Holidays Calendar for June 17, 2017

June 17 is National Day in Iceland. This holiday celebrates the foundation day of the Republic of Iceland.

Anniversary of the Death of General Martín Miguel de Güemes, also known as General Martín Miguel de Güemes Pass to Immortality (Paso a la Inmortalidad del General Martín Miguel de Güemes), is an Argentine public holiday. It honors a hero of the Argentine War of Independence.

The King’s Official Birthday (known as the Queen’s Official Birthday during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II) is observed in most Commonwealth countries. In the United Kingdom, the sovereign’s birthday is officially celebrated on the first, second, or third Saturday in June, although King Charles III was born on November 14. Other Commonwealth realms may celebrate it on other days.

!

World Croc Day is observed annually on June 17. No, the holiday isn’t about foam clogs; it is an environmental observance dedicated to crocodiles that aims to raise awareness of these amazing reptiles and highlight the dangers they face.

Global Garbage Man Day is observed annually on June 17 to honor all men and women who help to keep our cities, towns and villages clean and safe. Although this job is often looked down upon, it is very important and someone’s gotta do it.

The martini is one of the most iconic cocktails in the world, so it is not surprising that there is a holiday dedicated to it. World Martini Day is celebrated annually on the third Saturday of June.

!

World Juggling Day is observed annually on the Saturday closest to June 17. It was established by the International Jugglers’ Association to celebrate its founding anniversary and popularize juggling across the globe.

!

What comes to mind when you hear the words “Spanish food”? Paella, jamón, gazpacho, chorizo sausage, and tapas are among the most common associations with Spanish cuisine. In fact, tapas are so iconic that they even have a holiday dedicated to them. World Tapas Day is celebrated annually on the third Saturday of June.

!

National Aviation Day in Romania is observed annually on June 17. On this day in 1910, Romanian engineer and inventor Aurel Vlaicu flew his first powered airplane, the A Vlaicu I, for the first time.

Medical Worker’s Day in Azerbaijan is celebrated annually on June 17. The President of Azerbaijan officially established this professional holiday in 2001.

The Soviet troops invaded Latvia on June 17, 1940. This date is commemorated in Latvia as Occupation of the Latvian Republic Day (or Soviet Occupation Day).

The National Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Forest Fires is a Portuguese observance marked annually on June 17. It was officially established in 2019 to commemorate over 60 people who died and more than 250 who were injured in the devastating wildfires that occurred in June 2017.

The best apple strudels come from Austria, where they originated. Strudels sold in supermarkets are even not similar to real strudels. Celebrate National Apple Strudel Day, that falls annually on June 17.

The United Nations General Assembly declared June 17 as World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. This observance was established in 1995.

El Salvador and Guatemala annually celebrate Father's Day on June 17. Although this holiday has American roots, it's observed almost in every country.

 

This Day in History

  • 2012 Died: Rodney King, American construction worker who became nationally known after being beaten by LAPD officers in March 1991.
  • 2008 Died: Tsutomu Miyazaki, Japanese serial killer, cannibal and necrophile who killed four girls between ages four and seven in 1988-1989.
  • 2007 Died: Gianfranco Ferré, Italian fashion designer who is often referred to as the "architect of fashion". White shirts were his signature items.
  • 2001 Died: Donald J. Cram, American chemist who was awarded the 1987 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, sharing it with two other scientists.
  • 1996 Died: Thomas Kuhn, American physicist, historian, and philosopher of science whose best known work is The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.
  • 1987 The last definite known individual of dusky seaside sparrow died. The subspecies was officially declared extinct in December 1990.
  • 1985 STS-51-G Space Shuttle Discovery launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Sultan Salman Al Saud of Saudi Arabia was on board as a payload specialist.
  • 1982 Born: Arthur Darvill, English actor and musician best known for his roles as Rory Williams in Doctor Who and Reverend Paul Coates in Broadchurch.
  • 1980 Born: Venus Williams, American professional tennis planer who has been ranked World No. 1 in singles by the WTA on three separate occasions.
  • 1972 Five White House operatives were arrested inside the Democratic National Committee office. This arrest resulted in the so-called Watergate scandal.
  • 1966 Born: Tory Burch, American fashion designer, business woman, and philanthropist. She launched her own fashion label in 2004.
  • 1953 In East Berlin, a popular uprising against the government of the German Democratic Republic was violently suppressed by the police and Soviet troops.
  • 1943 Born: Barry Manilow (born Barry Alan Pincus), American singer-songwriter and record producer whose best known redordings include Mandy and Copacabana.
  • 1942 Born: Mohamed ElBaradei, Egyptian law scholar, diplomat and politician who was awarded the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize jointly with the IAEA.
  • 1940 The British Cunard liner RMS Lancastria was sunk during the Second World War. It is considered to be Britain's worst maritime disaster.
  • 1940 Died: Arthur Harden, British biochemist who was awarded the 1929 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, sharing it with Hans von Euler-Chelpin.
  • 1939 French criminal Eugen Weidmann became the last person to be publicly executed by guillotine in France. Private executions continued until 1977.
  • 1933 Four law enforcement officers and a criminal fugitive were murdered in a shootout at the Union Station railroad depot in Kansas City, Missouri.
  • 1929 Born: Tigran Petrosian, Soviet Armenian Chess Grandmaster and World Chess Champion from 1963 to 1969. He was nicknamed Iron Tigran.
  • 1920 Born: François Jacob, French biologist who was awarded the 1965 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, sharing it with André Lwoff and Jacques Monod.
  • 1898 The United States Navy Hospital Corps was established by President William McKinley. Hospital corpsmen are enlisted medical specialists of the US Navy.
  • 1898 Died: Edward Burne-Jones, British artist and designer primarily associated with the medievalist strand of the Pre-Raphaelite movement.
  • 1898 Born: M. C. Escher, Dutch graphic artist known for his woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints. His best known works include Relativity and Drawing Hands.
  • 1885 The Statue of Liberty arrived in New York Harbor. 2,000 people lined the docks to welcome the French steamer Isère that carried the statue.
  • 1882 Born: Igor Stravinsky, Russian (and later French and American) composer, pianist and conductor. His music is notable for its innovativeness and stylistic diversity.
  • 1858 Died: Rani Lakshmibai, the queen of the Jhansi State in India. She was one of the leading figures of India's First War for Independence.
  • 1818 Born: Charles Gounod, French composer best known for his Ave Maria, based on a work by Bach, and his operas Faust and Roméo et Juliette.
  • 1719 Died: Joseph Addison, English poet, essayist, playwright and politician. He is primarily remembered as co-founder of The Spectator magazine.
  • 1696 Died: John III Sobieski, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania. His reign was marked by stabilization of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
  • 1579 English explorer Francis Drake landed on the coast of California. He claimed the lend for the English Crown and named it Nova Albion.