September 17

Today in History
• 642 - Arab forces under Amr ibn al-'As conquer Alexandria
• 1394 - Jews are expelled from France by order of King Charles VI
• 1598 - Dutch sailors discover island of Mauritius
• 1691 - Massachusetts Bay Colony granted new charter
• 1737 - Georg-August University opens in Göttingen
• 1778 - 1st treaty between the US and Indian tribes signed (Fort Pitt)
• 1787 - The US Constitution is signed by delegates at the Philadelphia Convention
• 1819 - First whaling ship arrives in Hawaii


Holidays - Traditional and Obscure
• Australian Citizenship Day
• Constitution Day
• National Apple Dumpling Day
• National Pet Bird Day
• National Professional House Cleaners Day
• Smithsonian Day
• Wife Appreciation Day
• World Patient Safety Day

Birthdays
• 879 - Charles III "The Simple", King of France (893-923)
• 1271 - Wenceslaus II, King of Bohemia and Poland (1278-1305)
• 1550 - Pope Paul V [Camillo Borghese], 233rd pope (1605-21)
• 1739 - John Rutledge, American 2nd Chief Justice of the United States
• 1800 - Franklin Buchanan, first superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis
• 1819 - Marthinus Wessels Pretorius, 1st president of the Republic South Africa
• 1854 - David Dunbar Buick, Scottish-American automobile pioneer (Buick Motor Company)
• 1900 - J. Willard Marriott, entrepreneur and hotelier (founder of Marriott Corporation)