1. On June 17, 1972, five men were arrested for breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C. This eventually led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon.

2. In 1963, Soviet spy Colonel Rudolf Abel was exchanged for American U-2 spy plane pilot Francis Gary Powers on June 17 in Berlin, Germany. The exchange was a dramatic moment in the Cold War.

3. The Washington Metro system, which began construction in 1969, opened its first line on June 17, 1976. The Red Line ran from Rhode Island Avenue to Farragut North.

4. On June 17, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln met with his cabinet to discuss the issue of slavery. He later signed the Homestead Act, which allowed settlers to claim up to 160 acres of land.

5. The National Museum of African American History and Culture opened on June 17, 2016. It is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture.