Year 1899
Kolkata got hydroelectric power.
APRIL 17
Daily Historical Chronicle
UPSC CSE • State PSC • SSC CGL Matrix
17 April: What Happened On This Day in History
Curated historical timeline of momentous political pacts, freedom struggle uprisings, constitutional developments, scientific breakthroughs, and prominent birthdays recorded on 17 April.
Observances & Special Days
Malbec World Day
Women's Day (Gabon)
World Hemophilia Day
Year 1935
In the dream of the Sun Myung, Jesus Christ gave an insight into the dream and commanded to carry forward the work you started.
Year 1941
Yugoslavia surrendered to Germany during World War II.
Year 1946
Syria gained independence from France.
Year 1952
The first Lok Sabha came into existence.
Year 1970
An astronaut from Chandrayaan Apollo 13 safely returned to the earth.
Year 2003
Formation of Indo-UK Parliamentary Forum after 55 years.
Year 2014
NASA’s Kepler space telescope confirmed the discovery of the first Earth-size planet in the habitable zone of another star.
Born 1479
Poet Surdas, a great poet and a great Krishna devotee in Hindi was born.
Born 1756
Dheeran Chinnamalai, Indian commander (d. 1805)
Born 1820
Alexander Joy Cartwright Jr., Known as the father of Baseball.
Born 1897
Nisargadatta Maharaj, a Hindu guru of nondualism.
Born 1912
Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, an Indian novelist and short story writer of Malayalam literature.
Born 1915
Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Sri Lankan politician, 6th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka (d. 2000)
Born 1916
Sirimavo Bandaranaike, a Sri Lankan stateswoman. She was the world’s first female prime minister.
Born 1941
Asaram Bapu, a controversial Indian godman, currently serving a life sentence for the rape of a minor.
Born 1961
Geet Siriram Sethi, an Indian professional player of English billiards.
Born 1966
Vikram, an Indian actor, and playback singer.
Born 1972
Muttiah Muralitharan, a Sri Lankan cricket coach, and former professional cricketer.
Died 1790
Benjamin Franklin, an American researcher, and diplomat.
Died 1882
George Jennings, inventor of the flush toilet.
Died 1946
V. S. Srinivasa Sastri, an Indian politician, administrator, educator, orator, and Indian independence activist.
Died 1975
Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, the first vice president and the Second President of India.
Died 1997
Biju Patnaik, an Indian politician. He served twice as the Chief Minister of the State of Odisha.
Died 2004
Soundarya, an Indian actress.