Wikipedia:Selected anniversaries/April 17
- 1895 - The Empire of Japan and the Qing Empire signed the Treaty of Shimonoseki, an unequal treaty that ended the First Sino-Japanese War.
- 1942 - World War II: Captured French General Henri Giraud (pictured) escaped from German captivity in the Königstein Castle.
- 1975 - The Khmer Rouge under Pol Pot captured Phnom Penh, ending the Cambodian Civil War, and established Democratic Kampuchea.
- 1982 - A new "patriated" Constitution of Canada, including the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, was signed into law.
- 1986 - The Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly declared peace, ending the Three Hundred and Thirty Five Years' War.