This Day In History, October 17th.
Five Historical Events That Happened on October 17th
1091 - The London Tornado of 1091: A tornado devastated London, England, inflicting extensive damage and fatalities.
The British army led by General Burgoyne was defeated by American troops led by General Gates in the Battle of Saratoga in New York during the American Revolutionary War.
The London Beer Flood occurred in 1814 when a brewery tank in London, England, ruptured, sending a wave of beer to flood the streets and killing eight people.
Albert Einstein arrives in the United States in 1933: As a refugee from Nazi Germany, the renowned scientist and Nobel Prize winner came in the United States.
1989 - Loma Prieta earthquake: A magnitude 7.1 earthquake rocked the San Francisco Bay Area in California, inflicting severe damage and loss of life.
1091 - The London Tornado of 1091: A tornado struck London, England, causing significant damage and loss of life.
The London Tornado of 1091 is regarded as one of the oldest tornadoes documented in English history. On October 17, 1091, a tornado devastated the city, causing considerable damage, including the collapse of the wooden London Bridge. Many buildings were destroyed, including the church of St. Mary-le-Bow, and many people were killed. The tornado "did much harm and evil to men and beasts and trees and to everything," according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle.
1777 - Battle of Saratoga: During the American Revolutionary War, the British army under General Burgoyne was defeated by American forces under General Gates at the Battle of Saratoga in New York.
The Battle of Saratoga took place on October 17, 1777, near Saratoga, New York, during the American Revolutionary War. General John Burgoyne's British army was seeking to conquer Albany and shut off New England from the other colonies when it was intercepted by American troops headed by General Horatio Gates. The British were encircled and forced to surrender on October 17, 1777, after a series of conflicts. The American victory at Saratoga was a watershed moment in the war, convincing France to enter the War on the Americans' side, giving much-needed help and supplies.
1814 - The London Beer Flood: A brewery tank in London, England, burst, causing a wave of beer to flood the streets and kill eight people.
The London Beer Flood happened on October 17, 1814, in London, England, in the St Giles neighborhood. In the Meux and Company Brewery, a large vat containing over 135,000 imperial gallons (610,000 L) of beer burst, causing a tidal wave of beer to flood the streets and nearby buildings. The beer wave was said to be 15 feet (4.6 meters) high and caused substantial damage, including the collapse of two neighboring buildings. The tragedy killed eight persons, the most of whom were buried alive or drowned in the alcohol. The brewery was hauled to court but was finally cleared of all charges.
1933 - Albert Einstein arrives in the United States: The renowned physicist and Nobel Prize winner arrived in the United States as a refugee from Nazi Germany.
On October 17, 1933, Albert Einstein, one of the most prominent physicists and scientists of the twentieth century, came in the United States as a refugee from Nazi Germany. The Nazi administration had targeted Einstein, a Jewish German citizen, because of his ancestry and political ideas. He had already left Germany earlier in the year, and after a brief stop in Belgium, he moved to the United States, where he took a post at Princeton University's Institute for Advanced Study in New Jersey. Einstein went on to become a US citizen and continue his revolutionary physics research, finally winning the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921 for his work on theoretical physics.
1989 - Loma Prieta earthquake: A major earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale struck the San Francisco Bay Area in California, causing widespread damage and loss of life.
The Loma Prieta earthquake occurred on October 17, 1989, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. The earthquake, which registered 7.1 on the Richter scale, caused extensive damage and loss of life. The epicenter of the earthquake occurred near Loma Prieta peak in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and it was felt as far away as Los Angeles and Oregon. The earthquake caused the double-decker Cypress Street Viaduct in Oakland to collapse, killing 42 people. The earthquake killed 63 people, wounded hundreds more, and caused an estimated $6 billion in property damage. The Loma Prieta earthquake is still considered one of the most significant seismic occurrences in California history.