This is a list of selected March 17 anniversaries that appear in the "On this day" section of the
Main Page. To suggest a new item, in most cases, you can be bold and edit this page. Please read the
selected anniversaries guidelines before making your edit. However, if your addition might be controversial or on a day that is or will soon be on the Main Page, please post your suggestion on the
talk page instead.
Please note that the events listed on the Main Page are chosen based more on relative
article quality and to maintain a mix of topics, not based solely on
how important or significant their subjects are. Only four to five events are posted at a time and thus not everything that is "most important and significant" can be listed. In addition, an event is generally not posted this year if it is also the subject of the scheduled
featured article,
featured list or
picture of the day.
To report an error when this appears on the Main Page, see
Main Page errors. Please remember that this list defers to the supporting articles, so it is best to achieve consensus and make any necessary changes there first.
2004 – Unrest in Kosovo broke out, resulting in the deaths of 28, the wounding of more than 600 others, and the destruction of several
Serb Orthodox churches and shrines.
1891 – 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.
1979 – The Penmanshiel Tunnel in the
Scottish Borders region of Scotland collapsed during refurbishing construction, killing two workers, and leading to the abandonment of the tunnel.
1985 – American
serial killerRichard Ramirez, known as "the Night Stalker", began a
home invasion burglary and killing spree that resulted in 13 deaths and 11 sexual assaults over the following five months.