Thursday, the 17th of July, 2014 is the 198th day in 2014 and in the 29th calendar week.

General Events:

International Justice Day
July 17, 2014 in the World

International Justice Day ist celebrated throughout the world on July 17, 2014 as part of an effort to recognize the emerging system of international criminal justice. It is also referred to as Day of International Criminal Justice or World Day for International Justice. July 17 was chosen because it is the anniversary of the adoption of the Rome Statute, the treaty that created the International Criminal Court (ICC).

On 17 July 1998, the Rome Statute was adopted by a vote of 120 to 7. The seven countries that voted against the treaty were Iraq, Israel, Libya, the People’s Republic of China, Qatar, the United States, and Yemen. Under the Rome Statue, the ICC can only investigate and prosecute in situations where states are unable or unwilling to do so themselves. Thus, the majority of international crimes continue to go unpunished unless and until domestic systems can properly deal with them. Therefore, permanent solutions to impunity must be found at the domestic level.

Each year, people around the world use International Justice Day to host events to promote international criminal justice, especially support for the International Criminal Court. The day has been successful enough to attract international news attention, and for groups to use the day to focus attention on particular issues such as genocide in Darfur, Falun Dafa, and serious crimes of violence against women.

17 July 2014 – Day of International Criminal Justice:
http://www.icc-cpi.int/en_menus/asp/asp%20events/ICJD/Pages/default.aspx

Where is Justice Day?
Worldwide

Constitution Day in South Korea
July 17, 2014 in South Korea

Constitution Day in South Korea is observed on July 17, 2014. Constitution Day in South Korea is on July 17, the day that the Korean Constitution was proclaimed in 1948. The date was deliberately chosen to match the founding date of July 17 of the Joseon Dynasty.

Where is Constitution Day in South Korea?
Nationwide South Korea

Yellow Pig Day
July 17, 2014 in the World

Yellow Pig Day is celebrated on July 17, 2014. It have been held by mathematicians since at least the 1960s. Most celebrations occur on July 17, although others are held on May 17 (May being the “17th month” of the previous year) and September 17 (a convenient time for college students).

This unique celebration dates back to the 1960s when two math students at Princeton were given an assignment to analyze the properties of the number 17. Thinking about the number 17 for so long drove them a bit nuts, (as you can imagine), so they came up with the idea of a mythical yellow pig. The yellow pig had seventeen toes, seventeen teeth, seventeen eyelashes, etc.

Today, mathematicians in colleges and universities all across the country celebrate Yellow Pig Day by eating Yellow Pig Cake and singing Yellow Pig Carols (seriously, we couldn’t make this stuff up). Ultimate has long been the official sport of the day, and a competitive student/alumni game is held. In recent years, origami yellow pigs have been folded. And of course, the festivities always take place on the 17th day of July.

This is not a holiday for weak imaginations, so let yours run wild! In honor of Yellow Pig Day, host a Yellow Pig Parade, exchange Yellow Pig Gifts, or come up with your own wacky way to celebrate. Enjoy!

Where is Yellow Pig Day?
Worldwide

Wrong Way Corrigan Day
July 17, 2014 in the USA

Douglas “Wrong Way” Corrigan became an American folk icon during the Great Depression when, during a July 17 flight that was supposed to take him from Brooklyn to Long Beach, Calif., he flew to Dublin, Ireland, instead. The accomplished Irish-American aviator had previously been denied a flight route from New York to Ireland due to the poor conditions and age of his Curtis Robin monoplane.

Many still speculate that Wrong Way Corrigan went the “wrong way” on purpose, but if that was so, he took his secret to the grave; he passed away in 1995. Today we celebrate “Wrong Way Corrigan Day” to either pay tribute to his rebellious spirit or chuckle at his directional dyslexia.

Jul 17, 1938: “Wrong Way” Corrigan crosses the Atlantic
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/wrong-way-corrigan-crosses-the-atlantic

Where is Wrong Way Corrigan Day?
Nationwide USA

National Peach Ice Cream Day
July 17, 2014 in the USA

You don’t have to be from Georgia to enjoy the summertime pleasure of a fresh, juicy peach. And on July 17 each year you can have your peaches with ice cream to celebrate “National Peach Ice Cream Day.”

Peaches have a long and regal history, said to have been the favorite of Chinese emperors dating as far back as the 10th century. From Asia they made their way across Europe, and were introduced to the New World in the early 17th century by George Minifie, an English horticulturist.

Where is National Peach Ice Cream Day?
Nationwide USA

Historical Events:

1203 – Siege of Constantinople begins during the fourth Crusade, Crusaders aboad a Venetian fleet attack the city

1473 – Charles the Stout conquerors Nijmegen

1552 – Siena drives Spanish troops out of Verdun

1585 – English secret service discovers Anthony Babingtons murder plot against Queen Elizabeth I

1686 – A meeting takes place at Lüneburg between several Protestant powers in order to discuss the formation of an ‘evangelical’ league of defence, called the ‘Confederatio Militiae Evangelicae’, against the Catholic League.

1762 – Catherine II becomes tsar of Russia upon the murder of Peter III

1791 – Members of the French National Guard under the command of General Lafayette open fire on a crowd of radical Jacobins at the Champ de Mars, Paris, during the French Revolution, killing as many as 50 people.

1821 – Spain cedes Florida to US

1841 – British humor magazine “Punch” 1st published

1863 – Maori forces are defeated by British troops at Koheroa, Waikato, in the New Zealand Wars between Maori tribes and British colonials

1898 – Spanish American War – Spaniards surrender to US at Santiago Cuba

1914 – Giants outfielder Red Murray is knocked unconscious by lightning after catching a flyball, ending 21 inning game, Giants win 3-1

1917 – British Royal family changes its name from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor

1919 – Finland adopts constitution

1936 – Spanish generals Francisco Franco and Emilio Mola lead a right-wing uprising, starting the Spanish Civil War

1938 – Douglas (Wrong Way) Corrigan leaves NY for LA, wound up in Ireland

1945 – Potsdam Conference (Truman, Stalin, Churchill) holds 1st meeting

1948 – Proclamation of constitution of Republic of (South) Korea

1959 – Dr Leakey discovers oldest human skull (600,000 years old)
1959 – Paleoanthropologist Mary Leakey discovers the partial skull of a new species of early human ancestor, Zinjanthropus boisei or ‘Zinj’ (now called Paranthropus boisei) that lived in Africa almost 2 million years ago

1959 – Tibet abolishes serfdom

1973 – Military coup in Afghanistan; King Mohammad Zahir Shah flees

1979 – Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza flees to Miami

1980 – Bolivian military coup; general Garcia Meza becomes president

1990 – Hussein’s Revolutionary Day speech claims Kuwait stole oil from Iraq

1994 – French youngster (4) becomes Buddhist Lama Tulkou Kalou Rinpoche

1998 – Russia buries Tsar Nicholas II & family, 80 years after they died