Events in the year 1917 in Brazil. Incumbents Federal government President: Venceslau Brás Vice President: Urbano Santos da Costa Araújo Governors Alagoas: João Batista Accioli Jr. Amazonas: Pedro de Alcântara Bacelar Bahia: Antônio Ferrão Muniz de Aragão Ceará: João Tomé de Sabóia e Silva Goiás: until 9 May: Aprígio José de Sousa 9 May - 14 July: Salatiel Simões de Lima from 14 July: João Alves de Castro Maranhão: until 20 March: Herculano Nina Parga from 20 March Antônio Brício de Araújo Mato Grosso: Caetano Manuel de Faria e Albuquerque, then Camilo Soares de Moura, then Cipriano da Costa Ferreira Minas Gerais: Delfim Moreira Pará: until 1 February: Enéas Martins from 1 February: Lauro Sodré Paraíba: Francisco Camilo de Holanda Paraná: Afonso Camargo Pernambuco: Manuel Antônio Pereira Borba Piauí: Eurípedes Clementino de Aguiar Rio Grande do Norte: Joaquim Ferreira Chaves Rio Grande do Sul: Antônio Augusto Borges de Medeiros Santa Catarina: São Paulo: Sergipe: Vice governors Rio Grande do Norte: São Paulo: Events 5 April - The steamship Paraná, loaded with coffee and travelling in accordance with the demands made on neutral countries, is torpedoed by a German submarine; three Brazilians are killed. 11 April - Brazil breaks off diplomatic relations with Germany. 7 May - Foreign Minister Lauro Müller is obliged to resign because of his German origins. 20 May - the ship Tijuca is torpedoed near the French coast by a German submarine. 27 July - The steamer Lapa Brazil is hit by three torpedoes from a German submarine. 23 October - The Brazilian freighter Macau, one of the vessels seized in the course of the war, was torpedoed by the German submarine SM U-93 near the coast of Spain, and the captain taken prisoner. 26 October - World War I: Brazil declares war on the Central Powers. 1 November - A mob damages German property in Petropolis, including the restaurant Brahma (completely destroyed), the Gesellschaft Germania, the German school, the company Arp, and the German Journal. 4 November - Acari Guaíba and another ship are torpedoed by the same German submarine, SM U-151. Births 9 January - Otto Glória, football coach (died 1986) 25 January - Jânio Quadros, 22nd President of Brazil (died 1992) 21 February - Luz del Fuego, ballerina, naturist and feminist (as Dora Vivacqua; died 1967) 17 April - Roberto de Oliveira Campos, economist, writer and politician (died 2001) 5 May - Dalva de