The Teutonic Knights, led by Grand Master Winrich von Kniprode, defeat the Lithuanians forces, led by Algirdas and Kęstutis, on February 17, 1370, near Königsberg at the battle of Rudau. The victory stopped their advance into Prussia but it came at a heavy loss for the Knights and only brought short term results.
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On This Day in History: February 17
Explore the historical events that shaped our world on February 17th. From major milestones to cultural achievements, see what happened on this day in history. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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Giordano Bruno, Italian philosopher, astronomer, and former Dominican monk, was burned at the stake for heresy, on February 17, 1600 by the Roman Inquisition in Rome's Campo de' Fiori.
He was convicted of holding unorthodox views such as the infinity of the universe, the Copernican heliocentric model, and theological heresies like denying the divinity of Christ. Bruno refused to recant his beliefs. In 1889, a statue was erected in his honor at the site of his death, marking him as a martyr for scientific and intellectual freedom. Others believe that his charges were primarily rooted in his radical theological views and occult, magical philosophies.
The U.S. House of Representatives elects Thomas Jefferson as the third President of the United States on February 17, 1801, and Aaron Burr as the Vice President, marking the first peaceful transfer of power from one party to another.
The election went to the House because the original electoral results were Jefferson 73, Burr 73, Adams 65 and Pinckney 64. and the tie had to be resolved because the Constitution did not distinguish between candidates for the presidency and vice presidency. This election led to the Twelfth Amendment to the Constitution which declared separate voting for presidential and vice-presidential candidates. The Constitutional Amendment was ratified in 1804. The New Vice president, Aaron Burr is also remembered for killing Alexander Hamilton,, his political rival in a duel in 1804 while still in office.
Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly, premiered at La Scala in Milan on February 17, 1904. The initial performance was a major failure, receiving hissing, and jeering from the audience. The opera was heavily revised by Puccini and went on to become one of the most beloved and frequently performed operas.
China invades Vietnam on February 17, 1979, starting the month-long Sino-Vietnamese War. It was triggered in part, by Vietnam's invasion of Cambodia in 1978 and toppling the Chinese-aligned Khmer Rouge regime. The Chinese forces withdrew on March 16.
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Russian chess grandmaster and World Chess Champion, Garry Kasparov, triumphs over the IBM's Deep Blue Supercomputer on February 17, 1996 in a a six-round tournament competition to determine if a machine could defeat a human in chess.
Surprisingly, Kasparov lost the first game of the tournament but was able to end the competition with an overall win of three victories, two draws and one loss.
Kosovo formally declares independence from Serbia established the Republic of Kosovo as a sovereign state on February 17, 2008. The move was supported by the U.S. and major European powers but contested by Serbia and its allies, including Russia. The declaration followed a 78-day NATO bombing campaign in 1999 that ended a crackdown on ethnic Albanians.