September 17

What happened on September 17 in history

5 events fall on September 17, from 1787 to 1978. Read them below, then try to place a historical scene yourself — guess where in the world it happened and in what year.

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Events on September 17

  1. 1787

    The US Constitution is signed

    Delegates in Philadelphia put their names to the finished document.

    Play the Exploration & revolution round

  2. 1862

    The Battle of Antietam

    The bloodiest single day in American history ends Lee's first invasion of the North.

    Antietam remains the bloodiest single day in American military history, with roughly 23,000 men killed, wounded or missing along Antietam Creek in Maryland. Lee's first invasion of the North was stopped, which was enough of a result for Lincoln to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation days later. That turned the war's stated purpose towards ending slavery and made European recognition of the Confederacy far less likely.

    Source: US National Park Service — Antietam

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  3. 1908

    The first aeroplane fatality

    Thomas Selfridge dies when Orville Wright's machine crashes at Fort Myer.

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  4. 1939

    The Soviet Union invades Poland

    The Red Army crosses the eastern border sixteen days after Germany.

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  5. 1978

    The Camp David Accords are signed

    Begin and Sadat sign the framework for peace between Egypt and Israel.

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