On This Day in History – September 17

Major Events

• 1630 — Boston is founded by Puritan colonists from England, becoming one of the oldest and most influential cities in North America.
• 1787 — Delegates at the Philadelphia Convention sign the United States Constitution, establishing a new framework of federal government.
• 1862 — The Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg) becomes the bloodiest single day of the U.S. Civil War, shaping Abraham Lincoln’s decision to issue the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.
• 1908 — Orville Wright crashes during a demonstration at Fort Myer, Virginia; passenger Thomas Selfridge is killed, marking the first fatality of powered flight.
• 1939 — The Soviet Union invades Poland from the east, two weeks after Germany’s attack from the west, partitioning the country at the start of World War II.
• 1944 — Operation Market Garden begins as Allied forces launch the largest airborne operation to date in the Netherlands, aiming to secure bridges over the Rhine.
• 1978 — Egypt and Israel sign the Camp David Accords, a U.S.-brokered framework that paves the way for a peace treaty and reshapes Middle Eastern diplomacy.
• 1991 — North Korea and South Korea are admitted to the United Nations as separate member states, formalizing dual representation on the world stage.
• 2001 — The New York Stock Exchange reopens six days after the September 11 attacks, signaling financial resilience amid national crisis.
• 2011 — The Occupy Wall Street movement begins in New York City’s Zuccotti Park, spotlighting economic inequality and birthing the “99 percent” slogan.

Famous Birthdays

• Bernhard Riemann (German mathematician, 1826–1866) — Pioneer of Riemannian geometry and complex analysis.
• Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (Russian rocket theorist, 1857–1935) — Foundational thinker of astronautics and spaceflight.
• Hank Williams (American country singer-songwriter, 1923–1953) — Icon whose songs shaped modern country music.
• Anne Bancroft (American actress, 1931–2005) — Award-winning star of stage and screen.
• Ken Kesey (American novelist, 1935–2001) — Author of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”
• John Ritter (American actor, 1948–2003) — Beloved television and film performer.
• Narendra Modi (Indian politician, b. 1950) — Prime Minister of India.
• Damon Hill (British racing driver, b. 1960) — Formula One World Champion (1996).
• Tomáš Berdych (Czech tennis player, b. 1985) — Grand Slam finalist and longtime top-10 pro.
• Patrick Mahomes (American football quarterback, b. 1995) — NFL MVP and Super Bowl–winning signal-caller.

Notable Deaths

• Hildegard of Bingen (German abbess, polymath) — Died 1179; born 1098.
• Dred Scott (American figure in landmark civil rights case) — Died 1858; born c. 1799.
• Folke Bernadotte (Swedish diplomat, UN mediator) — Died 1948; born 1895.
• Adnan Menderes (Prime Minister of Turkey) — Died 1961; born 1899.
• Karl Popper (Austrian-British philosopher of science) — Died 1994; born 1902.
• Spiro Agnew (39th Vice President of the United States) — Died 1996; born 1918.
• Red Skelton (American comedian and actor) — Died 1997; born 1913.
• Rob Tyner (American rock singer, MC5) — Died 1991; born 1944.
• Bobby Heenan (American wrestling manager and commentator) — Died 2017; born 1944.
• Cokie Roberts (American journalist and author) — Died 2019; born 1943.

Holidays

• United States — Constitution Day and Citizenship Day.
• Angola — National Heroes Day.
• Honduras — Teacher’s Day.
• Australia — Australian Citizenship Day.
• Poland — Sybirak Day, commemorating victims of Soviet deportations.
• World Patient Safety Day — Global health observance promoted by international health authorities.

Fun Facts

• The U.S. Constitution signed on this date is the world’s longest-surviving written national charter of government.
• Antietam’s aftermath gave President Lincoln the political momentum to announce the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation five days later.
• The Camp David Accords were negotiated across nearly two weeks of intensive talks and set the stage for the Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty of 1979.
• Operation Market Garden’s ambitious “bridge too far” plan has been studied for decades as a case in airborne and coalition warfare.
• Occupy Wall Street’s Sept. 17 kickoff popularized the “We are the 99%” framing of wealth inequality worldwide.