Russia Buries Tsar Nicholas II, Family 80 Years After They Were Killed
On July 17, 1998, eighty years after their executions, the remains of the Romanovs were reinterred in a state funeral at the Peter and Paul Cathedral in Saint Petersburg. Key members of the Russian Orthodox Church did not attend, disputing the remains' authenticity, despite forensic and DNA analysis in 1994 confirming their identity.
The Romanov family-Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra, and their children Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia, and Alexei-were executed by Bolshevik revolutionaries on the orders of the Ural Regional Soviet in Yekaterinburg on July 16-17, 1918. Their entourage, including court physician Eugene Botkin, lady-in-waiting Anna Demidova, footman Alexei Trupp, and cook Ivan Kharitonov, were also killed. The bodies were mutilated with grenades and buried in the Koptyaki forest.
298 Die After A Malaysian Airline Flight Was Shot Down
On this day ten years ago, Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board, most of whom were Dutch citizens. The passenger airliner crashed and burned after being hit by a Russian-made surface-to-air missile, as determined by a Dutch inquiry. This was Malaysia Airlines' second disaster in 2014, following the disappearance of flight 370 on March 8.
Following extensive investigations, the Dutch investigation team confirmed having "evidence showing that Russia provided the missile launcher" used to down the airliner. In November 2022, a Dutch court found Igor Girkin and two others guilty of murder, ruling that the missile was fired by Russian-led troops from Russian-controlled territory.
Other key events on this day
1. The Nigerian government signed a deal with AIDS Charity, set up by former US President, Bill Clinton - 2006
2. 230 people died when TWA 800 crashed outside of New York City - 1996
3. Disneyland opened - 1995
4. Spanish Civil War broke out - 1936
5. Superpowers met in space - 1975
6. Forbes Magazine announced Bill Gates as the richest man in world with a net worth of $12.9 billion dollars - 1995
7. Barack Obama gave a speech honoring Nelson Mandela and warned against "strongman politics" in Johannesburg, South Africa - 2018.
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