Deaths on October 17

Johann Ludwig Aberli, Swiss painter and illustrator (b. 1723)

Johann Ludwig Aberli (14 November 1723, Winterthur - 17 October 1786, Berne) was a Swiss painter and etcher.

16 Jan

Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom
Virginia enacts the Statute for Religious Freedom authored by Thomas Jefferson.
1 May

The Marriage of Figaro
In Vienna, Austria, Mozart's opera The Marriage of Figaro is performed for the first time.
25 Jun

St. George Island (Alaska)
Gavriil Pribylov discovers St. George Island of the Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea.
8 Aug

Jacques Balmat
Mont Blanc on the French-Italian border is climbed for the first time by Jacques Balmat and Dr. Michel-Gabriel Paccard.
11 Aug

Penang
Captain Francis Light establishes the British colony of Penang in Malaysia.