Autrefois:

• May 17 24" rain in 11 hours, Pearl River, S. China, 1982
• May 17 Six SLA members killed in televised gun fight, 1974
• May 17 Constitution Day in Nauru and Norway
• May 17 Erik Satie is born in Honfleur, France, 1866
• May 17 Paul Dukas dies in Paris, France, 1935