November 17th Major News Events

1953 U.S.A. - - Care Facilities

Inadequate Care Facilities for Alcoholics and Mental Heath Patients in West Virginia At this time, not enough space was available to deal with both alcoholics and mental health patients. The five major facilities where people with severe drinking problems were held were running out of room to deal with chronic drunks, let alone people with other severe mental health conditions.

1953 English Channel - - Ship Sinking

A collision in the English Channel between the Italian steamer Vittoria Claudia and the French ore carrier The Perou sinks the Vittoria Claudia so quickly that the lifeboats could not be launched leaving over 20 Italian seaman dead.

1966 Vietnam - - Troop Pull Out

The beginning of a "pacification" drive was scheduled. The plan was to pull out all troops with the exception of the most experienced ones. This program was said to have been fully backed by the U.S. However, the Vietnam War did not officially end until the mid-1970s, with the U.S. being involved until at least the end of 1972. A peace treaty was signed in More News and Events From 1973, and fighting continued on between North and South Vietnam until 1975.

1970 Space - - Moonrover

The Soviet Union's moonrover rolled over the moon's surface today, becoming the first roving remote-controlled robot to land on the moon.

1973 Greece - - Marshal Law

Marshal Law was called upon to help curb student rioting violence occurring throughout the nation of Greece. Furthermore, a curfew was implemented in the city of Athens-where 300 were injured and 24 people were killed. Students were demonstrating in an effort to overthrow the dictatorial rule of the military government which had abolished civil rights and dissolved political opposition parties. A crowd of 10,000 people in Athens alone had attended these student-lead revolutionary crusades. Literally, these events nearly caused this city to shut down.

17 Nov, 1980 Canada - - Clifford Robert Olson Serial Killer

1980 : Clifford Robert Olson begins his reign of terror when he abducts and kills 12-year-old Christine Weller. Between November 1980 and August 1981 he murders 11 children. He is caught and pleads guilty to the murders and is given 11 concurrent life sentences in 1982.

1985 Colombia - - Armero

The town of Armero was established as a "Giant Cemetery". This decision was made in order to honor the several thousands of people who had lost their lives to the Nevado del Ruiz volcano.

1989 Czechoslovakia - - Prague Protests

A demonstration with more than 15,000 protesters in Prague, Czechoslovakia calling for the resignation of the country's communist government, led by Milos Jakesis is forcibly broken up by Riot police using clubs and tear gas with hundreds arrested and dozens of protesters injured.

1990 Chile - - Bomb

A bomb inside a softball blew up during a U.S.-Chile baseball game. A Canadian citizen was killed and two other people were wounded. This crime was allegedly committed by a Chilean member of the Palestine Liberation Organization. It was meant to attempt to scare President Bush from visiting there in December. Incidentally, an American Embassy official was one of the persons wounded.

1997 Egypt - - Tourist Killed

A tourist bus visiting the temple of Hatshepsut in Luxor has been fired on by an Islamic extremist group leaving 60 Swiss and Japanese tourists dead. Following the attack there was a two hour gun battle with police where 6 gunmen were killed.

2000 U.S.A. - - Kmart / Sears

Kmart Holdings corporation announced its intention to purchase Sears, Roebuck and Co. the merger of the two companies was completed in March, 2005 and the new company is named "The Sears Holdings Corporation"

2002 Turkey - - Hijacker

A hijacker was seized while he tried to hijack a plane headed from Tel Aviv, Israel to Istanbul, Turkey. The terrorist was armed with a pen-knife, reported revealed. Fortunately, this terrorist incident had more of a victorious ending than others. All 170 passengers were saved, and the plane was landed safely.

2003 U.S.A. - - Arnold Schwarzenegger

Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger is sworn in as the governor of California .

2003 U.S.A. - - Washington Sniper

2003 : Ex-soldier John Muhammad is found guilty of one of a series of sniper shootings that terrorized the Washington, D.C., area in October 2002. Police charged that Muhammad and his 17-year-old accomplice, Lee Boyd Malvo, killed 10 people and wounded three others during a three-week killing spree. On 9th March 2004 he was sentenced to death .

2005 U.S.A. - - Joseph Smith Convicted

Joseph Smith is convicted of kidnapping, raping and strangling 11-year-old Carlie Brucia, who was kidnapped from a car wash near her home in Sarasota, the abduction was captured by a car-wash security camera which was shown on TV and led to his arrest.

2006 Holland - - Propose Banning The Burqa

The Dutch cabinet will be backing the proposal that was made by the country's immigration minister to ban Muslim women from wearing the burqa. The burqa, typically covers the body in public places, but can also obscure the face. The proposal means that it would be banned by law on the street, in trains, schools, buses and in the law courts. The cabinet said burqas are a disturbance to public order, citizens and safety. The Dutch parliament are still discussing the ban in 2010.

2007 Saudi Arabia - - Opec Meeting

The Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez warns that oil prices could double if the US attacks Iran. Opening the summit of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec), he said said the price of crude could reach $150 or even $200 a barrel. Oil has been hitting record peaks of well over $90 a barrel because markets believe that Opec will not boost production. The Opec summit in Saudi Arabia is only the organisation's third in 47 years.

2009 Vietnam - - Four men killed by bomb left over from Vietnamese War

2009 : Police say that four men were killed when a bomb left over from the Vietnam War blew up when they tried to open it. The dead were in their Twenties and were two pairs of brothers. The event took place in Tay Ninh province. "They were killed on the spot," police said, "and we are investigating what sort of bomb it was." "The accident area was a target of US attacks in the war," said an official from the Don Thuan commune. Over 10,500 people have been killed in Vietnam's central provinces by bombs left over from the war.

2011 United States - - Over 200 "Occupy Wall Street" Protesters Arrested in New York

Police arrested many Occupy Wall Street protesters in New York City after they tried to march on the New York Stock Exchange. The march was supposed to go on as planned only two days after police cleared out their campground in Zuccotti Park. Police clashed with protesters and were accused of brutality, but several police officers were also injured.

2012 Russia - - Russian Spacecraft Docks at International Space Station

About 70,000 protesters gathered to demonstrate against gay marriage and plans to legalize gay adoption in France. The country already allows same-sex civil unions, but President Hollande had promised to allow gay marriage.

2013 Germany - - Nazi-Looted Art Collector Claims Ownership

2013 : The owner of over a thousand pieces of artwork believed to be stolen by the Nazis during World War II said that he will not voluntarily give up the art. Cornelius Gurlitt inherited the artwork from his father who had been an art dealer.