Browse Historical Events by Day: What Happened on September 17th?

The Battle of Brunanburh takes place in England, where King Athelstan of England secures a decisive victory against a coalition of Viking and Scottish forces.

Marco Polo sets off on his journey to the East, embarking on a 24-year exploration of Asia and becoming one of the most famous European explorers.

The Ming dynasty is proclaimed in China, marking the end of the Yuan dynasty and the beginning of a new era of Chinese rule.

King Charles VI of France ordered that all Jewish people be expelled from the kingdom. More

The U.S. Constitution is finally accepted and signed The document consisted of a Preamble and seven Articles. Some pointed to the missing bill of rights as a fatal flaw in the new document. A compromised was reached assuring that amendments would be immediately proposed to addressed the need for a bill of rights and the Constitution was signed by 39 of the 42 delegates still present at the convention when it was finished (Governor Edmund Randolph and George Mason, both from Virginia, and Elbridge Gerry from Massachusetts, declined to sign It). On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the document, and it was subsequently agreed that government under the U.S. Constitution would begin on March 4, 1789 thus replacing the existing Articles of Confederation which had been adopted by the Continental Congress on 11/15/1777.

The Battle of Antietam takes place during the American Civil War, resulting in the bloodiest single day of battle in U.S. history. It showed that the Union could stand against the Confederate army in the Eastern theater. It also gave President Abraham Lincoln the confidence to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. More

The Soviet Union invades Poland which was already in a state of war with Nazi Germany and occupies the Eastern part of Poland. At the end of September the division of Poland was confirmed by German–Soviet Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Demarcation which included a correction of the borders first drawn in the secret clause of the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact. It was the beginning of a 2-year long occupation of Central Europe by two totalitarian regimes. More

Operation Market Garden, a major Allied airborne operation, commences in the Netherlands with the goal of securing key bridges and opening a path into Germany. The operation ultimately falls short of its objectives.

The Organization of American States (OAS) is founded in Bogota, Colombia, with the goal of promoting democracy, peace, and cooperation among the countries of the Americas.

The Nuremberg Trials of Nazi war criminals begin in Nuremberg, Germany.

NASA Space Shuttle Enterprise Makes its Public Debut. More

The Camp David Accords are signed by Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, leading to a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. More

The Occupy Wall Street movement begins in New York City.