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May 17
in history

Napoleon orders the Papal States annexed to France (1809), and Trains cross the Korean border in a joint test run (2007). Born on this day: Edward Jenner, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and Jean Gabin. Died: Sandro Botticelli, Donna Summer and Catherine I.

26 events, 63 births and 59 deaths on this date.

Events

  1. 2007

    Trains cross the Korean border in a joint test run

    Locomotives from North and South Korea rolled across the heavily guarded Demilitarized Zone in a test run both governments had agreed. It was the first crossing by trains since the Korean War armistice of 1953 had split the peninsula.

  2. 1990

    WHO removes homosexuality from its list of psychiatric diseases

    The World Health Organization's governing assembly voted to drop homosexuality from its classification of mental disorders. The decision reshaped how medical bodies worldwide understood sexual orientation and helped end its treatment as an illness.

  3. 1984

    Prince Charles attacks National Gallery extension plans

    The heir to the throne publicly condemned the design for a National Gallery extension, comparing it to an ugly blemish on a much-admired building. The remark sparked a lasting argument about royal influence on public building and the direction of modern architecture.

  4. 1536

    Henry VIII's marriage to Anne Boleyn is annulled

    Henry VIII's marriage to Anne Boleyn was annulled. It followed years of effort to escape his first marriage, a campaign that had already split England from the papacy.

  5. 1756

    Great Britain declares war on France, starting the Seven Years' War

    Britain's declaration against France turned a long-running rivalry into a worldwide conflict. Fighting spread across Europe, North America and India, reshaping colonial power for decades.

  6. 1792

    Founding of the New York Stock Exchange

    In the app
  7. 1865

    International Telegraph Union founded in Paris

    In the app
  8. 352

    Liberius elected pope after the death of Julius I

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20 more events on May 17

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Born on May 17

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  • Edward Jenner
    1749 – 1823 · Physician

    Edward Jenner

    English physician who developed the first vaccine, using cowpox to protect people against smallpox. The word vaccine comes from his Latin term for cowpox, and his work is often credited with saving huge numbers of lives.

    Cjc13 · CC BY-SA 3.0
  • Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
    1953 · Politician

    Kassym-Jomart Tokayev

    Kazakh politician and diplomat who has been president of Kazakhstan since 2019, after years as foreign minister, prime minister and senate chairman. He stepped up from acting president when Nursultan Nazarbayev resigned, then gradually loosened the former leader's grip on power.

    Қазақстан премьер-министрі · CC BY 4.0

Died on May 17

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  • Sandro Botticelli
    1445 – 1510 · Painter

    Sandro Botticelli

    Florentine painter of The Birth of Venus and Primavera, whose reputation sank after his death and was revived in the late nineteenth century by the Pre-Raphaelites. He spent most of his life in one Florence neighbourhood, painting for the Medici family.

    Sandro Botticelli · Public domain
  • Catherine I
    1684 – 1727 · Monarch

    Catherine I

    Born a Lithuanian-Polish peasant girl, Catherine I rose to become the first woman to rule Russia in her own right after Peter the Great's death. She reigned for only two years before dying of illness in 1727.

    Jean-Marc Nattier · Public domain

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