2017 Facts for Kids

Millennium:	3rd millennium
Centuries:	20th century – 21st century – 22nd century
Decades:	1980s 1990s 2000s – 2010s – 2020s 2030s 2040s
Years:	2014 2015 2016 – 2017 – 2018 2019 2020

2017 was a year that started on a Sunday in the Gregorian calendar. It was the 2017th year since the start of the Common Era (CE) or Anno Domini (AD). It was also the 17th year of the 3rd millennium and the 21st century. Many important events happened around the world in 2017.

Key Events of 2017

January 1:
- The BBC, a big media company in the UK, saw its special agreement called the Royal Charter come to an end.
- A tragic event happened at a nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey. Many people were injured or lost their lives.
January 6 – A serious incident took place at the Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport in Florida, United States. Several people were killed and many more were injured.
January 7 – Mário Soares, a former President and Prime Minister of Portugal, passed away at age 92. He was important for bringing democracy to Portugal.
January 8 – Former President of Iran Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani died at 82 years old in Tehran.
January 19 – Forces from the ECOWAS stepped in to help solve a political problem in The Gambia. This led to Yahya Jammeh, the longtime President, stepping down after losing an election.
January 20 – Donald Trump became the 45th President of the United States. He was officially sworn in at the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.

February 11 – A penumbral lunar eclipse happened. This is when the Moon passes through the lighter part of Earth's shadow.
February 26 – An annular solar eclipse was visible from parts of South America and Africa. During this type of eclipse, the Moon covers the center of the Sun, leaving a bright ring of sunlight visible.
August 7 – A partial lunar eclipse took place. This is when only part of the Moon enters Earth's shadow.
August 21 – The first total solar eclipse of the 21st century for the United States occurred. It was visible across a path from Oregon to South Carolina. The sky became dark as the Moon completely blocked the Sun.
South Korea planned to attempt a space mission during this year.
The government of China announced plans to send probes to the Moon in 2017. This was a step towards a future manned Chinese landing on the Moon.

March 31 – The Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository was scheduled to begin accepting nuclear waste. This is a special place for storing dangerous waste materials.
Construction of London's Crossrail project was expected to be completed. This new railway system would help people travel across London more easily.
In Copenhagen, Denmark, the City Circle Line extension of the metro was set to open. This would expand the city's public transport system.
The European Extremely Large Telescope was scheduled to be completed. This huge telescope would help scientists study distant stars and galaxies.
Davao City, Philippines was planned to start building the Davao-Samal Bridge.

June – The Confederations Cup 2017, a major international football tournament, took place.
July 1 – The first possible government in Hong Kong elected by Universal suffrage was scheduled to take office. This means the government would be chosen by all eligible voters.
The IOC was set to decide the host city for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games.
In Lisbon, the new Alcochete Airport was planned to start operations.

Sealed government documents about the assassination of John F. Kennedy were scheduled to be released.
In France, case documents about the execution of World War I spy Mata Hari were to be revealed.

The epilogue of the book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007) takes place in 2017.

Several movies were set in the year 2017:

Code-E (2007)
Code Geass: The events of the first season happen in 2017.
SB-129: An episode of SpongeBob SquarePants from 1999 takes place on March 6th of this year.