On This Day for August 17 - Indonesia's declaration of independence, Sir V.S. Naipaul is featured, and more

This message contains graphics. If you do not see the graphics, click here to view. August 17 FEATURED BIOGRAPHY Sir V.S. Naipaul READ MORE   FEATURED EVENT 1945 Indonesia's declaration of independence READ MORE   Advertisement Advertisement   MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY 2008: At the Olympics in Beijing, American swimmer Michael Phelps helped his team win the 4 × 100-metre medley relay, becoming the first athlete to win eight medals at a single Games. [Sort fact from fiction in our swimming quiz.] 1999: A 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck near İzmit, Turkey, killing more than 17,000 people and leaving some 500,000 homeless. [ Take our quiz about natural disasters.] 1945: English author George Orwell published Animal Farm, an anti-utopian satire that became a classic. [ Test your knowledge of famous novels.] 1943: Robert De Niro, an American actor known for his uncompromising portrayals of violent and abrasive characters, was born. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about A-list actors.] 1887: Marcus Garvey—a charismatic Black leader who helped found the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), which sought, among other things, to build in Africa a Black-governed nation—was born in Jamaica. 1978: Ben L. Abruzzo, Maxie Anderson, and Larry Newman completed the first transatlantic balloon flight, in Double Eagle II. [Test your knowledge of aviation.] SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY 1960 Sean Penn American actor 1943 Robert De Niro American actor 1929 Francis Gary Powers United States military officer 1977 Thierry Henry French football player 1944 Larry Ellison American business executive 1920 Maureen O'Hara American actress 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