What Happened on March 17?

All

events

births

deaths

holidays

EVENTS ON MARCH 17

Second Polish Republic

Year: 1921

The Second Polish Republic adopts the March Constitution.

SS Utopia

Year: 1891

SS Utopia collides with HMS Anson in the Bay of Gibraltar and sinks, killing 562 of the 880 passengers on board.

Rail transport in Finland

Year: 1862

The first railway line of Finland between cities of Helsinki and Hämeenlinna, called Päärata, is officially opened.

The Holocaust

Year: 1942

Holocaust: The first Jews from the Lvov Ghetto are gassed at the Belzec death camp in what is today eastern Poland.

Ludendorff Bridge

Year: 1945

The Ludendorff Bridge in Remagen, Germany, collapses, ten days after its capture.

University of California, Berkeley

Year: 1950

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley announce the creation of element 98, which they name "californium".

Belgium

Year: 1948

Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom sign the Treaty of Brussels, a precursor to the North Atlantic Treaty establishing NATO.

Kingdom of Italy

Year: 1861

The Kingdom of Italy is proclaimed.

Relief Society

Year: 1842

The Female Relief Society of Nauvoo is formally organized with Emma Smith as president.

Petronius Maximus

Year: 455

Petronius Maximus becomes, with support of the Roman Senate, emperor of the Western Roman Empire; he forces Licinia Eudoxia, the widow of his predecessor, Valentinian III, to marry him.

BIRTHS ON MARCH 17

Betty Allen

Year of birth: 1927

Betty Allen, American soprano and educator (died 2009)

James Irwin

Year of birth: 1930

James Irwin, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (died 1991)

Siegfried Lenz

Year of birth: 1926

Siegfried Lenz, Polish-German author and playwright (died 2014)

Gabriele Ferzetti

Year of birth: 1925

Gabriele Ferzetti, Italian actor (died 2015)

Meir Amit

Year of birth: 1921

Meir Amit, Israeli general and politician, 12th Israeli Minister of Communications (died 2009)

Patricia Breslin

Year of birth: 1931

Patricia Breslin, American actress (died 2011)

Dick Curless

Year of birth: 1932

Dick Curless, American country music singer (died 1995)

Fred T. Mackenzie

Year of birth: 1935

Fred T. Mackenzie, American biologist and academic (died 2024)

Adam Wade (singer)

Year of birth: 1935

Adam Wade, American singer, drummer, and actor (died 2022)

Myrlie Evers-Williams

Year of birth: 1933

Myrlie Evers-Williams, American journalist and activist

DEATHS ON MARCH 17

John Houlding

Year of death: 1902

John Houlding, English businessman, founded Liverpool Football Club (born 1833)

Jules Ferry

Year of death: 1893

Jules Ferry, French lawyer and politician, 44th Prime Minister of France (born 1832)

Franz Brentano

Year of death: 1917

Franz Brentano, German philosopher and psychologist (born 1838)

Aleksei Brusilov

Year of death: 1926

Aleksei Brusilov, Georgian-Russian general (born 1853)

Bede Jarrett

Year of death: 1934

Bede Jarrett, English Dominican priest (born 1881)

Ferdinand Laub

Year of death: 1875

Ferdinand Laub, Czech violinist and composer (born 1832)

Robert Chambers (publisher, born 1802)

Year of death: 1871

Robert Chambers, Scottish geologist and publisher, co-founded Chambers Harrap (born 1802)

Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr

Year of death: 1830

Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr, French general and politician (born 1764)

Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel

Year of death: 1846

Friedrich Bessel, German astronomer, mathematician, and physicist (born 1784)

William II of the Netherlands

Year of death: 1849

William II, Dutch sovereign prince and king (born 1792)

HOLIDAYS ON MARCH 17

Saint Patrick

Christian feast day: Patrick of Ireland

March 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Christian feast day: March 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Evacuation Day (Massachusetts)

Evacuation Day (Suffolk County, Massachusetts)

Saint Patrick's Day

Saint Patrick's Day, a public holiday in Ireland, Montserrat and the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, widely celebrated in the English-speaking world and to a lesser degree in other parts of the world.