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September 17
5 moments across history
Occupy Wall Street Begins
On September 17, 2011, protesters gathered in New York City’s financial district, beginning the Occupy Wall Street movement. The protest highlighted economic inequality, corporate influence in politics, and the concentration of wealth among the richest 1 percent. Emerging after the 2008 financial crisis and Great Recession, it inspired similar Occupy protests across the United States and worldwide.
Occupy Wall Street Begins
Camp David Accords Signed
Camp David Accords Signed
Year: 1978
On September 17, 1978, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin signed the Camp David Accords, brokered by U.S. President Jimmy Carter. The agreements established frameworks for an Egyptian-Israeli peace settlement and Palestinian self-government, paving the way for the 1979 Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty. They marked a major diplomatic breakthrough after decades of Arab-Israeli conflict, including the 1967 Six-Day War and the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
Assassination of UN Mediator Folke Bernadotte
Assassination of UN Mediator Folke Bernadotte
Year: 1948
On 17 September 1948, Lehi militants stopped a UN convoy in Jerusalem and killed mediator Folke Bernadotte and French observer André Serot. The assassination shocked the international community, disrupted UN mediation, and prompted Israel’s government to outlaw Lehi and arrest many of its members. It occurred during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, amid conflict over the end of the British Mandate, the UN partition plan, Palestinian displacement, borders, refugees, and Jerusalem’s status.
Soviet Invasion of Poland
Soviet Invasion of Poland
Year: 1939
On September 17, 1939, the Soviet Union invaded eastern Poland, acting under a secret protocol of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact with Nazi Germany. The invasion opened a second front after Germany’s September 1 attack, hastening Poland’s defeat and dividing its territory between the two powers. It formed part of the opening phase of World War II and led to Soviet occupation, repression, mass deportations, and the annexation of eastern Polish lands.
First Fatal Powered-Aircraft Crash
First Fatal Powered-Aircraft Crash
Year: 1908
On September 17, 1908, a Wright Flyer crashed during a U.S. Army demonstration at Fort Myer, Virginia, killing passenger Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge and seriously injuring pilot Orville Wright. Selfridge became the first person to die in a powered-aircraft crash, revealing the grave risks of the emerging technology. The accident occurred as the Wright brothers sought a military contract, when powered flight was only five years old and armies were beginning to explore aviation’s potential.