About the day » Saturday May 17, 1879Calender converter

• Adèle Allan, Onbekend
• Abraham van Lee, Brussel B († 1942)
• Adrianus Verboven, Boxtel, Noord-Brabant, Nederland
• Antje Leen, Den Helder († 1967)
• Anna Maria Knip, Amsterdam, Nederland
• Abraham van Barneveld, Veenendaal, Utrecht, Netherlands († 1881)
• Agnes Maria Corvers, Naarden, Noord-Holland, Nederland († 1968)
• ? ? († 1879)
• Antgien Johanna Oldenburger, Beerta († 1880)
• Anthonius Johannes Bouma, Gemeente Weststellingwerf, Friesland, Nederland († 1900)

• Bax (0), Tilburg
• Aalbert Berkhof (55), Rhenen
• Adriana Cornelia Spiering (38), Woudrichem, Noord-Brabant, Nederland
• Amy Joslin (76), Thompson, Windham, Connecticut, United States
• Anneke Pyters Teekens (81), Balk, Friesland, NL
• Alida Vermeer (0), Schiedam, Nederland
• Aloysius Ver Wayne (0), Evansville, Vandenburgh County, Indiana, Verenigde Staten
• Aaltje Veldhoen (0), Vaassen (Epe)
• Uil, Nieuwolda
• Alida Schede (86), Nunspeet

• 1868 » Horace Elgin Dodge, American businessman, co-founded Dodge († 1920)
• 1870 » Newton Moore, Australian politician, 8th Premier of Western Australia († 1936)
• 1873 » Dorothy Richardson, English author and journalist († 1957)
• 1873 » Henri Barbusse, French author and journalist († 1935)
• 1874 » George Sheldon, American diver († 1907)
• 1882 » Karl Burman, Estonian architect and painter († 1965)
• 1886 » Alfonso XIII of Spain, Spanish monarch († 1941)
• 1888 » Tich Freeman, English cricketer († 1965)
• 1889 » Alfonso Reyes, Mexican author († 1959)
• 1889 » Dorothy Gibson, American actress and singer († 1946)

• 1868 » Kondō Isami, Japanese commander (b. 1834)
• 1875 » John C. Breckinridge, American lawyer and politician, 14th Vice President of the United States, Confederate States general (b. 1821)
• 1879 » Asa Packer, American businessman, founded Lehigh University (b. 1805)
• 1880 » Ziya Pasha, Greek author and translator (b. 1826)
• 1886 » John Deere, American blacksmith and businessman, founded the Deere & Company (b. 1804)
• 1888 » Giacomo Zanella, Italian priest and poet (b. 1820)
• 1911 » Frederick August Otto Schwarz, German-American businessman, founded FAO Schwarz (b. 1836)
• 1916 » Boris Borisovich Golitsyn, Russian physicist and seismologist (b. 1862)
• 1917 » Charles Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak (b. 1829)
• 1917 » Clara Ayres, American nurse (b. 1880)

• Koning Willem III (Huis van Oranje-Nassau) was from 1849 till 1890 sovereign of the Netherlands (also known as Koninkrijk der Nederlanden)
• In The Netherlands , there was from November 3, 1877 to August 20, 1879 the cabinet Kappeijne van de Coppello, with Mr. J. Kappeijne van de Coppello (liberaal) as prime minister.
• In The Netherlands , there was from August 20, 1879 to April 23, 1883 the cabinet Van Lijnden van Sandenburg, with Mr. C.Th. baron Van Lijnden van Sandenburg (conservatief-AR) as prime minister.
• The Netherlands had about 4.0 million citizens.
• January 22 » The Battle of Isandlwana during the Anglo-Zulu War results in a British defeat.
• January 23 » Anglo-Zulu War: the Battle of Rorke's Drift ends.
• February 8 » The England cricket team led by Lord Harris is attacked in a riot during a match in Sydney.
• February 14 » The War of the Pacific breaks out when the Chilean Army occupies the Bolivian port city of Antofagasta.
• March 23 » War of the Pacific: The Battle of Topáter, the first battle of the war is fought between Chile and the joint forces of Bolivia and Peru.
• October 8 » War of the Pacific: The Chilean Navy defeats the Peruvian Navy in the Battle of Angamos.

The temperature on May 17, 1879 was about 9.0 °C. There was 3 mm of rain. The air pressure was 1 kgf/m² and came mainly from the east-southeast. The airpressure was 76 cm mercury. The atmospheric humidity was 87%.