August 17 - What happened today?

Home What happened today in history? Blamepro's Almanac for August 17
In the headlines today:

1999	A magnitude 7.4 earthquake devastates Turkey, killing over 17,000 people and injuring tens of thousands.
1998	US president Bill Clinton admits in a televised address to having had inappropriate relations with ex-White House intern Monica Lewinsky.
1991	Singer-actress Pearl Bailey dies in Philadelphia at age 72.
1978	Maxie Anderson, Ben Abruzzo and Larry Newman land near Paris, completing the world's first crossing of the Atlantic by hot air balloon.
1969	The Woodstock music festival ends in New York.
1960	The west African country of Gabon gains its independence from France.
1945	Indonesia proclaims its independence from Holland.
1914	The Belgian capital changes from Brussels to Antwerp.
1896	Gold is discovered in Alaska, setting off the Klondike gold rush.
1859	Circus acrobat Blondin crosses Niagara Falls on a tightrope. (photo credit: Hemera)
1850	Jose de San Martin, liberator of Chile, dies.
1790	The capital of the US is moved from New York City to Philadelphia.