February 17 is the 48th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 317 days remaining until the end of the year (318 in leap years).
Events
- 1500 - Battle of Hemmingstedt.
- 1600 - Philosopher Giordano Bruno is burned alive at Campo de' Fiori in Rome, charged of heresy.
- 1621 - Myles Standish is appointed as first commander of Plymouth colony.
- 1753 - February 17 is followed by March 1 as Sweden moves from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar.
- 1801 - An electoral tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr is resolved when Jefferson is elected President of the United States and Burr Vice President by the United States House of Representatives.
- 1814 - Battle of Mormans.
- 1819 - The United States House of Representatives passes the Missouri Compromise.
- 1854 - The British recognizes the independence of the Orange Free State.
- 1864 - American Civil War: The H. L. Hunley becomes the first submarine to engage and sink a warship, the USS Housatonic.
- 1865 - American Civil War: Columbia, South Carolina is burned as Confederate forces flee from advancing Union forces.
- 1867 - The first ship passes through the Suez Canal.
- 1871 - The victorious Prussian Army parades though Paris, France after the end of the Siege of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War.
- 1904 - Madama Butterfly premiers at La Scala in Milan.
- 1913 - The Armory Show opens in New York City, displaying works of artists who are to become some of the most influential painters of the early 20th century.
- 1924 - In Miami, Florida, Johnny Weissmuller sets a new world record in the 100-yard freestyle swimming competition with a time of 52-2/5 seconds.
- 1925 - Harold Ross and Jane Grant found The New Yorker magazine; the debut issue is dated February 21, 1925.
- 1933 - The magazine Newsweek is published for the first time.
- 1933 - The Blaine Act ends Prohibition in the United States.
- 1936 - The world's first superhero, The Phantom, makes his first appearance in comics.
- 1944 - World War II: Battle of Eniwetok Atoll begins. The battle ends in an American victory on February 22.
- 1944 - World War II: Operation Hailstone begins. U.S. naval air, surface, and submarine attack against Truk (Chuuk), Japan's main base in the central Pacific, in support of the Eniwetok invasion.
- 1947 - The Voice of America begins to transmit radio broadcasts into the Soviet Union.
- 1957 - A fire at a home for the elderly in Warrenton, Missouri kills 72 people.
- 1958 - Pope Pius XII declares Saint Clare of Assisi (1193~1253) the patron saint of television.
- 1959 - Project Vanguard: Vanguard 2 - The first weather satellite launched to measure cloud-cover distribution.
- 1962 - A storm kills more than 300 people in Hamburg, West Germany.
- 1964 - In Wesberry v. Sanders the Supreme Court of the United States rules that congressional districts have to be approximately equal in population.
- 1964 - Gabonese president Leon M'ba is toppled by a coup and his archrival, Jean-Hilaire Aubame, is installed in his place.
- 1968 - In Springfield, Massachusetts the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame opens.
- 1972 - Sales of the Volkswagen Beetle model exceed those of Ford Model-T.
- 1974 - Robert K. Preston, a disgruntled U.S. Army private, buzzes the White House with a stolen helicopter.
- 1979 - The Sino-Vietnamese War begins.
- 1992 - A court in Milwaukee, Wisconsin sentences serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer to life in prison.
- 1995 - Colin Ferguson is convicted of six counts of murder for the December 1993 Long Island Rail Road shootings and later receives a 200+ year sentence.
- 1995 - The Cenepa War between Peru and Ecuador ends on a cease-fire brokered by the UN.
- 1996 - In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, world champion Garry Kasparov beats the Deep Blue supercomputer in a chess match.
- 2003 - The London Congestion Charge scheme begins.
- 2006 - A massive mudslide occurs in Southern Leyte, Philippines; the official death toll is set at 1,126.
- 2008 - Kosovo declares independence from Serbia.
Births
- 1490 - Charles III, Duke of Bourbon, Constable of France (d. 1527)
- 1519 - Francis, Duke of Guise, French soldier and politician (d. 1563)
- 1524 - Charles of Guise, French cardinal (d. 1574)
- 1581 - Fausto Poli, Italian Catholic priest (d. 1653)
- 1646 - Pierre Le Pesant, sieur de Boisguilbert, French economist (d. 1714)
- 1653 - Arcangelo Corelli, Italian composer (d. 1713)
- 1718 - Matthew Tilghman, American Continental Congressman (d. 1790)
- 1723 - Tobias Mayer, German astronomer (d. 1762)
- 1752 - Friedrich Maximilian Klinger, German writer (d. 1831)
- 1754 - Nicolas Baudin, French explorer (d. 1803)
- 1781 - René Laënnec, French physician (d. 1826)
- 1792 - Karl Ernst von Baer, German biologist (d. 1876)
- 1796 - Philipp Franz von Siebold, German physician (d. 1866)
- 1816 - Haller Nutt, Southern Plantation owner (d. 1864)
- 1820 - Elzéar-Alexandre Taschereau, Catholic cardinal (d. 1898)
- 1820 - Henri Vieuxtemps, Belgian composer (d. 1881)
- 1821 - Lola Montez, Irish dancer (d. 1861)
- 1836 - Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, Spanish poet (d. 1870)
- 1844 - Aaron Montgomery Ward, American department store founder (d. 1913)
- 1848 - Louisa Lawson, Australian suffragist and writer (d. 1920)
- 1854 - Friedrich Alfred Krupp, German industrialist (d. 1902)
- 1861 - Princess Helena, Duchess of Albany (d. 1922)
- 1862 - Mori Ōgai, Japanese novelist and poet (d. 1922)
- 1863 - Fyodor Sologub, Russian symbolist novelist and poet (d. 1927)
- 1864 - Jozef Murgaš, Slovak inventor (d. 1929)
- 1864 - Banjo Paterson, Australian poet (d. 1941)
- 1874 - Thomas J. Watson, American computer manufacturer (d. 1956)
- 1877 - Isabelle Eberhardt, Swiss explorer and writer (d. 1904)
- 1877 - André Maginot, French politician (d. 1932)
- 1885 - Steve Evans, American baseball player (d. 1943)
- 1887 - Leevi Madetoja, Finnish composer (d. 1947)
- 1888 - Otto Stern, German physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate (d. 1969)
- 1893 - Wally Pipp, American baseball player (d. 1965)
- 1904 - Hans Morgenthau, German political philosopher (d. 1980)
- 1908 - Red Barber, American baseball announcer (d. 1992)
- 1908 - Bo Yibo, Chinese politician (d. 2005)
- 1910 - Arthur Hunnicutt, American actor (d. 1979)
- 1910 - Marc Lawrence, American actor (d. 2005)
- 1911 - Oskar Seidlin, Silesian-born American literary scholar (d. 1984)
- 1912 - Andre Norton, American author (d. 2005)
- 1914 - Arthur Kennedy, American actor (d. 1990)
- 1914 - Wayne Morris, American actor (d. 1959)
- 1916 - Raf Vallone, Italian actor (d. 2002)
- 1916 - Alexander Obolensky, Russian prince and famed Rugby Union footballer who played for England (d. 1940)
- 1917 - Abdur Rahman Badawi, Egyptian philosopher (d. 2002)
- 1917 - Guillermo González Camarena, Mexican inventor (d. 1965)
- 1919 - Kathleen Freeman, American actress (d. 2001)
- 1920 - Ivo Caprino, Norwegian animated film director
- 1922 - Enrico Banducci, American nightclub owner (d. 2007)
- 1922 - Tommy Edwards, American singer (d. 1969)
- 1922 - Marshall Teague, American race car driver (d. 1959)
- 1924 - Margaret Truman, American novelist (d. 2008)
- 1925 - Ron Goodwin, English composer and conductor (d. 2003)
- 1925 - Hal Holbrook, American actor
- 1928 - Marta Romero, Puerto Rican actress & singer
- 1929 - Paul Meger, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1929 - Chaim Potok, American author (d. 2002)
- 1929 - Patricia Routledge, English actress
- 1930 - Roger Craig, American baseball player and manager
- 1930 - Ruth Rendell, English writer
- 1932 - Buck Trent, American banjo player
- 1933 - Bobby Lewis, American singer
- 1933 - Craig L. Thomas, American politician (d. 2007)
- 1934 - Alan Bates, English actor (d. 2003)
- 1934 - Barry Humphries, Australian actor and comedian
- 1935 - Christina Pickles, UK-born American actress
- 1936 - Jim Brown, American football player
- 1939 - John Leyton, British singer
- 1939 - Mary Ann Mobley, American actress and beauty queen
- 1940 - Gene Pitney, American singer (d. 2006)
- 1941 - Julia McKenzie, English actress and theatre director
- 1942 - Huey P. Newton, American political activist (d. 1989)
- 1944 - Karl Jenkins, Welsh composer
- 1945 - Zina Bethune, American actress
- 1945 - Brenda Fricker, Irish actress
- 1946 - Dodie Stevens, American singer
- 1948 - José José, Mexican singer and actor
- 1948 - Rick Majerus, American basketball coach
- 1949 - Fred Frith, English musician and composer
- 1952 - Karin Janz, East German gymnast
- 1953 - Norman Pace, British actor and comic
- 1954 - Rene Russo, American actress
- 1955 - Mo Yan, Chinese novelist
- 1956 - Richard Karn, American actor
- 1957 - Loreena McKennitt, Canadian musician
- 1959 - Aryeh Deri, Israeli rabbi and politician
- 1959 - Neil Lomax, American football player
- 1962 - Samuel Bayer, American music video director
- 1962 - Alison Hargreaves, British mountaineer (d. 1995)
- 1962 - Tyrone "Ty" Jones, American screenwriter
- 1962 - David McComb, Australian musician (The Triffids) (d. 1999)
- 1962 - Lou Diamond Phillips, American actor
- 1963 - Michael Jordan, American basketball player
- 1963 - Larry the Cable Guy, American comedian
- 1963 - Jen-Hsun Huang, American entrepreneur and businessman
- 1963 - Rene Syler, American journalist
- 1964 - Buster Olney, American sports columnist
- 1965 - Michael Bay, American film director
- 1966 - Ioannis Kalitzakis, Greek footballer
- 1966 - Quorthon, Swedish musician (Bathory) (d. 2004)
- 1966 - Luc Robitaille, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1966 - Michael Lepond, American musician
- 1967 - Chanté Moore, American singer
- 1968 - Bryan Cox, National Football League player
- 1969 - Tuesday Knight, American actress
- 1970 - Tim Mahoney, American musician (311)
- 1970 - Tommy Moe, American Olympic skier
- 1970 - Dominic Purcell, English-born actor
- 1971 - Martyn Bennett, Canadian composer (d. 2005)
- 1971 - Jeremy Edwards, British actor
- 1971 - Denise Richards, American actress
- 1972 - Billie Joe Armstrong, American musician (Green Day)
- 1972 - Philippe Candeloro, French figure skater
- 1972 - Taylor Hawkins, American musician (Foo Fighters)
- 1972 - Valeria Mazza, Argentinian model
- 1972 - Yuki Isoya, Japanese singer (formerly Judy and Mary)
- 1973 - SaRenna Lee, American pornographic actress
- 1974 - Kaoru, Japanese musician
- 1974 - Jerry O'Connell, American actor
- 1974 - Bryan White, American singer
- 1975 - Wish Bone, American rapper
- 1975 - Harisu, South Korean singer, model and actress
- 1975 - Todd Harvey, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1975 - Vaclav Prospal, Czech ice hockey player
- 1976 - Kelly Carlson, American actress
- 1976 - Scott Williamson, American baseball player
- 1977 - Wong Choong Hann, Malaysian Badminton player
- 1978 - Jacob Wetterling, American kidnapping victim
- 1979 - Dee, Puerto Rican pornographic actress
- 1979 - Josh Willingham, American baseball player
- 1980 - Al Harrington, American basketball player
- 1980 - Klemi Saban, Israeli footballer
- 1980 - Jason Ritter, American actor
- 1981 - Joseph Gordon-Levitt, American actor
- 1981 - Paris Hilton, American actress and heiress
- 1982 - Adriano, Brazilian footballer
- 1982 - Brian Bruney, American baseball player
- 1983 - Gérald Cid, French footballer
- 1983 - Marios Kaperonis, Greek boxer
- 1984 - Jimmy Jacobs, American professional wrestler
- 1984 - Kenta Kamakari, Japanese actor and seiyuu
- 1984 - AB de Villiers, South African cricketer
- 1985 - Anne Curtis, Filipino actress and commercial model
- 1986 - Joey O'Brien, Irish footballer
- 1986 - Sandra Nilsson, Swedish model
- 1988 - Natascha Kampusch, Austrian kidnapping victim
- 1991 - Bonnie Wright, British actress
- 1992 - Meaghan Jette Martin, American child actress and singer
- 1996 - Sasha Pieterse, South African child actress
Deaths
- 364 - Jovian, Roman Emperor
- 440 - Mesrop Mashtots
- 1339 - Otto, Duke of Austria (b. 1301)
- 1371 - Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria
- 1596 - Friedrich Sylburg, German classical scholar (b. 1536)
- 1600 - Giordano Bruno, Italian philosopher (burned at the stake) (b. 1548)
- 1609 - Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1549)
- 1624 - Juan de Mariana, Spanish historian (b. 1536)
- 1659 - Abel Servien, French diplomat (b. 1593)
- 1673 - Molière, French playwright (b. 1622)
- 1680 - Denzil Holles, 1st Baron Holles, English statesman and writer (b. 1599)
- 1680 - Jan Swammerdam, Dutch biologist (b. 1637)
- 1715 - Antoine Galland, French archaeologist (b. 1646)
- 1732 - Louis Marchand, French organist and harpsichordist (b. 1669)
- 1768 - Arthur Onslow, English politician (b. 1691)
- 1780 - Andreas Felix von Oefele, German historian and librarian (b. 1706)
- 1841 - Ferdinando Carulli, Italian guitarist (b. 1770)
- 1854 - John Martin, English painter (b. 1789)
- 1856 - Heinrich Heine, German writer (b. 1797)
- 1874 - Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet, Belgian mathematician (b. 1796)
- 1883 - Napoleon Coste, French guitarist and composer (b. 1806)
- 1883 - Vasudeo Balwant Phadke, Indian revolutionary (b. 1845)
- 1890 - Christopher Sholes, American inventor (b. 1819)
- 1909 - Geronimo, Apache leader (b. 1829)
- 1912 - Edgar Evans, Welsh naval officer (b. 1876)
- 1919 - Wilfrid Laurier, 7th Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1841)
- 1934 - King Albert I of Belgium (b. 1875)
- 1934 - Siegbert Tarrasch, German chess player (b. 1862)
- 1939 - Willy Hess, German violinist (b. 1859)
- 1943 - Armand J. Piron, American jazz violinist and composer (b. 1888)
- 1943 - Konstantin Bogaevsky, Russian painter (b. 1872)
- 1958 - Hugh McCrae, Australian writer (b. 1876)
- 1961 - Nita Naldi, American actress (b. 1897)
- 1962 - Bruno Walter, German conductor (b. 1876)
- 1970 - Shmuel Yosef Agnon, Israeli writer, Nobel laureate (b. 1888)
- 1970 - Alfred Newman, American film composer (b. 1901)
- 1977 - Janani Luwum, Ugandan Archbishop (b. 1922)
- 1982 - Nestor Chylak, American baseball umpire (b. 1922)
- 1982 - Thelonious Monk, American jazz pianist (b. 1917)
- 1982 - Lee Strasberg, Austrian-born actor (b. 1901)
- 1986 - Jiddu Krishnamurti, Indian philosopher (b. 1895)
- 1989 - Lefty Gomez, American baseball player (b. 1908)
- 1990 - Erik Rhodes, American actor (b. 1906)
- 1990 - Hap Day, Canadian ice hockey player and manager (b. 1901)
- 1994 - Randy Shilts, American author and activist (b. 1951)
- 1996 - Hervé Bazin, French writer (b. 1911)
- 1997 - Zein Isa, Palestinian militant imprisoned in the United States for the honor killing of his daughter
- 1998 - Ernst Jünger, German author (b. 1895)
- 1998 - Bob Merrill, American composer and lyricist (b. 1921)
- 2001 - Khalid Abdul Muhammed, American Nation of Islam spokesman (b. 1948)
- 2001 - Bob Geary, Canadian football player and manager (b. 1933)
- 2004 - José López Portillo, President of Mexico (b. 1920)
- 2005 - Dan O'Herlihy, Irish actor (b. 1919)
- 2005 - Omar Sivori, Argentine footballer (b. 1935)
- 2006 - Ray Barretto, Puerto Rican musician (b. 1929)
- 2006 - Bill Cowsill, American singer (The Cowsills) (b. 1948)
- 2007 - Jurga Ivanauskaitė, Lithuanian writer (b. 1961)
- 2007 - Mike Awesome, American professional wrestler (b. 1965)
- 2007 - Dermot O'Reilly, Irish-born Canadian musician, producer and songwriter (b. 1943)
- 2007 - Maurice Papon, French Nazi collaborator (b. 1910)
- 2008 - Brian Harris, English footballer (b. 1935)
Holidays and observances
External links
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