A total solar eclipse occurred on May 17, 1882.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse_of_May_17,_1882http://rstl.royalsocietypublishing.org/content/175/253.full.pdf+html
Saturn-Gamma Virginis conjunction on 17 May, 1245http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma_Virginis
The 2003 Sri Lanka cyclone produced the worst flooding in the country in 56 years. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_Sri_Lanka_cycloneThe Great Irish Famine (The first official commemoration in 2009)https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Famine_Commemoration_Day
Galician Literature Day is a public holiday observed in Galicia, Spain.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galician_Literature_DayOn 17 May 1737, the foundation stone of the Radcliffe Camera was laidhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radcliffe_CameraThe Antikythera mechanism was discovered on 17 May 1902http://astronomy.activeboard.com/t4471598/antikythera-mechanism/The Ra II expedition set sail to cross the Atlantic Ocean on the 17th May, 1970. http://astronomy.activeboard.com/t42881100/ra-ii/
Launch of the Gemini 9 Agena on May 17, 1966http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemini_9#Objectives
ESRO-2B or Iris (International Radiation Investigation Satellite) was launched on May 17, 1968https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ESRO_2BThe Soviet Venera 6 spacecraft began its descent into the atmosphere of Venus on the 17th May, 1969.http://astronomy.activeboard.com/t35920982/venera-6-spacecraft/
The GPS IIF-2 satellite was launched on the 17th May 2014http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPS_Block_IIF
Joseph Michael "Joe" Acaba (born May 17, 1967) is an educator, hydrogeologist, and NASA astronauthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Michael_AcabaJulius Sumner Miller (May 17, 1909 - April 14, 1987) was an American physicist and television personality. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julius_Sumner_MillerRemo Ruffini (born May 17, 1942) is President of the International Centre for Relativistic Astrophysicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remo_RuffiniRaymond Hide (17 May 1929 - 6 September 2016) was a British physicisthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_HideBernard M. Oliver (1916 - 1995) was a scientist who made contributions in many fieldshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_M._OliverSir Joseph Norman Lockyer (17 May 1836 - 16 August 1920) was an English scientist and astronomer.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockyer,_Sir_Joseph_NormanKarl Johann Nikolaus Stumpff (May 17, 1895 - November 10, 1970) was a German astronomerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_StumpffFrederick Hanley Seares (May 17, 1873 - July 20, 1964) was an American astronomer. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Hanley_SearesMary Adela Blagg (17 May 1858 - 14 April 1944) was an English astronomerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Adela_Blagg
The Day After Tomorrow is a 2004 American science-fiction disaster film http://astronomy.activeboard.com/t49187273/the-day-after-tomorrow/SETI@home ("SETI at home") was released to the public on May 17, 1999http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SETI@home
NGC 4611 was discovered by French astronomer Edouard Jean-Marie Stephan on the 17th May 1881. http://astronomy.activeboard.com/t57588785/ngc-4611/NGC 5466 was discovered by German-British astronomer William Herschel on the 17th May 1784. http://astronomy.activeboard.com/t12259951/ngc-5466/NGC 5662 was discovered by French astronomer Nicolas Louis de Lacaille on the 17th May 1751. http://astronomy.activeboard.com/t57588743/ngc-5662/
The Type I supernova 1986I, that reached magnitude 14 was discovered on the 17th May 1986http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1989AJ.....97..186POn May 17, 2006, HD 69830 was discovered to have three Neptune-mass planets,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HD_69830#PlanetsItalian astronomer Niccolò Zucchi may have been the first to see the belts on the planet Jupiter on May 17, 1630http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niccol%C3%B2_ZucchiAsteroid (266) Aline was discovered by Johann Palisa on May 17, 1887 in Vienna http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/266_Aline
MeteoritesThe Castel Berardenga (Stone) meteorite fell in Toscana, Italy, on the 17th May, 1791.http://astronomy.activeboard.com/t49187169/castel-berardenga-meteorite/The Perth (LL5) meteorite fell in Scotland, UK, on the 17th May, 1830.http://astronomy.activeboard.com/t49187188/perth-meteorite/The Hungen (H6) meteorite fell in Hessen, Germany, on the 17th May, 1877.http://astronomy.activeboard.com/t49187193/hungen-meteorite/The Gnadenfrei (H6) meteorite fell in Walbrzych, Poland, on the 17th May, 1879.http://astronomy.activeboard.com/t49187195/gnadenfrei-meteorite/The Sterlitamak (Iron) meteorite fell in Respublika Bashkortostan, Russia, on the 17th May, 1990.http://astronomy.activeboard.com/t8608776/sterlitamak-crater/