May 17: Constitution Day in Norway (1814), Day of the Galician Letters in Galicia, Spain.
- 1792 - The New York Stock Exchange was formed.
- 1846 - Adolphe Sax patented the saxophone.
- 1902 - The Antikythera mechanism, the oldest known surviving geared mechanism, was discovered in a shipwreck off the Greek island of Antikythera.
- 1943 - World War II: RAF Dam Busters successfully deployed bouncing bombs in Operation Chastise.
- 1995 - After 18 years as Mayor of Paris, Jacques Chirac was inaugurated as President of the French Republic.