Date·Lore

On This Day · The 137th day of the year

May 17

From 1521 to 2014, May 17 gathers 493 years of history. Most of the weight falls in the 20th century, where conflict is a recurring thread.

♉ZodiacTaurus ◈BirthstoneEmerald ❀Birth flowerLily of the Valley

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

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed September 6, 2026

What happened on May 17?

May 17 is the 137th day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 1521 and 2014. Famous people born on May 17 include Christine Ohuruogu, Rosalind Picard and Alfonso XIII.

Released on May 17

Movies, games, albums & shows

2025

  • Movie Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning

2023

  • Movie Fast X

2022

  • Game Apex Legends Mobile

Release data from TMDB & IGDB.

Events

10 notable moments
  1. 1521

    Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham

  2. 1590

    Anne of Denmark

  3. 1863

    American Civil War

  4. 1865

    International Telecommunication Union

  5. 1900

    The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

  6. 1914

    Protocol of Corfu

  7. 1940

    World War II

  8. 1954

    Supreme Court of the United States

  9. 1974

    The Troubles

  10. 2014

    2014 Lao People's Liberation Army Air Force An-74 crash

Famous birthday twins

Born on May 17

Christine Ohuruogu

b. 1984

Rosalind Picard

b. 1962

Alfonso XIII

b. 1886

Henri Barbusse

b. 1873

Christine Nesbitt

b. 1985

Enya

b. 1961

Albert, Duke of Prussia

b. 1490

Edward Jenner

b. 1749

Deaths

  • 2009Mario Benedetti
  • 2005Frank Gorshin
  • 1765Alexis Clairaut
  • 1727Catherine I of Russia
  • 1521Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham
  • 1510Sandro Botticelli

Holidays & observances

  • —Birthday of the Raja (Perlis)
  • —Christian feast day: Giulia Salzano
  • —Christian feast day: Blessed Ivan Ziatyk
  • —Christian feast day: Paschal Baylon
  • —Christian feast day: Peter Lieou
  • —Christian feast day: William Hobart Hare (Episcopal Church (USA))
  • —Christian feast day: Restituta
  • —Christian feast day: May 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

The factual record above — event titles, dates, names, and observances — is drawn 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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