Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down over Ukraine, killing all 298 people aboard
MajorThe passenger jet was struck by a surface-to-air missile while flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. Debris fell across Ukrainian farmland in an acti...
July 17 in History
Significant events that happened on this day.
Historical Events
2014
1998
Researchers identified a gene that makes some people unable to smell asparagus in their urine
A study published in Nature Genetics revealed that certain genetic variations prevent people from detecting the distinctive sulfurous compounds produc...
1996
TWA Flight 800 exploded off Long Island, killing all 230 people and launching decades of conspiracy theories
The Paris-bound 747 broke apart 12 minutes after takeoff in a massive fireball visible from shore. Eyewitness reports of a 'streak of light' sparked t...
1975
American and Soviet spacecraft docked in orbit, shaking hands in space during the Cold War
MajorThe Apollo-Soyuz Test Project brought together rival superpowers 140 miles above Earth. Astronauts from nations pointing nuclear weapons at each other...
1955
Arco, Idaho became the first town in the world to be powered entirely by nuclear energy
For one glorious hour, this small Idaho town of about 1,000 people received all its electricity from a nearby nuclear reactor. It was a publicity stun...
1945
The Potsdam Conference began, where Allied leaders decided Germany's fate while Truman secretly knew about the atomic bomb
MajorChurchill, Stalin, and Truman met near Berlin to negotiate post-war Europe. Truman had just received word of the successful atomic bomb test in New Me...
1935
The first parking meter in the United States was installed in Oklahoma City
Carlton Cole Magee's invention began generating revenue at 20 minutes per nickel. Within a year, the city had installed 175 meters and was collecting...
1897
The Klondike Gold Rush officially began when the steamship Excelsior arrived in San Francisco with $750,000 in gold
When miners stepped off the ship carrying sacks, boxes, and suitcases stuffed with gold, newspapers triggered a worldwide frenzy. Within months, 100,0...
1850
The Harvard Observatory hired its first female 'computer' to calculate astronomical data
Women were paid 25 cents an hour to perform complex mathematical calculations that male astronomers couldn't be bothered with. These 'Harvard Computer...
1717
King George I fell asleep during the premiere of Handel's Water Music on the Thames River
Handel composed this masterpiece for a royal boating party, featuring 50 musicians on a barge floating beside the King's vessel. Despite the King alle...
1203
The Fourth Crusade accidentally conquered Constantinople, a Christian city they were supposed to be protecting
Crusaders originally set out to reclaim Jerusalem but got sidetracked by Venetian politics and debt. They ended up sacking the wealthiest Christian ci...