HomeToday in HistoryWhat Happened on April 17

What Happened on April 17

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The world’s longest war ends without a single shot having been fired
The state of war between the Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly had been extended for a total of 335 years by the lack of a peace treaty. Some historians doubt that war had ever been declared.

Mir Akbar Khyber’s assassination triggers a communist coup in Afghanistan
The Communists introduced a series of reforms, such as equal rights for women and universal education. These achievements were undone soon after by the outbreak of several wars.

Phnom Penh falls to the Khmer Rouge
The regime under “Brother number 1” Pol Pot tortured and killed several million people. Amongst the communists’ perceived enemies were intellectuals, anyone with a connection to the former government, and several ethnic minorities.

A CIA-sponsored paramilitary group attempts to invade Cuba
The Bay of Pigs invasion was a failed attempt to overthrow the Cuban government. The United States government had ordered the CIA to plan Fidel Castro’s overthrow.

  • 1974 Victoria Beckham
    English singer, actress
  • 1972 Muttiah Muralitharan
    Sri Lankan cricketer
  • 1966 Vikram
    Indian actor, singer, producer
  • 1964 Maynard James Keenan
    American singer-songwriter, producer
  • 1734 Taksin
    Thai king
  • 2014 Gabriel García Márquez
    Colombian author, journalist, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 2014 Karpal Singh
    Malaysian politician
  • 1988 Louise Nevelson
    American sculptor
  • 1790 Benjamin Franklin
    American politician, scientist, publisher, 6th President of Pennsylvania
  • 1680 Kateri Tekakwitha
    American saint
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