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

September 17

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

September 17 Archives - History.com

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2011

1394

1996

1787

1976

1978

1862

1796

1868

1967

1983

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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

The 21st century saw the dawn of the war on terrorism, as the 9/11 attacks and the Boston Marathon bombing dramatically changed society. Economic issues moved to the forefront during the Great Recession. The COVID-19 pandemic upended lives and economies around the world. Awareness of social inequality grew as the killings of Black Americans, including Trayvon Martin and George Floyd, spurred widespread protests.

21st Century

NASA

The 1970s was an era when the women's rights, gay rights and environmental movements gained momentum. The Vietnam War came to a close, the Watergate scandal led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon, the United States ended direct involvement in the Vietnam War and President Jimmy Carter grappled with an energy crisis, inflation and the Iran Hostage Crisis.&nbsp;

1970s

Religion and spiritual issues, including Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, the Bible, Wicca, Buddhism and more, are at the core of human values and history.

Religion

Space Exploration

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

Videos

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History.com Editors

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

Scandals

Middle East

<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 the Axis powers of Nazi Germany, Japan and Italy in 1945. Explore the battles, leaders and atrocities from the war and its impact on geopolitics and humankind.

World War II

Space exploration, one of the greatest technological achievements in human history, includes the Apollo missions, the Space Shuttles Columbia and Challenger, and people like Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong.

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

Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. From Harriet Tubman’s Underground Railroad to the Montgomery Bus Boycott to Selma to Montgomery March to the Black Lives Matter movement, Black leaders, artists and writers have helped shaped the character and identity of a nation.

Black History

1939

The U.S. Constitution, signed on September 17, 1787, created America’s federal government, established fundamental laws and legal structures while guaranteeing certain basic rights for American citizens.

This Day In History: September 17

This Day in History

Occupy Wall Street begins

King Charles VI of France orders all Jews expelled from the kingdom

This Day in History Video: What Happened on September 17

Oprah launches influential book club

U.S. Constitution signed

NASA unveils its first space shuttle, the Enterprise

Camp David Accords signed

Battle of Antietam breaks out

George Washington prepares final draft of farewell address

Cheyenne and Sioux decimate frontiersmen at Beecher’s Island

The Who literally spark an explosion on national television

Vanessa Williams becomes first Black Miss America

This Day in History

Wake Up to This Day in History