1986: British journalist McCarthy kidnapped
John McCarthy is abducted on his way to the airport - three bodies, believed to be of British hostages, are also found.

1984: Libyan embassy shots kill policewoman
A police officer has been killed after shots were fired from the Libyan People's Bureau in central London.

1961: Exiles invade Cuba at Bay of Pigs
Reports from Cuba say an invasion force has landed on the island to try to overthrow the country's leader, Fidel Castro.

1999: Dozens hurt in London bomb blast
An explosion in south London has injured at least 45 people.

1951: Fears for crew of lost British submarine
A massive air and sea search for the HM Submarine Affray is under away after it went missing earlier today.

1969: Devlin is youngest-ever woman MP
A 21-year-old woman, Bernadette Devlin, is voted in as Britain's youngest ever female MP and the country's third youngest ever

1492 - Christopher Columbus signed a contract with Spain to find a passage to Asia and the Indies.

1521 - Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church.

1524 - New York Harbor was discovered by Giovanni Verrazano.

1535 - Antonio Mendoza was appointed first viceroy of New Spain.

1629 - Horses were first imported into the colonies by the American Massachusetts Bay Colony.

1704 - John Campbell published what would eventually become the first successful American newspaper. It was known as the Boston "News-Letter."

1758 - Frances Williams published a collection of Latin poems. He was the first African-American to graduate from a college in the western hemisphere.

1808 - Bayonne Decree by Napoleon I of France ordered the seizure of U.S. ships.

1810 - Pineapple cheese was patented by Lewis M. Norton.

1824 - Russia abandoned all North American claims south of 54' 40'.

1860 - New Yorkers learned of a new law that required fire escapes to be provided for tenement houses

Brandubh wrote:

17 April 1876: The whaling vessel Catalpa under Capitan George S. Anthony carried out one of the most daring and long distance rescues in history when she was used to spirit away six Fenian prisoners from Freemantle, Australia. Even though the British quickly realised the men had fled and gave chase the ship could not be boarded as she flew the American flag. The rescued men (Thomas Darragh, Martin Hogan, Michael Harrington, Thomas Hassett, Robert Cranston and James Wilson) were brought safely to New York City. The Fenians John Devoy and John J. Breslin planned the rescue operation.



17 April 1969: Bernadette Devlin won the Westminster Mid Ulster bye Election to take her seat as the youngest ever MP.



17 April 1970: Ian Paisley is elected to the Stormont parliament for the first time.

This is excellent stuff Brandubh

cactus flower wrote:

Brandubh wrote:

17 April 1876: The whaling vessel Catalpa under Capitan George S. Anthony carried out one of the most daring and long distance rescues in history when she was used to spirit away six Fenian prisoners from Freemantle, Australia. Even though the British quickly realised the men had fled and gave chase the ship could not be boarded as she flew the American flag. The rescued men (Thomas Darragh, Martin Hogan, Michael Harrington, Thomas Hassett, Robert Cranston and James Wilson) were brought safely to New York City. The Fenians John Devoy and John J. Breslin planned the rescue operation.



17 April 1969: Bernadette Devlin won the Westminster Mid Ulster bye Election to take her seat as the youngest ever MP.



17 April 1970: Ian Paisley is elected to the Stormont parliament for the first time.

This is excellent stuff Brandubh

Cheers!

Hopefully it will get better with the passage of time. As far as I can see there is no comprehensive Irish based 'On this day' out there so hopefully this Site will be the home of the best one there is!

Brandubh wrote:

cactus flower wrote:

Brandubh wrote:

17 April 1876: The whaling vessel Catalpa under Capitan George S. Anthony carried out one of the most daring and long distance rescues in history when she was used to spirit away six Fenian prisoners from Freemantle, Australia. Even though the British quickly realised the men had fled and gave chase the ship could not be boarded as she flew the American flag. The rescued men (Thomas Darragh, Martin Hogan, Michael Harrington, Thomas Hassett, Robert Cranston and James Wilson) were brought safely to New York City. The Fenians John Devoy and John J. Breslin planned the rescue operation.



17 April 1969: Bernadette Devlin won the Westminster Mid Ulster bye Election to take her seat as the youngest ever MP.



17 April 1970: Ian Paisley is elected to the Stormont parliament for the first time.

This is excellent stuff Brandubh

Cheers!

Hopefully it will get better with the passage of time. As far as I can see there is no comprehensive Irish based 'On this day' out there so hopefully this Site will be the home of the best one there is!

Something to be proud of. Are we keeping these all in forum in date order? Next year its going to get tougher!

there's a puzzler - avoiding duplication !

Auditor #9 wrote:

there's a puzzler - avoiding duplication !

Well, I just did so there by putting these two threads April 17th threads together.

ahh..silly me

duh! so there will always be 365 threads here then?

Auditor #9 wrote:

ahh..silly me

duh! so there will always be 365 threads here then?

I suppose so, a brick wall to an internet forum's growth, who'd a thunk it!

We can then simply up-date them as more historical information comes to light.

On topic, Vitellius became Emperor of Rome in 69 AD, too bad he only enjoyed that role for a few months!