On This Day for April 17 - Canada Act proclaimed, Nikita Khrushchev is featured, and more

This message contains graphics. If you do not see the graphics, click here to view. April 17 FEATURED BIOGRAPHY Nikita Khrushchev READ MORE   FEATURED EVENT 1982 Canada Act proclaimed READ MORE   Advertisement Advertisement   MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY 2018: American first lady Barbara Bush—wife of George H.W. Bush, 41st president of the United States, and mother of George W. Bush, 43rd president of the United States—died at age 92. [Test your knowledge of the first ladies of the United States.] 2014: Colombian novelist Gabriel García Márquez—winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature and widely considered one of the greatest writers of the 20th century—died in Mexico City. [Take our Nobel laureates in literature quiz.] 2011: The hugely popular TV show Game of Thrones, which was based on George R.R. Martin's fantasy book series A Song of Ice and Fire, debuted on HBO. [ How much do you know about Game of Thrones?] 2003: Anneli Jäätteenmäki was sworn in as prime minister of Finland, which thereby became the second country (after New Zealand) to install a woman as head of both state and government. [ Discover some famous firsts for women.] 1975: Cambodia's ruling Lon Nol government collapsed, and the communist forces of the Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot, entered Phnom Penh and forcibly dispersed its citizenry into rural areas. [Take our quiz about Asian history.] 1970: The Apollo 13 command module—carrying James A. Lovell, Jr., Fred W. Haise, Jr., and John L. Swigert, Jr.—entered Earth's atmosphere and splashed down, ending one of the most tense chapters in space history; four days earlier an oxygen tank had exploded, threatening the lives of the three astronauts. [ Test your knowledge of astronauts and space exploration.] SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY 1975 Victoria Beckham English singer and designer 1894 Nikita Khrushchev premier of Soviet Union 1837 J.P. Morgan American financier 1918 William Holden American actor 1957 Nick Hornby British writer 1885 Isak Dinesen Danish author 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 © 2021 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Privacy Policy • Help