On This Day for August 17 - Indonesia's declaration of independence, Sir V.S. Naipaul is featured, and more

This message contains graphics. If you do not see the graphics, [click here to view](. August 17 [Naipaul, V.S.]( FEATURED BIOGRAPHY 1932 Sir V.S. Naipaul [READ MORE]( [Sukarno, 1965.]( FEATURED EVENT 1945 Indonesia's declaration of independence [READ MORE]( Advertisement Advertisement [Earth's To-Do List]( MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY [Michael Phelps, 2004.] 2008: At the [Olympics in Beijing]( American swimmer [Michael Phelps]( helped his team win the 4 × 100-metre medley relay, becoming the first athlete to win eight medals at a single Games. [Ä°zmit earthquake of 1999] 1999: A 7.4-magnitude [earthquake]( struck near [Ä°zmit]( Turkey, killing more than 17,000 people and leaving some 500,000 homeless. [Robert De Niro in Taxi Driver (1976).] 1943: [Robert De Niro]( an American actor known for his uncompromising portrayals of violent and abrasive characters, was born. [Marcus Garvey, 1922.] 1887: [Marcus Garvey]( charismatic black leader who helped found the [Universal Negro Improvement Association]( (UNIA), which sought, among other things, to build in Africa a black-governed nation—was born in Jamaica. [Presque Isle] 1978: [Ben L. Abruzzo]( [Maxie Anderson]( and Larry Newman completed the first transatlantic [balloon]( flight, in Double Eagle II. [Gold seekers thronging Dawson City, Yukon Territory, Canada, during the gold rush of the 1890s.] 1896: George Washington Carmack unearthed gold in [Bonanza Creek]( a tributary of the [Klondike River]( now in Yukon, [Canada]( setting off a [gold rush]( into the Klondike valley. [SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY]( ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY 1960 [Sean Penn]( American actor 1943 [Robert De Niro]( American actor 1929 [Francis Gary Powers]( United States military officer 1977 [Thierry Henry]( French football player 1944 [Larry Ellison]( American business executive 1920 [Maureen O'Hara]( American actress [SEE ALL BIOS ON THIS DAY]( Advertisement FOLLOW: [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( To unsubscribe from Britannica e-mails, [click here](. Encyclopædia Britannica 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 Chicago, Illinois 60654 United States © 2019 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. [Privacy Policy]( • [Help](