Events on Oct 17
- 0532Boniface II ends his reign as Catholic Pope
- 0733Battle at Poitiers: Charles Martel beats Abd al-Rachmans Omajjaden
- 1387Swells convent Windesheim initiated
- 1415Jewish autonomy in Palestine ends, as Raban Gamliel leaves office
- 1483Tomas de Torquemada appointed Inquisitor-General of Spain
- 1492Columbus sights isle of San Salvador (Watling Island, Bahamas)
- 1556Ex-Emperor Karel departs Netherlands for Spain
- 1651Future King Charles II flees from England
- 1691New royal charter for Massachusetts, now including Maine, Plymouth
- 1707German Composer Johann S Bach marries his niece Maria Bach
- 1740Ivan VI becomes Czar of Russia
- 1777British General John Burgoyne surrenders at Saratoga, New York
- 1781Cornwallis defeated at Yorktown
- 1787Boston blacks, petition legislature for equal school facilities
- 1797Peace of Campo Formio: Austrian Dutch possessions and France
- 1800Dutch colony Curacao transfered to England
- 1808Political rights of Jews suspended in Duchy of Warsaw
- 1815Napoleon arrives in St. Helena
- 18251st French Liszts operette Don Sanche premieres in Paris
- 1829Delaware River and Chesapeake Bay Canal formally opens
- 1829German 1st assassination on abandoned teenager Kaspar Hauser
- 1850Knickerbocker Engine Co Number 5 organized
- 1855Bessemer steelmaking process patented
- 18601st British Golf Open: Willie Park shoots a 164 at Prestwick Club
- 18601st pro golf tournament held (Scotland) (Willie Park wins)
- 1862Battle of Leetown and Thoroughfare Gap, Virginia
- 1868Constitution of Grand Duchy of Luxembourg comes into effect
- 1871Great Britain annexes Griqualand South Africa
- 1871President Grant suspends writ of habeas corpus
- 1877Henry Morton Stanley reaches Boma during trip cross Africa
Born on Oct 17
- 1563Jodocus Hondius: Flemish mathematician / cartographer
- 1577Cristofano Allori: Italian painter (Judith)
- 1626Simon van Leeuwen: Lawyer / historian (Roman-Holland regt)
- 1688Domenico Zipoli: Composer
- 1696August III: King of Poland / monarch Frederik August II of Saksen
- 1704Willem Bentinck: Orangist
- 1711Jupiter Hammon: 1st American black to publish poetry (Complete Works)
- 1720Maria Teresa Agnesi: Composer
- 1725John Wilkes: English journalist / MP (N Briton)
- 1729Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny: Composer
- 1730Ernestus Weinrauch: Composer
- 1734Grigori G Orlov: Russ guard officer / favorite of Catharina II
- 1806Alphonse LPP de Candolle: Switzerland -- Botanist
- 1811Albertus C van Raalte: Dutch / US vicar (owned land in Michigan)
- 1815Emanuel Geibel: Writer
- 1817Sajjid Ahmad Chan: Indian moslem leader / co-founder (Pakistan)
- 1817Samuel Ringgold Ward: Maryland, United States -- Minister / abolitionist (Fugitive Negro)
- 1844Miguel Nieto: Composer
- 1845Franz Ehrle: German prefect of Vatican library
- 1848William "Candy" Cummings: Created curve ball
- 1859William "Buck" Ewing: Hall of fame catcher (New York Giants, Cin Reds)
- 1860Dionyssios Lavrangas: Composer
- 1864Elinor Glyn: British Novelist (3 Weeks)
- 1875Alfred Polgar: Austrian writer (Yes & No!)
- 1878Andrei N Rimski-Korssakov: Russian musicologist / Son of Nikolai
- 1878Henri Mulet: Composer
- 1883A S Neill: British headmaster (Summerhill)
- 1885Aaf Bouber-ten Hoope: Dutch actress (Jantjes) / Wife of Herman Bouber
- 1886Spring Byington: Colorado Springs, Colorado -- Actress (Lily Ruskin-December Bride)
- 1892Herbert Norman Howells: Composer
Died on Oct 17
- 0532Boniface II: 1st "German" Pope
- 1312Jan II: Duke of Brabant / Limburg (charter of Kortenberg)
- 1552Andreas Osiander: Protestant Reformation theologist, dies at 53
- 1586Philip Sidney: English Poet / diplomat, dies in battle at 32
- 1702Walraad the Old: Count / soverign of Nassau-Usingen
- 1763Arnold Hoogvliet: Poet (Abraham the patriarch), dies at 76
- 1806Jean Jacques Dessalines: Emperor of Haiti
- 1825Peter Winter: Composer, dies at 71
- 1837Johann Nepomuk Hummel: Austrian composer, dies at 58
- 1887Gustav R Kirchhoff: German physicist (spectroscopy), dies at 63
- 1890Prosper Philippe Catherine Sainton: Composer, dies at 77
- 1897Isidor Dannstrom: Composer, dies at 84
- 1904Nikolai Amani: Composer, dies at 32
- 1909Nicola Spinelli: Composer, dies at 44
- 1910Julia Ward Howe: Composer (Battle Hymn of Republic), dies at 91
- 1910William V Moody: US Poet (Sabine Woman, Great Divide)
- 1917Maria J "Marie" Bakker: Actress / Wife of Maarten Stranger, dies at 59
- 1921Katherine Griffith: Actress (Pollyanna), dies at 45
- 1944Pavel Haas: Composer, dies at 45
- 1957John HA Eman: Founder of Aruban Peoples Party, dies at 70
- 1963Jacques Hadamard: French Mathematician (Prime Numbers), dies at 97
- 1966Soledad Jiminez: Spanish actor (Phantom ofthe Range), dies at 91
- 1966Wieland Wagner: German opera director
- 1967Henry Pu Yi: Last Emperor of China, dies at 61
- 1973Ingeborg Bachmann: Austrian Poet (Gott von Manhattan), dies at 47
- 1977Robert C "Cal" Hubbard: US baseball player / umpire, dies at 77
- 1979John Stuart: Actor (Number 17), dies at 81
- 1979Karel Reiner: Composer, dies at 69
- 1979S J Perelman: US humorist (Around the World in 80 Days), dies at 75
- 1981David Guion: Composer, dies at 88
Historical events on October 18
- 0707John VII ends his reign as Catholic Pope
- 1016Danes defeat Saxons at Battle of Assandun (Ashingdon)
- 1210Pope Innocent III excommunicates German Emperor Otto IV
- 1267Battle at Marienholz: Henry III, Otto II van Gelre beat Keuls Archbishop Engelbert III
- 1534New pursuit of French protestants
- 1564John Hawkins begins 2nd trip to America
- 1572Spanish troops attack Maastricht
- 1622French King Louis XIII and Huguenots sign treaty of Montpellier
- 16481st US labor organization forms (Boston Shoemakers)
- 1667English fleet plunders Suriname plantations
- 1672Poland and Turkey sign Peace of Buczacz
- 1685French King Louis XIV revoked Edict van Nantes
- 1685Louis XIV revokes Edict of Nantes, outlaws Protestantism
- 1748Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, ends War of Austrian Succession
- 1767Boundary between MD and PA, Mason Dixon line, agreed upon
- 1776Battle of Pelham: Col John Glover and Marblehead regiment meet British Forces in Bronx
- 1776In a New York bar decorated with bird tail, customer orders "cock tail"
- 1863Battle of Charlestown, West Virginia
- 1867US takes formal possession of Alaska from Russia ($7.2 million)
- 18731st football game between Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton Tigers
- 1873Columbia Princeton Rutgers andYale set rules for collegiate football
- 1878Edison makes electricity available for household usage
- 1887Start of Sherlock Holmes adventure "A Case of Identity" (BG)
- 18891st all NYC World Series New York Giants (NL) play Brooklyn (AA)
- 1890John Owen is 1st man to run 100 yd dash in under 10 seconds
- 18911st international 6-day bicycle race in US (Madison Square Garden, NYC) begins
- 18921st commercial long-distance phone line opens (Chicago-NY)
- 1898American flag raised in Puerto Rico
- 1904Mahlers 5th symphony premieres in Cologne
- 1908Belgium annexes Congo Free State
Born on October 18
- 1239Stefanus V: Prince of Transylvania / King of Hungary (1270-72)
- 1405Pius II [Aenea S Piccolomini]: Italian Pope (1458-64) (Cynthia)
- 1547Justus Lipsius [Joost Lips]: Dutch classic philologist / historian
- 1611Valentin Strobel: Composer
- 1638Lars Johnstown [Lasse Lucidor]: Swedish poet
- 1663Frans Eugenius: Duke / Prince of Savoye / land guardian of Austria-Netherlands
- 1668Johan Georg IV: Elector of Saxony (1691-94)
- 1668Wierich PL Earl von Daun: Austrian Prince of Thiano / Field Marshal
- 1697Giovanni Canaletto: Venetian painter (Venicei Regatta on Grand Canal)
- 1712Jeremias van Riemsdijk: Governor-General of Dutch Indies (1775-77)
- 1777Heinrich von Kleist: Germany -- Dramatist / poet (Penthesilea)
- 1785Thomas Love Peacock: English author (Headlong Hall)
- 1789Giovanni Tadolini: Composer
- 1794Ferdinand Lukas Schubert: Composer
- 1804Rama IV [Phra Chomklao Chaoyuhua]: King of Thailand (1851-68)
- 1806John Breckinridge Grayson: Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1861
- 1811Hugh Thompson Reid: Brigadier General (Union volunteers), died in 1874
- 1818Edward Otho Cresap Ord: Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1883
- 1829Charles Sidney Winder: Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1862
- 1829Lucius Marshall Walker: Brigadier General (Confederate Army), died in 1863
- 1831Frederik III NK of Hohenzollern: German Kaiser / King of Prussia
- 1833Johannes Habert: Composer
- 1837Friedrich W Mengelberg: German sculptor / painter
- 1844Emille-Louis-Victor Mathieu: Composer
- 1850Francis Thome: Composer
- 1854Solomon A Andree: Swedish engineer / balloonist / Artic explorer
- 1859Henri Bergson: France -- Philosopher (Creative Evolution-Nobel 1927)
- 1871Louis de Vries: Dutch actor (Ghetto)
- 1872Josephine CMA: Princess of Belgium / nun
- 1875James E K Aggrey: Ghana -- US Theologian / educationalist
Died on October 18
- 0707John VII: Greek Pope (705-07)
- 1216John: King of England (1199-1216, Magna Charta)
- 1340Henry Henricus of Friemar: Augustine philosopher
- 1417Gregorius XII [Angelo Correr]: Pope (1406-15)
- 1459Jan of Heinsberg: Bishop of Luik (1419-56)
- 1503Pius III [Francesco Todeschini]: Pope (9 / 22-10 / 18 / 1503)
- 1545John Taverner: English Composer (Western Wynde), dies at about 55
- 1558Maria: Queen of Hungary / guardian of the Netherlands (1531-55), dies at 53
- 1589Adolf van Nieuwenaar and Meurs: Viceroy of Utrecht, dies in battle
- 1678Cornelis Galle II: Flemish engraver / illustrator, dies at 63
- 1678Jacob Jordaens: Flemish barok painter, dies at 85
- 1767Joseph Paul Ziegler: Composer, dies at 45
- 1771Robert Praelisauer: Composer, dies at 62
- 1788Jean-Guillain Cardon: Composer, dies at 56
- 1830Peter I Petrovic Njegos: Bishop (Montenegro)
- 1832Othon Joseph Vandenbroek: Composer, dies at 73
- 1839French Jozef Kinsoen: Flemish portrait painter, dies at 68
- 1862James Creighton: Dies of a ruptured bladder from hitting home run on October 14th
- 1864David Bell Birney: US lawyer / Union General Major, dies at 39
- 1864Jacques Francois Gallay: Composer, dies at 68
- 1865Lord Henry JT Palmerston: English Minister of Foreign Affairs, dies at 80
- 1876Francis Preston Blair: Newspaper editor (Washington Globe), dies at 85
- 1893Charles F Gounod: French Composer (La reine the Saba), dies at 75
- 1893Lucy [Blackwell-]Stone: US abolitionist / feminist
- 1909Alfredo Oriani: Italian writer (La rivolta ideal)
- 1931Thomas Alva Edison: Inventor, dies at 84 in West Orange, New Jersey
- 1938Karl J Kautsky: Austrian marxist / socialist
- 1940Suze Groeneweg: 1st woman in Dutch 2nd Chamber (1918-37), dies at 65
- 1941Dirk Fock: Governor-General van / of the Netherlands Indies 1921-6, dies at 83
- 1943Benedictus H Dancer: Botanist, dies at 52
Events on Oct 19
- 0615St. Deusdedit I begins his reign as Catholic Pope
- 1031Abbot Humbertus van Echternach opens grave of Saint Willibrord
- 1298Rindfleish-140 Jews of Heilbron Germany are murdered
- 14532nd Battle at Castillon: France beats English, end of hundred year war
- 14662nd Peace of Thorn
- 1492Columbus sites "Isabela" (Fortune Island, Bahamas)
- 1576Dutch provinces begin consultation about Spanish existence
- 1630In Boston the 1st general court is held
- 1634Beach Island in North sea destroyed by a heavy storm flood
- 1682English Lord Shaftesbury flees to Holland
- 1722French C Hopffer patents fire extinguisher
- 1765Stamp Act Congress met in NY, wrote Declaration of Rights and Liberties
- 1781Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown at 2pm; Revolutionary War ends
- 1812Napoleon begins his retreat from Moscow
- 1818US and Chicasaw Indians sign a treaty
- 1849Elizabeth Blackwell becomes 1st woman in US to receive medical degree
- 18531st flour mill in Hawaii begins operations
- 1856James Kelly and Jack Smith fight bareknuckle for 6h15m in Melbourne
- 1859Wilhelm Tempel discovers diffuse nebula around Pleid star Merope
- 1863Battle of Buckland Mills, Virginia
- 1864Battle of Cedar Creek, Virginia, Union beats back Confederate attackers
- 1864US Brigadier General Emory Upton (25) promoted to General Major
- 18701st (4) blacks elected to House of Reps
- 1870British SS Cambria leaves for Noth sea coast, 196 killed
- 1874Mary Walsh and Charles Colson are 1st couple to be married in a balloon
- 1879Thomas Edison demonstrates electric light
- 1882Pierre de Brazza meets Henry Morton Stanley
- 1888Moshav Gederah is attacked by Arabs
- 1900Henry O Tanner, painter, wins Medal of Honor at Paris Exposition
- 1900S African President Paul Kruger departs for Europe
Born on Oct 19
- 1507Viglius ab Aytta Zuichemus [Aytta van Zwichem]: Dutch priest
- 1545Giovanale Ancina: Composer
- 1581Dimitri Ivanovitch: Russian Son of Ivan IV "the Terrible"
- 1605Thomas Browne: British writer (Garden of Cyrus)
- 1652Louis Le Quointe: Composer
- 1684Johann Christoph Fravenholtz: Composer
- 1690Giuseppi Maria Carretti: Composer
- 1784Leigh Hunt: British writer (Lord Byron)
- 1792Dirk Donker Curtius: Dutch attorney / Minister of Justice (liberal)
- 1810Cassius Marcellus Clay: Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1903
- 1819Joseph C Juglar: French Physician / economist (Crises Commercial)
- 1824Frantisek Pivoda: Composer
- 1824Rufus Saxton: Bvt Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1908
- 1828Adolfo Fumagalli: Composer
- 1834Francis Channing Barlow: US lawyer / General Major / co-founder (ABA)
- 1850Annie S Peck: Mountain climber / explorer / diplomat
- 1859Georg Knorr: German engineer (brake system trains)
- 1863John Huston Finley: Illinois, United States -- Editor (NY Times (1937-38)
- 1866Clarence Lucas: Composer
- 1868Bertha Landes: 1st woman elected Mayor of a major US city (Seattle)
- 1871Walter B Cannon: US physiologist (Wisdom of the Body)
- 1873Jaap Eden: Dutch World Champion cycling and speed skating
- 1876Mordecai [3 finger] Brown: Hall of fame pitcher
- 1882Vincas Kreve-Mickievicius: Lithuania -- Poet / philologist / playwright
- 1889Uncle Art Satherly: Entertainer (1968 Academy of Country Music Award)
- 1892Alexander A Aljechin: Russian / French chess champ (1927-35, 37-46)
- 1892Ilmari Hannikainen: Composer
- 1895Louis Mumford: Cultural historian / city planner / writer
- 1899Miguel Asturias: Guatemala -- Poet / diplomat (Hombres de Maiz, Nobel 67)
- 1900Theodoro Valcarcel: Composer
Died on Oct 19
- 1268Konradin von Hohenstaufen: Duke of Zwaben, beheaded
- 1547Pierino del Vaga: Italian painter, dies at about 46
- 1608Martinus A del Rio: Spanish lawyer Historian / theologist
- 1609Jacobus Arminius [Jacob Hermans]: Theologist, dies at about 49
- 1758Johan H Roman: Finnish / Swedish Composer / conductor / violinist
- 1786Pietro Alessandro Pavona: Composer, dies at 58
- 1790Lyman Hall: US Physician / signer (Declaration of Independence), dies at 66
- 1793Francisco Morera: Composer, dies at 62
- 1813Josef Poniatovski: Polish General / marshal of France, dies in battle
- 1834Cornelis Loots: Accountant / Poet (Volkswoede), dies at 69
- 1835Henry Doeff: Translator (Dutch-Japanese dictionary), dies at 57
- 1838Henry Fagel: Baron / court clerk of States-General / diplomat, dies at 73
- 1864Daniel Davidson Bidwell: Magistrate / Brigadier General, dies in battle at 45
- 1888Amaat Vyncke: Flemish Missionary / founder (Flemish Wind), dies at 38
- 1909Cesare Lombroso: Italian psychiatrist / criminologist
- 1918Joseph Lesage: French Painter / etcher (WWI), dies at 34
- 1921Antonio Granjo: Premier (Portugal), murdered
- 1932Arthur Friedheim: Composer, dies at 72
- 1934Johan J Arch: Graphic artist (houtgravures), dies at 63
- 1937Ernest Rutherford baron of Nelson: Engl physicist (Nobel 1908)
- 1955John Hodiak: Actress (Lifeboat, Battleground), dies at 41
- 1957Vere G Childe: British archaeologist / prehistorian, dies at 65
- 1959Boughera El Quafi: Marathoner (1928 Olympics - Gold Medalist), shot to death at 60
- 1959Stanley Bate: Composer, dies at 45
- 1961Benjamin Merkelbach: Architect / city builder of Amsterdam, dies at 60
- 1961John Axel Fernstrom: Composer, dies at 63
- 1964Maurice Gosfield: Actor (Doberman-Phil Silvers Show), dies at 51
- 1966Elizabeth Arden: US cosmetic manufacturer
- 1971Alberto Pirelli: Italian industrial, dies at 89
- 1971Betty Bronson: Actress (Naked Kiss), dies after brief illness at 64