in World & History

June 17: Fun Facts about Today in History

by James updated April 15, 2022, 11:37 am

Today in History

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On June 17, learn about the most interesting events and historical facts from across history. In the Gregorian calendar, June 17th is the 168th day of the year. Sir Francis Drake lands in Drakes Bay on the California coast, naming it “New Albion,” Mumtaz Mahal dies, and her husband, Mughal emperor Shah Jahan I, spends the next 20 years building her tomb, the Taj Mahal, and Charles Goodyear receives his first rubber patent.

Gemini is the zodiac sign for June 17th. Venus Williams, Tory Burch, and Newt Gingrich all have famous birthdays. Today is National Vegetable Eating Day.

Event
(June 17, 1631) Mumtaz Mahal passes away while giving birth to her child. Shah Jahan I, the Mughal emperor, will spend the next 17 years constructing her mausoleum, the Taj Mahal.
Advertisements (June 17, 1901) The College Board unveils its first standardised test, the SAT's precursor.
(June 17, 1910) Aurel Vlaicu flies an A. Vlaicu nr. 1 for the first time.
(June 17, 1994) On this day in 1994, O.J. Simpson was charged with the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman, though he was acquitted the following year after a sensational trial.
(June 17, 2012) Rodney King, an African American construction worker whose videotaped beating by white Los Angeles Police Department officers in March 1991 provoked violent race riots (and the officers' subsequent handling by the courts), was found dead in his swimming pool in California.
(Died on June 17, 2021) Kenneth Kaunda, Zambian educator and politician, first president of Zambia (b. 1924).

Written by James

James has always been intrigued by dinosaurs, the universe, technology, and animals. With a Bachelor of Computer Science and years of writing expertise, he joined World Amazing Facts in 2021 as a staff writer.

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