2017 CE

The shooting site of the Las Vegas shooting. Stephen Paddock shot and killed 60 and injured more than 400 attending a music festival from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel, making it the deadliest mass shooting in American history; Images of the solar eclipse of August 21, 2017, dubbed the Great American Eclipse; Two truck bombings kill at least 587 in Mogadishu, Somalia; The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season, including Harvey (pictured), Irma, and Maria, becomes the costliest recorded in history; A military coup deposes Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, who had led the country for 37 years; After 13 years of orbiting Saturn, the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft ends its mission; The Parliament of Catalonia declares the independence from Spain following Catalonia's referendum on independence, which was not recognized by any country and produced no legal effect; The Iraqi armed forces recaptures Mosul during the war in the country against the Islamic State; The Glade of Light, the memorial to the bombing following a Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England; the attack killed 23 and injured over a thousand.

In the 2010s, the 21st century.

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

January 19 – 2016–2017 Gambian constitutional crisis: The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) launches a military intervention in the Gambia after Yahya Jammeh refuses to cede power following the 2016 presidential elections.source
January 21 – 2016–2017 Gambian constitutional crisis: Following the military intervention of ECOWAS, President Yahya Jammeh resigns from office after 23 years in power and flees into exile to Equatorial Guinea; the democratically elected Adama Barrow assumes office as President of The Gambia.source
January 30 – Morocco rejoins the African Union.source
February 5 – 2017 Liechtenstein general election: The Progressive Citizens' Party led by Adrian Hasler retains a plurality of 9 seats in the Landtag.source
1–2 February: Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, has an official visit to the Dominican Republic hosted by Minister of Foreign Affairs Miguel Vargas at the Palacio Nacional in Santo Domingo. During the visit, they sign an agreement on tourism between the nations.Dominican Republic source
March 29 – The United Kingdom triggers Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, starting the Brexit negotiations, the talks for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union.source
6 April - Voters go to the polls to vote in the first legislative election held since Jammeh left.Gambia source
27 April – Dozens of Macedonian nationalists storm the Macedonian parliament after the election of Talat Xhaferi as Speaker of the Assembly.North Macedonia source
May 7 – 2017 French presidential election: Emmanuel Macron of En Marche! wins the second round of the French presidential election decisively, defeating Marine Le Pen of the National Front (FN).source
May 10 - Bahamian General election is heldBahamas source
June 1 – Amidst widespread criticism, the U.S. government announces its decision to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement in due time.source
June 5 – The Qatar diplomatic crisis of 2017–18 starts, as Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and other Arab countries block Qatari access to their seas and air.source
June 5 – Montenegro joins NATO as the 29th member.source
June 8 – A snap general election is held in the United Kingdom, three years before the next was due, resulting in a hung parliament, with the Conservative Party, led by Prime Minister Theresa May, losing their majority in Parliament. The Labour Party, led by Jeremy Corbyn, makes gains for the first time since 1997. Days later, the Conservative Party, now lacking a majority, enters a confidence-and-supply deal with the Northern Ireland loyalist party DUP.source
11 June – In a referendum on its status, Puerto Ricans vote in favor of statehood amid a historically low turnout. This figure is attributed to a boycott led by the pro-status quo PPD party.Puerto Rico source
25 June – Bahrain officially issues Qatar a list of demands, including the cessation of relations with Iran, closure of a Turkish military base being constructed, suspend relations with groups like the Muslim Brotherhood and shut down Al Jazeera.Qatar source
July 4 – Russia and China urge North Korea to halt its missile and nuclear programs after it successfully tested its first intercontinental ballistic missile.source
July 7 – The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons is voted for by 122 states.source
July 10 – Iraqi Civil War: Mosul is declared fully liberated from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.source
16 July – Republic of the Congo parliamentary election, 2017Republic of the Congo source
August 5 – Mauritania holds a constitutional referendum for approval of proposed amendments to the constitution.source
September 25 – The Kurdistan Region votes in a referendum to become an independent state, in defiance of Iraq; by October 15, the crisis escalates into a short-lived armed conflict over disputed territories.source
October 17 – Syrian Civil War: Raqqa is declared fully liberated from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.source
October 25 – At the 19th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping assumes his second term as General Secretary (China's paramount leader), and the political theory Xi Jinping Thought is written into the party's constitution.source
October 27 – Based on the results of a previously held referendum, Catalonia declares independence from Spain, but the Catalan Republic is not recognised by the Spanish government or any other sovereign nation.source
November 15 – Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe is placed under house arrest, as the military take control of the country. He resigns six days later, after 37 years of rule.source
December 6 – The United States officially recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's capital.source
December 9 – The Iraqi military announces that it has "fully liberated" all of Iraq's territory from "ISIS terrorist gangs" and retaken full control of the Iraqi-Syrian border.source
December 24 – Guatemala follows in the footsteps of the United States by announcing that they will also move their Israeli embassy to Jerusalem, followed by Honduras and Panama two days later.source
Samoa's Legislative Assembly appoints Tuimalealiifano Va'aletoa Sualauvi II as O le Ao o le Malo.Samoa source

Conflict & Security

1 January - President Jammeh accuses the ECOWAS bloc of "declaring war" on the Gambia after it was said they were putting forces on alert in case he refuses to step down by the deadline of January 19.Gambia source
January 8 – 2017 Jerusalem truck attack: A Palestinian assailant entered the road where the Israeli defense forces were located with a truck, killing 4 people and injuring 15 others.source
January 27 – U.S. President Donald Trump issues executive order banning travel and immigration from seven Muslim-majority nations. Protests against the immigration order erupt nationwide for about two weeks.source
March 31 – Horacio Cartes presents to Congress his plans of allowing the re-election of the president of Paraguay for a second term, going against the Constitution of Paraguay, leading to a political crisis which ended in the storm of Congress by liberal activists and in the assassination of Rodrigo Quintana by the police. After this, the Congress votes against the re-election project.source
April 7 – In response to a suspected chemical weapons attack on a rebel-held town, the U.S. military launches 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at an air base in Syria. Russia describes the strikes as an "aggression", adding they significantly damage U.S.–Russia ties.source
April 27 – The 2017 storming of the Macedonian Parliament occurs.source
May 22 – An ISIL terrorist bombing attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, kills 22 people and injures more than 500 others.source
22 May – Manchester Arena is attacked by a suicide bomber following a music concert by American singer Ariana Grande, resulting in multiple casualties. It is the most deadly attack in the UK since the 7 July 2005 London bombings and the first in the North of England since the IRA bombing of Manchester in June 1996.United Kingdom source
5 June – Qatar plunges into diplomatic crisis as Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the internationally recognised government of Yemen sever ties with it, claiming that national security, media incitement and Qatari support for Iran are the cause.Qatar source
June 7 – Two terrorist attacks are simultaneously carried out by five Islamic State (ISIL) terrorists against the Iranian Parliament building and the Mausoleum of Ruhollah Khomeini, both in Tehran, leaving 17 civilians dead and 43 more wounded.source
June 18 – Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) fire six surface-to-surface mid-range ballistic missiles from domestic bases targeting ISIL forces in the Syrian Deir ez-Zor Governorate in response to the terrorist attacks in Tehran earlier this month.source
18 June – June 2017 Bamako attackMali source
June 22 – The African and Caribbean War Memorial unveiled in Brixton, London.source
June 27 – 2017 cyberattacks on Ukraine: A series of cyberattacks using the Petya malware begins, affecting organizations in Ukraine.source
July 7 – ISIL affiliated insurgents attacked an Egyptian military checkpoint in Northern Sinai's Rafah which resulted in the deaths of 26 Egyptian personnel including colonel Ahmed Mansi and 44 other insurgents.source
5 August - Mauritanians vote on the constitutional referendum to abolish the Senate and add red bands to the flag. Criticism of President Aziz's attempts at suppressing opposition also arises.Mauritania source
August 18 – The first terrorist attack ever sentenced as a crime in Finland kills two people and injures eight others. Islamic terrorist Abderrahman Bouanane, a Moroccan man carried out the ISIS-inspired attack in southwest Finland.source
August 25–ongoing – A military operation targeting Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar "seems a textbook example of ethnic cleansing", according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.source
September 1 – Russian President Vladimir Putin expels 755 diplomats in response to United States sanctions.source
September 3 – North Korea conducts its sixth and most powerful nuclear test.source
7 September – Tundu Lissu, an MP of the opposition party Chadema, survived being shot multiple times at his home after returning from a parliamentary session by unknown gunmen.Tanzania source
November 3 – Syrian Civil War: both Deir ez-Zor in Syria and Al-Qa'im in Iraq are declared liberated from ISIL on the same day.source
November 24 – A mosque attack in Sinai, Egypt kills 305 worshippers and leaves hundreds more wounded.source
November 27 – Start of the Honduran protests.source
1 December: During the 2017 Venezuelan protests, negotiations resume between Nicolas Maduro's Venezuelan government and the country's primary opposition coalition held in the Dominican Republic.Dominican Republic source
Ongoing rebuilding after Winston, which impacted 62% of the Fiji population and caused F$2 Billion in daage (20% GDP), killed 44 people, and left 131,000 people homeless.Fiji source
Ongoing since April 2016 – the Pool WarRepublic of the Congo source

Exploration & Expansion

4 January - President Igor Dodon visited the city of Bender in the breakaway republic of Transnistria, making hin the first Moldovan leader to visit the region since 2009.Moldova source
Jan 18: N.K. distributes new manual on broad photography restrictions to foreign diplomats.North Korea source
June 26 – The 2017 America's Cup yacht race, sailed in Bermuda, is won by New Zealand's Aotearoa.source
June 29 – Croatia–Slovenia border disputes: the Permanent Court of Arbitration issues a decision in the arbitration case between the two neighbouring countries, ruling, among other things, that Slovenia should have access to international waters through a corridor crossing Croatian territorial waters. Croatia doesn't acknowledge the decision.Slovenia source
31 August – Visa requirements for Japanese citizens are waived.Armenia source
September 16-17 - Nursultan Nazarbayev becomes the first foreign leader to visit President Mirziyoyev Tashkent.Uzbekistan source
26,27 July - SOUTHCOM Commander visits Paraguay for regional, bilateral meetings.Paraguay source
14-20 January – In the 2017 Desert T20 Challenge, hosted by the Emirates, the Afghanistan cricket team defeated Ireland in the final.United Arab Emirates source
APEC Vietnam 2017, a year-long hosting of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings in Vietnam.Vietnam source

Religion & Belief

1 January – Malta takes over the six-month rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union.Malta source
9 April – The Palm Sunday church bombings, twin suicide bombings that took place at St. George's Church in Tanta, and Saint Mark's Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Alexandria, killed at least 45 people and injured more than 100.Egypt source
April 25 – The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) unanimously adopted a call to place Turkey back under monitoring due to setbacks in democracy, human rights, the rule of law, freedom of expression, and judicial independence. Turkey last officially exited the monitoring process in 2004 when it began accession negotiations with the European Union.source
4 May - After meeting Pope Francis, Suu Kyi establishes full relations between Myanmar and the Holy See.Myanmar source
16 June – Samoa becomes a Christian state. Article 1 of the Samoan Constitution states that “Samoa is a Christian nation founded of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit”.Samoa source
17 July – A Charismatic pastor was arrested after two worshippers drowned while being baptised by him in the Ungwasi river. The victims were overwhelmed by the river's current.Tanzania source
30 July – establishment of the Province of the Episcopal Church of SudanSudan source
November 14 - Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rahi, leader of the Lebanon-based Maronite Church, makes a rare visit to Saudi Arabia, where he meets with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The visit comes at a time of high tension between Saudi Arabia and Lebanon.Saudi Arabia source
30 November – The Roman Catholic Diocese of Siuna is establishedNicaragua source

Economy & Finance

17 January – The government approves proposed amendments tightening conditions for job-seekers receiving unemployment benefits.Slovakia source
23 January - According to government officials, more than 500 million dalasi are missing from the state coffer after Jammeh left in exile.Gambia source
19 February - 2000 people spread the march of the 2017 Belarusian protests from the capital of Minsk to other cities in Belarus against a 2015 tax law.Belarus source
19 February – The Ecuadorian general election was held alongside a referendum on tax havens. In the first round of the presidential elections, PAIS Alliance candidate Lenín Moreno received 39% of the vote, while his nearest rival was Guillermo Lasso of the Creating Opportunities party, and a second election round was required.Ecuador source
May 12 – WannaCry ransomware attack: Computers around the world are hit by a large-scale ransomware cyberattack, which goes on to affect at least 150 countries.source
July 17 - Leung Kwok-hung, Nathan Law, Yiu Chung-yim and Lau Siu-lai were disqualified from LegCo membership.Hong Kong source
August 5 – The UN Security Council unanimously approves fresh sanctions on North Korean trade and investment.source
16 October – A bank in Al Arish, North Sinai was robbed by terrorists of local currency equivalent to about US $1 million. Seven people including 3 civilians were killed in the gunfire from the assailants.Egypt source
November 5 – The German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung publishes 13.4 million documents leaked from the offshore law firm Appleby, along with business registries in 19 tax jurisdictions that reveal offshore financial activities on behalf of politicians, celebrities, corporate giants and business leaders. The newspaper shared the documents with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and asked it to lead the investigation.source
November 6 - Investors react poorly to the arrest of Al-Waleed bin Talal, one of the wealthiest men in the world.Saudi Arabia source
December 14 – The Walt Disney Company announces that it will acquire most of 21st Century Fox, including the 20th Century Fox film studio, for $66 billion.source
December 22 – The UN Security Council votes 15–0 in favor of additional sanctions on North Korea, including measures to slash the country's petroleum imports by up to 90%.source
The UN climate summit COP 23 convened from 6 to 17 November 2017 in Bonn, Germany, under the presidency of the government of Fiji.Fiji source

Technology & Infrastructure

10 January – The Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway is finally complete creating a high speed link with Djibouti.Ethiopia source
31 May – Inaugural Kenya Standard Gauge Railway passenger train, the Madaraka Express, begins travel from Mombasa to NairobiKenya source
21 June – The groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of Mandalgovi–Ulaanbaatar Transmission Line.Mongolia source
September 20 - Saudi Arabia lifts a ban in 2013 on internet calls.Saudi Arabia source
September 24 – the majority of voters back the proposed law governing the Divača-Koper railway upgrade in a national referendum.Slovenia source
San Pedro Pirates FC, a football team based in San Pedro, is established. The team competed in the 2017–18 Premier League of Belize.Belize source
2017: Morgan Stanley projects 1 billion electric vehicles in use globally by 2050 and 800% increase in demand for cobalt, used in electric car batteries, by 2026.Democratic Republic of the Congo source
100% of the population will have access to clean water.Rwanda source

Science & Discovery

21 January - Jammeh reportedly leaves the Gambia for a plane to Guinea.Gambia source
February 11 – North Korea prompts international condemnation by test firing a ballistic missile across the Sea of Japan.source
February 26 – An annular solar eclipse is visible from Pacific, Chile, Argentina, Atlantic, Africa. It is the 29th eclipse of the 140th saros cycle (descending node), which started with a partial solar eclipse visible in the Southern Hemisphere on April 16, 1512, and will conclude with another partial solar eclipse visible in the Northern Hemisphere on June 1, 2774.source
March 3 – Nintendo releases the Switch worldwide.source
March 30 – SpaceX conducts the world's first reflight of an orbital-class rocket.source
March – The Puerto Rico national baseball team was the runner up in the 2017 World Baseball ClassicPuerto Rico source
April 13 – In the 2017 Nangarhar airstrike, the U.S. drops the GBU-43/B MOAB, the world's largest non-nuclear weapon, at an ISIL base in the Nangarhar Province of eastern Afghanistan.source
19 April - Moldova is granted observer Status in the Eurasian Economic Union in April 2017.Moldova source
June 10 – The 2017 World Expo is opened in Astana, Kazakhstan.source
11 June – Iran sends five planes of food to Qatar, with more underway.Qatar source
August 7/8 - Partial Lunar eclipse visible from entire Nepal.Nepal source
August 17 – The first observation of a collision of two neutron stars (GW170817) is hailed as a breakthrough in multi-messenger astronomy when both gravitational and electromagnetic waves from the event are detected. Data from the event provided confirmatory evidence for the r-process theory of the origin of heavy elements like gold.source
August 21 – A total solar eclipse (nicknamed "The Great American Eclipse") is visible within a band across the entire contiguous United States of America, passing from the Pacific to the Atlantic coasts. The moon was just 3 days past perigee, making it relatively large.source
September 15 – Cassini–Huygens ends its 13-year mission by plunging into Saturn, becoming the first spacecraft to enter the planet's atmosphere.source
November 2 – A new species of orangutan is identified in Indonesia, becoming the third known species of orangutan as well as the first great ape to be described for almost a century.source
November 20 – Nature publishes an article recognising the high-velocity asteroid ʻOumuamua as originating from outside the Solar System, i.e. the first known interstellar object.source
3 December - President Nicolás Maduro announces the creation of a new cryptocurrency the petro.Venezuela source
December – Rebetiko, a Greek music genre, is added to UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.Greece source
148 tabua are repatriated to Fiji from New Zealand on the 29 of MayFiji source

Health & Medicine

27 January – A Czech court rules in favour of a nursing school that banned a Somali refugee student from wearing a headscarf.Czech Republic source
25 March - Despite bans on protests, hundreds protest in Minsk against a so-called "social parasites" tax on the unemployed.Belarus source
April 15 – Emma Morano, an Italian supercentenarian, becomes the last known person born in the 19th century to die.source
22 April 2017 to 1 July 2017 – 2017 Democratic Republic of the Congo Ebola virus outbreakDemocratic Republic of the Congo source
April 25 - Saudi Arabia is elected to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women along with eleven other countries despite "being ranked by human rights experts as one of the worst for gender equality".Saudi Arabia source
25 April – Tanzania expelled UNDP head Awa Dobo, possibly because of alleged criticisms of a controversial election in Zanzibar.Tanzania source
June 25 – The World Health Organization estimates that the 2016–17 Yemen cholera outbreak has over 200,000 cases.source
25 June – The World Health Organization estimates that Yemen has more than 200,000 cases of Cholera.Yemen source
19 July – Pharmacies begin selling cannabis for recreational use, making Uruguay the first country to establish a nationwide legal retail market for the drug.Uruguay source
24 September: The White House announces that citizens of Chad will be restricted from travelling to the United States.Chad source

Crime & Justice

January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the Reina nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey, killing 39 people and injuring 79 others.source
1 January - Environmental minister, Emmanuel Niyonkuru, is gunned down in Bujumbura.Burundi source
26 January – Former interior minister, Ousman Sonko, is arrested in Geneva, Switzerland for human rights abuses.Gambia source
24 April – In the early hours of the day a suspected Brazilian gang of robbers stole 11.7 million dollars from a security vault in Ciudad del Este, leaving one police officer dead. It is the biggest heist in Paraguay's history.Paraguay source
9 June – 59 individuals and 12 groups with links to Qatar are issued on a "terror list" by Saudi Arabia.Qatar source
July: Guinea passed a law that criminalized torture and abolished the death penalty.Guinea source
August 17 – 2017 Barcelona attacks: 22-year-old Younes Abouyaaqoub drives a van into pedestrians on La Rambla in Barcelona, killing 13 people and injuring at least 130 others.source
27 August: The 2017 Liga Dominicana de Fútbol Final (Club Atlético Pantoja vs Atlántico FC) is held in Santo Domingo, Atlántico wins after a penalty shoot-out.Dominican Republic source
21 November – Disappearance of Azory Gwanda, a journalist for Mwananchi Communications Ltd in Dar es Salaam.Tanzania source
November 22 – The International Court of Justice finds Ratko Mladić guilty of genocide committed in Srebrenica during the 1990s Bosnian War, the worst massacre in Europe since World War II. He is sentenced to life in prison.source
Date unknown – Two U.S. Navy SEALs and two Marines are accused of murdering U.S. Army Green Beret Logan Melgar while serving on an undisclosed mission in Mali.Mali source

Disasters & Accidents

January 16 – Turkish Airlines Flight 6491, a cargo flight en route from Hong Kong to Istanbul via Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, crashes in a residential area while attempting to land at Manas International Airport, Bishkek, killing all four crew members on board and 35 people on the ground.source
January 29 – A gunman opens fire at a mosque in Quebec City, Canada, killing 6 and injuring 19 others.source
6 February – A Prague Fast-Food Restaurant Bans the Burka.Czech Republic source
8 March – the Azure Window collapses after a heavy storm.Malta source
April 18 - Twelve Saudi military officers die when a Black Hawk crashes in Yemen's Ma'rib Governorate.Saudi Arabia source
June 3 – 2017 Turin stampede: During a screening of the 2017 UEFA Champions League Final, pepper spray is discharged by individuals attempting to rob soccer fans in the square, causing the crowd to panic. There are 3 deaths and 1,672 people wounded.source
June 14 – The Grenfell Tower Fire in West London claims the lives of 72 residents, making it the worst UK residential fire since World War II.source
June 21 – The Great Mosque of al-Nuri in Mosul, Iraq, is destroyed by ISIL.source
11 August – Alexandria train collision.Egypt source
7 September 2017, The Education University of Hong Kong's main campus in Tai Po displayed a message of "congratulations" to Undersecretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin after her son plunged to his death from a residential tower. On 8 September 2017, Chief Executive Carrie Lam condemned the poster in the Education University was "extremely callous" and "cold blooded".Hong Kong source
8 October - A refugee boat carrying Rohingya fleeing Myanmar for Bangladesh capsizes at the Bay of Bengal, killing 12.Myanmar source
October 14 – A massive blast caused by a truck bombing in Mogadishu, Somalia kills at least 587 people and injures 316 others.source
November 5 – Sutherland Springs church shooting: A gunman opens fire in a Baptist church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, United States, killing 26 people and injuring 20 more. It was the deadliest shooting in an American place of worship in modern history, surpassing the Charleston church shooting of 2015 and the Waddell Buddhist temple shooting of 1991.source
12 November – Virgin Samoa ceases operations.Samoa source
November 15 – The Argentinian submarine ARA San Juan suddenly vanished with 44 crew members on board whilst on a routine patrol in the South Atlantic. It would be found one year later wrecked 907 m below the Atlantic Ocean.source
14 December – Soldiers fire indiscriminately at civilians in Bodam, execute an elderly man, and burn several houses.Cameroon source

Climate & Environment

22 January – an earthquake of 7.9 magnitude struck off Papua New Guinea.Papua New Guinea source
15 February – The tropical cyclone Dineo struck the coast of Mozambique. At least seven people were killed across the country, and an estimated 20,000 homes were destroyed and approximately 130,000 people were directly affected. Dineo was the first tropical cyclone to hit Mozambique since Cyclone Jokwe in 2008.Mozambique source
20 February – The South Sudan government and the United Nations declared a famine in parts of Unity State, affecting more than 100,000 people, and fearing the famine could spread significantly as the order of one million people are threatened.South Sudan source
March 10 – The UN warns that the world is facing the largest humanitarian crisis since World War II, with up to 20 million people at risk of starvation and famine in Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan and Nigeria.source
March 14 – March 2017 North American blizzard: A major late-season blizzard affects the Northeastern United States, New England and Canada, dumping up to three feet of snow in the hardest hit areas.source
3 April – An earthquake of magnitude 6.5 occurred in the Central District of Botswana.Botswana source
June 24 – The Goodwin Fire, a wildfire, starts in Yavapai County, Arizona near Mayer and forces evacuations of more than a hundred people.source
3 August – USAID expands food aid to Ethiopia as well as Kenya to help them against the famine. $137 million has been donated to Ethiopia.Ethiopia source
August 25–30 – Hurricane Harvey strikes the United States as a Category 4 hurricane, causing catastrophic damage to the Houston metropolitan area, mostly due to record-breaking floods. At least 108 deaths are recorded, and total damage reaches $125 billion (2017 USD), making Harvey the costliest natural disaster in United States history, tied with Hurricane Katrina in 2005.source
September 6 – Hurricane Irma, at peak intensity, would make the first of many powerful landfalls along the Caribbean islands and the United States. Damages would total $77.2 billion (2017 USD), and 134 would be killed by the storm.source
September 19–20 – Just two weeks after Hurricane Irma struck the Caribbean, Hurricane Maria strikes similar areas, making landfall on Dominica as a Category 5 hurricane, and Puerto Rico as a Category 4 hurricane. Maria caused over 3,000 deaths and damages estimated in excess of $91.6 billion (2017 USD).source
September 19 – Twelve days after another powerful earthquake, and on the 32nd anniversary of the deadly 1985 Mexico City earthquake, a 7.1 Mw earthquake strikes central Mexico, killing 370, leaving up to 6,000 injured and thousands more homeless.source
20 September – Hurricane Maria makes landfall over Puerto Rico, causing extensive damage to the power grid. Hurricane Maria death toll controversy resulted from the number of dead being underreported by officials. Total losses are estimated at $94.4 billion.Puerto Rico source
October 12 – The United States announces its decision to withdraw from UNESCO, and is immediately followed by Israel.source
October – Hurricane Nate causes substantial damage.Costa Rica source
November 12 – A magnitude 7.3 earthquake strikes the border region between Iraq and Iran leaving at least 530 dead and over 70,000 homeless.source
The 2017 Peru flood was a natural disaster in Peru in which more than 100 000 homes were demolished, over 100 bridges washed out, and multiple roadways rendered inoperable. Over 70 people have lost their lives as a result of the flooding.Peru source

Culture & Society

13 January – Iraqi forces fighting the Islamic State militants manage to seize full control of Mosul University which the army described as a significant victory.Iraq source
January 21 – Millions of people worldwide join the Women's March following the inauguration of Donald Trump as President of the United States. 420 marches were reported in the U.S. and 168 in other countries, becoming the largest single-day protest in American history at the time.source
22 January: Organized protests in Santo Domingo and other areas of the country begin, advocating for legal justice in recent corruption scandals such as the Odebrecht case. Protestors dress in Green, to symbolize what they dubbed the 'Green Wave' due to the protest's environmentalist themes.Dominican Republic source
February–March – the 2017 Bayamon Cup organized by the Puerto Rican Football FederationPuerto Rico source
24 March – scheduled date for the Macedonian local elections, 2017North Macedonia source
5 May – Same-sex marriage in Bermuda becomes legalBermuda source
May 9–13 – The Eurovision Song Contest takes place in Kyiv, Ukraine, and is won by Portuguese entrant Salvador Sobral with the song "Amar Pelos Dois".source
September 13 – The International Olympic Committee awards Paris and Los Angeles the right to host the 2024 and 2028 Summer Olympics, respectively.source
September 26 – Fortnite Battle Royale releases, becoming one of the biggest video games in the world and a cultural phenomenon.source
November 15 – A Leonardo da Vinci painting, Salvator Mundi, sells for US$450 million at Christie's in New York, a new record price for any work of art.source
December 5 – Russia is banned from the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang by the International Olympic Committee, following an investigation into state-sponsored doping.source
14 to 30 July – Barbados participated at the 2017 World Aquatics Championships with 4 competitors.Barbados source
In September 2017, the Botswana High Court ruled that the refusal of the Registrar of National Registration to change a transgender man's gender marker was "unreasonable and violated his constitutional rights to dignity, privacy, freedom of expression, equal protection of the law, freedom from discrimination and freedom from inhumane and degrading treatment". LGBT activists celebrated the ruling, describing it as a great victory. At first, the Botswana Government announced it would appeal the ruling, but decided against it in December, supplying the trans man with a new identity document that reflects his gender identity.Botswana source
16 to 21 October – Georgetown hosted the 2017 Indoor Pan American Cup, (an indoor hockey tournament). The women's tournament was won by the United States, while Trinidad and Tobago won the men's tournament.Guyana source
Congo at the 2017 World Championships in AthleticsRepublic of the Congo source

Births

17 March – Constitution Hill, National Hunt racehorseUnited Kingdom source
14 October - Tunku Iskandar Abdul Jalil Abu Bakar IbrahimMalaysia source
9 November – Johnny Get Angry, Thoroughbred racehorseNew Zealand source
20 November – Mo'unga, Thoroughbred racehorseNew Zealand source

Deaths

February 13 – Assassination of Kim Jong-nam: Kim Jong-nam, the eldest son of deceased North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and the half-brother of current North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, is killed after being attacked by two women with VX nerve agent at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia.source
April 22 – Michele Scarponi, 37, Italian racing cyclist, 2011 Giro d'Italia winner, traffic collision.source
9 May – Zoran Madžirov, percussionist (born 1968)North Macedonia source
15 May – David Saul, politician (born 1939).Bermuda source
May 18 – Chris Cornell, 52, American musician and songwriter (Soundgarden, Audioslave, Temple of the Dog), suicide by hanging.source
May 22 – Nicky Hayden, 35, American motorcycle racer, world champion (2006), injuries from traffic collision.source
May 26 – Zbigniew Brzezinski, 89, Polish-born American diplomat and political scientist, National Security Advisor (1977–1981).source
May 29 – Manuel Noriega, 83, Panamanian dictator and military official, military ruler (1983–1989), complications from brain surgery.source
June 3 – London Bridge attack: Eight people are murdered and dozens of civilians are wounded by Islamist terrorists. Three of the attackers are shot dead by the police. ISIS claims responsibility for the attack.source
3 June – Two Australian women—a 21-year-old from Queensland and a 28-year-old from South Australia—are killed in a terrorist attack in London. Four Australians were also among the 48 injured.Australia source
June 16 – Helmut Kohl, 87, German politician, Chancellor (1982–1998), Minister-President of Rhineland-Palatinate (1969–1976).source
August 12 – The Unite the Right rally is held in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, by a variety of white nationalist and other far-right groups; Heather Heyer, a counter-protester, is killed after being hit by a car.source
August 20 – Jerry Lewis, 91, American comedian (Martin and Lewis), actor (The Nutty Professor) and humanitarian (The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon), cardiomyopathy.source
United States Passports become invalid to travel to North Korea, in response to the death of Otto Warmbier.source
October 1 – 60 people are killed and 867 more injured when Stephen Paddock opens fire on a crowd in Las Vegas, surpassing the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting as the deadliest mass shooting perpetrated by a lone gunman in U.S. history.source
October 1 – Stephen Paddock opens fire on a crowd at the Route 91 Harvest music festival adjacent to the Mandalay Bay resort and casino at the Las Vegas Strip. 59 people were killed and 869 were injured, making it the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.United States source
11 October – Clifford Husbands, politician and judge, Governor-General 1996–2011 (born 1926).Barbados source
29 October – Frank Holder, jazz singer and percussionist (born 1925).Guyana source
November 19 – Charles Manson, 83, American criminal (Tate murders), songwriter (Lie: The Love and Terror Cult) and cult leader (Manson Family), cardiac arrest due to colon cancer.source
December 5 – Michael I, 96, Romanian royal, King (1927–1930, 1940–1947), complications from leukemia.source