13th » Three children report the first apparition of Our Lady of Fátima in Fátima, Portugal.
18th » World War I: The Selective Service Act of 1917 is passed, giving the President of the United States the power of conscription.
19th » the Norwegian football club Rosenborg BK was founded.
21st » The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is established through royal charter to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations military forces.
21st » The Great Atlanta fire of 1917 causes $5.5 million in damages, destroying some 300 acres including 2,000 homes, businesses and churches, displacing about 10,000 people but leading to only one fatality (due to heart attack).
26th » Several powerful tornadoes rip through Illinois, including the city of Mattoon, Illinois called Mattoon, killing 101 people and injuring 689.
30th » Alexander of Greece or Alexander I becomes king of Greece.
Famous Birthdays on May in 1917
1st » John Beradino, American baseball player and actor (d. 1996)
1st » Ulric Cross, Trinidadian navigator, judge, and diplomat (d. 2013)
1st » Danielle Darrieux, French actress and singer
1st » Ahron Soloveichik, Russian rabbi and scholar (d. 2001)
2nd » Albert Castelyns, Belgian water polo player and bobsledder
2nd » Văn Tiến Dũng, Vietnamese general and politician, 6th Minister of Defence (Vietnam) or Minister of Defence for Vietnam (d. 2002)
3rd » Betty Comden, American actress and screenwriter (d. 2006)
4th » Edward T. Cone, American pianist and composer (d. 2004)
5th » Pío Leyva, Cuban singer (Buena Vista Social Club) (d. 2006)