January 17

From Encyclopedia Jr, free information reference for Kids

January 17 is the 17th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 348 days remaining (349 in leap years).

[edit] Events

• 1562 - France recognizes the Huguenots under the Edict of Saint-Germain.
• 1648 - England's Long Parliament passes the Vote of No Address, breaking off negotiations with King Charles I and thereby setting the scene for the second phase of the English Civil War.
• 1746 - Charles Edward Stuart, "Bonnie Prince Charlie", defeats a Hanoverian army at Falkirk in his ultimately unsuccessful campaign to recover the throne for the Jacobite dynasty.
• 1772 - Johann Friedrich Struensee and Queen Caroline Matilda are arrested, leading to his execution and her banishment from Denmark.
• 1773 - Captain James Cook becomes the first explorer to cross the Antarctic Circle.
• 1781 - American Revolutionary War: Battle of Cowpens - Continental troops under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan defeat British forces under Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton at the battle in South Carolina.
• 1806 - James Madison Randolph, the grandson of Thomas Jefferson, becomes the first child born in the White House.
• 1819 - Simón Bolívar proclaims the Republic of Colombia.
• 1852 - United Kingdom recognizes the independence of the Boer colonies of the Transvaal.
• 1873 - First Battle of the Stronghold in the US Modoc War.
• 1885 - A British force defeats a large Dervish army at the Battle of Abu Klea in the Sudan.
• 1893 - The Citizen's Committee of Public Safety, led by Lorrin A. Thurston overthrows the government of Queen Liliuokalani of the Kingdom of Hawaii.
• 1899 - The United States takes possession of Wake Island in the Pacific Ocean.
• 1912 - Sir Robert Falcon Scott (Scott of the Antarctic) reaches the South Pole, one month after Roald Amundsen.
• 1916 - The Professional Golfers Association (PGA) is formed.
• 1917 - The United States pays Denmark $25 million for the Virgin Islands.
• 1929 - Popeye the Sailor Man, a cartoon character created by Elzie Crisler Segar, first appears in the Comic Strip Thimble Theatre.
• 1941 - Kuomintang forces under the order of Chiang Kai-Shek opened fire at communist force, Chinese Civil War resumes after WWII.(This event is known as 皖南事变).
• 1945 - Soviet forces capture the almost completely destroyed Polish city of Warsaw.
• 1945 - The Nazis begin the evacuation of the Auschwitz concentration camp as Soviet forces close in.
• 1945 - Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg disappears in Hungary while in Soviet custody.
• 1946 - The UN Security Council holds its first session.
• 1949 - The Goldbergs, the first sitcom on American television, first airs.
• 1950 - The Great Brinks Robbery - 11 thieves steal more than $2 million from an armored car Company's offices in Boston, Massachusetts.
• 1961 - U.S .President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivers a televised farewell address to the nation three days before leaving office, in which he warns against the accumulation of power by the "military-industrial complex."
• 1966 - Simon and Garfunkel release their second album, Sounds of Silence, on Columbia Records.
• 1966 - A B-52 bomber collides with a KC-135 Stratotanker over Spain, dropping three 70-kiloton hydrogen bombs near the town of Palomares and another one into the sea.
• 1966 - Carl Brashear, the first African American United States Navy diver, loses his leg in an accident on a routine mission.
• 1973 - Ferdinand Marcos becomes "President for Life" of the Philippines.
• 1974 - Joni Mitchell releases Court and Spark, arguably her most mainstream album.
• 1975 - Bob Dylan releases Blood on the Tracks, often considered one of his best albums.
• 1977 - Convicted murderer Gary Gilmore is executed by a firing squad in Utah, ending a ten-year moratorium on the death penalty in the United States.
• 1982 - "Cold Sunday" in the United States sees temperatures fall to their lowest levels in over 100 years in numerous cities.
• 1983 - Launch of breakfast television in the United Kingdom with the BBC's Breakfast programme presented by Frank Bough and Selina Scott
• 1985 - British Telecom announces the retirement of the United Kingdom's famous red telephone boxes.
• 1991 - Gulf War: Operation Desert Storm began early in the morning. Iraq fires 8 Scud missiles into Israel in an unsuccessful bid to provoke Israeli retaliation.
• 1991 - Harald V becomes King of Norway on the death of his father, Olav V.
• 1994 - A magnitude 6.7 earthquake hits Northridge, California; see 1994 Northridge Earthquake.
• 1995 - A magnitude 7.3 earthquake (known as "the Great Hanshin earthquake") hits near Kobe, Japan, causing extensive property damage and killing 6,433 people.
• 1996 - The Czech Republic applies for membership of the European Union.
• 1997 - A Delta 2 carrying a GPS2R satellite explodes 13 seconds after launch, dropping 250 tons of burning rocket remains around the launch pad. [1]
• 1998 - Paula Jones accuses President Bill Clinton of sexual harassment.
• 2002 - Mount Nyiragongo erupts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, displacing an estimated 400,000 people.
• 2006 - Clarence Ray Allen becomes the oldest condemned inmate executed in California and the second oldest in the United States.

[edit] Births

• 1463 - Friedrich III, Elector of Saxony (d. 1525)
• 1484 - George Spalatin, German reformer (d. 1545)
• 1501 - Leonhart Fuchs, German physician and botanist (d. 1566)
• 1504 - Pope Pius V (d. 1572)
• 1560 - Gaspard Bauhin, Swiss botanist (d. 1624)
• 1600 - Pedro Calderon de la Barca, Spanish playwright (d. 1681)
• 1612 - Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron, English Civil War general (d. 1671)
• 1686 - Archibald Bower, Scottish historian (d. 1766)
• 1706 - Benjamin Franklin American statesman (d. 1790)
• 1712 - John Stanley, English composer (d. 1786)
• 1719 - William Vernon, American merchant (d. 1806)
• 1761 - James Hall, Scottish geologist (d. 1832)
• 1763 - John Jacob Astor, American entrepreneur (d. 1848)
• 1789 - August Neander, German theologian (d. 1850)
• 1820 - Anne Brontë, British author (d. 1849)
• 1828 - Lewis A. Grant, American Civil War General (d. 1918)
• 1832 - Henry Martyn Baird, American educationalist (d. 1906)
• 1851 - A. B. Frost, American illustrator (d. 1928)
• 1853 - Alva Belmont, American socialite (d. 1933)
• 1860 - Douglas Hyde, President of Ireland (d. 1949]])
• 1863 - David Lloyd George, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1945)
• 1867 - Carl Laemmle, German-born film executive (d. 1939)
• 1871 - David Earl Beatty British admiral (d. 1936)
• 1871 - Nicolae Iorga, Romanian writer (d. 1940)
• 1880 - Mack Sennett, Canadian film director (d. 1960)
• 1881 - Antoni Łomnicki, Polish mathematician (d. 1941)
• 1882 - Noah Beery, American actor (d. 1946)
• 1886 - Glenn L. Martin, American aviation pioneer (d. 1955)
• 1899 - Al Capone, American gangster (d. 1947)
• 1899 - Nevil Shute, English author (d. 1960)
• 1905 - Guillermo Stábile, Argentine footballer (d. 1966)
• 1905 - Ray Cunningham, baseball player (d. 2005)
• 1911 - George Joseph Stigler, American economist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1991)
• 1914 - William Stafford, American poet and essayist (d. 1993)
• 1921 - Antonio Prohias, Cuban cartoonist (d. 1998)
• 1922 - Luis Echeverría Álvarez, President of Mexico
• 1922 - Nicholas Katzenbach, American politician
• 1922 - Betty White, American actress
• 1925 - Robert Cormier, American author (d. 2000)
• 1925 - Abdul Kardar, Pakistani cricketer
• 1926 - Newton N. Minow, American lawyer and statesman
• 1926 - Moira Shearer, Scottish actress (d. 2006)
• 1927 - Eartha Kitt, American actress and singer
• 1928 - Jean Barraqué, French composer (d. 1973)
• 1928 - Vidal Sassoon, English cosmetologist
• 1929 - Jacques Plante, Canadian hockey player (d. 1986)
• 1930 - Eddie LeBaron, American football quarterback
• 1931 - James Earl Jones, American actor
• 1931 - L. Douglas Wilder, 66th Governor of Virginia
• 1931 - Don Zimmer, baseball coach
• 1932 - Sheree North, American actress
• 1933 - Dalida, French singer (d. 1987)
• 1933 - Prince Sadruddhin Aga Khan, French UN High Commissioner for Refugees (d. 2003)
• 1933 - Shari Lewis, American ventriloquist (d. 1998)
• 1935 - Ruth Ann Minner, Governor of Delaware
• 1937 - Troy Donahue, American actor
• 1939 - Maury Povich, American talk show host
• 1940 - Kipchoge Keino, Kenyan runner
• 1942 - Muhammad Ali, American boxer
• 1942 - Cus D'Amato, boxing manager (d. 1985)
• 1942 - Ulf Hoelscher, German violinist
• 1942 - Nancy Parsons, American actress (d. 2001)
• 1943 - René Préval, President of Haiti
• 1944 - Françoise Hardy, French singer
• 1948 - Davíð Oddsson, former Prime Minister of Iceland
• 1948 - Mick Taylor, British musician (The Rolling Stones)
• 1948 - Jim Ladd, American freeform (radio format) Disc Jockey (KLOS)
• 1949 - Andy Kaufman, American comedian (d. 1984)
• 1952 - Darrell Porter, American baseball player (d. 2002)
• 1952 - Ryuichi Sakamoto, Japanese musician
• 1955 - Steve Earle, American musician
• 1956 - Paul Young, English musician
• 1957 - John Crawford, American musician
• 1959 - Susanna Hoffs, American musician
• 1959 - Momoe Yamaguchi, Japanese singer and actress
• 1961 - Brian Helgeland, American writer and film director
• 1962 - Jim Carrey, Canadian actor and comedian
• 1962 - Sebastian Junger, American journalist and author
• 1963 - Kai Hansen, German musician/singer
• 1964 - Andy Rourke, bass guitarist
• 1966 - Shabba Ranks, Jamaican singer
• 1967 - Paul Summers (poet), English poet
• 1967 - Song Kang-ho, South Korean actor
• 1968 - Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer, Dutch writer
• 1968 - Svetlana Masterkova, Russian athlete
• 1969 - Lukas Moodysson, Swedish film director
• 1969 - Naveen Andrews, British actor
• 1970 - Jeremy Roenick, American hockey player
• 1970 - Genndy Tartakovsky, Russian-born animator
• 1970 - James Wattana, Thai snooker player
• 1971 - Kid Rock, American singer
• 1971 - Youki Kudoh, Japanese actress
• 1971 - Ann Wolfe, female boxer
• 1972 - Ken Hirai, Japanese singer and songwriter
• 1973 - Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Mexican footballer
• 1974 - Yang Chen, Chinese footballer
• 1977 - Kevin Fertig, American professional wrestler
• 1979 - Brad Miller, American actor
• 1979 - Chase Stevens, American professional wrestler
• 1980 - Zooey Deschanel, American actress
• 1980 - Kimberly Spicer, American model
• 1981 - Warren Feeney, Northern Irish footballer
• 1981 - Scott Mechlowicz, American actor
• 1981 - Ray J, American R&B singer
• 1982 - Alex Varkatzas, American singer
• 1982 - Dwyane Wade, American basketball player
• 1983 - Johannes Herber, German basketball player
• 1984 - Shin-yeong Jang, South Korean actress
• 1985 - Simone Simons, Dutch singer
• 1986 - Chloe Rose Lattanzi, Australian actress and singer
• 2001 - Sophie Delezio, Australian burn victim

[edit] Deaths

• 395 - Theodosius I, Roman Emperor
• 1229 - Albert of Buxhoeveden, German soldier
• 1369 - King Peter I of Cyprus (murdered) (b. 1328)
• 1468 - Skanderbeg, Albanian leader (b. 1405)
• 1617 - Faust Vrančić, Croatian inventor (b. 1551)
• 1654 - Paulus Potter, Dutch painter (b. 1625)
• 1705 - John Ray, English naturalist (b. 1627)
• 1718 - Captain Benjamin Church, Plymouth Colony settler
• 1737 - Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann, German architect (b. 1662)
• 1751 - Tomaso Albinoni, Italian composer (b. 1671)
• 1826 - Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga, Spanish composer (b. 1806)
• 1834 - Giovanni Aldini, Italian physicist (b. 1762)
• 1861 - Lola Montez, Irish-born adventurer (b. 1821)
• 1863 - Horace Vernet, French painter (b. 1789)
• 1884 - Hermann Schlegel, German ornithologist (b. 1804)
• 1886 - Amilcare Ponchielli, Italian composer (b. 1834)
• 1893 - Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th President of the United States (b. 1822)
• 1942 - Walther von Reichenau, German field marshal (b. 1884)
• 1947 - Pyotr Krasnov, Russian counter-revolutionary (d. 1947)
• 1961 - Patrice Lumumba, Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (b. 1925)
• 1964 - T.H. White, English author (b. 1906)
• 1967 - Evelyn Nesbit, American actress (b. 1884)
• 1970 - Simon Kovar, Russian-American bassoonist (b. [[1890])
• 1972 - Betty Smith, American writer and singer (b. 1896)
• 1977 - Gary Gilmore, American murderer (executed) (b. 1940)
• 1983 - Doodles Weaver, American actor (b. 1911)
• 1987 - Hugo Fregonese, Argentine film director (b. 1908)
• 1991 - Olav V of Norway (b. 1903)
• 1993 - Albert Hourani, English historian (b. 1915)
• 1994 - Helen Stephens, American runner (b. 1918)
• 1996 - Amber Hagerman, American kidnapping and murder victim, basis of the Amber Alert system (b. 1986)
• 1996 - Barbara Jordan, American politician (b. 1936)
• 1997 - Clyde Tombaugh, American astronomer (b. 1906)
• 1998 - Junior Kimbrough, American bluesman (b. 1930)
• 2001 - Gregory Corso, American poet (b. 1930)
• 2001 - Laurent-Desire Kabila, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (b. 1939)
• 2002 - Bishop Karas, First Coptic Bishop of St. Antony Monastery
• 2002 - Camilo Jose Cela, Spanish writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1916)
• 2003 - Richard Crenna, American actor (b. 1926)
• 2004 - Czeslaw Niemen, Polish musician (b. 1939)
• 2004 - Ray Stark, American stage and film producer (b. 1915)
• 2004 - Noble Willingham, American actor (b. 1931)
• 2004 - Harry Brecheen, Baseball player (b. 1914)
• 2005 - Charlie Bell, American fast food executive (b. 1960)
• 2005 - Virginia Mayo, American actress (b. 1920)
• 2005 - Albert Schatz, American microbiologist (b. 1920)
• 2005 - Zhao Ziyang, Premier of the People's Republic of China (b. 1919)
• 2006 - Clarence Ray Allen, American murderer (b. 1930)

[edit] Holidays and observances

• Ancient Latvia - Zirgu Diena observed
• Catholicism - Feast day of the following saints: St. Anthony and Amelbert

[edit] External links

• BBC: On This Day
• NY Times: On this day
• On this day in Canada

January 16 - January 18 - December 17 - February 17 —listing of all days