1536
May 17, Anne Boleyn's 4 "lovers" were executed.


1939
May 17, Britain's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth arrived in Quebec on the first visit to Canada by reigning British sovereigns.


1978
May 17, Women were included in the White House honor guard for the first time as President Carter welcomed Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda..2010 May 17, Iran agreed to ship most of its low-enriched uranium to Turkey in a surprise nuclear fuel swap deal that could ease the international standoff over the country's disputed atomic program and deflate a US-led push for tougher sanctions. The deal was reached in talks between Brazils’ Pres. Silva, Turkey’s PM Erdogan and Iran’s Pres. Ahmadinejad.


2010
May 17, Outgoing Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo swore in a new chief justice whose appointment has been questioned by her apparent successor, sparking fears of a constitutional crisis. Communist guerrillas freed town Mayor Roberto Luna and his four bodyguards after 12 days of jungle captivity in which the rebels interrogated him.


2011
May 17, Britain's Queen Elizabeth arrived in Dublin for a historic state visit steeped in symbolism and surrounded by security after a makeshift bomb was found, highlighting the lingering hostility of a small minority.


2011
May 17, Egypt's Justice Ministry ordered the wife of former president Hosni Mubarak released from custody without bail. Suzanne Mubarak was released after handing over her assets to the state, as her husband pledged to do the same in a bid to secure an amnesty.



2012
May 17, Donna Summer (63) died following a battle with cancer. The disco legend reportedly passed away this morning in Florida. She released her first single, "Sally Go 'Round the Roses," under her birth name (Donna Gaines) in 1971.



2012
May 17, Angola’s Supreme Court ordered Suzana Ingles to vacate her post leading the National Electoral Commission. the ruling MPLA, in power since independence from Portugal in 1975, has seen few challenges to its power.


2013
May 17, In California Dr. Christine Daniel (58) of Los Angeles was sentenced to 14 years in prison for bilking patients out of more than $1 million by promising them that an herbal supplement she hawked could cure late-stage cancer.