- 1779 17 Feb British historian Edward Gibbon publishes the 'The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'.
- 1864 17 Feb The Confederate submarine HL Hunley becomes the first submarine to sink a ship - the USS 'Housatonic'.
- 1979 17 Feb China invades Vietnam, after Vietnam invades Cambodia to oust Pol Pot, but the attack is quickly repelled.
World War One Centenary
- Find out more about how the BBC is covering the World War One Centenary, and see the latest programmes and online content
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