Events on November 17 31

Emperor Leo II dies after a reign of ten months. He is succeeded by his father Zeno, who becomes sole ruler of the Byzantine Empire.

Japanese Emperor Kanmu changes his residence from Nara to Kyoto.

Emperor Charles the Fat is deposed by the Frankish magnates in an assembly at Frankfurt. His nephew Arnulf of Carinthia is elected as king of the East Frankish Kingdom.

The Battle of Mizushima takes place.

John Balliol becomes King of Scotland.

Sharif ul-Hāshim establishes the Sultanate of Sulu.

Henry VIII of England concluded the Treaty of Westminster, a pledge of mutual aid against the French, with Ferdinand II of Aragon.

Elizabethan era begins: Queen Mary I of England dies and is succeeded by her half-sister Elizabeth I of England.

English explorer, writer and courtier Sir Walter Raleigh goes on trial for treason.

Articles of Confederation (United States) are submitted to the states for ratification.

French Revolutionary Wars: Battle of the Bridge of Arcole: French forces defeat the Austrians in Italy.

The United States Congress holds its first session in Washington, D.C.

Sweden declares war on its ally the United Kingdom to begin the Anglo-Swedish War, although no fighting ever takes place.

José Miguel Carrera, Chilean founding father, is sworn in as President of the executive Junta of the government of Chile.

Captain Nathaniel Palmer becomes the first American to see Antarctica. (The Palmer Peninsula is later named after him.)

Ecuador and Venezuela are separated from Gran Colombia.

Oberto, Giuseppe Verdi's first opera, opens at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Italy.

American Old West: On the Sonoita River in present-day southern Arizona, the United States Army establishes Fort Buchanan in order to help control new land acquired in the Gadsden Purchase.

Modified Julian Day zero.

American Civil War: Siege of Knoxville begins: Confederate forces led by General James Longstreet place Knoxville, Tennessee, under siege.

In Egypt, the Suez Canal, linking the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea, is inaugurated.

The National Rifle Association is granted a charter by the state of New York.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's "Slavonic March" is given its premiere performance in Moscow, Russia.

First assassination attempt against Umberto I of Italy by anarchist Giovanni Passannante, who was armed with a dagger. The King survived with a slight wound in an arm. Prime Minister Benedetto Cairoli blocked the aggressor, receiving an injury in a leg.

Serbo-Bulgarian War: The decisive Battle of Slivnitsa begins.

H. H. Holmes, one of the first modern serial killers, is arrested in Boston, Massachusetts.

The Western Pennsylvania Hockey League, which later became the first ice hockey league to openly trade and hire players, began play at Pittsburgh's Schenley Park Casino.

The Russian Social Democratic Labour Party splits into two groups: The Bolsheviks (Russian for "majority") and Mensheviks (Russian for "minority").

Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated, which is the first black Greek-lettered organization founded at an American historically black college or university, was founded on the campus of Howard University in Washington, D.C.

United States recognizes Soviet Union.

Nine Czech students are executed as a response to anti-Nazi demonstrations prompted by the death of Jan Opletal. All Czech universities are shut down and more than 1,200 students sent to concentration camps. Since this event, International Students' Day is celebrated in many countries, especially in the Czech Republic.