17th of May
The May 17 is the 137th day of the Gregorian calendar (138th in leap years ), thus remain still 228 days until the end of the year. Even the Roman and the Julian calendar to know May 17 (or Maius ). Dates prior to the Gregorian calendar reform are usually given in the Julian calendar.
Historic anniversaries April · May · June |
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Events
Politics and world events
- 1101 : A crusader army under Baldwin I conquers the city of Caesarea Maritima in Palestine after a 15-day siege. Because the city resisted a voluntary surrender the day before, a large part of the population is massacred.
- 1102 : At Ramla an Egyptian army succeeds in the second battle against the Kingdom of Jerusalem in smashing an outnumbered crusader troop. King Baldwin I can escape the overwhelming power.
- 1590 : In Holyrood , Anna of Denmark becomes the wife of King James VI since the beginning of the year . , crowned Queen of Scotland .
- 1606 : The fake Dimitri , who, as the alleged son of Ivan IV, became Tsar of Russia during the turmoil , is murdered by revolting nobles under the leadership of Vasily Shuisky .
- 1642 : Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve , Sieur de Maisonneuve, founds the Ville-Marie settlement, now Montreal , in the colony of New France .
- 1648 : The Battle of Zusmarshausen in Bavaria is the last major battle in the Thirty Years' War with the participation of foreign armies on German soil. The armies of France and Sweden defeat the combined imperial and Bavarian armies.
- 1654 : The Reichstag in Regensburg , which was established in 1653 under Emperor Ferdinand III. met for the first time after the Thirty Years' War , it will be dissolved with the Last Reichs Farewell. It is the last imperial farewell in history, as the " Perpetual Reichstag " was created in 1663 .
- 1656 : Tsar Alexis I of Russia declared Sweden under Charles X Gustav the war . The aim is to revise the Treaty of Stolbowo from 1617.
- 1673 : The French Jesuits Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet begin with five companions on behalf of the French crown with the exploration of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River in search of its source.
- 1742 : In the battle of Chotusitz during the First Silesian War , Prussia decisively defeated the Austrian army under Frederick II .
- 1809 : Napoleon Bonaparte decrees the annexation of the Papal States for his empire .
- 1814 : After the end of the Danish-Norwegian personal union , Norway becomes independent for a short time. Christian Friedrich is elected king in Eidsvoll , the constitution signed there remains in force with slight changes to this day, May 17th is Norwegian national holiday .
- 1849 : The Iserlohn uprising , one of the May uprisings in the German Confederation, is crushed by Prussian line troops after a week.
- 1884 : The previous Department of Alaska receives civil administration and is officially renamed the District of Alaska . Republican John Henry Kinkead becomes the district's first governor.
- 1885 : Kaiser Wilhelm I issues a " letter of protection " to the German New Guinea Company on sovereign rights for Kaiser Wilhelms Land and the Bismarck Archipelago . The colony of German New Guinea emerged from this later .
- 1915 : João Pinheiro Chagas is re-elected Prime Minister of Portugal after the fall of the “Dictatorship of Swords” on May 14, but does not take office. José de Castro becomes the new head of government.
- 1935 : The Minister for Science, Education and Public Education Bernhard Rust forbids the teaching of Esperanto in German schools.
- 1940 : Brussels is handed over to the Germans without a fight during the Western campaign of World War II . An attack by the 4th French Panzer Division under Charles de Gaulle on Montcornet had to be canceled after initial successes due to massive attacks by German dive bombers.
- 1942 : In the Second Battle of Kharkov in the war against the Soviet Union , the German Wehrmacht meets with allied Romanian troops and begins a counter-offensive against the Red Army . The battle lasts until May 28th and will be one of the last successful kettle battles of the Wehrmacht.
- 1943 : Under the name Operation Chastise , the British Royal Air Force launched an attack on German dams shortly after midnight . Roll bombs destroy the Eder and Möhnetalsperre , while the dam of the Sorpealsperre holds.
- 1954 : The United States Supreme Court, chaired by Earl Warren , unanimously bans Brown v. Board of Education that racial segregation in public schools.
- 1972 : Three weeks after the unsuccessful vote of no confidence against Willy Brandt ratified the German Bundestag, the Eastern treaties with Poland and the Soviet Union.
- 1974 : Six members of the Maoist terrorist organization Symbionese Liberation Army ( SLA ), including Patty Hearst after her kidnapping , are killed in a shooting with the Los Angeles police .
- 1980 : Due to nationwide demonstrations for the democratization of South Korea , the regime under dictator Chun Doo-hwan declares a state of emergency. In the days that followed, the Gwangju uprising broke out .
- 1992 : In the so-called Black May there are demonstrations in the Thai capital Bangkok led by Chamlong Srimuang against the military rulers. By May 20, 50 people were shot dead and more than 100 injured by the junta.
- 1994 : The United Democratic Front becomes the strongest party in the first democratic multi-party elections in Malawi . In the presidential elections taking place at the same time , Bakili Muluzi is elected president with almost 50% of the vote against the former dictator Hastings Kamuzu Banda .
- 2003 : In a two-day referendum in Slovakia, more than 90% of the voters vote for the country to join the EU .
- 2004 : The Stockholm Convention , prohibition and restriction measures for certain persistent organic pollutants , enters into force with the deposit of the 50th instrument of ratification.
- 2004 : Massachusetts becomes the first state in the United States to allow same-sex marriage , following a court ruling the previous year .
- 2009 : In the presidential elections in Lithuania , former EU Commissioner Dalia Grybauskaitė is the first woman to be elected President of Lithuania with 68% of the vote .
- 2019 : Spiegel Online and the Süddeutsche Zeitung trigger the so-called Ibiza affair with the publication of a video in Austria . This leads to the resignation of Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache and the break of the coalition of ÖVP and FPÖ under Chancellor Sebastian Kurz as well as the calling of new elections in Austria, which are to take place in September 2019
economy
- 1620 : The first children's carousel is operated in the Ottoman Philippopolis, today's Bulgarian Plovdiv . According to contemporary descriptions, it consists of a large wagon wheel, on the outer side of which small seats are attached, on which the children take their places.
- 1792 : Several New York brokers sign the Buttonwood Agreement at 68 Wall Street . This is considered to be the founding date of the New York Stock Exchange .
- 1794 : The East Frisian estates decide in Aurich to found the first German North Sea resort on the island of Norderney . Friedrich Wilhelm II gave them permission to do so in 1797.
- 1837 : The publisher Arunah Shepherdson Abell founds the liberal American daily The Baltimore Sun in Baltimore, Maryland .
- 1861 : Thomas Cook organizes the first package tour with accommodation and meals. British workers travel to Paris by ship and rail.
- 1924 : The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer company in Hollywood, Los Angeles is created through the merger of the film production companies Metro Pictures Corporation , Goldwyn Picture Corporation and Louis B. Mayer Pictures . Louis B. Mayer becomes the head of the new company .
- 1992 : The new Munich Airport in Erdinger Moos is put into operation. The entire flight operations are moving overnight from Munich-Riem Airport to the new airport after the last scheduled flight in Riem was completed shortly before midnight the day before.
science and technology
- 1861 : The Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell presents the first color photograph in a lecture at the Royal Institution .
- 1865 : At the suggestion of the French government, the International Telegraph Association is set up in Paris , now a UN specialist organization as the International Telecommunication Union .
- 1902 : The Greek archaeologist Valerios Stais discovers the Antikythera Mechanism , an ancient artifact made of gears , in a lump of corroded material from a shipwreck .
- 1969 : As part of the Soviet Venera missions , the Venera 6 lander reaches the planet Venus . It sends data for 51 minutes before atmospheric pressure destroys it.
- 1970 : One year after the Ra expedition failed shortly before the finish line , Thor Heyerdahl starts with the Ra II from Safi in Morocco to try again to cross the Atlantic from east to west on a papyrus boat . This time the crew will reach their destination in Barbados .
- 1990 : The World Health Organization (WHO) of the UN removes homosexuality from the diagnosis code for diseases .
Culture
- 1863 : The Spanish poet Rosalía de Castro publishes the Cantares gallegos ( Galician chants ), her first work in the Galician language . The day is still a public holiday in the autonomous region of Galicia .
- 1890 : The opera Cavalleria rusticana ( Sicilian Peasant Honor ) by Pietro Mascagni with the libretto by Giovanni Verga has its world premiere at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome. The opera becomes the composer's greatest success.
- 1931 : The world premiere of the opera Matka ( The Mother ) by Alois Hába takes place at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich.
- 1943 : World premiere of the film Ossessione by the Italian director Luchino Visconti , which marks the beginning of Italian neorealism .
- 1946 : In Potsdam- Babelsberg is German Film AG ( DEFA ), the state-owned film studio in the German Democratic Republic, founded.
- 1961 : The comedy The Marriage Certificate by Ephraim Kishon is premiered at the Ohel Theater in Tel Aviv .
- 1966 : Bob Dylan gives the controversial concert in Manchester's Free Trade Hall that leads to the album The Bootleg Series Vol. 4 Bob Dylan Live 1966 The “Royal Albert Hall” Concert .
- 1971 : The first performance of the musical show The lengthy way into the apartment of Natascha Ungeheuer by Hans Werner Henze on the libretto by Gaston Salvatore takes place in Rome.
religion
- 352 : Liberius succeeds Julius I , who died on April 12, as Bishop of Rome .
- 884 : Hadrian III. is enthroned as the successor of Marinus I, who died two days earlier, as Pope .
- 1410 : The occidental schism reaches a new climax: John XXIII. becomes the successor of Alexander V as the second antipope to Gregory XII. in Rome and Benedict XIII. elected in Avignon . He resides in Bologna .
- 1835 : In his encyclical Commissum divinitus , Pope Gregory XVI condemns . the Baden article on the relationship between church and state in Switzerland.
- 1959 : 300,000 people attend the inauguration of the Cristo Rei statue in Almada , Portugal . Its construction goes back to a vow made by bishops in 1940 when the Second World War spared the state.
- 1995 : Six-year-old Gendün Chökyi Nyima , elected the new Tibetan 11th Penchen Lama three days earlier , is taken to an unknown location by the Chinese authorities. His further fate has been unknown since then.
Disasters
- 1697 : The royal castle Tre Kronor in Stockholm falls victim to a fire that almost completely destroys the structure.
- 1849 : Large parts of St. Louis , Missouri, are destroyed by a major fire. Three people are killed, 430 buildings and numerous Mississippi steamers are killed in the fire.
- 1911 : The Lomé landing stage in the German colony Deutsche Kolonie Togo is badly damaged by unusually heavy seas. Three slewing cranes and about a dozen railway wagons are thrown into the sea.
Minor accidents are listed in the sub-articles of Disaster .
nature and environment
- 1724 : On Iceland to the volcano occurred west Krafla a physical explosion . The force of the collision of magma and groundwater causes a crater 320 meters in diameter.
Sports
- 1860 : The Munich gymnastics club is re-established after it had been banned twelve years earlier because of “republican activities”. After being renamed, the sports club is now known as TSV München von 1860 e. V. is especially known to football fans.
- 1868 : The Berlin racecourse Hoppegarten is opened in Dahlwitz-Hoppegarten in the presence of King Wilhelm I with four obstacle races.
- 1875 : The first horse race of the Kentucky Derby is held in Louisville (Kentucky) .
- 1886 : The Scottish football club FC Motherwell is created through the merger of two corporate sports clubs .
- 1928 : Prince Hendrik of the Netherlands opens the IX in the Amsterdam Olympic Stadium, designed by the architect Jan Wils . Summer Olympic Games , in which Johnny Weissmüller and Paavo Nurmi , among others, take part. The games last until August 12th.
- 1952 : Sports clubs from Innsbruck, Partenkirchen, Bischofshofen and Oberstdorf initiate the German-Austrian ski jumping tournament known today as the Four Hills Tournament .
- 1963 : The Italian wrestler Bruno Sammartino defeats the reigning champion Buddy Rogers in just 48 seconds in the battle for the WWWF World Heavyweight Championship . He will keep the title for seven years, eight months and one day.
- 1971 : The first city marathon in Germany is started as the Frankfurt Marathon .
- 1974 : After a 4-0 win over Atlético Madrid in the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Bayern Munich became the first German football club to win the European Cup .
- 2000 : Galatasaray Istanbul became the first Turkish football club to win the UEFA Cup after beating Arsenal FC 4-1 (on penalties) .
Entries of track and field world records can be found under the respective discipline under track and field .
Born
Before the 18th century
- 1008 : Henry I , French king
- 1155 : Jien , Japanese Buddhist monk, historian and poet
- 1443 : Edmund, Earl of Rutland , English nobleman
- 1451 : Engelbert II. , Count of Nassau-Breda, Lord of Diest, Roosendaal, Nispen and Wouw
- 1490 : Albrecht von Brandenburg-Ansbach , first Duke of Prussia
- 1500 : Federico II Gonzaga , Duke of Mantua
- 1551 : Martin Anton Delrio , Spanish Jesuit and witch theorist
- 1551 : Michael Tryller , Electoral Saxon civil servant
- 1567 : Johann von der Asseburg , imperial field bishop
- 1593 : Benedikt von Ahlefeldt , heir to Haseldorf, Osterrade, Kluvensiek and monastery provost of Uetersen
- 1628 : Ferdinand Karl , Prince of Tyrol
- 1673 : Joseph Lothar von Königsegg-Rothenfels , Imperial Field Marshal and President of the Austrian Court War Council
- 1693 : Georg Sigismund Caspari , German organ builder
- 1695 : Emmanuel-François-Joseph de Bavière , French general and governor
- 1700 : Conrad Mannlich , German painter
18th century
- 1702 : Johann Anton Aigner , Austrian prince-bishop clergyman and pastor
- 1702 : Heinrich Schlumpf , Swiss mayor and representative of the Diet
- 1703 : Sebastiano Ceccarini , Italian portrait painter
- 1705 : Ambrosius Stub , Danish poet
- 1711 : Agustín de Jáuregui , Spanish officer, governor of Chile and viceroy of Peru
- 1714 : Anna Charlotte , Princess of Lorraine, Abbess of Remiremont and Sainte-Waudru and Koadjutrix in the Essen Abbey and the Thorn Imperial Abbey
- 1718 : Matthew Maty , Dutch medic, biographer and librarian
- 1719 : Bjarni Pálsson , Icelandic doctor and educator
- 1721 : Johann August Bach , German legal historian
- 1729 : Niklaus Friedrich von Steiger , last mayor of old Bern
- 1741 : Barthélemy Faujas de Saint-Fond , French geologist and volcanologist
- 1743 : Johann Gottwerth Müller , German writer
- 1749 : Edward Jenner , English country doctor, developed the modern smallpox vaccination
- 1758 : Honoré IV , Prince of Monaco
- 1759 : John Francis Mercer , American politician
- 1763 : Pierre-Auguste Adet , French doctor and chemist
- 1768 : Caroline von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel , wife of the British King George IV.
- 1768 : Henry William Paget , British general and statesman
- 1776 : Amos Eaton , American botanist
- 1778 : Johann Friedrich Küttlinger , German medic and botanist
- 1788 : August von Wolff , Prussian major general
- 1791 : Silas H. Jennison , American politician
- 1793 : Dominikus Kuenzer , German Roman Catholic priest, MdL, member of the Frankfurt National Assembly
- 1800 : Ernst von Bandel , German architect, sculptor and painter
- 1800 : Carl Friedrich Zöllner , German composer
19th century
1801-1850
- 1812 : Johann Eduard Wappäus , German geographer and statistician
- 1817 : Carl Kuntze , German composer and musician
- 1819 : Heinrich von Abendroth , Saxon lieutenant general and military writer
- 1820 : Sergei Michailowitsch Solowjow , Russian historian
- 1821 : Sebastian Kneipp , German naturopath
- 1821 : August Nagel , German professor of geodesy
- 1822 : Edward Armitage , English botanist
- 1825 : Johann Jakob Egli , Swiss geographer
- 1834 : Leopold Arnsperger , German medic and politician
- 1836 : Joseph Norman Lockyer , British astrophysicist
- 1842 : August Thyssen , German industrialist
- 1843 : Otto Intze , German professor of hydraulic engineering
- 1844 : Julius Wellhausen , German theologian
- 1845 : Pedro Lira , Chilean painter
- 1845 : Jacint Verdaguer , Catalan poet
- 1846 : Amand von Schweiger-Lerchenfeld , Austrian traveler, writer and officer
- 1848 : Tony Schumacher , German children's book author
- 1849 : Max Aronheim , German lawyer and entrepreneur
- 1850 : Antonio Scontrino , Italian composer
1851-1900
- 1851 : Aleksander Michałowski , Polish pianist, music teacher and composer
- 1853 : Paul Arendt , German theater actor
- 1854 : Georges Gillet , French oboist, music teacher and composer
- 1854 : Oskar von Truppel , German naval officer and governor of Kiautschou
- 1857 : Carl Appel , German Romance studies and university professor
- 1860 : Austin Lane Crothers , American politician
- 1860 : Nataly von Eschstruth , German writer
- 1863 : Charles Robert Ashbee , British architect
- 1865 : Tito Ricordi , Italian music publisher
- 1866 : John William Abercrombie , American lawyer and politician
- 1866 : Erik Satie , French composer and pianist
- 1866 : Julian Balthasar Marchlewski , German politician and co-founder of the Spartakusbund
- 1867 : Georgette Agutte , French painter
- 1867 : Theodor Leipart , German trade unionist and politician, MdL and state minister
- 1867 : James Richardson Spensley , British doctor, English football player and coach, one of the founding fathers of Italian football
- 1871 : Celine Marier , Canadian singer and vocal teacher
- 1873 : Henri Barbusse , French writer
- 1873 : Dorothy Richardson , British writer and essayist
- 1874 : Auda ibu Tayi , Arab general
- 1876 : Alfred Götze , German philologist and Germanist
- 1876 : Konstantin Gorbatov , German painter
- 1876 : Carrie Tubb , English soprano
- 1879 : Hans Grade , German aviation pioneer
- 1883 : Karl Vesper , German resistance fighter
- 1886 : Alfonso XIII. , Spanish king
- 1886 : Ernst Deloch , German show jumper
- 1887 : Octávio Bevilacqua , Brazilian musicologist and teacher
- 1887 : Gonzaque Lécureul , French racing car driver
- 1887 : Ludwig Sievert , German stage designer
- 1889 : Marcel Moyse , French flautist
- 1890 : Stewart H. Appleby , American politician
- 1890 : Walter Flanigan , American football official
- 1895 : Jean Treunet , French racing car driver
- 1895 : Georg Winter , German football player
- 1895 : Georg Wulf , German aviation pioneer and aircraft manufacturer
- 1896 : Brasílio Itiberê da Cunha Luz , Brazilian composer
- 1897 : Odd Hassel , Norwegian chemist
- 1897 : Oswald Rothaug , German lawyer
- 1898 : Karl Mauss , German general
- 1898 : Hans Winkler , German motorcycle racer
- 1900 : Nikolai Tichonowitsch Berezovsky , Russian composer
20th century
1901-1925
- 1901 : Werner Egk , German composer
- 1902 : Fausto Cleva , American conductor
- 1902 : Otto Lüthje , German actor
- 1904 : Jean Gabin , French film actor
- 1905 : Roland Gagnier , Canadian bassoonist and music teacher
- 1907 : Ilona Elek , Hungarian foil fencer
- 1908 : Pierre Louis-Dreyfus , French banker and racing car driver
- 1909 : Giulio Carlo Argan , Italian art historian and politician
- 1909 : Magda Schneider , German actress
- 1909 : Karl Schäfer , Austrian figure skater
- 1909 : Werner Widmayer , German football player
- 1911 : André Jaunet , Swiss flautist
- 1911 : Maureen O'Sullivan , American actress
- 1912 : Friedrich Arnold , German politician
- 1912 : Ace Parker , American football player
- 1912 : Percy Young , British music writer and composer
- 1913 : Waldemar de Brito , Brazilian soccer player
- 1913 : Hans Ruesch , Swiss racing driver, publicist and writer
- 1914 : Bruno Pasut , Italian composer, pianist, organist, choir director, conductor and music teacher
- 1915 : Hans Joachim Faller , German judge at the Federal Constitutional Court
- 1916 : Bele Bachem , German painter and writer
- 1918 : Birgit Nilsson , Swedish opera singer
- 1919 : Antonio Aguilar , Mexican singer and actor
- 1920 : Zofia Rysiówna , Polish actress
- 1921 : Dennis Brain , British bugler
- 1921 : Sigi Feigel , Swiss lawyer
- 1922 : Antje Weisgerber , German actress
- 1923 : Sloane Farrington , Bahamian sailor
- 1923 : Peter Mennin , American composer
- 1924 : Hannes Messemer , German actor
- 1924 : Kazimierz Dejmek , Polish theater director
- 1924 : František Kovaříček , Czech composer and music teacher
- 1925 : Michel de Certeau , French cultural philosopher
1926-1950
- 1926 : Agnes Hürland-Büning , German politician, Member of the Bundestag
- 1926 : Karl Lieffen , German actor
- 1926 : Dietmar Schönherr , Austrian actor
- 1926 : Franz Sondheimer , German chemist
- 1927 : Hans Koch , German cultural scientist, party and cultural functionary, member of the People's Chamber, member of the Central Committee of the SED
- 1927 : Heinz Frieler , German politician, Member of the Bundestag
- 1927 : Winnie Jakob , Czech-Austrian cartoonist
- 1928 : Idi Amin , Ugandan dictator
- 1929 : Janet Craxton , English oboist
- 1929 : Hans Gebhard , German church musician, organist, composer and choir director
- 1929 : Jill Johnston , American author, journalist, and LGBT activist
- 1929 : Branko Zebec , Yugoslav football player
- 1931 : Jerry Norton , American football player
- 1932 : David Izenzon , American jazz bassist
- 1932 : Miloslav Vlk , Czech clergyman, Archbishop of Prague
- 1933 : Jean Vautrin , French writer and director
- 1934 : Victor Arbez , French cross-country skier and biathlete
- 1936 : Philippe Boesmans , Belgian composer and organist
- 1936 : Dennis Hopper , American actor and filmmaker
- 1936 : Lars Gustafsson , Swedish writer
- 1937 : Hazel R. O'Leary , American politician, minister
- 1939 : David H. Ahl , American writer
- 1939 : Andreas Mannkopff , German actor and voice actor
- 1940 : Peter Gerety , American actor
- 1940 : Alan Kay , American computer scientist
- 1941 : Csilla Baroness von Boeselager , co-founder of the Hungarian Malteser Caritas service
- 1942 : Eberhard David , German local politician, Lord Mayor of Bielefeld
- 1942 : Taj Mahal , American musician
- 1943 : Joanna Bruzdowicz , Polish composer
- 1943 : Anne-Charlotte Verney , French racing car driver
- 1943 : John Warren , Australian football player
- 1943 : Valentina Alexejewna Vinogradowa , Soviet-Russian volleyball player, Olympic champion
- 1944 : David Kelly , British microbiologist and bioweapons expert
- 1944 : Wolf-Dietrich Berg , German actor
- 1944 : Jesse Winchester , American musician and songwriter
- 1945 : Wladimir Aichelburg , Austrian historian and publicist
- 1945 : Renate Krößner , German actress
- 1946 : Joan Barfoot , Canadian writer and journalist
- 1946 : Udo Lindenberg , German rock musician, writer and painter
- 1947 : Michael Wolffsohn , German historian and political scientist
- 1948 : Klaus Addicks , German anatomist and university professor
- 1948 : Bill Bruford , British drummer
- 1948 : Horst Köppel , German soccer player and coach
- 1948 : Winfried Kretschmann , German politician, Member of the State Parliament, Prime Minister of Baden-Württemberg
- 1948 : Pat Toomay , American football player and writer
- 1949 : Marc Fosset , French musician
- 1949 : Andrew Latimer , British musician
- 1949 : Elke Leonhard , German politician, Member of the Bundestag
- 1950 : Eduardo Fabini , Uruguayan composer
- 1950 : Werther Lohse , German rock musician
- 1950 : Valerija Ilyinichna Novodworskaja , Russian politician and publicist
1951-1975
- 1952 : Bernhard Brink , German pop singer and television presenter
- 1952 : Eva Schmidt , Austrian writer
- 1953 : Marek Biliński , Polish composer and musician
- 1953 : Qassym-Shomart Toqayev , Kazakh politician, President
- 1954 : Colin Greenland , English writer
- 1955 : Pat Irwin , American composer and musician
- 1956 : Bob Saget , American actor
- 1956 : Dave Sim , Canadian comic artist
- 1957 : Wilfried Hannes , German soccer player
- 1958 : Paul Di'Anno , British singer
- 1959 : Jojo Anand , Indian bishop of Hazaribag
- 1959 : Michaela Sburny , Austrian politician, member of the National Council
- 1961 : João Paulo Esteves da Silva , Portuguese jazz pianist and composer
- 1961 : Enya , Irish musician
- 1961 : Gisela Kinzel , German athlete
- 1962 : Dieter Ammann , Swiss composer
- 1962 : Craig Ferguson , Scottish-American television presenter, comedian, actor, and film director
- 1962 : Thomas Rachel , German politician, Member of the Bundestag, Parliamentary State Secretary
- 1962 : Heinz Strunk , German radio presenter, musician and writer
- 1962 : Aglaja Veteranyi , Romanian-Swiss actress and writer
- 1963 : Luca Cadalora , Italian motorcycle racer
- 1964 : Michiel Braam , Dutch jazz musician
- 1964 : Antoine Fillon , French drummer
- 1964 : Mauro Martini , Italian racing car driver
- 1965 : Trent Reznor , American musician ( Nine Inch Nails )
- 1966 : Per Magnus Andersson , Swedish handball coach and player
- 1966 : Christoph Grissemann , Austrian radio presenter, cabaret artist and actor
- 1966 : Hill Harper , American actor
- 1966 : Qusai Hussein , son of Saddam Hussein
- 1967 : Joseph M. Acaba , American astronaut
- 1967 : Felix Welti , German legal scholar
- 1968 : Dave Abbruzzese , American drummer
- 1969 : José Chamot , Argentine soccer player
- 1970 : Anschalika Ahurbasch , Belarusian pop singer
- 1970 : Marco Pav D'Auria , German-Italian film editor
- 1970 : Jordan Knight , American singer
- 1970 : Arndt Schmehl , German legal scholar
- 1970 : Richard Wientzek , German painter and draftsman
- 1971 : Máxima , wife of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands
- 1972 : Marta Andrade , Spanish figure skater
- 1972 : Tristan Rain , Swiss artist, painter and photo artist
- 1973 : Sasha Alexander , American actress, daughter-in-law of Sophia Loren
- 1973 : Petr Gabriel , Czech football player
- 1973 : Josh Homme , American musician ( Queens of the Stone Age )
- 1974 : Andrea Corr , Irish singer ( The Corrs )
- 1975 : Mats Haldin , Finnish orienteer
- 1975 : Katty Salié , German television journalist and presenter
1976-2000
- 1976 : Martin Auer , German jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player
- 1976 : Mayte Martínez , Spanish athlete
- 1978 : Jana Petersen , German actress and journalist
- 1979 : Ville Aaltonen , Finnish bandy player
- 1979 : Jimmie Åkesson , Swedish politician, member of the Reichstag
- 1979 : Michaela Hofmann , German handball player
- 1979 : David Jarolím , Czech football player
- 1980 : Ilion Lika , Albanian football player
- 1980 : Stéphane Robert , French tennis player
- 1981 : Jan-Fiete Buschmann , German handball player
- 1981 : Vladan Grujić , Bosnian-Herzegovinian football player
- 1981 : Cosma Shiva Hagen , German actress
- 1981 : Katrin Kliehm , German soccer player
- 1981 : Shiri Maimon , Israeli singer
- 1982 : Clarence Goodson , American football player
- 1982 : Vjosa Osmani , Kosovar politician
- 1982 : Tony Parker , French basketball player
- 1983 : Axel Bellinghausen , German soccer player
- 1983 : Danko Lazović , Serbian football player
- 1983 : Benjamin Reichert , German soccer player
- 1984 : Igor Denisov , Russian football player
- 1984 : Andreas Kofler , Austrian ski jumper
- 1984 : Passenger , British musician
- 1986 : Bojan Jokić , Slovenian football player
- 1986 : Nikolas Löbel , German politician, Member of the Bundestag
- 1986 : Tahj Mowry , American actor
- 1987 : Ulrike Gräßler , German ski jumper
- 1987 : Aleandro Rosi , Italian football player
- 1988 : Marcus Olsson , Swedish football player
- 1988 : Martin Olsson , Swedish football player
- 1988 : Nikki Reed , American actress
- 1989 : Armaan Ebrahim , Indian racing driver
- 1989 : Sarah Hargreaves , Danish-British handball player
- 1989 : Michel Morganella , Swiss football player
- 1990 : Fabian Giefer , German soccer player
- 1990 : Leven Rambin , American actress
- 1992 : Daniel Lang , German soccer player
- 1994 : Stefan Terzić , Serbian handball player
- 1997 : Daniel Asenow , Bulgarian boxer
- 1997 : Julija Michailowna Pleschkowa , Russian ski racer
- 1998 : Jonas Behounek , German soccer player
- 1998 : Annika Loske , German canoeist
- 1999 : Renat Dadashov , German-Azerbaijani football player
Died
Before the 16th century
- 290 : Jin Wudi , Emperor of the Jin Dynasty
- 946 : Abu l-Qasim Muhammad ibn al-Mahdi , Caliph of the Fatimids
- 1065 : Egilbert , Bishop of Passau
- 1264 : Wartislaw III. , Duke of Pomerania-Demmin
- 1296 : Agnes von Böhmen , daughter of Ottokar II. Přemysl, Duchess of Austria and Styria as well as of Swabia, Alsace and Aargau
- 1305 : Konrad II of Pfeffenhausen , Bishop of Eichstätt
- 1314 : Adelheid von Ochsenstein , Margravine of Baden
- 1336 : Go-Fushimi , 93rd Emperor of Japan
- 1364 : Johann I , Lord of Ligny
- 1395 : Konstantin Dragaš , Serbian regional prince
- 1395 : Marko Kraljević , Serbian king
- 1395 : Mary of Anjou , Queen of Hungary
- 1446 : Etzel I , Count of Ortenburg
16th Century
- 1510 : Sandro Botticelli , Italian painter and draftsman of the early Renaissance
- 1521 : Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham , English nobleman
- 1527 : Jacob Krum , Mayor of St. Gallen
- 1531 : Konrad Wimpina , theologian from Frankfurt / Oder
- 1536 : George Boleyn, 2nd Viscount Rochford , English diplomat and brother of Anne Boleyn
- 1546 : Bartholomew VI. Welser , Augsburg patrician and conquistador
- 1550 : Johann Albrecht von Brandenburg-Ansbach-Kulmbach , Archbishop of Magdeburg and Bishop of Halberstadt
- 1551 : Shin Saimdang , Korean painter, poet and philosopher
- 1558 : Francisco de Sá de Miranda , Portuguese poet
- 1567 : Johann von der Asseburg , imperial field bishop
- 1569 : Georg von Pfalz-Simmern , Count Palatine and Duke of Simmern
- 1572 : Albrecht von Rosenberg , Frankish imperial knight
- 1575 : Matthew Parker , Archbishop of Canterbury
- 1587 : Gotthard Kettler , last master of the Teutonic Order in Livonia
- 1592 : Paschalis Baylon , lay brother in the Franciscan order and saint of the Roman Catholic Church
17th century
- 1602 : Jürgen von Fahrensbach , Livonian general
- 1606 : Dimitri , also fake Dimitri , Russian tsar
- 1607 : Anna d'Este , Italian noblewoman, Duchess of Guise
- 1625 : Francisco Gómez de Sandoval y Rojas , Duke of Lerma, Spanish statesman
- 1630 : Dorothea Flock , victim of the witch hunt
- 1635 : Domenico Tintoretto , Venetian painter
- 1638 : Domenico Cresti , called Il Passagniano , Italian painter
- 1643 : Giovanni Picchi , Italian lutenist, organist and composer
- 1648 : Peter Melander von Holzappel , important Hessian general in the Thirty Years' War
- 1654 : Daniel Stahl , German philosopher
- 1656 : Dirck Hals , Dutch painter
- 1689 : Ernst Ludwig Avemann , German politician and diplomat
- 1691 : Jakob Leisler , North American colonialist of German descent
- 1694 : Johann Michael Bach , German composer
- 1700 : Adam Adamandy Kochański , Polish mathematician
18th century
- 1707 : Karl Wilhelm von Hessen-Darmstadt , Hessian prince and colonel
- 1707 : Benjamin Raule , Dutch shipowner and general naval director from Brandenburg
- 1715 : Andreas von Gundelsheimer , German physician, botanist and explorer in the service of the French King Louis XIV and personal physician to Prussian kings
- 1716 : Joan Corver , regent of Amsterdam
- 1718 : Matthew Maty , Dutch medic, biographer and librarian
- 1722 : Franz Beer von Au , owner of the Bregenzerwald
- 1727 : Catherine I , Tsarina of Russia
- 1727 : Lebrecht , Prince of Anhalt-Bernburg-Schaumburg-Hoym
- 1729 : Johann Kahler , German mathematician and Lutheran theologian
- 1735 : Georg Friedrich Karl , Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth
- 1740 : Jean Cavalier , chief leader of the Camisards in the Cevennes War and English governor of Jersey
- 1744 : Bonaventura Schwanthaler , Bavarian sculptor and leader of the Bavarian popular uprising
- 1748 : Ambrosius Haude , German bookseller and publisher
- 1750 : Georg Engelhard Schröder , Swedish portrait and history painter
- 1761 : Adam Friedrich Pezoldt , German chemist and physician
- 1765 : Alexis-Claude Clairaut , French mathematician and physicist
- 1767 : Roger Wolcott , British governor of the Colony of Connecticut
- 1774 : Francisco Javier de Morales , Spanish officer and governor of Chile
- 1775 : Carlo Carlone , Italian painter
- 1775 : Johann Joachim KÄNDER , medalist at the Meissen porcelain factory
19th century
- 1804 : Karl Joachim , Prince of Fürstenberg
- 1820 : Vincenzo Brenna , Italian-Russian architect and painter
- 1822 : Emil Leopold August , Duke of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg
- 1822 : Armand Emmanuel du Plessis, duc de Richelieu , French statesman
- 1823 : Giambattista Dall'Olio , Italian musician
- 1828 : Ralph Woodford , governor of the Caribbean island of Trinidad
- 1829 : John Jay , American politician
- 1838 : Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord , French statesman, foreign minister and diplomat
- 1838 : René Caillié , French explorer of Africa
- 1866 : Adolph Bernhard Marx , German composer and musicologist
- 1867 : Julius Léopold Eduard Avé-Lallemant , German botanist
- 1872 : Peter Roh , Jesuit preacher and teacher
- 1872 : Eduard Sobolewski , American composer
- 1875 : John C. Breckinridge , American Vice President, Senator, and MP for Kentucky, General, and Confederate Secretary of War in the Civil War
- 1881 : Heinrich Aemilius August Danz , German legal scholar
- 1882 : François Chabas , French Egyptologist
- 1886 : Josef Haltrich , Saxon teacher, pastor and folklorist
- 1889 : Marie of Prussia , Queen of Bavaria and mother of Ludwig II.
- 1895 : Wilhelm von Gutmann , Austrian entrepreneur
- 1900 : Hermann Howaldt , German engineer
20th century
1901-1950
- 1907 : Albert Clément , French racing car driver
- 1908 : Carl Koldewey , German polar explorer
- 1915 : Richard Wünsch , German classical philologist and religious scholar
- 1916 : Wilhelm Anton Michael von Attems-Petzenstein , Austrian field marshal lieutenant
- 1916 : Wilhelm Hübbe-Schleiden , German explorer, theosophist and writer
- 1916 : Gaston Salvayre , French composer
- 1918 : Ernst von Hesse-Wartegg , Austrian diplomat and travel writer
- 1918 : Bronisław Piłsudski , Polish ethnologist, brother of Józef Piłsudski
- 1919 : Guido von List , German author and founder of Ariosophy
- 1920 : Hugo Marquardsen , German officer and geographer
- 1923 : Thomas Scott Baldwin , American balloonist and aviation pioneer
- 1930 : George Appo , American criminal
- 1930 : Max Valier , South Tyrolean writer, astronomer and rocket building pioneer
- 1935 : Paul Dukas , French composer and music teacher
- 1944 : Milena Jesenská , Czech writer
- 1947 : Ignacy Dygas , Polish singer (tenor)
- 1947 : Hugo Visscher , Dutch church historian, Reformed theologian and politician
- 1950 : Anton Kolig , Austrian painter
1951-2000
- 1951 : S. Sylvan Simon , American director and producer
- 1953 : Eric DeLamarter , American composer
- 1953 : Howard Fogg , Canadian conductor and composer
- 1954 : Samuel Belov , American violinist, violist and music teacher
- 1958 : Hugo Häring , German architect and author
- 1962 : Arseni Grigoryevich Golowko , Soviet admiral
- 1963 : Ami Assaf , Israeli politician
- 1964 : John Moore-Brabazon , British aviation pioneer and conservative politician and racing car driver
- 1964 : Steve Owen , American football player and coach
- 1969 : Wilhelm Abeln , German politician
- 1969 : Josef Beran , Czech clergyman, Archbishop of Prague
- 1971 : Otto Salomon , German writer and publisher
- 1974 : Alfred Hanf , German painter, graphic artist and commercial artist
- 1974 : Maurice Lehmann , French theater and film director, theater director, producer and actor
- 1975 : SO Wagner , German actor, author, radio play speaker, radio play and theater director
- 1976 : Norbert Frýd , Czech writer and publicist
- 1980 : Harold Joseph Connolly , Canadian journalist and Prime Minister
- 1980 : Maria Kurenko , Russian singer
- 1981 : Hugo Friedhofer , American film composer
- 1987 : Gunnar Myrdal , Swedish economist
- 1989 : Ota Hofman , Czech screenwriter
- 1989 : Lucia Moholy , Swiss photographer
- 1989 : Walter Gross , German cabaret artist
- 1990 : Manuel Anatol , Spanish soccer player
- 1991 : Tom Trana , Swedish rally driver
- 1994 : Nicolás Gómez Dávila , Colombian philosopher
- 1996 : Rudolf Angerer , Austrian illustrator and caricaturist
- 1996 : Johnny Guitar Watson , American blues, soul and funk musician
- 1996 : Nikolaus Utermöhlen , German musician and artist
21st century
- 2002 : László Kubala , Hungarian football player
- 2002 : Mahzuni Serif , Turkish poet and musician
- 2003 : Luigi Pintor , Italian journalist, writer and politician
- 2003 : Moses Rosenkranz , Romanian writer
- 2004 : Tony Randall , American actor
- 2004 : Peggie Sampson , Canadian cellist, gambist and music teacher
- 2004 : Matthias Weisheit , German politician
- 2005 : Keiiti Aki , Japanese geophysicist and seismologist
- 2005 : Piero Dorazio , Italian painter
- 2006 : Eva Maria Bauer , German actress
- 2007 : Lloyd Alexander , American writer
- 2007 : Héctor Casanova , Cuban singer and composer
- 2007 : Dietmar Pflegerl , Austrian director
- 2009 : Mario Benedetti , Uruguayan writer
- 2009 : Rolf H. Dittmeyer , German entrepreneur
- 2009 : Werner Sellhorn , German musicologist
- 2010 : Bobbejaan , Belgian singer
- 2010 : Ludwig von Friedeburg , German sociologist and politician
- 2010 : Fritz Sennheiser , German company founder
- 2012 : Donna Summer , American singer
- 2013 : Dominic Kodwo Andoh , Ghanaian Archbishop
- 2013 : Jorge Rafael Videla , Argentine military and politician
- 2013 : Alan O'Day , American singer and songwriter
- 2014 : Ursula Benedix , German politician
- 2014 : Gerald M. Edelman , American physician, Nobel Prize winner
- 2015 : Leo Honkala , Finnish wrestler
- 2015 : Keiji Matsumoto , Japanese racing car driver
- 2016 : Fanny Müller , German politician, writer and satirist
- 2016 : Norbert Szyperski , German economist
- 2017 : Johannes Grützke , German painter
- 2018 : Nicole Fontaine , French politician
- 2018 : Richard Pipes , American historian
- 2019 : Neville Lederle , South African racing driver
- 2019 : Herman Wouk , American author
- 2020 : Peter Thomas , German film composer, conductor and arranger
Holidays and memorial days
- Church memorial days
- Valerius Herberger , German pastor and song writer (Protestant)
- Restituta of Africa , North African Martyr, possibly one of the Martyrs of the Holy Books (Roman Catholic, Orthodox)
- Name days
- State holidays and memorial days
- Nauru : Constitution Day
- Norway : National Day (since 1836)
- More information about the day
- International day against homo-, bi-, inter- and transphobia (since 2005)
- World Communication and Information Society Day (since 2006, formerly World Telecommunications Day )
- World Hypertension Day (since 2005)
The list of days of remembrance and action contains further entries .
Commons : May 17th - Collection of images, videos and audio files