s worst natural disaster at the time.
1943 : Barry Manilow the American singer-songwriter was born Barry Alan Pincus in Brooklyn, New York, USA. Official website : BarryManilow.com
1944 : Iceland became a republic, when they declared independence from Denmark. Official websites : government.is | visiticeland.com
1947 : Paul Young the English singer-songwriter was born in Benchill, Manchester, England (died in 2000 aged 53). He was best known from the bands Sad Café and Mike & the Mechanics.
1948 : United Airlines Flight 624 Douglas DC-6 crashed in Pennsylvania, near Mount Carmel, killing all of the 43 people on board.
1960 : The Nez Perce tribe was awarded $4 million for their land of 7 million acres (28,000 km2), which was undervalued in the 1863 treaty, at 4 cents per acre.
1967 : China announced successful nuclear weapons tests of their first thermonuclear weapon.
1980 : Venus Williams the American tennis player was born in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA.
1985 : Space Shuttle Discovery launched with Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on board, as a payload specialist, which made him the 1st Arab and Muslim in space.
1987 : The last Dusky Seaside Sparrow died, causing the species to become extinct.
1988 : Stephanie Rice the Australian swimmer was born in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
1994 : O. J. Simpson was arrested for the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman, after a low-speed highway chase, which was televised live on television.
2000s / 21st century history on the 17th of June
2012 : Rodney King the African-American author and activist died from drowning in his swimming pool (born in 1965). He died exactly 28 years after his father, Ronald King died in his bathtub in 1984, on the same date, the 17th June.
2015 : Ron Clarke (AO, MBE) the Australian runner and Mayor of the Gold Coast died of kidney failure, aged 78 (born in 1937).
2017 : Wildfires started in Portugal and burnt for 7 days until the 24th June, resulting in the deaths of 66 people, leaving 204 injured.
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This page was last updated on the 17th June 2021
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