September 17 in History

Significant events that happened on this day.

Historical Events

2011

The Occupy Wall Street movement began in New York City's financial district

Protesters set up camp in Zuccotti Park to demonstrate against economic inequality and corporate influence in politics. The phrase "We are the 99%" be...

1991

Linux kernel version 0.01 was released to the public by Linus Torvalds

The Finnish computer science student posted his free operating system kernel to a Usenet newsgroup, calling it "just a hobby" that wouldn't be "big an...

1978

Egypt and Israel signed the Camp David Accords

Major

After 12 days of secret negotiations at the presidential retreat, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin signed fram...

1965

A 4-year-old accidentally ordered $3,000 worth of toys by phone

Young Danny Davis of Illinois called a department store and successfully ordered an enormous shipment of toys, sporting goods, and furniture using his...

1944

Operation Market Garden began as the largest airborne military operation in history

Over 34,000 Allied paratroopers dropped into the Netherlands in an ambitious attempt to end World War II by Christmas. The operation ultimately failed...

1920

The National Football League was founded in an automobile showroom in Ohio

Representatives from four states met in Canton, Ohio and formed the American Professional Football Association, which was renamed the NFL two years la...

1894

The Battle of the Yalu River became the first major naval battle involving modern steel warships

During the First Sino-Japanese War, Japan's modern fleet decisively defeated China's navy. The battle demonstrated that Asia had developed world-class...

1859

Joshua Norton proclaimed himself "Emperor of the United States" in San Francisco

After losing his fortune, the eccentric businessman issued a decree declaring himself Emperor Norton I. Surprisingly, San Francisco embraced him - res...

1787

The United States Constitution was signed in Philadelphia

Major

After months of debate at the Constitutional Convention, 39 delegates signed the document that would become the supreme law of the United States. Thre...

1630

The city of Boston was founded by Puritan colonists from England

Major

John Winthrop and his fellow Puritans officially established the settlement of Boston in Massachusetts Bay Colony. Winthrop famously declared they wer...