1. Statehood Day
November 17, 1889, marks the day when South Dakota officially became the 40th state in the United States. South Dakota was initially a territory of the United States before it gained statehood.

2. Wounded Knee Massacre
On November 17, 1973, the American Indian Movement (AIM) led a protest at the site of the Wounded Knee massacre of 1890. The protest was to draw attention to the poor living conditions of Native Americans and to demand that the US government honor treaty rights. During the protest, two AIM members were killed and several others were injured.

3. Crazy Horse Memorial
On November 17, 1948, the sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski began work on the Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota. The monument was started to honor the famous Native American warrior Crazy Horse and to recognize his contributions to the Lakota people.

4. Mount Rushmore
On November 17, 1927, Mount Rushmore became a national monument. The monument depicts the faces of four US presidents, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt, carved into the granite face of a mountain.

5. Blizzard of 1940
On November 17, 1940, South Dakota was hit by a blizzard that lasted for three days, from November 17 to 19. The blizzard paralyzed the state, causing numerous deaths, injuries, and property damage. The storm was one of the worst blizzards in South Dakota's history.