Births on August 17

Wilf Copping, English footballer (d. 1980)

Wilfred Copping (17 August 1909 – June 1980) was an English footballer who played for Leeds United, Arsenal and the England national team.

9 Jan

Nimrod Expedition
Ernest Shackleton, leading the Nimrod Expedition to the South Pole, plants the British flag 97 nautical miles (180 km; 112 mi) from the South Pole, the farthest anyone had ever reached at that time.
28 Jan

Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
United States troops leave Cuba with the exception of Guantanamo Bay Naval Base after being there since the Spanish-American War.
22 Feb

Great White Fleet
The sixteen battleships of the Great White Fleet, led by USS Connecticut, return to the United States after a voyage around the world.
31 Mar

Bosnia and Herzegovina
Serbia accepts Austrian control over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
27 Apr

Abdul Hamid II
Sultan of Ottoman Empire Abdul Hamid II is overthrown, and is succeeded by his brother, Mehmed V.