17 November

World Philosophy Day was introduced in 2002 by UNESCO to honour philosophical reflection in the entire world by opening up free and accessible spaces. Its objective is to encourage the peoples of the world to share their philosophical heritage and to open their minds to new ideas, as well as to inspire a public debate between intellectuals and civil society on the challenges confronting our society.

The events organized by UNESCO, or by its partners, will be an opportunity to make philosophical reflection accessible to all (professors and students, scholars and the general public, the young and the less young), thereby enlarging the opportunities and spaces for the stimulation of critical thinking and debate.

This year, a special event will take place on 18 November at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris on philosophy, cultural diversity and the rapprochement of cultures, thereby contributing also to the celebration of the International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures (2010).

Past Observances
An international celebration of World Philosophy Day 2009
World Philosophy Day, 20 November 2008
World Philosophy Day 2007, 15 November 2007
World Philosophy Day 2006, 16 November 2006
Philosophy Day at UNESCO, 18 November 2004
Philosophy Day at UNESCO, 20 November 2003
Philosophy Day at UNESCO, 21 November 2002

November 17 : International Students' Day

International Students' Day is an international observance of student community, held annually on November 17.
Taking the day differently than its original meaning, a number of universities mark it, sometimes on a day other than November 17, for a nonpolitical celebration of the multiculturalism of their international students.

The date commemorates the anniversary of the 1939 Nazi storming of the University of Prague after demonstrations against the killing of Jan Opletal and worker Václav Sedláček as well as against the occupation of Czechoslovakia, and the execution of nine student leaders, over 1,200 students sent to concentration camps, and the closure of all Czech universities and colleges.

Events November 17

474 – Emperor Leo II dies after a reign of 10 months. He is succeeded by his father Zeno who becomes sole ruler of the Byzantine Empire.
794 – Japanese Emperor Kammu changes his residence from Nara to Kyoto.
1183 – The Battle of Mizushima.
1292 – John Balliol becomes King of Scotland.
1511 – Spain and England ally against France.
1558 – Elizabethan era begins: Queen Mary I of England dies and is succeeded by her half-sister Elizabeth I of England.
1603 – English explorer, writer and courtier Sir Walter Raleigh goes on trial for treason.
1659 – The Peace of the Pyrenees is signed between France and Spain.
1777 – Articles of Confederation are submitted to the states for ratification.
1796 – Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Arcole – French forces defeat the Austrians in Italy.
1800 – The United States Congress holds its first session in Washington, D.C.
1810 – Sweden declares war on its ally the United Kingdom to begin the Anglo-Swedish War, although no fighting ever takes place.
1811 – José Miguel Carrera, Chilean founding father, is sworn in as President of the executive Junta of the government of Chile.
1812 – Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Krasnoi.
1820 – Captain Nathaniel Palmer becomes the first American to see Antarctica (the Palmer Peninsula is later named after him).
1831 – Ecuador and Venezuela are separated from Greater Colombia.
1839 – Oberto, Giuseppe Verdi's first opera, opens at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan,
1855 – David Livingstone becomes the first European to see the Victoria Falls in what is now present-day Zambia-Zimbabwe.
1856 – American Old West: On the Sonoita River in present-day southern Arizona, the United States Army establishes Fort Buchanan in order to help control new land acquired in the Gadsden Purchase.
1858 – Modified Julian Day zero.
1863 – American Civil War: Siege of Knoxville begins – Confederate forces led by General James Longstreet place Knoxville, Tennessee under siege.
1869 – In Egypt, the Suez Canal, linking the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea, is inaugurated.
1871 – The National Rifle Association is granted a charter by the state of New York.
1876 – Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Slavonic March is given its première performance in Moscow.
1878 – First assassination attempt against Umberto I of Italy by anarchist Giovanni Passannante. armed with a dagger. The King survived with a slighty wound in a arm. Prime minister Benedetto Cairoli blocked the aggressor, receiving an injury in a leg.
1903 – The Russian Social Democratic Labor Party splits into two groups; the Bolsheviks (Russian for "majority") and Mensheviks (Russian for "minority").
1911 – Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated, which is the first black Greek-lettered organization founded at an HBCU, was founded on the campus of Howard University in Washington,DC.
1919 – King George V of the United Kingdom proclaims Armistice Day (later Remembrance Day). The idea is first suggested by Edward George Honey.
1922 – Former Ottoman sultan Mehmed VI goes into exile in Italy.
1922 – The first executions during the Irish Civil War take place when five Irish Republican Army members are sent to the firing squad by the Irish Free State.
1933 – United States recognizes Soviet Union.
1939 – Nine Czech students are executed as a response to anti-Nazi demonstrations prompted by the death of Jan Opletal. In addition, all Czech universities are shut down and over 1200 Czech students sent to concentration camps. Since this event, International Students' Day is celebrated in many countries, especially in the Czech Republic.
1947 – The Screen Actors Guild implements an anti-Communist loyalty oath.
1947 – American scientists John Bardeen and Walter Brattain observe the basic principles of the transistor, a key element for the electronics revolution of the 20th Century.
1953 – The remaining human inhabitants of the Blasket Islands, Kerry, Ireland are evacuated to the mainland.
1957 – Vickers Viscount G-AOHP of British European Airways crashes at Ballerup after the failure of three engines on approach to Copenhagen Airport. The cause is a malfunction of the anti-icing system on the aircraft.
1962 – President John F. Kennedy dedicates Dulles International Airport, serving the Washington, D.C. region.
1967 – Vietnam War: Acting on optimistic reports that he had been given on November 13, US President Lyndon B. Johnson tells the nation that, while much remained to be done, "We are inflicting greater losses than we're taking...We are making progress."
1968 – Alexandros Panagoulis is condemned to death for attempting to assassinate Greek dictator George Papadopoulos.
1968 – British European Airways introduces the BAC One-Eleven into commercial service.
1968 – Viewers of the Raiders–Jets football game in the eastern United States are denied the opportunity to watch its exciting finish when NBC broadcasts Heidi instead, prompting changes to sports broadcasting in the U.S.
1969 – Cold War: Negotiators from the Soviet Union and the United States meet in Helsinki to begin SALT I negotiations aimed at limiting the number of strategic weapons on both sides.
1969 – British newspaper The Sun was first published as a tabloid.
1970 – Vietnam War: Lieutenant William Calley goes on trial for the My Lai massacre.
1970 – Luna program: The Soviet Union lands Lunokhod 1 on Mare Imbrium (Sea of Rains) on the Moon. This is the first roving remote-controlled robot to land on another world and is released by the orbiting Luna 17 spacecraft.
1973 – Watergate scandal: In Orlando, Florida, US President Richard Nixon tells 400 Associated Press managing editors "I am not a crook".
1973 – The Athens Polytechnic Uprising against the military regime ends in a bloodshed in the Greek capital.
1979 – Brisbane Suburban Railway Electrification. The first stage from Ferny Grove to Darra is commissioned.
1982 – Duk Koo Kim dies unexpectedly from injuries sustained during a 14-round match against Ray Mancini in Las Vegas, Nevada, prompting reforms in the sport of boxing.
1983 – The Zapatista Army of National Liberation is founded in Mexico.
1989 – Cold War: Velvet Revolution begins: In Czechoslovakia, a student demonstration in Prague is quelled by riot police. This sparks an uprising aimed at overthrowing the communist government (it succeeds on December 29).
1990 – Fugendake, part of the Mount Unzen volcanic complex, Nagasaki prefecture, Japan becomes active again and erupts.
1993 – United States House of Representatives passes resolution to establish the North American Free Trade Agreement after greater authority in trade negotiations was granted to President George H.W. Bush in 1991.
1997 – In Luxor, Egypt, 62 people are killed by 6 Islamic militants outside the Temple of Hatshepsut, known as Luxor massacre (The police then kill the assailants).
2000 – A catastrophic landslide in Log pod Mangartom, Slovenia, kills 7, and causes millions of SIT of damage. It is one of the worst catastrophes in Slovenia in the past 100 years.
2000 – Alberto Fujimori is removed from office as president of Peru.

Holidays and observances

Christian Feast Day:
Acisclus
Aignan of Orleans
Elisabeth of Hungary
Gennadius of Constantinople (Greek Orthodox Church)
Gregory of Tours (Roman Catholic Church)
Gregory Thaumaturgus
Hilda of Whitby
Hugh of Lincoln
November 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Worldwide Prematurity and Infant Loss Awareness Day
Earliest day on which National Survivors of Suicide Day can fall, while November 23 is the latest; celebrated on Saturday before Thanksgiving. (United States)
International Students' Day (International)
Polytechneio or Πολυτεχνείο (Greece)
Struggle for Freedom and Democracy Day (Czech Republic and Slovakia)
Army Day (Democratic Republic of the Congo)