February 17: Presidents' Day in the United States (2025)Helicopter stolen in the 1974 White House incident1859 Cochinchina campaign: French Navy forces captured the Citadel of Saigon, defended by 1,000 Vietnamese soldiers of the Nguyn dynasty.1904 Italian composer Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly premiered at La Scala in Milan to poor reviews, forcing him to revise the opera.1964 Gabonese military officers overthrew President Lon M'ba, but French forces, honouring a 1960 treaty, forcibly reinstated him two days later.1974 A U.S. Army soldier stole a Bell UH-1 helicopter (pictured) and landed it on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C.2011 Arab Spring: Bahraini security forces killed four protesters in a pre-dawn raid at the Pearl Roundabout in Manama, while the "Day of Rage" took place in Libya with nationwide protests against Muammar Gaddafi's government.Joseph Favre (b.1849)Mara de las Mercedes Barbudo (d.1849)Don Tallon (b.1916)Hung Liu (b.1948)More anniversaries: February 16February 17February 18ArchiveBy emailList of days of the yearAbout