FRIDAY, July 17, 2026

180-Six residents of Carthage, North Africa, are executed for being Christian, the earliest recorded instance of Christianity in the region 1203-Siege of Constantinople begins during the Fourth Crusade, as Roman Catholic Crusaders, aboard a Venetian fleet, attack the city 1762-Empress Catherine II becomes Tsarina of Russia after the death and rumored assassination of Tsar Peter III 1918-The Romanov royal family and several of their retainers are executed by a Bolshevik firing squad in the basement of Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg, Russia 1936-Spanish generals Francisco Franco and Emilio Mola lead a right-wing uprising, starting the Spanish Civil War 1945-Leaders Harry Truman, Joseph Stalin and Winston Churchill hold their first post-World War II meeting at the Potsdam Conference 2014-Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 is shot down over Eastern Ukraine by a Buk surface-to-air missile launched from pro-Russian separatist-controlled territory, killing all 283 passengers and 15 crew on board ...