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September 17 is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar; 105 days remain until the end of the year.

EVENTS

1382 – Louis the Great's daughter, Mary, is crowned "king" of Hungary.

1543 – The first Finnish-language book, the Abckiria by Mikael Agricola, is published in Stockholm.

1631 – Sweden wins a major victory at the Battle of Breitenfeld against the Holy Roman Empire during the Thirty Years' War.

1658 – The Battle of Vilanova is fought between Portugal and Spain during the Portuguese Restoration War.

1775 – American Revolutionary War: The invasion of Canada begins with the Siege of Fort St. Jean.

1778 – The Treaty of Fort Pitt is signed. It is the first formal treaty between the United States and a Native American tribe.

1787 – The United States Constitution is signed in Philadelphia.

1849 – American abolitionist Harriet Tubman escapes from slavery.

1859 – Joshua A. Norton declares himself "Norton I, Emperor of the United States."

1862 – American Civil War: The Allegheny Arsenal explosion results in the single largest civilian disaster during the war.

1908 – The Wright Flyer flown by Orville Wright, with Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge as passenger, crashes, killing Selfridge, who becomes the first airplane fatality.

1914 – Andrew Fisher becomes Prime Minister of Australia for the third time.

1920 – The National Football League is organized as the American Professional Football Association in Canton, Ohio.

1928 – The Okeechobee hurricane strikes southeastern Florida, killing more than 2,500 people.

1961 – The world's first retractable roof stadium, the Civic Arena, opens in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

1976 – The Space Shuttle Enterprise is unveiled by NASA.

1978 – The Camp David Accords are signed by Israel and Egypt.

2001 – The New York Stock Exchange reopens for trading after the September 11 attacks, the longest closure since the Great Depression.

2013 – Grand Theft Auto V earns more than half a billion dollars on its first day of release.

2016 – Two bombs explode in Seaside Park, New Jersey, and Manhattan. Thirty-one people are injured in the Manhattan bombing.

BIRTHS

1550 – Paul V, pope of the Catholic Church (d. 1621)

1688 – Maria Luisa of Savoy, queen consort of Spain (d. 1714)

1739 – John Rutledge, American judge and politician, 2nd Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1800)

1825 – Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar II, American jurist and politician, 16th United States Secretary of the Interior (d. 1893)

1854 – David Dunbar Buick, Scottish-American businessman, founded Buick Motor Company (d. 1929)

1859 – Billy the Kid, American gunman (d. 1881)

1879 – Rube Foster, American baseball player and manager (d. 1930)

1900 – J. Willard Marriott, American businessman, founded the Marriott Corporation (d. 1985)

1907 – Warren E. Burger, American lawyer and judge, 15th Chief Justice of the United States (d. 1995)

1916 – Mary Stewart, British author and poet (d. 2014)

1918 – Lea Gottlieb, Hungarian-Israeli fashion designer, founded the Gottex Company (d. 2012)

1923 – Hank Williams, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1953)

1925 – Dorothy Loudon, American actress and singer (d. 2003)

1926 – Hovie Lister, American minister and pianist (d. 2001)

1928 – Roddy McDowall, English-American actor (d. 1998)

1931 – Anne Bancroft, American actress (d. 2005)

1945 – Phil Jackson, American basketball player and coach

1948 – John Ritter, American actor and producer (d. 2003)

1953 – Rita Rudner, American actress, comedian, and screenwriter

director

1962 – BeBe Winans, American singer-songwriter and producer

1965 – Bryan Singer, American director, producer, and screenwriter

1975 – Jimmie Johnson, American race car driver

1995 – Patrick Mahomes, American football player

DEATHS

1630 – Thomas Lake, English politician, English Secretary of State (b. 1567)

1908 – Thomas Selfridge, American lieutenant and pilot (b. 1882)

1984 – Richard Basehart, American actor and director (b. 1914)

1985 – Laura Ashley, Welsh fashion designer, founded Laura Ashley plc (b. 1925)

1996 – Spiro Agnew, American soldier and politician, 39th Vice President of the United States (b. 1918)

1997 – Red Skelton, American actor and comedian (b. 1913)

2019 – Cokie Roberts, American journalist and bestselling author (b. 1943)

2020 – Robert W. Gore, American engineer and businessman, co-inventor of Gore-Tex (b. 1937)

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