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17 June 2024
Holidays, observances, history and sky information for this date.
Holidays
No listed India public holiday for this date.
Observances
No UN observance in the current list for this date.
Selected anniversaries
Anniversary
2017 - Wildfires erupted across central Portugal, eventually causing the deaths of 66 people.Four deadly fires in Leiria, Portugal
Anniversary
2015 - A white supremacist committed a mass shooting at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, killing nine people during a prayer service.Belief in the superiority of white people
Anniversary
2009 - Following a petition, the liberal progressive Czech Pirate Party was officially registered as a political party.Political party in the Czech Republic
Anniversary
1972 - Five men were arrested for attempted burglary on the offices of the Democratic National Committee, igniting the Watergate scandal that ultimately led to the resignation of US president Richard Nixon more than two years later.Group of six buildings in Washington D.C., U.S.
Anniversary
1963 - Riots broke out in Saigon one day after the signing of the Joint Communiqué, an attempt to resolve the Buddhist crisis in South Vietnam.Largest city in Vietnam
Historical events
History
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.U.S. holiday, June 19
History
2017 - A series of wildfires in central Portugal kill at least 64 people and injure 204 others.Four deadly fires in Leiria, Portugal
History
2015 - Nine people are killed in a mass shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina.2015 mass shooting in South Carolina, U.S.
History
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.American football player and actor (1947–2024)
History
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).President of the United States from 1989 to 1993
History
1991 - Apartheid: The South African Parliament repeals the Population Registration Act which required racial classification of all South Africans at birth.South African system of racial segregation
History
1989 - Interflug Flight 102 crashes during a rejected takeoff from Berlin Schönefeld Airport, killing 21 people.1989 East German plane crash
History
1987 - With the death of the last individual of the species, the dusky seaside sparrow becomes extinct.Extinct subspecies of bird
History
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.1972–2011 United States human spaceflight program
History
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.1970s political scandal in the U.S.
Notable births
Born
2003 - Rizki Juniansyah, Indonesian weightlifterIndonesian weightlifter (born 2003)
Born
1999 - Henri Jokiharju, Finnish ice hockey playerFinnish ice hockey player (born 1999)
Born
1999 - Elena Rybakina, Russian-born Kazakhstani tennis playerKazakhstani tennis player (born 1999)
Born
1997 - Raluca Șerban, Romanian-Cypriot tennis playerRomanian-Cypriot female tennis player (born 1997)
Born
1997 - Alexander Bublik, Russian-born Kazakhstani tennis playerKazakh tennis player (born 1997)
Notable deaths
Died
2021 - Kenneth Kaunda, Zambian educator and politician, first president of Zambia (born 1924)1st President of Zambia, 1964-1991
Died
2020 - Jean Kennedy Smith, American activist, humanitarian, author and diplomat (United States Ambassador to Ireland, 1993–1998) (born 1928)American diplomat (1928–2020)
Died
2019 - Gloria Vanderbilt, American artist, author actress, fashion designer, heiress and socialite (born 1924)American artist, author, actress, and designer (1924–2019)
Died
2019 - Mohamed Morsi, Egyptian professor and politician, first elected president of Egypt after Egyptian revolution (born 1951)President of Egypt from 2012 to 2013
Died
2017 - Baldwin Lonsdale, president of Vanuatu (born 1948)President of Vanuatu from 2014 to 2017
Died
2015 - Ron Clarke, Australian runner and politician, Mayor of the Gold Coast (born 1937)Australian long-distance runner (1937–2015)
Died
2015 - John David Crow, American football player and coach (born 1935)American football player, coach, and administrator (1935–2015)
Died
2015 - Süleyman Demirel, Turkish engineer and politician, 9th President of Turkey (born 1924)President of Turkey from 1993 to 2000
Sky
Moon phase
Waxing Gibbous
80.8% illuminated
Lunar age: 10.5 days
Sun zodiac
Gemini
26.79 degrees
Constellation: Taurus
Moon zodiac
Scorpio
2.72 degrees
Constellation: Virgo
Astronomy events
No major astronomy event in the current calendar for this date.