Timeline September 2017

Events in September 2017 13

• 1926 – 2017 Hugh Hefner (1926-2017) Died 27 September 2017, aged 91 American publisher who founded Playboy magazine in 1953, building it into a global media and lifestyle brand that shaped and reflected American attitudes toward sex. He remained the magazine's editor-in-chief until his death. His Playboy Mansion became a cultural symbol of the brand.
• 1926 – 2017 Harry Dean Stanton (1926-2017) Died 15 September 2017, aged 91 American character actor known for lead roles in Paris, Texas and Repo Man and supporting roles in Alien and The Green Mile. His weathered, laconic screen presence made him a favorite of independent filmmakers. He died of natural causes.
• 1950 – 2017 Walter Becker (1950-2017) Died 3 September 2017, aged 67 American musician and co-founder of the jazz-rock band Steely Dan, alongside Donald Fagen. Known for meticulous studio production and sardonic lyricism, the band's albums remain touchstones of 1970s rock. He died following surgery.
• 2017 Hurricane Harvey Catastrophic flooding devastates Houston Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Texas as a Category 4 storm and stalled over the Houston area, dropping record rainfall that caused catastrophic flooding. The storm killed more than 60 people and caused an estimated 125 billion dollars in damage. It was one of the costliest natural disasters in US history.
• 2017 Honorary Oscar -- "indelible characters" On 6 September 2017 the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announces that Sutherland will receive an Honorary Oscar "for a lifetime of indelible characters, rendered with unwavering truthfulness." He is honoured at the ceremony by Jennifer Lawrence, Colin Farrell and Whoopi Goldberg. It is his only Academy Award in a career spanning six decades -- a belated acknowledgement of the most glaring omission in the Academy's history. He is widely considered the greatest actor never to have received a competitive Oscar nomination.
• 2017 Hurricane Irma Record-strength storm devastates the Caribbean and Florida Hurricane Irma, one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record, tore through the Caribbean before making landfall in Florida as a major hurricane. It caused widespread destruction on islands including Barbuda and the Virgin Islands and left millions without power in Florida. At least 134 deaths were attributed to the storm.
• 2017 Equifax data breach exposed Hack compromises personal data of nearly 150 million Americans Credit reporting agency Equifax disclosed that hackers had exploited an unpatched vulnerability to steal the personal data, including Social Security numbers, of nearly 148 million people. It was one of the largest data breaches in history and drew congressional scrutiny of the company's security practices. The breach later cost Equifax hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements.
• 2017 Cassini spacecraft ends mission at Saturn NASA probe deliberately burns up in Saturn's atmosphere After nearly 20 years in space and 13 years orbiting Saturn, NASA's Cassini spacecraft was deliberately plunged into the planet's atmosphere to avoid contaminating its moons. The mission had returned detailed data on Saturn, its rings, and moons including Titan and Enceladus. Its "Grand Finale" concluded one of the most productive planetary missions in NASA history.
• 2017 Hurricane Maria Puerto Rico devastated by direct hit Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico as a Category 4 hurricane, destroying the island's power grid and infrastructure and causing an estimated 3,000 deaths in the following months. It was the worst natural disaster on record in Puerto Rico and triggered a prolonged humanitarian crisis. Recovery efforts drew criticism over the pace of the federal response.
• 2017 Merkel wins fourth term as German chancellor CDU/CSU wins election as far-right AfD enters parliament Angela Merkel's CDU/CSU alliance won the German federal election, securing her a fourth term as chancellor, though with a reduced vote share. The nationalist Alternative for Germany entered the Bundestag for the first time, becoming the third-largest party. Coalition talks took months to resolve.
• 2017 Star Trek: Discovery — Season 1 The franchise returns to TV after a 12-year absence, now on the streaming service CBS All Access (later Paramount+). Set a decade before the original series, Discovery follows Commander Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green). The show's dark tone, heavily serialised format and retconning of established canon prove deeply divisive — and deeply popular.
• 2017 Iraqi Kurdistan holds independence referendum Overwhelming yes vote met by regional backlash The Kurdistan Regional Government held a non-binding referendum on independence from Iraq, with over 90 percent voting in favor. Baghdad, along with Turkey and Iran, rejected the vote and responded with economic and military pressure, including seizing the disputed city of Kirkuk. The fallout weakened the Kurdish region's political and economic position.
• 2017 Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers play their last show Hollywood Bowl The end of their 40th anniversary tour.