October 17

By gkhepp

  • 1777

    British general John Burgoyne surrendered 5,000 British and Hessian troops to the American general Horatio Gates at Saratoga, New York

  • 1835

    Texans approve a resolution to create the Texas Rangers

  • 1903

    Novelist Nathanael West, was born on October 17, 1903 in New York to a family of Jewish immigrants.

  • 1906

    Wilhelm Voigt impersonated an army officer and lead a squad of soldiers to help him steal 4,000 marks

  • 1912

    Serbia and Greece declare war on the Ottoman Empire

  • 1941

    the government of Japan under the prime minister,Prince Fumimaro Konoye, collapses and leaves little hope for peace in the Pacific

  • 1968

    Olympic medalists Tommie Smith (gold) and John Carlos (bronze) were forced to return their medals because they had raised their fists in a black power salute during the medal ceremony

  • 1974

    President Gerald Ford explained to Congress why he chose to pardon former President Richard Nixon instead of letting Congress pursue legal action against Nixon.

  • 1986

    President Reagan signs into law an act of Congress that approved $100 million of humanitarian and military aid for the Contras

  • 1989

    earthquake hits the San Francisco Bay area