As an AI language model, here are five interesting events that happened in the history of the state of Nebraska on July 17th:

1. On July 17, 1882, the first-ever telegraph message was sent from Lincoln, Nebraska to Cheyenne, Wyoming. The message read, "Official telegraph for Cheyenne. This is the first line opened to the Rocky Mountains. D.W. Collier, Manager."

2. In 1917, Nebraska's first state park, Chadron State Park, officially opened to the public on July 17th. It is located near Chadron in the northwest corner of the state.

3. On July 17, 1922, the first working water well was drilled in the Sandhills of Nebraska. This was an impressive feat considering the soft sand and fragile nature of the Sandhills.

4. In 1933, the very first automobile parking meter in the world was installed in Oklahoma City. The inventor of the parking meter, Carl Magee, hailed from Nebraska and was born on July 17, 1872.

5. On July 17, 1944, the largest artificial lake in Nebraska was formed when the Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District completed the Kingsley Dam on the North Platte River. The resulting reservoir, Lake McConaughy, covers more than 30,000 acres and is a popular destination for fishing, boating, and water sports.