Year 1498
Admiral Dom Vasco-da-Gama (c.1469-1524)-I, Portuguese navigator, arrived in India. He sailed around the Cape of Good Hope to Calicut, Kerala with three vessels and was the first Westerner to sail to India from Europe. (17 or 20).
MAY 17
Daily Historical Chronicle
UPSC CSE • State PSC • SSC CGL Matrix
17 May: What Happened On This Day in History
Curated historical timeline of momentous political pacts, freedom struggle uprisings, constitutional developments, scientific breakthroughs, and prominent birthdays recorded on 17 May.
Observances & Special Days
World Hypertension Day
Norwegian Constitution Day
World Information Society Day (International)
Year 1540
Sher Shah defeated Humayun for the second time at Hardoi in U.P. in the battle of Kanauj.
Year 1775
Marathas were badly mauled in the battle of Arras by Col. Keating in the first Anglo - Maratha war.
Year 1782
Treaty of Salbai signed on 17th May 1782
Year 1792
Establishment of the New York Stock Exchange.
Year 1857
Bahadhur Shah II was declared emperor of India.
Year 1873
Hindi daily 'Bharat Mitra' started from Calcutta.
Year 1949
India decided with only one dissent vote to remain within the Commonwealth of Nations.
Year 1976
4 Indians successfully skied down from the slope of Trishul peak.
Year 1990
Homosexuality was removed from the list of psychiatric disorders by the World Health Organization.
Year 1992
Import of 106 life-saving drugs and 37 types of equipment allowed.
Year 1995
Three North Eastern States remove restricted area permits (RAP).
Year 1999
Sonia Gandhi resigns as Congress president but the CWC(I) rejects it.
Year 2004
The first legal same-sex marriages in the U.S. were performed in the state of Massachusetts.
Born 1749
Edward Jenner, English physician and microbiologist (d. 1823)
Born 1865
Raobahadur Govind Sakharam Sardesai `Riyasatkar' was born.
Born 1868
Horace Dodge, an American automobile manufacturing pioneer, and co-founder of Dodge Brothers Company.
Born 1897
Dhirendra Varma, a famous linguist, was born.
Born 1916
Gurusiddappa Sivappa, a great industrialist, was born at Bangalore
Born 1927
A.N. Radhakrishnan, a great educationist, was born.
Born 1934
Ronald Wayne, a retired American electronics industry businessman. He co-founded Apple Computer Company
Born 1951
Pankaj Udhas, an Indian ghazal singer.
Born 1979
Mukta Barve, an Indian television, film, and theatre actress.
Died 1510
Sandro Botticelli, an Italian painter.
Died 1886
John Deere, an American blacksmith, and manufacturer who founded Deere & Company.
Died 1887
Ranglal Bandopadhyay, Bengali poet, essay writer and journalist, passed away.
Died 1913
Dwijendralal Ray, a Bengali poet, playwright, and musician.
Died 1974
Durgadas, a famous Indian journalist, passed away.
Died 1991
Prabhakar Machve, a great litterateur, passed away.
Died 2007
T. K. Doraiswamy, Indian poet and author (b. 1921)
Died 2014
C.P. Krishnan Nair, an Indian businessman who founded The Leela Group.