Anniversaries and commemorations come and go daily. Most of us, even the best historians, miss most occasions. If we think of history as events then we are faced with a continually showering in the grains of sand. Nevertheless, we do pick out certain patterns in the remembrance of historical dates. The blog here reminds us of some dates where the local, state, national, and global perspectives entwine.

On 17, Monday December 1894, Arthur Fiedler, American conductor, born (d. 1979)
On 17, Monday December 1894, Willem Schermerhorn, Prime Minister of the Netherlands, born (d. 1977)
On 17, Wednesday December 1919, Geraldine Halls (pen name: Charlotte Jay), mystery novelist, born (died 1996)
On 17, Wednesday December 1919, Uruguay becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty.
On 17, Sunday December 1944, WWII: Malmedy massacre: German SS troops under Joachim Peiper machine gun American prisoners of war captured during the Battle of the Bulge near Malmedy and elsewhere in Belgium.
On 17, Sunday December 1944, WWII: Bombing of Ulm in World War II, 707 people are killed and 25,000 are left homeless.
On 17, Sunday December 1944, Bernard Hill, British actor, born
On 17, Thursday December 1959, Gregg Araki, American director, born
On 17, Wednesday December 1969, Chuck Liddell, American mixed martial arts fighter, born
On 17, Wednesday December 1969, Michael V., Filipino comedian and actor, born
On 17, Monday December 1979, William Green, American football player, born
On 17, Monday December 1979, Matt Murley, American hockey player, born
On 17, Monday December 1979, Jaimee Foxworth, American actress and model, born
On 17, Monday December 1979, A. J. Iversen, Danish cabinetmaker, died (b. 1888)
On 17, Sunday December 1989, The Romanian Revolution begins in Timișoara when rioters break into the building housing the District Committee of the Romanian Communist Party and cause extensive damage. Their attempts to set the buildings on fire are foiled by military units.
On 17, Sunday December 1989, Brazil holds the second round of its first free election in 29 years; Fernando Collor de Mello is elected to serve as President from 1990.
On 17, Sunday December 1989, Albert C. Wedemeyer, American general, died (b. 1897)
On 17, Saturday December 1994, A Spanish court overturns Christopher Skase’s extradition from Spain.
On 17, Saturday December 1994, Nat Wolff, American actor, born
On 17, Friday December 1999, Rex Allen, American actor, singer, and songwriter, died (b. 1920)
On 17, Friday December 1999, Grover Washington, Jr., American saxophonist, died (b. 1943)
On 17, Thursday December 2009, Amin al-Hafiz, President and Prime Minister of Syria, died (b. 1921)
On 17, Thursday December 2009, Jennifer Jones, American actress, died (b. 1919)
On 17, Wednesday December 2014, U.S. President Barack Obama announces the resumption of normal relations between the U.S. and Cuba.

Other On This Day days in history

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Neville Buch

Professional Historian at Professional Historians Association (Queensland) Inc.

Neville Buch (Pronounced Book) Ph.D. is a certified member of the Professional Historians Association (Queensland). Since 2010 he has operated a sole trade business in history consultancy. He was a Q ANZAC 100 Fellow 2014-2015 at the State Library of Queensland. Dr Buch was the PHA (Qld) e-Bulletin, the monthly state association’s electronic publication, and was a member of its Management Committee. He is the Managing Director of the Brisbane Southside History Network.

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