On This Day in History: January 17

Roman Emperor Theodosius I, dies on January 17, 395 CE. He bequeathed the Eastern half to his son Arcadius and the Western half to his son Honorius, marking the permanent split of the Roman Empire. The East eventually became the Byzantine Empire and the West collapsed within a century. Expand +

Pope Gregory XI moves the Papal See back to Rome from Avignon, on January 17, 1377 ending the Avignon Papacy; a nearly 70 year period where popes resided in France under French influence.  Expand +

Bonnie Prince Charlie's Jacobite forces defeat government troops at the Battle of Falkirk Muir in Scotland on January 17, 1746. They failed to capitalize on the win and it was the Jacobites last major victory of the 1745 Rising, leading to their final defeat months later at Culloden. 

American forces under Brigadier General, Daniel Morgan defeat the British at the Battle of Cowpens in South Carolina on January 17, 1781 during the American Revolutionary War.

Argentine General José de San Martín begins his legendary Crossing of the Andes on January 17, 1817 during the South American Wars of Independence. The successful crossing led to the decisive Battle of Chacabuco on February 12, 1817, and the entry into Santiago on February 14, establishing San Martín's reputation and securing Chile's path to independence.

The United Kingdom formally recognizes the independence of the Transvaal (South African Republic) through the Sand River Convention on January 17, 1852; granting the Boer settlers north of the Vaal River the right to manage their own affairs. This recognition followed years of conflict. Britain later re-annexed the territory in 1877 before restoring self-rule in 1881.

The Kingdom of Hawaii is overthrown on January 17, 1893 in a coup d'état against Queen Liliokalani and her government by a group of American and European businessmen led by Sanford B. Dole who called themselves the "Committee of Safety". Expand +

Soviet forces capture Warsaw during World War II on January 17, 1945, following their Vistula-Oder Offensive, entering a ruined city after the failed Warsaw Uprising of 1944 took place while the Soviets had paused, allowing Germans to crush the Polish Home Army. The Soviets' entry solidified their control over Poland, paving the way for a pro-Soviet government .

The security firm Brinks, in Boston, Massachusetts, is surprised by five heavily disguised men as they were closing for the day on January 17, 1950. The men quickly bound the employees and within minutes, they’d stolen more than $1.2 million in cash and another $1.5 million in checks and other securities, making it the largest robbery in the U.S. at the time. More

A US B-52 bomber loaded with nuclear weapons collides with a tanker plane on January 17, 1966 during a midair refueling operation off the coast of Almeria, Spain. Seven of the total 11 crew members were killed. The crash caused four hydrogen bombs to tumble from the B-52. Expand +

The International Olympic Committee restores Jim Thorpe's Olympic medals 70 years after they were taken away due to his playing semi-professional baseball.

Operation Desert Storm, the subsequent offensive combat phase against Iraq, authorized by the United Nations to remove Iraq forces from Kuwait, begins on January 17, 1991 with an aerial and naval bombardment, continuing for five weeks.  Expand +

At 4:30 am, on January 17, 1994, Residents of the greater Los Angeles area were awakened by the strong shaking of the magnitude 6.7 Northridge earthquake. This was the first earthquake to strike directly under an urban area of the United States since the 1933 Long Beach earthquake. More