WHAT HAPPENED ON 17. FEBRUARY
Want to find out what all happened on 17. February

World War II: Operation Hailstone begins. U.S. naval air, surface, and submarine attack against Truk Lagoon, Japan's main base in the central Pacific, in support of the Eniwetok invasion. (17. February 1944)

Chaim Weizmann begins his term as the first President of Israel. (17. February 1949)

Project Vanguard: Vanguard 2 – The first weather satellite is launched to measure cloud-cover distribution. (17. February 1959)

In Wesberry v. Sanders the Supreme Court of the United States rules that congressional districts have to be approximately equal in population. (17. February 1964)

Gabonese president Leon M'ba is toppled by a coup and his rival, Jean-Hilaire Aubame, is installed in his place. (17. February 1964)

Project Ranger: The Ranger 8 probe launches on its mission to photograph the Mare Tranquillitatis region of the Moon in preparation for the manned Apollo missions. Mare Tranquillitatis or the "Sea of Tranquility" would become the site chosen for the Apollo 11 lunar landing. (17. February 1965)

In Springfield, Massachusetts, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame opens. (17. February 1968)

Sales of the Volkswagen Beetle exceed those of the Ford Model-T. (17. February 1972)

Robert K. Preston, a disgruntled U.S. Army private, buzzes the White House in a stolen helicopter. (17. February 1974)

The Troubles: The Provisional IRA detonates an incendiary bomb at the La Mon restaurant, near Belfast, killing 12 and seriously injuring 30. (17. February 1978)

The Sino-Vietnamese War begins. (17. February 1979)

Mount Everest, 1st Winter Ascent by Krzysztof Wielicki and Leszek Cichy. (17. February 1980)

Nagorno-Karabakh War: Armenian troops massacre more than 20 Azerbaijani civilians in the village of Qaradağlı (17. February 1992)

The Cenepa War between Peru and Ecuador ends on a cease-fire brokered by the UN. (17. February 1995)

In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, world champion Garry Kasparov beats the Deep Blue supercomputer in a chess match. (17. February 1996)

NASA's Discovery Program begins as the NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft lifts off on the first mission ever to orbit and land on an asteroid, 433 Eros. (17. February 1996)

The London Congestion Charge scheme begins. (17. February 2003)

A massive mudslide occurs in Southern Leyte, Philippines; the official death toll is set at 1,126. (17. February 2006)

Kosovo declares independence as the Republic of Kosovo. (17. February 2008)

Libyan protests begin. In Bahrain, security forces launched a deadly pre-dawn raid on protesters in Pearl Roundabout in Manama, the day is locally known as Bloody Thursday. (17. February 2011)