Historical milestones commemorated on August 17

Historical events commemorated on August 17 include the establishment of the first regular steamboat line by Robert Fulton in 1807 using the Clermont on the Hudson River. Fulton also constructed the Demologos, the first steam-powered warship.

In sports history, the first international rowing race between Oxford and Harvard took place on this day in 1863. In space exploration, the Venera 7 mission, launched in 1970, became the first spacecraft to successfully land on Venus and transmit data back to Earth.

Notable birthdays on this date include Davy Crockett, Mae West, Robert De Niro, and Sean Penn.