Date·Lore

On This Day · The 107th day of the year

April 17

April 17 carries 10 recorded events spanning between 1492 and 2014. Spain and Christopher Columbus sign the Capitulations of Santa Fe for his voyage to Asia to acquire spices.

♈ZodiacAries ◈BirthstoneDiamond ❀Birth flowerDaisy

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed July 13, 2026

What happened on April 17?

April 17 is the 107th day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 1492 and 2014. Famous people born on April 17 include Joan Lorring, Alain Poher and Victoria Beckham.

The shape of the day

This year marks the 75th anniversary of Peak District — April 17 carries the weight of round numbers. Its center of gravity is the 20th century, and conflict is a recurring thread.

Aries is the sign for April 17 — read more on the Aries page, or see April's birthstone & birth flower.

Released on April 17

Movies, games, albums & shows

2026

  • Game Pragmata
  • TV Matka King
  • TV Absolute Value of Romance

2025

  • Game Bionic Bay
  • Game Gorn 2
  • Game Tempopo
  • Game Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree
  • Game Chasmal Fear

2024

  • Game Kingsgrave

2023

  • Game ArcRunner

Release data from TMDB & IGDB.

Events

10 notable moments
  1. 1492

    Christopher Columbus

    Spain and Christopher Columbus sign the Capitulations of Santa Fe for his voyage to Asia to acquire spices.

  2. 1797

    Verona

    Citizens of Verona begin an unsuccessful eight-day rebellion against the French occupying forces.

  3. 1861

    Virginia

    The state of Virginia's secession convention votes to secede from the United States; Virginia later becomes the eighth state to join the Confederate States of America.

  4. 1863

    American Civil War

    American Civil War: Grierson's Raid begins: Troops under Union Army Colonel Benjamin Grierson attack central Mississippi.

  5. 1941

    World War II

    World War II: The Axis powers invasion of Yugoslavia is completed when it signs an armistice with Germany and Italy.

  6. 1951

    Peak District

    The Peak District becomes the United Kingdom's first National Park.

  7. 1969

    Sirhan Sirhan

    Sirhan Sirhan is convicted of assassinating Robert F. Kennedy.

  8. 1969

    Communist Party of Czechoslovakia

    Communist Party of Czechoslovakia chairman Alexander Dubček is deposed.

  9. 2013

    West Fertilizer Company explosion

    An explosion at a fertilizer plant in the city of West, Texas, kills 15 people and injures 160 others.

  10. 2014

    NASA

    NASA's Kepler space telescope confirms the discovery of the first Earth-size planet in the habitable zone of another star.

Famous birthday twins

Born on April 17

Joan Lorring

b. 1926

British actress

Alain Poher

b. 1909

French politician, President of France

Victoria Beckham

b. 1974

English singer and fashion designer

Alexander Cartwright

b. 1820

American firefighter and (disputed) inventor of baseball

Michael IX Palaiologos

b. 1277

Byzantine emperor

J. P. Morgan

b. 1837

American banker and financier, founded J.P. Morgan & Co.

Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria

b. 1573

Duke/Elector of Bavaria from 1597 to 1651

James Last

b. 1929

German-American bassist, composer, and bandleader

Deaths

  • 2014Gabriel García Márquez
  • 1988Louise Nevelson
  • 1960Eddie Cochran
  • 1790Benjamin Franklin
  • 1680Kateri Tekakwitha
  • 1574Joachim Camerarius

Holidays & observances

  • —Christian feast day: Donnán of Eigg
  • —Christian feast day: Henry Heath
  • —Christian feast day: Kateri Tekakwitha (Canada)
  • —Christian feast day: Robert of Molesme
  • —Christian feast day: Shemon bar Sabbae
  • —Christian feast day: April 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • —Evacuation Day (Syria), celebrates the recognition of the independence of Syria from France in 1946.
  • —FAO Day (Iraq)

Historical facts, event summaries, and biographical lines above are adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) license. DateLore adds curation, structure, and original editorial commentary. DateLore is not affiliated with the Wikimedia Foundation.

About the author

Roman Tailor compiles and reviews every date on DateLore. He's the writer and editor behind the site's editorial essays and the day-by-day almanac. Corrections and questions are welcome — read more about DateLore or get in touch.

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