About May 17

May 17, 2025 is the 137th day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 228 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Saturday.

You can browse the full year calendar in case you need it.

DayOfTheWeek.org Are you looking for a day of the week calculator? Try it on any date like anniversaries, birthday of someone you know, or any other date that is special to you. You can even try it on historical dates. For example: May 17
(Sponsored by DayOfTheWeek.org)

Taurus is the sun sign of a person born on this day. Emerald is the modern birthstone for this month. Sapphire is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.

According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 276 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.

What Happened On May 17

  • 1521
    Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for treason.
  • 1536
    George Boleyn, Viscount Rochford and four other men are executed for treason.
  • 1673
    Louis Joliet and Jacques Marquette begin exploring the Mississippi River.
  • 1792
    The New York Stock Exchange is formed.
  • 1805
    Muhammad Ali becomes Wāli of Egypt.
  • 1933
    Vidkun Quisling and Johan Bernhard Hjort form Nasjonal Samling — the national-socialist party of Norway.
  • 1940
    World War II: the old city centre of the Dutch town of Middelburg is bombed by the German Luftwaffe, to force the surrender of the Dutch armies in Zeeland.
  • 1943
    The United States Army contracts with the University of Pennsylvania’s Moore School to develop the ENIAC.
  • 1967
    Six-Day War: President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt demands dismantling of the peace-keeping UN Emergency Force in Egypt.
  • 1969
    Venera program: Soviet Venera 6 begins its descent into the atmosphere of Venus, sending back atmospheric data before being crushed by pressure.
  • 1970
    Thor Heyerdahl sets sail from Morocco on the papyrus boat Ra II to sail the Atlantic Ocean.
  • 1974
    Dublin and Monaghan bombings: Thirty-three civilians are killed when the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) explodes car bombs in Dublin and Monaghan, Republic of Ireland.
  • 1974
    Police in Los Angeles, California, raid the Symbionese Liberation Army’s headquarters, killing six members, including Camilla Hall.
  • 1980
    General Chun Doo-hwan of South Korea seizes control of the government and declares martial law in order to suppress student demonstrations.
  • 1983
    Lebanon, Israel, and the United States sign an agreement on Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.
  • 1983
    The U.S. Department of Energy declassifies documents showing world’s largest mercury pollution event in Oak Ridge, Tennessee (ultimately found to be 4.2 million pounds), in response to the Appalachian Observer’s Freedom of Information Act request.
  • 1990
    The General Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO) eliminates homosexuality from the list of psychiatric diseases.
  • 1992
    Three days of popular protests against the government of Prime Minister of Thailand Suchinda Kraprayoon begin in Bangkok, leading to a military crackdown that results in 52 officially confirmed deaths, many disappearances, hundreds of injuries, and over 3,500 arrests.
  • 1994
    Malawi holds its first multi-party elections.
  • 1997
    Troops of Laurent Kabila march into Kinshasa. Zaire is officially renamed Democratic Republic of the Congo.

My Birthday Ninja Is this your birthday? Are you not curious to learn who shares your special day? Find out the May 17 famous birthdays and expand your knowledge today. (Sponsored link)



Share or Link to This Page: