17 December in Indian and World History is celebrated, observed, and remembered for various reasons. 17 December is the birth anniversary of Rahim, Sakharam Ganesh Deuskar, Muhammad Hidayatullah, and John Abraham.
17 December is also observed as the death anniversary of Nur Jahan, Rajendranath Lahiri, and Bhogaraju Pattabhi Sitaramayya.
Birth Anniversary
17 December in Indian history is celebrated as the birth anniversary of the following personalities:
Rahim (17 December 1556 – 1627), a famous Hindi poet. He had an important place in the court of Akbar. Rahim was one of the Navaratnas of Akbar. Akbar gave him the title of ‘Khankhana’ due to his bravery in the war of Gujarat. Rahim was well versed in Arabic, Turkish, Persian, Sanskrit, and Hindi. He also had knowledge of astrology. Eleven compositions of Rahim are famous. The expressions of makeup, policy, and devotion are mainly found in his poetry. Rahim was born on 17 December 1556.
Sakharam Ganesh Deuskar (17 December 1869 – 23 November 1912), a revolutionary writer, historian, and journalist. He was such a thinker of Indian awakening, whose thinking and writing had a wonderful confluence of locality and all-India. He was a staunch follower of Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak and was known as ‘Tilak of Bengal’ due to public awareness in Bengal. He also made constant efforts for the promotion of Hindi. He was born on 17 December 1869 in Bihar.
Muhammad Hidayatullah (17 December 1905 – 18 September 1992), the first Muslim Chief Justice of India. It would be more appropriate to call Muhammad Hidayatullah the first acting President of India, as he was not an elected President according to the constitutional system of India. He also served as the Acting President of India on two occasions. Along with this, he was also the sixth Vice President of India for a full term. He was born on 17 December 1905.
John Abraham, an Indian film actor as well as a film producer. He was a model before entering the film world. He has done modeling for many commercials and companies, also known for his good body. John Abraham is also the co-owner of the Indian Super League football team North-East United FC. He has also been honored with many awards many times. He was born on 17 December 1972 in Kerala.
Read More: 16 December in Indian and World History
Death Anniversary
17 December in Indian history is observed as the death anniversary of the following personalities:
Nur Jahan (31 May 1577 – 17 December 1645), was the wife of the Mughal emperor Jahangir. Her original name was Mehrunnisa. Nur Jahan was born on the way to Kandahar when his father, Mirza Ghiyasbeg, a resident of Persia, was on his way to India to test his luck. Ghiyasbeg had succeeded in getting a high position in Akbar’s court and in 1605 AD, the year of Jahangir’s accession, he was appointed as the Minister of Goods. She died on 17 December 1645.
Rajendranath Lahiri (23 June 1901 – 17 December 1927), was one of the famous revolutionaries of India’s immortal martyr. Ramprasad Bismil had planned to rob the British treasury during the meeting held in Shahjahanpur in view of the need for immediate arrangement of funds to give impetus to the freedom movement. According to the plan, Rajendranath Lahiri, a prominent member of the party, stopped the ‘Eight Down Saharanpur-Lucknow Passenger Train’ from Kakori railway station in Lucknow on 9 August 1925 by pulling the chain and under the leadership of revolutionary Bismil Ashfaq Ulla Khan, Chandrashekhar Azad, and six others. The government treasury was looted with the help of allies. The British government tried the case and sentenced Rajendranath Lahiri, Ramprasad Bismil, Ashfaqulla Khan etc. to death. He died on 17 December 1927 in Gonda Jail, Uttar Pradesh.
Bhogaraju Pattabhi Sitaramayya (24 December 1880 – 17 December 1959), an Indian freedom fighter, Gandhian, and journalist. He played an important role in awakening the spirit of independence in South India. He died on 17 December 1959.
Read More: 14 December in Indian and World History
Notable events on 17 December in Indian and World History
17 December 1645 – Nur Jahan Begum, wife of Mughal Emperor Jahangir died.
17 December 1715 – Banda Bahadur Bairagi, chief of the Sikhs, surrendered to the Mughals at Gurdaspur.
17 December 1779 – After a long struggle between the Marathas and the Portuguese, the Maratha government handed over the revenue of some villages of this region to the Portuguese as compensation of Rs 12,000 to ensure friendship.
17 December 1803 – The East India Company annexed Orissa (now Odisha).
17 December 1807 – French dictator Napoleon Bonaparte issued the historic Order of Milan.
17 December 1902 – The famous Italian inventor Marconi built the first radio station.
17 December 1903 – The Wright brothers first flew an aircraft named ‘The Flyer’, this 12-second flight revolutionized the world.
17 December 1908 – Willard Libby, an American chemist, and Nobel Prize Laureate, was born.
17 December 1914 – The Austrian army defeated the Russian army at Limanov, Poland.
17 December 1916 – Penelope Fitzgerald, a Booker Prize-winning novelist, and Nobel Prize Laureate, was born.
17 December 1925 – The then Soviet Union and Turkey signed an agreement not to attack each other.
17 December 1927 – Sir Don Bradman, the great Australian batsman, scored a brilliant 118 in his debut match in his first-class cricket.
17 December 1927 – Rajendranath Lahiri, a prominent revolutionary of India, was hanged to death in Gonda jail by the British government, two days before the scheduled date.
17 December 1933 – India’s legendary cricketer Lala Amarnath played an excellent inning of 118 runs in his debut Test match.
17 December 1940 – Mahatma Gandhi suspended the Individual Satyagraha movement.
17 December 1954 – Zofia Nałkowska a prominent Polish writer, known for her significant contributions to literature and her unwavering commitment to addressing social issues – died.
17 December 1996 – The National Football League was launched.
17 December 1998 – American and British bombers heavily bombed Iraq as part of ‘Operation Desert Fox’.
17 December 2000 – Democratic Party leader Mirko Sarovic took the oath of office in Bosnia.
17 December 2002 – Turkey supported India on the Kashmir issue on this day.
17 December 2008 – the Central Government announced a new promotion policy for promotion in government forces.