Indonesia was struck by a powerful earthquake, followed by a tsunami, on 17 February 1996. ANI
Today, 17 February, may seem like an ordinary day of the year, however, if we dig deeper, the date also holds historical significance, with some major world events taking place in the past. Over the past decades, the world has witnessed some important incidents that brought significant changes into people’s lives and their surroundings. From wars to technological developments and transformations in various fields, the world has changed drastically and still continues to witness similar events on a regular basis. In order to know in detail about these events, let’s take a look at our world history.
17 February: Historical events
1913 – Armory Show opened in New York
It has been 110 years since the influential Armory Show opened for the people of New York on this date in 1913. The art exhibition introduced the American people to artworks by different Impressionists, Symbolists, Post-Impressionists, Fauves, and Cubists. Notably, the exhibition also had a major effect on artists and collections further marking the rise of modernism in America.
1979 – China invaded VietnamWhile Vietnam had good strong ties with China during the famous ‘Vietnam War’, after the end of the conflict, the Vietnamese government bolstered its ties with the Soviet Union, then China’s greatest rival. Upset with this, China in a bid to teach Vietnam a lesson, launched a full-scale attack on the country and crossed Vietnam’s northern border on 17 February 1979 to invade its neighbouring nation.
1992 – Jeffrey Dahmer was sentenced to 15 life terms
American serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer was sentenced to 15 consecutive life terms on 17 February 1992 for committing a series of gruesome murders. He was accused of murdering 17 men, including two young boys, in a brutal manner. His crimes mostly involved cannibalism and necrophilia. Notably, before he could complete his sentence, Dahmer was killed by a fellow prison inmate in 1994.
1996 – Indonesia earthquake
Being an earthquake-prone region, Indonesia constantly faces the risk of encountering volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, floods, and tsunamis. The country was struck by a powerful earthquake, followed by a tsunami, on 17 February 1996. Also known as the Biak earthquake, the disaster left at least 108 people dead, over 400 people injured, and many missing.
2008 – Kosovo declared independence from Serbia
After years of having a strained relationship between its Serbian and Albanian inhabitants, Kosovo formally declared its independence from Serbia on 17 February 2008. While several countries refused to recognise the new republic, it was later approved by the International Court of Justice, who stated that no international law has been violated.
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