Today
Thursday December 17 2026
- Day of the year
- 351/ 365
- Week
- 512,026
- Days left
- 1496%
- Moon
- 55%Waxing gibbous
Today is Thursday, December 17, 2026. It is day 351 of 2026, a year of 365 days: 14 remain, and 96% of the year has gone. Under ISO 8601 this date falls in week 51.
What's celebrated on this date
No United Nations international day falls on this date.
Coming up
- December 18International Migrants Day
- December 20International Human Solidarity Day
- January 4World Braille Day
Saints and name days
Saints whose feast falls on this date, most widely known first.
- Danielbiblical figure associated to the Book of Daniel
- John of MathaFrench saint and Catholic priest
- Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednegothree characters in the Book of Daniel, who survive the fiery furnace
- BeggaChristian saint
- Saint SturmAustrian saint
Sources : Wikidata (P841) · CC0 1.0
Astronomy
New York
- Sunrise
- 07:14
- Sunset
- 16:30
- Length of day
- 9h 16m
- Solar noon
- 11:52
Times shown for America/New_York
Season
Autumn
began on September 22, 2026
Next season
Winter — 4 days, December 21, 2026 (December solstice)
Public holidays — United States
Not a public holiday in the United States.
Next public holiday : Christmas Day — December 25, 2026
National holidays only. Regions, provinces and Länder add their own.
Moon
Waxing gibbous
Illumination : 55%
Moon age : 8.7 days
- Next full moon
- December 24, 2026
- Next new moon
- January 7, 2027
Astrology
Today's zodiac sign
Sagittarius
until December 22, 2026 — Capricorn
Zodiac dates are an astrological convention, not the Sun's actual position among the constellations. The astronomy above is measured; this is not.
On this day in history
546
Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoths under king Totila plunder the city, by bribing the Eastern Roman garrison. Wikipedia
1538
Pope Paul III excommunicates Henry VIII of England. Wikipedia
1718
War of the Quadruple Alliance: Great Britain declares war on Spain. Wikipedia
1819
Simón Bolívar declares the independence of Gran Colombia in Angostura (now Ciudad Bolívar in Venezuela). Wikipedia
1903
The Wright brothers make the first controlled powered, heavier-than-air flight in the Wright Flyer at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Wikipedia
1935
Douglas DC-3: The twin-engine airliner makes its maiden flight from Santa Monica. Wikipedia
Show more (4)
1938
Otto Hahn discovers the nuclear fission of the heavy element uranium, the scientific and technological basis of nuclear energy. Wikipedia
1939
World War II: Battle of the River Plate: The Admiral Graf Spee is scuttled by Captain Hans Langsdorff outside Montevideo. Wikipedia
1989
The Simpsons premieres on television with the episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". Wikipedia
2010
Mohamed Bouazizi sets himself on fire. This act became the catalyst for the Tunisian Revolution and the wider Arab Spring. Wikipedia
Sources : Wikipedia (en) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Data imported on 2026-08-26
Births and deaths
Born on this day December 17
- 1267Emperor Go-Uda of Japan (died 1324)
- 1554Ernest of Bavaria, Roman Catholic bishop (died 1612)
- 1706Émilie du Châtelet, French mathematician and physicist (died 1749)
- 1734Maria I of Portugal (died 1816)
- 1749Domenico Cimarosa, Italian composer and educator (died 1801)
- 1778Humphry Davy, English chemist and physicist (died 1829)
- 1874William Lyon Mackenzie King, Canadian economist and politician, tenth Prime Minister of Canada (died 1950)
- 1908Willard Libby, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1980)
Died on this day December 17
- 942William I, duke of Normandyaged 37 years
- 1187Pope Gregory VIII (born 1100)aged 87 years
- 1195Count Baldwin V of Hainaut (born 1150)aged 45 years
- 1830Simón Bolívar, Venezuelan general and politician, second President of Venezuela (born 1783)aged 47 years
- 1909Leopold II of Belgium (born 1835)aged 74 years
- 1917Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, English physician and activist (born 1836)aged 81 years
- 1964Victor Francis Hess, Austrian-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1883)aged 81 years
- 2011Kim Jong-il, North Korean commander and politician, second Supreme Leader of North Korea (born 1941)aged 70 years
Sources : Wikipedia (en) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Data imported on 2026-08-26
The day in words
In New York the sun rises at 07:14 and sets at 16:30, giving 9h 16m of daylight — the same as yesterday. It has been autumn since September 22, 2026; winter opens in 4 days, on December 21, 2026 (December solstice).
The moon is waxing gibbous, 55% illuminated. The next full moon falls on December 24, 2026 and the next new moon on January 7, 2027.
The saints' calendar attaches December 17 to Daniel, John of Matha and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
No United Nations international day falls on December 17. The next one on the calendar is International Migrants Day, on December 18.
It is not a public holiday in the United States.
On this day in history: Siege of Rome: The Ostrogoths under king Totila plunder the city, by bribing the Eastern Roman garrison (546); Pope Paul III excommunicates Henry VIII of England (1538). English Wikipedia records 10 events for this date.
Emperor Go-Uda of Japan was born on December 17, 1267; William I died on December 17, 942.
8 days remain until Christmas and 15 until New Year's Day.
In astrology — kept separate from the measured astronomy above, deliberately — December 17 falls under the sign of Sagittarius.
Calendar
By the numbers
- 96%
- of the year elapsed
- 8
- until Christmas
- 15
- until New Year
- 439
- until the next 29 February
2026 — Common year (365 days)
Work with dates
Sources
Every block on this page names where its data comes from. Nothing here is generated when the source is silent.
- United Nations — International Days— What's celebrated today
- Wikidata (P841)— Saints and name days · CC0 1.0
- Wikipedia (en)— On this day in history · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Data imported on 2026-08-26