March 17 in History
March 17 is the birthday of Brandon Aiyuk (1998) and the anniversary of the death of John Hemingway (RAF officer) (2025). It is also Holiday or observance: St. Patrick's Day. A holiday honoring Ireland's patron saint that has become a broad celebration of Irish heritage in the United States, especially in cities with large Irish American communities.. Below are famous birthdays, deaths, events for March 17, plus editor's picks and genealogy records.
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Harun al-Rashid, Abbasid caliph was born in 763, while Titus Labienus, Roman general died in 45 BC.
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Famous people born on March 17
Famous people who died on March 17
2013
A. B. C. Whipple (Wikipedia, opens in a new tab)
American journalist, editor, historian (1918–2013)
2012
Pope Shenouda III of Alexandria (Wikipedia, opens in a new tab)
Head of the Coptic Church from 1971 to 2012
2006
Ray Meyer (Wikipedia, opens in a new tab)
American basketball player and coach, college athletics administrator
2005
George F. Kennan (Wikipedia, opens in a new tab)
American diplomat, political scientist, and historian (1904–2005)
2005
Andre Norton (Wikipedia, opens in a new tab)
American science fiction and fantasy writer (1912–2005)
What happened on March 17
- 2016
Rojava conflict: At a conference in Rmelan, the Movement for a Democratic Society declares the establishment of the Democratic Federation of Northern Syria.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 2004
Unrest in Kosovo: More than 22 are killed and 200 wounded. Thirty-five Serbian Orthodox shrines in Kosovo and two mosques in Serbia are destroyed.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 2003
Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council, Robin Cook, resigns from the British Cabinet in disagreement with government plans for the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 2000
Five hundred and thirty members of the Ugandan cult Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God die in a fire, considered to be a mass murder or suicide orchestrated by leaders of the cult. Elsewhere another 248 members are later found dead.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 1992
Israeli Embassy attack in Buenos Aires: Car bomb attack kills 29 and injures 242.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 1992
A referendum to end apartheid in South Africa is passed 68.7% to 31.2%.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 1988
A Colombian Boeing 727 jetliner, Avianca Flight 410, crashes into a mountainside near the Venezuelan border killing 143.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 1988
Eritrean War of Independence: The Nadew Command, an Ethiopian army corps in Eritrea, is attacked on three sides by military units of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front in the opening action of the Battle of Afabet.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 1985
Serial killer Richard Ramirez, aka the "Night Stalker", commits the first two murders in his Los Angeles murder spree.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 1979
The Penmanshiel Tunnel collapses during engineering works, killing two workers.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 1979
Aeroflot Flight 1691 crashes on approach to Vnukovo International Airport, killing 58.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 1973
The Pulitzer Prize–winning photograph Burst of Joy is taken, depicting a former prisoner of war being reunited with his family, which came to symbolize the end of United States involvement in the Vietnam War.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 1969
Golda Meir becomes the first female Prime Minister of Israel.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 1968
As a result of nerve gas testing by the U.S. Army Chemical Corps in Skull Valley, Utah, over 6,000 sheep are found dead.
Wikipedia source (opens in a new tab) - 1966
Off the coast of Spain in the Mediterranean, the DSV Alvin submarine finds a missing American hydrogen bomb.
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 March 17
- 763 — Harun al-Rashid, Abbasid caliph (died 809)
- 1231 — Emperor Shijō of Japan (died 1242)
- 1473 — James IV of Scotland (died 1513)
Died on March 17
- 45 BC — Titus Labienus, Roman general (born 100 BC)
- 45 BC — Publius Attius Varus, Roman governor of Africa
- 180 — Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor (born 121)
Source: Wikipedia historical listings for March 17
Quick answers
Who was born on March 17? Brandon Aiyuk (1998), Katie Ledecky (1997), Daniel Sprong (1997).
Who died on March 17? John Hemingway (RAF officer) (2025), Lee Shau-kee (2025), Lance Reddick (2023).
What holiday is on March 17? Holiday or observance: St. Patrick's Day. A holiday honoring Ireland's patron saint that has become a broad celebration of Irish heritage in the United States, especially in cities with large Irish American communities..
Explore genealogy records
Researching someone born in March? Search birth records
Live genealogy events
This calendar is live and has its own date controls; it is separate from the March 17 historical article above.
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