On July 17, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the Second Confiscation Act, which among other things allowed for the confiscation of private property in rebel territory, without due process or any opportunity for defense. Learn more about the Confiscation Act of 1862.

On July 17, 1945, a conference attended by US President Harry Truman, UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and USSR leader Joseph Stalin opened in Postdam, Germany. Along with the Yalta Conference a few months prior, Potsdam created the post-World War II world order. Learn more about the Postdam Conference from the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum.