1917
Bolsheviks seize Petrograd
Lenin's Red Guards took bridges, telegraph offices, and finally the Winter Palace, where the Provisional Government was arrested over supper.
America enters the war
Wilson, who had been reelected on keeping the country out, asked Congress to declare war on Germany after the Zimmermann telegram and unrestricted submarine…
Balfour Declaration promises Jewish homeland
In a letter to Lord Rothschild, the British foreign secretary declared that His Majesty's Government viewed with favor the establishment in Palestine…
February Revolution topples the Tsar
Bread riots in Petrograd became mutiny, mutiny became revolution.
First American troops land in France
Two hundred thousand doughboys of the American Expeditionary Force under General John J. Pershing began disembarking at Saint-Nazaire.
Lawrence's Arabs take Aqaba
Riding across a waterless desert from the east, T. E. Lawrence and his Arab irregulars captured the Ottoman port of Aqaba from the landward side…
Silent Sentinels at the White House
Suffragists led by Alice Paul began picketing the White House gates six days a week…
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1917?
Saeculum lists 7 events from 1917. The most significant is Bolsheviks seize Petrograd: Lenin's Red Guards took bridges, telegraph offices, and finally the Winter Palace, where the Provisional Government was arrested over supper.
What era was 1917 part of?
1917 falls within the Modern Era (1901-2000). World wars, cold war, and the splitting of the atom.
Which regions saw notable events in 1917?
The events from 1917 span Europe, North America and Middle East.