On This Day for July 17 - Beginning of the Spanish Civil War , Adam Smith is featured, and more

This message contains graphics. If you do not see the graphics, click here to view. July 17 FEATURED BIOGRAPHY Adam Smith READ MORE   FEATURED EVENT 1936 Beginning of the Spanish Civil War READ MORE   Advertisement Advertisement   MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY 2014: Malaysia Airlines flight 17 crashed in separatist-held territory in Ukraine , killing all 298 people on board; a Dutch investigation later determined that the aircraft was shot down by a Russian-made surface-to-air missile. [Watch a video summarizing the Dutch Safety Board's investigation of the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines flight 17.] 2009: American journalist Walter Cronkite—who, as the longtime anchor of CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite (1962–81), became known as "the most trusted man in America"—died in New York. 1998: The United Nations completed the statute establishing the International Criminal Court, which began sittings four years later. [ Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about world organizations.] 1955: Disneyland, an amusement park featuring attractions based on the creations of Walt Disney and the Disney Company, opened in Anaheim, California. [ How much do you know about Disney?] 1945: Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill, and Harry S. Truman met at the Potsdam Conference, the last Allied summit conference of World War II. [ Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about World War II.] 1944: German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was seriously injured when his car was forced off the road by British fighter-bombers. [Take our quiz about Germany and World War II.] SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY 1954 Angela Merkel chancellor of Germany 1935 Donald Sutherland Canadian actor 1947 Camilla, duchess of Cornwall British duchess 1899 James Cagney American actor 1975 Terence Tao Australian mathematician 1958 Wong Kar-Wai Chinese director SEE ALL BIOS ON THIS DAY   Advertisement   FOLLOW: To unsubscribe from Britannica e-mails, click here. Encyclopædia Britannica 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 Chicago, Illinois 60654 United States © 2020 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Privacy Policy • Help