June 17 Mumtaz Mahal 1579 – Explorer Francis Drake landed in a region of present-day California, naming it New Albion and claiming it for England. 1631 – Mumtaz Mahal (pictured), wife of the Mugha

June 17 Mumtaz Mahal 1579 – Explorer Francis Drake landed in a region of present-day California, naming it New Albion and claiming it for England. 1631 – Mumtaz Mahal (pictured), wife of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, died in childbirth; Jahan spent the next seventeen years constructing her mausoleum, the Taj Mahal. 1919 – Hundreds of Canadian soldiers rioted in Epsom, England, leading to the death of a British police officer. 1952 – Guatemalan Revolution: The Guatemalan Congress passed Decree 900, redistributing unused land greater than 224 acres (0.91 km2) in area to local peasants. M. C. Escher (b. 1898)Richard Gagnon (b. 1948)Amari Cooper (b. 1994)Mohamed Morsi (d. 2019) More anniversaries: June 16 June 17 June 18 Archive By email List of days of the year About