1839Discovery
Rubber vulcanization discovered
Charles Goodyear accidentally discovered vulcanization of rubber by dropping rubber mixed with sulfur on hot stove.
Monday 12 October 2026
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Coincidence Engine
Two birth milestones share this date — Nat King Cole born (1919) and Kurt Russell born (1951), 32 years apart.
1 / 3 coincidences found today • Auto-spins every 7s
From CurioVault
Today's curiosity
Before dinosaurs existed, dragonflies with 2-foot wings ruled the sky.
Read on CurioVault.co → Today's headlines
- Stolen Painting Found by TreeHall of Fame◆
- 1975Protestants and Catholics Get a Common CatechismThe New York Times◆
- 2023London Bridge heroes among 15 honoured in Queen’s last bravery awardsThe Guardian◆
- 2016Black Wiggle faces Belgian Waffle as Senate debate flicks switch to vaudevilleThe Guardian◆
- 1891The transatlantic steamship Utopia accidentally collided with the battleship HMS Anson in the Bay of Gibraltar, sinking in less than twenty minutes and killing 562.Wikipedia◆
- 1337Edward the Black Prince was created Duke of Cornwall, the first English dukedom.Wikipedia◆
- 1862The first railway line of Finland between cities of Helsinki and Hämeenlinna, called Päärata, is officially opened.Wikipedia◆
- 1337Edward the Black Prince is made Duke of Cornwall, the first duchy in England.Wikipedia◆
- -45In his last victory, Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger in the Battle of Munda.Wikipedia◆
- 2011First Libyan Civil War: The United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1973, authorizing military intervention in Libya to protect civilians.Wikipedia◆
- 1955Ice hockey fans in Montreal rioted to protest the suspension of Montreal Canadiens star Maurice Richard for hitting an official.Wikipedia◆
- 1942The Holocaust: The first mass killings of Jews began at Belzec extermination camp in occupied Poland, the first of the Operation Reinhard camps to begin operation.Wikipedia◆
- 1985Serial killer Richard Ramirez, aka the "Night Stalker", commits the first two murders in his Los Angeles murder spree.Wikipedia◆
- 1969Golda Meir becomes the first female Prime Minister of Israel.Wikipedia◆
- Stolen Painting Found by TreeHall of Fame◆
- 1975Protestants and Catholics Get a Common CatechismThe New York Times◆
- 2023London Bridge heroes among 15 honoured in Queen’s last bravery awardsThe Guardian◆
- 2016Black Wiggle faces Belgian Waffle as Senate debate flicks switch to vaudevilleThe Guardian◆
- 1891The transatlantic steamship Utopia accidentally collided with the battleship HMS Anson in the Bay of Gibraltar, sinking in less than twenty minutes and killing 562.Wikipedia◆
- 1337Edward the Black Prince was created Duke of Cornwall, the first English dukedom.Wikipedia◆
- 1862The first railway line of Finland between cities of Helsinki and Hämeenlinna, called Päärata, is officially opened.Wikipedia◆
- 1337Edward the Black Prince is made Duke of Cornwall, the first duchy in England.Wikipedia◆
- -45In his last victory, Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger in the Battle of Munda.Wikipedia◆
- 2011First Libyan Civil War: The United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1973, authorizing military intervention in Libya to protect civilians.Wikipedia◆
- 1955Ice hockey fans in Montreal rioted to protest the suspension of Montreal Canadiens star Maurice Richard for hitting an official.Wikipedia◆
- 1942The Holocaust: The first mass killings of Jews began at Belzec extermination camp in occupied Poland, the first of the Operation Reinhard camps to begin operation.Wikipedia◆
- 1985Serial killer Richard Ramirez, aka the "Night Stalker", commits the first two murders in his Los Angeles murder spree.Wikipedia◆
- 1969Golda Meir becomes the first female Prime Minister of Israel.Wikipedia◆
Birthday twins
You share your birthday with...
Rob Lowe1964- Kurt Russell1951
- Nat King Cole1919
17 March in history
2 eventsEvents, inventions, discoveries and releases. Looking for people or sport? See , and below.
We are adding more verified events for this date - more coming soon.
1903Law
St Patrick's Day public holiday Ireland
St Patrick's Day became official public holiday in Ireland.
Showing 1-2 of 2 events
What happened on this day · Odd history for today
Vintage News — March 17
1891 Oddly trueThe transatlantic steamship Utopia accidentally collided with the battleship HMS Anson in the Bay of Gibraltar, sinking in less than twenty minutes and killing 562.
Read more →Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1337 First everEdward the Black Prince was created Duke of Cornwall, the first English dukedom.
Read more →Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1862 First everThe first railway line of Finland between cities of Helsinki and Hämeenlinna, called Päärata, is officially opened.
Read more →Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
- 1337 First ever
Edward the Black Prince is made Duke of Cornwall, the first duchy in England.
Read more →Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
45 BC Oddly trueIn his last victory, Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger in the Battle of Munda.
Read more →Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
From The Guardian Archives — On This Day
2023The GuardianLondon Bridge heroes among 15 honoured in Queen’s last bravery awardsThe 2023 civilian gallantry list includes four people who tackled the terrorist behind 2019 terror attack
Read on The Guardian →
2016The GuardianBlack Wiggle faces Belgian Waffle as Senate debate flicks switch to vaudevilleAs the marathon Senate voting reform debate enters its 36th hour, slurring, sleep deprivation and slagging kick in
Read on The Guardian →- 1975The New York TimesProtestants and Catholics Get a Common Catechism
An extensive statement of agreed‐upon beliefs, the first document of its kind written jointly by Roman Catholic…
Read on NYTimes.com →
Headlines via The Guardian Open Platform · Historic front pages via the NYT Archive API
Facts from Wikipedia On This Day API (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia. Thumbnails CC BY-SA. Headlines via The Guardian Open Platform and the NYT Archive API. Historic pages via Library of Congress Chronicling America. Curated by OddlyTrue.
Strange but true headlines of the day
OddlyTrue News Stand
From the archives
Classic headlineStolen Painting Found by Tree
Source: Classic headline (CJR 'Squad Helps Dog Bite Victim' collections)View clipping source
Did you guess the year?
Streak 0 days Best 0
When was “The transatlantic steamship Utopia accidentally collided with the battleship HMS Anson in the Bay of Gibraltar, sinking in less than twenty minutes and killing 562.” happening? Slide to your guess.
1950
Weird history, same day
- ???? Oddly true
The transatlantic steamship Utopia accidentally collided with the battleship HMS Anson in the Bay of Gibraltar, sinking in less than twenty minutes and killing 562.
Read more →Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
- 1337 First ever
Edward the Black Prince was created Duke of Cornwall, the first English dukedom.
Read more →Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
- 1862 First ever
The first railway line of Finland between cities of Helsinki and Hämeenlinna, called Päärata, is officially opened.
Read more →Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
Hall of Fame headlines are manually verified clippings (source linked); nothing is scraped from Newspapers.com. Facts from Wikipedia On This Day API (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia. Clippings from the Library of Congress, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers site.
Pick another date or enter your birthday (day + month only)
Viewing 17 March — today is 12 October.
Born on this day
3
1919Birth
Nat King Cole born
Nat King Cole was born. American singer.
1951Birth
Kurt Russell born
Kurt Russell was born. American actor.
1964Birth
Rob Lowe born
Rob Lowe was born. American actor.
Died on this day
17 in the archiveFive infamous ends — executed, assassinated or murdered — drawn at random from the archive. All infamous ends →
Suicide
2014Death
Robin Williams dies
Robin Williams, actor and comedian, died on this day in 2014. Suicide. Remembered as: Known for his improvisational skills and wide variety of roles.
Suicide
30 BCDeath
Cleopatra dies
Cleopatra, queen of the ptolemaic kingdom, died on this day in 30 BC. Suicide (historically debated, asp bite). Remembered as: The last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt.
Assassinated
1968Death
Martin Luther King Jr. dies
Martin Luther King Jr., civil rights leader, died on this day in 1968. Assassinated in Memphis. Remembered as: Prominent leader in the American civil rights movement.
Assassinated
1865Death
Abraham Lincoln dies
Abraham Lincoln, politician, died on this day in 1865. Assassinated by John Wilkes Booth. Remembered as: 16th President of the US, led the nation during the Civil War.
Assassinated
1948Death
Mahatma Gandhi dies
Mahatma Gandhi, political ethicist, died on this day in 1948. Assassinated. Remembered as: Leader of the Indian independence movement.
Famous birthdays
26 this weekToday · 17 March
- Rob LoweAmerican actor (born 1964)Born 1964 · 62 years ago today
- Kurt RussellAmerican actor (born 1951)Born 1951 · 75 years ago today
- Nat King ColeAmerican singer and jazz pianist (1919–1965)Born 1919 · 107 years ago today
Coming up this week
Adam LevineAmerican singer (born 1979)18 March · born 1979
Queen LatifahAmerican rapper and actress (born 1970)18 March · born 1970
Grover ClevelandPresident of the United States (1885–1889; 1893–1897)18 March · born 1837
Bruce WillisAmerican actor (born 1955)19 March · born 1955
Glenn CloseAmerican actress (born 1947)19 March · born 1947
Wyatt EarpAmerican lawman (1848–1929)19 March · born 1848
Holiday17 March
St. Patrick's Day
A cultural and religious celebration honoring the patron saint of Ireland.
Music · No.1 on this day
What was topping the charts
The official No.1 singles and albums in the UK and the USA on this date, decade by decade.
2016 10 yrs ago
2006 20 yrs ago
1996 30 yrs ago
1986 40 yrs ago
1976 50 yrs ago
1966 60 yrs ago
1956 70 yrs ago
Sport on this day
0Finals, medals and records decided on 17 March.
No recorded sporting finals on this date yet.
Sporting almanac
Who was champion, 10, 25 and 50 years ago
World Cups, Olympics, Wimbledon, the Masters, Super Bowl and more — year by year since 1877.
2016 10 yrs ago
- Olympic GamesSummer Olympics in Rio
- WimbledonAndy Murray and Serena Williams win Wimbledon
- Super BowlDenver Broncos win Super Bowl 50
- Tour de FranceChris Froome wins the Tour de France
- The MastersDanny Willett wins the Masters
- World SeriesChicago Cubs win the World Series
2001 25 yrs ago
- WimbledonGoran Ivanisevic and Venus Williams win Wimbledon
- Super BowlBaltimore Ravens win Super Bowl XXXV
- The MastersTiger Woods wins the Masters
- World SeriesArizona Diamondbacks win the World Series
- NBA FinalsLos Angeles Lakers win the NBA Finals
- Stanley CupColorado Avalanche win the Stanley Cup
1976 50 yrs ago
- Olympic GamesSummer Olympics in Montreal
- Olympic GamesWinter Olympics in Innsbruck
- WimbledonBjorn Borg and Chris Evert win Wimbledon
- Super BowlPittsburgh Steelers win Super Bowl X
- Tour de FranceLucien Van Impe wins the Tour de France
- The MastersRaymond Floyd wins the Masters
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