Date·Lore

On This Day · The 229th day of the year

August 17

August 17 carries 10 recorded events spanning between 986 and 2008. Byzantine–Bulgarian wars: Battle of the Gates of Trajan: The Bulgarians under the Comitopuli Samuel and Aron defeat the Byzantine forces at the Gate of Trajan, with Byzantine Emperor Basil II barely escaping.

♌ZodiacLeo ◈BirthstonePeridot ❀Birth flowerGladiolus

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed July 13, 2026

What happened on August 17?

August 17 is the 229th day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 986 and 2008. Famous people born on August 17 include William Gallas, Margaret Hamilton (software engineer) and Willem Duys.

The shape of the day

From 986 to 2008, August 17 gathers 1,022 years of history. Most of the weight falls in the 20th century, where conflict is a recurring thread.

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

Released on August 17

Movies, games, albums & shows

2023

  • Game Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew

2022

  • Game Kirby's Dream Buffet

2021

  • Game Humankind

Release data from TMDB & IGDB.

Events

10 notable moments
  1. 986

    Byzantine–Bulgarian wars

    Byzantine–Bulgarian wars: Battle of the Gates of Trajan: The Bulgarians under the Comitopuli Samuel and Aron defeat the Byzantine forces at the Gate of Trajan, with Byzantine Emperor Basil II barely escaping.

  2. 1668

    1668 North Anatolia earthquake

    The magnitude 8.0 North Anatolia earthquake causes 8,000 deaths in northern Anatolia, Ottoman Empire.

  3. 1883

    Dominican Republic

    The first public performance of the Dominican Republic's national anthem, Himno Nacional.

  4. 1907

    Pike Place Market

    Pike Place Market, one of the oldest continuously operated public farmers' markets in the U.S. and a popular tourist attraction, opens in Seattle, Washington.

  5. 1914

    World War I

    World War I: Battle of Stallupönen: The German army of General Hermann von François defeats the Russian force commanded by Paul von Rennenkampf near modern-day Nesterov, Russia.

  6. 1915

    1915 Galveston hurricane

    A Category 4 hurricane hits Galveston, Texas with winds at 135 miles per hour (217 km/h).

  7. 1942

    World War II

    World War II: U.S. Marines raid the Japanese-held Pacific island of Makin.

  8. 1945

    Animal Farm

    The novella Animal Farm by George Orwell is first published.

  9. 1950

    Korean War

    Korean War: Forty-two American prisoners of war were massacred by the Korean People's Army on a hill above Waegwan, South Korea.

  10. 2008

    Michael Phelps

    American swimmer Michael Phelps becomes the first person to win eight gold medals at one Olympic Games.

Famous birthday twins

Born on August 17

William Gallas

b. 1977

French footballer

Margaret Hamilton (software engineer)

b. 1936

American computer scientist, systems engineer, and business owner

Willem Duys

b. 1928

Dutch tennis player, sportscaster, and producer

Jiang Zemin

b. 1926

Chinese engineer and politician, former General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (paramount leader) and President of China

Dani Güiza

b. 1980

Spanish footballer

Robert De Niro

b. 1943

American actor, entrepreneur, director, and producer

Herta Müller

b. 1953

Romanian-German poet and author, Nobel Prize laureate

Sean Penn

b. 1960

American actor, director, and political activist

Deaths

  • 2012Patrick Ricard (entrepreneur)
  • 2010Francesco Cossiga
  • 1971Wilhelm List
  • 1969Otto Stern
  • 1786Frederick the Great
  • 1676Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen

Holidays & observances

  • —Christian feast day: Saint Beatrice of Silva
  • —Christian feast day: Saint Clare of Montefalco
  • —Christian feast day: Saint Hyacinth of Poland
  • —Christian feast day: Saint Jeanne Delanoue
  • —Christian feast day: Saint Mammes of Caesarea
  • —Christian feast day: Samuel Johnson, Timothy Cutler, and Thomas Bradbury Chandler (Episcopal Church)
  • —Christian feast day: August 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • —Engineer's Day (Colombia)

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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