On this day: November 17

China Conducts First Nuclear Test, Escalating Cold War Dynamics

On November 17, 1964, the People's Republic of China detonated its first atomic device at Lop Nur, becoming the fifth nuclear power and altering strategic balances during the Cold War.

Senate Begins Public Watergate Impeachment Hearings

On Nov. 17, 1973, the Senate's Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities opened televised hearings examining the Watergate scandal and the Nixon administration's conduct, marking a pivotal moment in public scrutiny of executive power.

Supreme Court curbs school-sponsored prayer in public classrooms

On November 17, 1962, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that organized prayer in public school classrooms violated the Establishment Clause, a decision that reshaped church–state relations in American public education.