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

November 17: Facts & Myths About This Day

November 17 is the 321^st day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 44 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Monday.

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

When this day started, 1,763,337,600 seconds 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 ‘trihectaicosahenagon’ day.

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

According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 92 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 4,714 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.

November 17 Historical Events

• 473 –
  The future Leo II is named associate emperor by Leo I.
• 794 –
  Japanese Emperor Kammu changes his residence from Nara to Kyoto.
• 1659 –
  The Peace of the Pyrenees is signed between France and Spain.
• 1810 –
  Sweden declares war on its ally the United Kingdom to begin the Anglo-Swedish War, although no fighting ever takes place.
• 1820 –
  Captain Nathaniel Palmer becomes the first American to see Antarctica (the Palmer Peninsula is later named after him).
• 1858 –
  Modified Julian Day zero.
• 1939 –
  Nine Czech students are executed as a response to anti-Nazi demonstrations prompted by the death of Jan Opletal. In addition, all Czech universities are shut down and over 1200 Czech students sent to concentration camps. Since this event, International Students’ Day is celebrated in many countries, especially in the Czech Republic.
• 1968 –
  Alexandros Panagoulis is condemned to death for attempting to assassinate Greek dictator George Papadopoulos.
• 1970 –
  Luna program: The Soviet Union lands Lunokhod 1 on Mare Imbrium (Sea of Rains) on the Moon. This is the first roving remote-controlled robot to land on another world and is released by the orbiting Luna 17 spacecraft.
• 1973 –
  Watergate scandal: In Orlando, Florida, US President Richard Nixon tells 400 Associated Press managing editors “I am not a crook”.

Who were born on November 17?

• 1868 –
  Korbinian Brodmann, German neurologist (d. 1918)
• 1901 –
  Walter Hallstein, German politician (d. 1982)
• 1923 –
  Aristides Pereira, Cape Verdian politician (d. 2011)
• 1934 –
  Fenella Fielding, English actress
• 1944 –
  Jim Boeheim, Hall of Fame basketball coach
• 1958 –
  Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, American actress
• 1969 –
  Ryotaro Okiayu, Japanese voice actor
• 1982 –
  Hollie Smith, New Zealand singer
• 1983 –
  Ryan Bradley, American figure skater
• 1984 –
  Park Han-byul, South Korean actress

Who died on November 17?

• 1104 –
  Nikephoros Melissenos, Byzantine general (b. c. 1045)
• 1302 –
  St. Gertrude the Great (b. 1256)
• 1600 –
  Kuki Yoshitaka, Japanese naval commander (b. 1542)
• 1648 –
  Thomas Ford, English composer
• 1858 –
  Robert Owen, British father of the cooperative movement (b. 1771)
• 1897 –
  George Hendric Houghton, American Protestant Episcopal clergyman (b. 1820)
• 1982 –
  Eduard Tubin, Estonian composer (b. 1905)
• 1987 –
  Paul Derringer, baseball player (b. 1906)
• 2005 –
  Marek Perepeczko, Polish actor (b. 1942)
• 2008 –
  Pete Newell, American basketball coach (b. 1915)