On This Day - What Happened On June 17 - Encyclopedia Britannica

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Featured Event

1994 Arrest of O.J. Simpson On this day in 1994, American gridiron football hero O.J. Simpson was charged with the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman, though after a sensational trial he was acquitted the following year. Myung J. Chun—AFP/Getty Images

Featured Biography

Igor Stravinsky Russian composer bornJune 17, 1882Lomonosov, RussiadiedApril 6, 1971 (aged 88)New York City, New YorkPrints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (2014712545) 1987 Kendrick Lamar American musician 1943 Newt Gingrich American politician 1900 Martin Bormann German Nazi leader 1898 M.C. Escher Dutch artist 1882 Igor Stravinsky Russian composer See All Biographies On This Day

More Events On This Day

2012 African American construction worker Rodney King—whose videotaped beating by white Los Angeles Police Department officers in March 1991 (and the officers' subsequent treatment by the courts) sparked violent race riots—was found dead in his swimming pool in California. Read about other riots in U.S. history 1972 The Watergate, an office-apartment-hotel complex in Washington, D.C., that was the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee, was broken into by five men who were later arrested, prompting the Watergate scandal that upended the administration of U.S. President Richard M. Nixon. Test your knowledge of U.S. political scandalsMickey Sanborn—U.S. Department of Defense 1944 Iceland declared itself a republic. Watch a time-lapse video of IcelandEncyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 1943 American pop singer and songwriter Barry Manilow, who specialized in elaborately orchestrated romantic ballads, was born. Take our quiz about songwriters© Chris Farina/Getty Images 1940 The Soviet Red Army invaded Latvia, which led to the incorporation of the country into the U.S.S.R. How much do you know about European history? 1930 The United States imposed the protectionist Smoot-Hawley Tariff, raising the average tariff by some 20 percent and worsening an already beleaguered world economy. Test your knowledge of U.S. historyEncyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 1871 James Weldon Johnson—a poet, diplomat, and anthologist of African American culture—was born. Take our quiz about African American historyBrown Brothers 1775 In the Battle of Bunker Hill, American colonial revolutionaries clashed with British regulars during the Siege of Boston. Watch an overview of the Siege of BostonJohn R. Freeman & Co. Ltd. 1631 Mumtaz Mahal, wife of Mughal emperor Shah Jahān, died during childbirth, and in her memory he built the Taj Mahal, the most famous building in India. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about IndiaHistoria/Shutterstock.com SIGN UP FOR History's Biggest Headlines Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors. SIGN UP Thanks for signing up for Today in History. Your first newsletter will arrive soon! SIGN UP By clicking "Sign Up" you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.