About the day » Wednesday September 17, 1879Calender converter

• Aaltje Bleumink, Beekbergen († 1920)
• Anna Hartman, Stootshoorn gem. Noordbroek († 1957)
• Adriana Johanna Bergen van, Steenbergen, Noord-Brabant, Nederland († 1969)
• Abraham Pront, Amsterdam
• Anna Cornelia van Eekelen-van der Velden, Bergen op Zoom, Noord-Brabant, Nederland († 1944)
• Alice Elizabeth Schuman, Cazadero,Sonoma County,Calif,United States
• Alphonsus Cornelius Bertens, Tilburg († 1879)
• Andries Groenink, Steenwijk
• Anna Cornelia van der Velden, Bergen op Zoom
• Aartje Maaike Clements, Heukelem († 1881)

• Albert van Faassen (1), Slagharen
• Alphonsius Willems (33), Runkelen, België
• Aafje Spaander (67), Lambertschaag
• Antonius Hulleman (77), Wilp, Voorst, Gelderland, Nederland
• Aaltje Antonia van Helsdingen (1), Utrecht
• Antonius Hulman (77), Wilp
• Alexandre Nicolas René de La Tour du Pin Verclause (76)
• Aaltje Strijker (0), Zuidwolde, Drenthe, Nederland
• Albert Hungerink (65), Bathmen
• Arend van den Brink (1), Woudenberg

• 1868 » James Alexander Calder, Canadian educator and politician, Canadian Minister of Militia and Defence († 1956)
• 1869 » Christian Lous Lange, Norwegian political scientist, historian, and academic, Nobel Prize laureate († 1938)
• 1874 » Walter Murdoch, Australian author and academic († 1970)
• 1878 » Vincenzo Tommasini, Italian composer († 1950)
• 1879 » Periyar E. V. Ramasamy, Indian businessman, social activist, and politician († 1973)
• 1879 » Rube Foster, American baseball player and manager († 1930)
• 1881 » Alfred Carpenter, English admiral, Victoria Cross recipient († 1955)
• 1883 » William Carlos Williams, American poet, short story writer, and essayist († 1963)
• 1884 » Charles Griffes, American pianist and composer († 1920)
• 1886 » Anton Irv, Estonian captain († 1919)

• 1858 » Dred Scott, American slave (b. 1795)
• 1863 » Alfred de Vigny, French author, poet, and playwright (b. 1797)
• 1863 » Charles Robert Cockerell, English archaeologist and architect (b. 1788)
• 1864 » Walter Savage Landor, English author and poet (b. 1775)
• 1868 » Roman Nose, Native American warrior (b. circa 1823)
• 1877 » Henry Fox Talbot, English photographer, developed the Calotype Process (b. 1800)
• 1878 » Orélie-Antoine de Tounens, French lawyer and adventurer (b. 1825)
• 1879 » Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, French architect and theorist (b. 1814)
• 1894 » Deng Shichang, Chinese captain (b. 1849)
• 1899 » Charles Alfred Pillsbury, American businessman, co-founded the Pillsbury Company (b. 1842)

• 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.
• February 14 » The War of the Pacific breaks out when the Chilean Army occupies the Bolivian port city of Antofagasta.
• February 15 » Women's rights: US President Rutherford B. Hayes signs a bill allowing female attorneys to argue cases before the Supreme Court of the United States.
• May 26 » Russia and the United Kingdom sign the Treaty of Gandamak establishing an Afghan state.
• May 31 » Gilmore's Garden in New York City is renamed Madison Square Garden by William Henry Vanderbilt and is opened to the public at 26th Street and Madison Avenue.
• October 7 » Germany and Austria-Hungary sign the "Twofold Covenant" and create the Dual Alliance.
• December 31 » Thomas Edison demonstrates incandescent lighting to the public for the first time, in Menlo Park, New Jersey.

The temperature on September 17, 1879 was about 14.3 °C. The air pressure was 1 kgf/m² and came mainly from the east-northeast. The airpressure was 76 cm mercury. The atmospheric humidity was 85%.