November 17 in History

• 1558

  November 17, 1558:

  Queen Mary I of England dies and Elizabeth Tudor ascends the English throne, taking the crown name, Elizabeth I.

• 1800

  November 17, 1800:

  The first session of the United States Congress is held in Washington, D.C.

• 1839

  November 17, 1839:

  “Oberto, conte di San Bonifacio”, Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi’s debut opera, premieres at Teatro alla Scala in Milan.

• 1869

  November 17, 1869:

  Egypt’s Suez Canal opens, following 10 years of construction.

• 1871

  November 17, 1871:

  New York State grants a charter to the National Rifle Association.

• 1933

  November 17, 1933:

  The comedy film, “Duck Soup” is released.

• 1968

  November 17, 1968: NBC interrupts the broadcasting of the American Football League match between the New York Jets and the Oakland Raiders to show the film, “Heidi”, causing viewers to miss out on the latter team’s surprise comeback to defeat the former

• 1972

  November 17, 1972:

  American socialite Barbara Daly Baekeland is stabbed to death by her own son, Antony Baekeland.

• 1973

  November 17, 1973:

  US President Richard Nixon holds a press conference amidst the Watergate Scandal and makes his infamous statement, “I am not a crook”.

• 2003

  November 17, 2003:

  Film star, Arnold Schwarzenegger is inaugurated as the state of California’s governor.

• November 17, 2003:

  21-year-old Britney Spears gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.