📜 This Day in History

March 17

• 455After arranging for the assassination of Valentinian III, Petronius Maximus secured the throne of the Western Roman Empire, only to be killed 11 weeks later during the sack of Rome.
• 1776American Revolutionary War: The 11‑month Siege of Boston ended with the evacuation of the city's British garrison.
• 1917World War I: Hugh Grosvenor, 2nd Duke of Westminster led a force to rescue 92 prisoners of war from Bir Hakeim, killing the Senussi guards and their families.
• 1957A plane crash on the slopes of Mount Manunggal killed Philippine president Ramon Magsaysay and 24 others.
• 1979The Penmanshiel Tunnel in the Scottish Borders collapsed during refurbishing construction, killing two workers, and leading to the abandonment of the tunnel.
• 2011First Libyan Civil War: The United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1973, authorizing military intervention in Libya to protect civilians.

Born on this day

• 763Harun al-Rashid, Abbasid caliph (died 809)
• 1537Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Japanese daimyō (died 1598)
• 1919Nat King Cole, American singer, pianist, and television host (died 1965)
• 1920Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladeshi politician, 1st President of Bangladesh (died 1975)