June 17 in History
June 17 is the birthday of Rizki Juniansyah (2003) and the anniversary of the death of Kenneth Kaunda (2021). Below are famous birthdays, deaths, events for June 17, plus editor's picks and genealogy records.
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Drogo of Metz, Frankish bishop was born in 801, while Uthman, caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate died in 656.
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Famous people born on June 17
Famous people who died on June 17
2019
Gloria Vanderbilt (Wikipedia, opens in a new tab)
American artist, author, actress, and designer (1924–2019)
2015
John David Crow (Wikipedia, opens in a new tab)
American football player, coach, and administrator (1935–2015)
2015
Roberto Marcelo Levingston (Wikipedia, opens in a new tab)
President of Argentina from 1970 to 1971
2014
Éric Dewailly (Wikipedia, opens in a new tab)
Éric Dewailly, Canadian epidemiologist and academic (born 1954)
2014
Arnold S. Relman (Wikipedia, opens in a new tab)
American internist, professor and journal editor (1923–2014)
2012
Rodney King (Wikipedia, opens in a new tab)
Black American victim of police brutality (1965–2012)
2009
Ralf Dahrendorf (Wikipedia, opens in a new tab)
German-British sociologist and politician (1929–2009)
What happened on June 17
- 2021
Juneteenth National Independence Day is signed into law by President Joe Biden, to become the first federal holiday established since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 2017
A series of wildfires in central Portugal kill at least 64 people and injure 204 others.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 2015
Nine people are killed in a mass shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 1994
Following a televised low-speed highway chase, O. J. Simpson is arrested for the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 1992
A "joint understanding" agreement on arms reduction is signed by U.S. president George Bush and Russian president Boris Yeltsin (this would be later codified in START II).
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 1991
Apartheid: The South African Parliament repeals the Population Registration Act which required racial classification of all South Africans at birth.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 1989
Interflug Flight 102 crashes during a rejected takeoff from Berlin Schönefeld Airport, killing 21 people.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 1987
With the death of the last individual of the species, the dusky seaside sparrow becomes extinct.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 1985
Space Shuttle program: STS-51-G mission: Space Shuttle Discovery launches carrying Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the first Arab and first Muslim in space, as a payload specialist.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 1972
Watergate scandal: Five White House operatives are arrested for burgling the offices of the Democratic National Committee during an attempt by members of the administration of President Richard M. Nixon to illegally wiretap the political opposition as part of a broader campaign to subvert the democratic process.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 1971
U.S. president Richard Nixon in a televised press conference calls drug abuse "America's public enemy number one", starting the war on drugs.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 1967
Nuclear weapons testing: China announces a successful test of its first thermonuclear weapon.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 1963
The United States Supreme Court rules 8–1 in Abington School District v. Schempp against requiring the reciting of Bible verses and the Lord's Prayer in public schools.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 1963
A day after South Vietnamese president Ngo Dinh Diem announced the Joint Communiqué to end the Buddhist crisis, a riot involving around 2,000 people breaks out. One person is killed.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 1960
The Nez Perce tribe is awarded $4 million for 7 million acres (28,000 km2) of land undervalued at four cents/acre in the 1863 treaty.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab)
Births, deaths and events from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab).
Editor's picks
Born on June 17
- 801 — Drogo of Metz, Frankish bishop (died 855)
- 1239 — Edward I, English king (died 1307)
- 1530 — François de Montmorency, French nobleman (died 1579)
Died on June 17
- 656 — Uthman, caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate (born 579)
- 676 — Adeodatus, pope of the Catholic Church
- 811 — Sakanoue no Tamuramaro, Japanese shōgun (born 758)
Source: Wikipedia historical listings for June 17
Quick answers
Who was born on June 17? Rizki Juniansyah (2003), Odessa A'zion (2000), Elena Rybakina (1999).
Who died on June 17? Kenneth Kaunda (2021), Jean Kennedy Smith (2020), Gloria Vanderbilt (2019).
Explore genealogy records
Researching someone born in June? Search birth records
Live genealogy events
This calendar is live and has its own date controls; it is separate from the June 17 historical article above.
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