17 October in history
5 events that happened on 17 October, from 1346 to 1979.
✦ Anniversary of the day
1346 CE 680 years ago
The English capture David II of Scotland at Neville's Cross
An English force defeated a Scottish invasion at Neville's Cross near Durham and captured King David II. He spent eleven years as a prisoner before being ransomed.
1777 CE 249 years ago
Burgoyne surrenders his army at Saratoga
British General John Burgoyne surrendered nearly 6,000 men to American forces at Saratoga, New York. The victory persuaded France to ally with the United States, a turning point in the Revolutionary War.
1888 CE 138 years ago
Edison files his first motion picture caveat
Thomas Edison filed a patent caveat describing an 'optical phonograph' to record and reproduce moving images. The idea, developed largely by his assistant William Dickson, became the Kinetoscope.
1956 CE 70 years ago
The Queen opens Calder Hall nuclear power station
Elizabeth II opened Calder Hall in Cumberland, the world's first nuclear power station to supply electricity to a national grid on a commercial scale. It also produced plutonium for Britain's weapons programme.
