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

July 17

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

July 17 Archives - History.com

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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

Space

In the 15th century, Europeans began to sail west across the Atlantic Ocean in search of new routes to China and the East, but in the process they discovered an entirely New World: North and South America, plus many other lands.

Exploration

Space Exploration

The 1960s was one of the most tumultuous and divisive decades in world history. The era was marked by the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War and antiwar protests, countercultural movements, political assassinations and the emerging "generation gap."

1960s

World War II Conferences

Disasters

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;However, the decade was not without violence and tragedy, including&nbsp;the Bosnian genocide,&nbsp;the&nbsp;Rodney King beating and subsequent L.A. Riots, and the&nbsp;jihadist bombing of the World Trade Center. The Columbine High School shooting marked a solemn chapter in gun violence, and the devastatingly deadly Oklahoma City bombing by a domestic terrorist followed lethal standoffs between federal agents and armed civilians at Ruby Ridge, Idaho and Waco, Texas.&nbsp;

1990s

Fur Trade

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

Entertainment

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

<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.

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

1950s

Aircraft

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

Cold War

February is dedicated as Black History Month, honoring the triumphs and struggles of African Americans throughout U.S. history, including the civil rights movement and their artistic, cultural and political achievements.

This Day In History: July 17

Disneyland opens

Also on This Day in History July | 17

Congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis dies

Eric Garner dies in NYPD chokehold

Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 shot down over the Ukraine‑Russia border

This Day in History Video: What Happened on July 17

TWA Flight 800 explodes over Long Island

Superpowers meet in space

Douglas “Wrong Way” Corrigan crosses the Atlantic

Three‑point seatbelt inventor Nils Bohlin born

Joe DiMaggio ends 56‑game hitting streak

President Harry Truman records his impressions of meeting Stalin

John Jacob Astor is born

Jimi Hendrix drops out as opening act for The Monkees

An ammunition ship explodes in the Port Chicago disaster

Potsdam Conference begins

Also on This Day in History July | 17

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