It happened one 17 May

1849 : Devastating fire in St. Louis


On May 17, 1849, a fire broke out on a steamboat on the Mississippi River at St. Louis, Missouri. The fire spread to all neighboring steamboats then on the docks and in most parts of the city. The city was virtually destroyed.

1994 : Fire in a prison in Honduras


On 17 May 1994, a fire started in a crowded prison in San Pedro Sula in the north of Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras.
103 people, mostly belonging to the gang MS-13, were killed. The prison housed 2,000 prisoners for a capacity of 800. Following this accident, the Honduran government took steps to reduce overcrowding in its prisons.

2000 : Last episode of Beverly Hills


On May 17, 2000, Fox Television broadcasted the last episode of Beverly Hills. The series, produced by Aaron Spelling and created by Darren Star had started its broadcast in October 1990. It told the culture shock experienced by twins Brandon and Brenda, played by Jason Priestley and Shannen Doherty, on arriving in Beverly Hills from Minneapolis and their adventures with their classmates.

2004 : First same-sex marriage celebrated in Massachusetts


On May 17, 2004, Marcia Kadish and Tanya McCloskey married at City Hall in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This was the first marriage between same sex persons celebrated in the United States. This marriage is not recognized at the federal level because many states of the United States still prohibit such unions.

Latest news : 17 May

Norwegian Constitution Day
May 17 (syttende May) is a national holiday in Norway. People celebrate the signing of the country's first constitution, signed on May 17th, 1814 at Eidsvoll, establishing the independence of the country. Festivities are held throughout the country, especially children parades, and special dishes are prepared.

Quote of the day : 17 May

Shannen Doherty
If God wanted us to be naked, why did he invent sexy lingerie?

Birthdays : 17 May

Edward Jenner, English microbiologist, pioneer of smallpox vaccine (1749)
Erik Satie, French composer (1866)
Henri Barbusse, French journalist (1873)
Odd Hassel, Norwegian chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (1897)
Jean Gabin, French actor (1904)
Maureen O'Sullivan, Irish actress (1911)
Dennis Hopper, American actor (1936)
Gary Paulsen, American writer (1939)
Gérard Krawczyk, French director (1953)
Bill Paxton, American actor (1955)
Enya, Irish singer (1961)
Sasha Alexander, American actress (1973)
Andrea Corr, Irish musician (The Corrs) (1974)
Tony Parker, French American basketball player (1982)
Reiko Nakamura, Japanese swimmer (1982)
Tessa Virtue, Canadian ice dancer (1989)

They left us one 17 May

Go-Fushimi, Emperor of Japan (1336)
Sandro Botticelli, Florentine painter (1510)
George Boleyn, English politician (1536)
Catherine I , Empress of All the Russias (1727)
Charles de Talleyrand-Périgord, French politician (1838)
Jules Supervielle, French poet (1960)
Lloyd Alexander, American writer (2007)

Tip of the Day : 17 May

What we must not say to a police officer


You never know what life holds for us and one day you may be arrested by the police for any reason whatsoever.
In this case, you must be careful to behave properly to avoid making things worse.
First, you should avoid bad jokes, especially those involving police.
You should also refrain yourself from trying to bribe the police with money or some other way, which is illegal in this country and you can go to jail for a long time for this reason.
You should not threaten policemen in any way whatsoever if you do not want to be mastered with the utmost firmness.
You should also avoid talking about your past criminal activities in order to impress them : you never know, there may be no prescription and you can end up with additional charges against you.
You should also cooperate with them : we must know that the Constitution, even if it allows - and encourages - resistance to oppression, does not allow resistance during an arrest by the police. If you think that your arrest was arbitrary, you may always object later, if you are still able to do so.

* Warning

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Vue mer : crédit photo Aseed