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Made for the 250thOn this day › October 17
What happened on October 17 in American history
October 17 is the 290th day of the year (the 291st in leap years). Patriot Compass has published 6 stories from October 17 spanning 1777 to 1989. Among them: in 1777, Burgoyne lays down his sword; an entire British army surrenders at Saratoga; and in 1781, Cornwallis asks Washington for terms; his guns have been silenced for days.
1777Member story · 1776 Club
Burgoyne lays down his sword; an entire British army surrenders at Saratoga
Gates accepts 5,800 prisoners after Burgoyne's isolated campaign collapses on the Hudson.
1781
Cornwallis asks Washington for terms; his guns have been silenced for days
A drummer boy beats the parley and a white handkerchief goes up over the British works at Yorktown.
1931Member story · 1776 Club
A jury convicts Al Capone, not of murder, but of not filing a tax return
Nine hours of deliberation end the career of Chicago's most famous gangster on paperwork, not blood.
1933
Einstein steps off the boat in America, a scientist with no country to go home to
Seven months after refusing to return to Germany, he lands to take up a post at a research institute that barely exists yet.
1941Member story · 1776 Club
A German torpedo hits an American warship; Kearny survives on one engine
Eleven sailors die off Iceland while the United States still calls itself neutral.
1989
A 6.9 quake hits the Bay Area as the World Series is about to start on live national TV
Light rush-hour traffic, cleared early for the game, kept the Nimitz Freeway collapse from killing far more.
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