- 1756 17 May The Seven Years' War - the first truly 'global' conflict - erupts as Britain declares war on France.
- 1865 17 May Thomas Cook begins conducted tours to the continent - the first overseas 'package holiday'.
- 1900 17 May The British garrison at Mafeking, South Africa, under Robert Baden-Powell, is relieved after a Boer siege of 215 days.
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
War Poetry
BBC iD
BBC iDBBC navigation
BBC links
BBC © 2014 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.
This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.
