April 17: What Happened on This Day in History (Elementary Level)?

(Page last edited 10/12/2017)

1. 1397 - Geoffrey Chaucer tells the Canterbury Tales for the first time at the court of Richard II. Chaucer scholars have also identified this date (in 1387) as the start of the book's pilgrimage to Canterbury.
2. 1492 - Spain and Christopher Columbus sign the Capitulations of Santa Fe for his voyage to Asia to acquire spices.
3. 1907 - The Ellis Island immigration center processes 11,747 people, more than on any other day.
4. 1964 - Jerrie Mock becomes the first woman to circumnavigate the world by air.
5. 1982 - Patriation of the Canadian constitution in Ottawa by Proclamation of Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada.
6. Famous Birthdays: Giovanni Battista Riccioli (Italian priest and astronomer). étienne Bobillier (French mathematician), Alexander Cartwright (American inventor of Baseball), Thornton Wilder (American author and playwright), Malcolm Browne (American journalist and photographer)

For famous birthdays and other daily events in history, visit our Daily Dose Activities.

Click Here for Yesterday in History: April 16

Click Here for Tomorrow in History: April 18

For more history resources on Internet 4 Classrooms, visit our Social Studies and History index. For Pre K-8th Grade Level History and Social Studies Resources, visit our Grade Level Index.