What are the important events that happened on April 17? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.

April 17: Facts & Myths About This Day

April 17 is the 107^th day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 258 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Thursday.

Under the Julian calendar, this day is April 4, 2025 – a Thursday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?

When this day started, 484,680 hours has elapsed since midnight of January 1, 1970 – the Unix epoch.

Strange as it may, if we name this day after a polygon then it will be called ‘hectaheptagon’ day.

Aries is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Diamond is the modern birthstone for this month. Opal is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.

According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 306 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.

The ancient Maya civilization believes that the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012. There are now 4,500 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.

April 17 Historical Events

• 1080 –
  King of Denmark Harald III dies and is succeeded by Canute IV, who would later be the first Dane to be canonized.
• 1521 –
  Martin Luther speaks to the assembly at the Diet of Worms, refusing to recant his teachings.
• 1905 –
  The Supreme Court of the United States decides Lochner v. New York which holds that the “right to free contract” is implicit in the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution.
• 1907 –
  The Ellis Island immigration center processes 11,747 people, more than on any other day.
• 1912 –
  Russian troops open fire on striking goldfield workers in northeast Siberia, killing at least 150.
• 1944 –
  Forces of the Communist-controlled Greek People’s Liberation Army attack the smaller National and Social Liberation resistance group, which surrenders. Its leader Dimitrios Psarros is murdered.
• 1945 –
  Brazilian forces liberate the town of Montese, Italy, from German Nazi forces.
• 1975 –
  The Cambodian Civil War ends. The Khmer Rouge captures the capital Phnom Penh and Cambodian government forces surrender.
• 1982 –
  Patriation of the Canadian constitution in Ottawa by Proclamation of Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada.
• 1986 –
  The Three Hundred and Thirty Five Years’ War between the Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly ends.

Who were born on April 17?

• 1741 –
  Samuel Chase, Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (d. 1811)
• 1891 –
  George Adamski, Polish-American author and ufologist (d. 1965)
• 1925 –
  Erich Göstl, German War Hero (d. 1990)
• 1929 –
  Peggy McKercher, 11th Chancellor of the University of Saskatchewan)
• 1940 –
  Billy Fury, British singer (d. 1983)
• 1942 –
  David Bradley, British actor
• 1964 –
  Ken Daneyko, Canadian ice hockey player
• 1977 –
  Phil Jamieson, Australian singer (Grinspoon)
• 1978 –
  Loukas Louka, Greek-Cypriot footballer
• 1980 –
  Lee Hyun-il, South Korean badminton player

Who died on April 17?

• 485 –
  Proclus, Greek philosopher (b. 412)
• 617 –
  Donnán of Eigg, Celtic Christian martyr, patron saint of Eigg
• 1574 –
  Joachim Camerarius, German classical scholar (b. 1500)
• 1680 –
  Kateri Tekakwitha, first American Indian to receive beatification (b. 1656)
• 1936 –
  Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck, Dutch Prime Minister (b. 1873)
• 1985 –
  Takis Miliadis, Greek actor (b. 1922)
• 1988 –
  Louise Nevelson, American sculptor (b. 1900)
• 2004 –
  Edmond Pidoux, Swiss writer (b. 1908)
• 2007 –
  Kitty Carlisle, American actress and television personality (b. 1910)
• 2008 –
  Danny Federici, American organ player (E-Street Band) (b. 1950)