17 February in history

6 events that happened on 17 February, from 1600 to 1979.

  1. 1600 CE 426 years ago

    Giordano Bruno is burned at the stake in Rome

    Condemned by the Inquisition for heresy, the Dominican philosopher was burned in the Campo de' Fiori. His views included an infinite universe with countless worlds; a statue of him now stands there.

  2. ✦ Anniversary of the day

    1801 CE 225 years ago

    House elects Thomas Jefferson President after an electoral tie

    On the 36th ballot, the House of Representatives broke the tie between Jefferson and his running mate Aaron Burr. The crisis led to the Twelfth Amendment, separating votes for President and Vice-President.

  3. 1863 CE 163 years ago

    Committee that became the Red Cross meets in Geneva

    Five Genevans, including Henri Dunant, founded a committee to aid wounded soldiers, inspired by Dunant's account of Solferino. It became the International Committee of the Red Cross.

  4. 1864 CE 162 years ago

    H. L. Hunley sinks USS Housatonic

    The Confederate submarine rammed a torpedo into the Union warship off Charleston, the first sinking of an enemy ship by a submarine. The Hunley was lost with all eight crew that night.

  5. 1933 CE 93 years ago

    First issue of News-Week is published

    The weekly news magazine, later Newsweek, was launched in New York as a rival to Time. It became one of the leading American news weeklies of the 20th century.

    New York

  6. 1979 CE 47 years ago

    China invades Vietnam

    Chinese troops crossed Vietnam's northern border to punish Hanoi for invading Cambodia. Both sides claimed victory after a month of fighting that cost tens of thousands of lives.

    CambodiaHanoi

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