Calendar date · February

What happened on February 17

On February 17, 1370: Northern Crusades: Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Teutonic Knights meet in the Battle of Rudau.

Events

51

across history

Notable births

50

Notable deaths

50

Zodiac

Aquarius

Featured moment · 1370

Northern Crusades: Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Teutonic Knights meet in the Battle of Rudau.

The Northern Crusades, or Baltic Crusades, were military campaigns conducted by several Germanic Catholic kingdoms and military orders in an effort to Christianize all the pagans around the southern and eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. The most notable of these campaigns were the Prussian and Livonian Crusades, the latter of which also fought against the Orthodox Christian states of Novgorod and Pskov. In some cases, such as with the Wendish Crusade, the conflicts were partly aimed at controlling the rich resources found in these lands.

People

Born on February 17

Devin White 1998– American football player (born 1998)
Gaetano Castrovilli 1997– Italian footballer (born 1997)
Sebastian Aho 1996– Swedish ice hockey player (born 1996)
Sasha Pieterse 1996– American actress (born 1996)
Madison Keys 1995– American tennis player (born 1995)
Mason Jobst 1994– American ice hockey player (born 1994)
Marc Márquez 1993– Spanish motorcycle racer (born 1993)
Meaghan Martin 1992– American actress and singer (born 1992)
Phil Pressey 1991– American basketball player (born 1991)
Show 9 more — notable births on February 17
Ed Sheeran 1991– English singer-songwriter (born 1991)
Jeremy Allen White 1991– American actor (born 1991)
Bonnie Wright 1991– English actress and filmmaker (born 1991)
Marianne St-Gelais 1990– Canadian short-track speed skater
Edin Višća 1990– Bosnian footballer (born 1990)
Rebecca Adlington 1989– English swimmer (born 1989)
Chord Overstreet 1989– American actor, singer and musician (born 1989)
Michael Frolík 1988– Czech ice hockey player (born 1988)
Case Keenum 1988– American football player (born 1988)

People

Died on February 17

Jesse Jackson American minister, activist and politician (1941–2026)
Shinya Yamada Japanese musician (1970–2026)
Paquita la del Barrio Mexican singer (1947–2025)
Frits Bolkestein Dutch politician (1933–2025)
Rick Buckler English drummer (1955–2025)
James Harrison Australian blood donor (1936–2025)
Gamini Jayawickrama Perera Sri Lankan politician (1941–2024)
Josette Molland World War II French Resistance member (1923–2024)
Rush Limbaugh American political commentator (1951–2021)
Show 9 more — notable deaths on February 17
Seif Sharif Hamad First Vice President of Zanzibar (1943–2021)
Robert H. Michel American politician (1923–2017)
Michael Novak American academic and diplomat (1933–2017)
Andy Ganteaume Trinidadian cricketer
Mohamed Hassanein Heikal Egyptian journalist (1923-2016)
Claude Jeancolas French writer, art historian and journalist (1949–2016)
Tony Phillips American baseball player (1959–2016)
Andrzej Żuławski Polish film director (1940–2016)
John Barrow American gridiron football player (1935–2015)

Timeline

Every February 17 on record

  1. 1370 Northern Crusades: Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Teutonic Knights meet in the Battle of Rudau.

    12th- and 13th-century crusades around the Baltic Sea.

    The Northern Crusades, or Baltic Crusades, were military campaigns conducted by several Germanic Catholic kingdoms and military orders in an effort to Christianize all the pagans around the southern and eastern shores of the Baltic Sea. The most notable of these campaigns were the Prussian and Livonian Crusades, the latter of which also fought against the Orthodox Christian states of Novgorod and Pskov. In some cases, such as with the Wendish Crusade, the conflicts were partly aimed at controlling the rich resources found in these lands.

  2. 1411 Following the successful campaigns during the Ottoman Interregnum, Musa Çelebi, one of the sons of Bayezid I, becomes Sultan of the Ottoman Empire with the support of Mircea I of Wallachia.

    Civil war in the early 15th century Ottoman Empire

    The Ottoman Interregnum, or Ottoman Civil War, was a civil war in the Ottoman realm between the sons of the Ottoman sultan Bayezid I following their father's defeat and capture by Timur in the Battle of Ankara on 28 July 1402. Although Timur confirmed Mehmed Çelebi as sultan, Mehmed's brothers refused to recognize his authority, each claiming the throne for himself, which resulted in civil war. The Interregnum would last a little under 11 years and culminate in the Battle of Çamurlu on 5 July 1413, when Mehmed Çelebi emerged as victor, crowned himself Sultan Mehmed I, and restored the empire.

  3. 1500 Duke Frederick of Schleswig-Holstein and King John of Denmark attempt to subdue the peasantry of Dithmarschen, Denmark, in the Battle of Hemmingstedt.

    King of Denmark (1523–1533) and Norway (1524–1533)

    Frederick I was King of Denmark and Norway from 1523 and 1524, respectively, until his death in 1533, and earlier co-duke Duke of Schleswig and Holstein.

  4. 1600 On his way to be burned at the stake for heresy, at Campo de' Fiori in Rome, the philosopher Giordano Bruno has a wooden vise put on his tongue to prevent him continuing to speak.

    Square in Rome, Italy

    Campo de' Fiori is a rectangular square south of Piazza Navona in Rome, Italy, at the border between the rioni Parione and Regola. It is diagonally southeast of the Palazzo della Cancelleria and one block northeast of the Palazzo Farnese. The name dates to the Middle Ages when the area was a meadow.

  5. 1616 Nurhaci proclaims himself Khan of the Later Jin, precursor to the Qing Dynasty.

    Founding khan of the Later Jin dynasty

    Nurhaci, also known by his temple name Emperor Taizu of Qing, was the founding khan of the Jurchen-led Later Jin dynasty.

  6. 1621 Myles Standish is appointed as first military commander of the English Plymouth Colony in North America.
  7. 1674 An earthquake strikes the Indonesian island of Ambon. It triggers a 100 m (330 ft) megatsunami which drowns over 2,300 people.
  8. 1676 Sixteen men of Pascual de Iriate's expedition are lost at Evangelistas Islets at the western end of the Strait of Magellan.
  9. 1739 The Battle of Vasai commences as the Marathas move to invade Portuguese-occupied territory.
  10. 1753 In Sweden, February 17 is followed by March 1 as the country moves from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar.
  11. 1801 United States presidential election: A tie in the Electoral College between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr is resolved when Jefferson is elected President of the United States and Burr Vice President by the United States House of Representatives.
  12. 1814 War of the Sixth Coalition: The Battle of Mormant.
  13. 1819 The United States House of Representatives passes the Missouri Compromise for the first time.
  14. 1838 In the Weenen massacre, hundreds of Voortrekkers along the Blaukraans River, Natal are killed by Zulus.
  15. 1854 The United Kingdom recognizes the independence of the Orange Free State.
Show 15 earlier entries from February 17
  1. 1859 Cochinchina Campaign: The French Navy captures the Citadel of Saigon, a fortress manned by 1,000 Nguyễn dynasty soldiers, en route to conquering Saigon and other regions of southern Viet Nam.
  2. 1863 A group of citizens of Geneva found an International Committee for Relief to the Wounded, which later became known as the International Committee of the Red Cross.
  3. 1864 American Civil War: The H. L. Hunley becomes the first submarine to engage and sink a warship, the USS Housatonic.
  4. 1865 American Civil War: Columbia, South Carolina, is burned as Confederate forces flee from advancing Union forces.
  5. 1905 Russian Revolution of 1905: Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia is assassinated in the Moscow Kremlin by Socialist Revolutionary Ivan Kalyayev.
  6. 1913 The Armory Show opens in New York City, displaying works of artists who are to become some of the most influential painters of the early 20th century.
  7. 1919 The Ukrainian People's Republic asks the Entente and the United States for help fighting the Bolsheviks.
  8. 1944 World War II: The Battle of Eniwetok begins. The battle ends in an American victory on February 22.
  9. 1944 World War II: Operation Hailstone begins: U.S. naval air, surface, and submarine attack against Truk Lagoon, Japan's main base in the central Pacific, in support of the Eniwetok invasion.
  10. 1948 The Al-Waziri coup briefly ousts the ruling Hamidaddin dynasty of Yemen; Imam Yahya Muhammad Hamid ed-Din is killed.
  11. 1949 Chaim Weizmann begins his term as the first President of Israel.
  12. 1959 Project Vanguard: Vanguard 2: The first weather satellite is launched to measure cloud-cover distribution.
  13. 1959 A Turkish Airlines Vickers Viscount crashes near Gatwick Airport, killing 14; Turkish prime minister Adnan Menderes survives the crash.
  14. 1964 In Wesberry v. Sanders the Supreme Court of the United States rules that congressional districts have to be approximately equal in population.
  15. 1964 Gabonese president Léon M'ba is toppled by a coup and his rival, Jean-Hilaire Aubame, is installed in his place.

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