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February 17 facts for kids

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2024 Calendar

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February 17 in recent years

February 17 is the 48th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 317 days remain until the end of the year (318 in leap years).

Events

Pre-1600

1601–1900

1901–present

Births

Pre-1600

  • 624 – Wu Zetian, Chinese empress consort (d. 705)
  • 1028 – Al-Juwayni, Persian scholar and imam (d. 1085)
  • 1490Charles III, duke of Bourbon (d. 1527)
  • 1519 – Francis, French Grand Chamberlain (d. 1563)
  • 1524 – Charles de Lorraine, French cardinal (d. 1574)

1601–1900

  • 1646 – Pierre Le Pesant, sieur de Boisguilbert, French economist (d. 1714)
  • 1653Arcangelo Corelli, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1713)
  • 1723 – Tobias Mayer, German astronomer and academic (d. 1762)
  • 1740 – Horace-Bénédict de Saussure, Swiss physicist and meteorologist (d. 1799)
  • 1752 – Friedrich Maximilian Klinger, German author and playwright (d. 1831)
  • 1754Nicolas Baudin, French cartographer and explorer (d. 1803)
  • 1758John Pinkerton, Scottish antiquarian, cartographer, author, numismatist and historian (d. 1826)
  • 1762John Cooke, English captain (d. 1805)
  • 1781René Laennec, French physician, invented the stethoscope (d. 1826)
  • 1796 – Philipp Franz von Siebold, German physician and botanist (d. 1866)
  • 1799 – Carl Julian (von) Graba, German lawyer and ornithologist who visited and studied the Faroe Islands (d. 1874)
  • 1817 – Édouard Thilges, Luxembourgian jurist and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Luxembourg (d. 1904)
  • 1820Henri Vieuxtemps, Belgian violinist and composer (d. 1881)
  • 1821Lola Montez, Irish-American actress and dancer (d. 1861)
  • 1832 – Richard Henry Park, American sculptor (d. 1902)
  • 1836Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, Spanish author, poet, and playwright (d. 1870)
  • 1843Aaron Montgomery Ward, American businessman, founded Montgomery Ward (d. 1913)
  • 1848Louisa Lawson, Australian poet and publisher (d. 1920)
  • 1849 – Joseph Favre, Swiss chef (d. 1903)
  • 1854Friedrich Alfred Krupp, German businessman (d. 1902)
  • 1861 – Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont, duchess of Albany (d. 1922)
  • 1862Mori Ōgai, Japanese general, author, and poet (d. 1922)
  • 1864 – Jozef Murgaš, Slovak priest, botanist, and painter (d. 1929)
  • 1864 – Banjo Paterson, Australian journalist, author, and poet (d. 1941)
  • 1874Thomas J. Watson, American businessman (d. 1956)
  • 1877Isabelle Eberhardt, Swiss explorer and author (d. 1904)
  • 1877 – André Maginot, French sergeant and politician (d. 1932)
  • 1879Dorothy Canfield Fisher, American educational reformer, social activist and author (d. 1958)
  • 1881Mary Carson Breckinridge, American nurse midwife, founded Frontier Nursing Service (d. 1965)
  • 1887 – Joseph Bech, Luxembourgian lawyer and politician, 15th Prime Minister of Luxembourg (d. 1975)
  • 1887 – Leevi Madetoja, Finnish composer and critic (d. 1947)
  • 1888 – Ronald Knox, English Catholic priest (d. 1957)
  • 1888 – Otto Stern, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1969)
  • 1890Ronald Fisher, English-Australian statistician, biologist, and geneticist (d. 1962)
  • 1891 – Abraham Fraenkel, German-Israeli mathematician and academic (d. 1965)
  • 1893 – Wally Pipp, American baseball player and journalist (d. 1965)
  • 1899 – Jibanananda Das, Bangladeshi-Indian poet and author (d. 1954)
  • 1900 – Ruth Clifford, American actress (d. 1998)

1901–present

  • 1903Sadegh Hedayat, Iranian-French author and translator (d. 1951)
  • 1904Hans Morgenthau, German-American political scientist, philosopher, and academic (d. 1980)
  • 1905Rózsa Péter, Hungarian mathematician (d. 1977)
  • 1906 – Mary Brian, American actress (d. 2002)
  • 1908 – Bo Yibo, Chinese general and politician, Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China (d. 2007)
  • 1910 – Marc Lawrence, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2005)
  • 1911 – Oskar Seidlin, German-American author, poet, and scholar (d. 1984)
  • 1912 – Andre Norton, American author (d. 2005)
  • 1914 – Arthur Kennedy, American actor (d. 1990)
  • 1916 – Alexander Obolensky, Russian rugby player and pilot (d. 1940)
  • 1916 – Don Tallon, Australian cricketer (d. 1984)
  • 1916 – Raf Vallone, Italian footballer and actor (d. 2002)
  • 1918 – William Bronk, American poet and academic (d. 1999)
  • 1918 – Jacqueline Ferrand, French mathematician (d. 2014)
  • 1919 – J. M. S. Careless, Canadian historian and academic (d. 2009)
  • 1919 – Kathleen Freeman, American actress and singer (d. 2001)
  • 1919 – Joe Hunt, American tennis player (d. 1945)
  • 1920 – Ivo Caprino, Norwegian director and screenwriter (d. 2001)
  • 1920 – Annie Glenn, American disability and communication disorder advocate (d. 2020)
  • 1920 – Curt Swan, American illustrator (d. 1996)
  • 1921 – Duane Gish, American biochemist and academic (d. 2013)
  • 1922Tommy Edwards, American R&B singer-songwriter (d. 1969)
  • 1923Buddy DeFranco, American clarinet player and bandleader (d. 2014)
  • 1924Margaret Truman, American singer and author (d. 2008)
  • 1925 – Ron Goodwin, English composer and conductor (d. 2003)
  • 1925 – Hal Holbrook, American actor and director (d. 2021)
  • 1928 – Marta Romero, Puerto Rican actress and singer (d. 2013)
  • 1928 – Michiaki Takahashi, Japanese virologist (d. 2013)
  • 1929Alejandro Jodorowsky, Chilean-French director and screenwriter
  • 1929 – Chaim Potok, American rabbi and author (d. 2002)
  • 1929 – Nicholas Ridley, Baron Ridley of Liddesdale, English lieutenant and politician, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (d. 1993)
  • 1929 – Patricia Routledge, English actress and singer
  • 1930 – Roger Craig, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 2023)
  • 1930 – Benjamin Fain, Ukrainian-Israeli physicist and academic (d. 2013)
  • 1930 – Ruth Rendell, English author (d. 2015)
  • 1931Jiřina Jirásková, Czech actress and singer (d. 2013)
  • 1931 – Buddy Ryan, American football coach (d. 2016)
  • 1933Craig L. Thomas, American captain and politician (d. 2007)
  • 1934Alan Bates, English actor (d. 2003)
  • 1934 – Barry Humphries, Australian comedian, actor, and author (d. 2023)
  • 1935Christina Pickles, English-American actress
  • 1936Jim Brown, American football player and actor (d. 2023)
  • 1937Mary Ann Mobley, American model and actress, Miss America 1959 (d. 2014)
  • 1940Vicente Fernández, Mexican singer-songwriter, actor, and producer (d. 2021)
  • 1940 – Gene Pitney, American singer-songwriter (d. 2006)
  • 1941 – Julia McKenzie, English actress, singer, and director
  • 1942Huey P. Newton, American activist, co-founded the Black Panther Party (d. 1989)
  • 1944 – Karl Jenkins, Welsh saxophonist, keyboard player, and composer
  • 1945Zina Bethune, American actress, dancer, and choreographer (d. 2012)
  • 1945 – Brenda Fricker, Irish actress
  • 1946 – Shahrnush Parsipur, Iranian-American author and academic
  • 1948José José, Mexican singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (d. 2019)
  • 1949 – Fred Frith, English guitarist and songwriter
  • 1949 – Dennis Green, American football player and coach (d. 2016)
  • 1951 – Rashid Minhas, Pakistani soldier and pilot (d. 1971)
  • 1952 – Karin Büttner-Janz, German gymnast and physician
  • 1952 – Vladimír Padrůněk, Czech musician (d. 1991)
  • 1953 – Becky Ann Baker, American actress
  • 1954 – Lou Ann Barton, American singer-songwriter
  • 1954 – Miki Berkovich, Israeli basketball player
  • 1954 – Rene Russo, American actress
  • 1955Mo Yan, Chinese author and academic, Nobel Prize laureate
  • 1956Richard Karn, American actor and game show host
  • 1957 – Loreena McKennitt, Canadian singer-songwriter, accordion player, and pianist
  • 1959 – Aryeh Deri, Moroccan-Israeli rabbi and politician, Israeli Minister of Internal Affairs
  • 1959 – Rowdy Gaines, American swimmer and sportscaster
  • 1960Lindy Ruff, Canadian hockey player and coach
  • 1961Angela Eagle, English politician, Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
  • 1961 – Maria Eagle, English politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
  • 1961 – Andrey Korotayev, Russian anthropologist, historian, and sociologist
  • 1962Lou Diamond Phillips, American actor and director
  • 1963Larry the Cable Guy, American comedian and voice actor
  • 1963 – Alison Hargreaves, English mountaineer (d. 1995)
  • 1963 – Jen-Hsun Huang, Taiwanese-American businessman, co-founded Nvidia
  • 1963 – Michael Jordan, American basketball player, executive, and businessman
  • 1964 – Sherry Hawco, Canadian gymnast (d. 1991)
  • 1965Michael Bay, American director and producer
  • 1966 – Luc Robitaille, Canadian ice hockey player, manager, and actor
  • 1968Giuseppe Signori, Italian footballer
  • 1968 – Wu'erkaixi, Chinese journalist and activist
  • 1969 – David Douillet, French martial artist and politician
  • 1969 – Vasily Kudinov, Russian handball player (d. 2017)
  • 1970Dominic Purcell, English-Australian actor and producer
  • 1971Denise Richards, American model and actress
  • 1972Billie Joe Armstrong, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, and producer
  • 1972 – Philippe Candeloro, French figure skater
  • 1972 – Taylor Hawkins, American singer-songwriter and musician (d. 2022)
  • 1972 – Valeria Mazza, Argentine model and businesswoman
  • 1973 – Drew Barry, American basketball player
  • 1973 – Goran Bunjevčević, Serbian footballer (d. 2018)
  • 1973 – Raphaël Ibañez, French rugby player
  • 1974 – Kaoru, Japanese guitarist, songwriter, and producer
  • 1974 – Jerry O'Connell, American actor, director, and producer
  • 1975 – Kaspars Astašenko, Latvian ice hockey player (d. 2012)
  • 1975 – Václav Prospal, Czech ice hockey player
  • 1976Kelly Carlson, American actress and model
  • 1978 – Rory Kinnear, English actor and playwright
  • 1979 – Conrad Ricamora, American actor
  • 1979 – Josh Willingham, American baseball player
  • 1980Al Harrington, American basketball player
  • 1980 – Jason Ritter, American actor
  • 1980 – Klemi Saban, Israeli footballer
  • 1981Joseph Gordon-Levitt, American actor, director, and producer
  • 1981 – Paris Hilton, American model, media personality, actress, singer, DJ, author and businesswoman
  • 1981 – Pontus Segerström, Swedish footballer (d. 2014)
  • 1982Adriano, Brazilian footballer
  • 1982 – Brian Bruney, American baseball player
  • 1984 – AB de Villiers, South African cricketer
  • 1984 – Marcin Gortat, Polish basketball player
  • 1984 – Katie Hill, Australian 3.0 point wheelchair basketball player
  • 1985 – Anders Jacobsen, Norwegian ski jumper
  • 1986 – Brett Kern, American football player
  • 1987Ísis Valverde, Brazilian actress
  • 1988Michael Frolík, Czech ice hockey player
  • 1988 – Case Keenum, American football player
  • 1988 – Vasyl Lomachenko, Ukrainian boxer
  • 1989Rebecca Adlington, English swimmer
  • 1989 – Chord Overstreet, American actor and singer
  • 1990 – Marianne St-Gelais, Canadian speed skater
  • 1990 – Edin Višća, Bosnian footballer
  • 1991Phil Pressey, American basketball player and coach
  • 1991 – Ed Sheeran, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
  • 1991 – Jeremy Allen White, American actor
  • 1991 – Bonnie Wright, English actress, filmmaker, and activist
  • 1992Meaghan Martin, American actress and singer
  • 1993Marc Márquez, Spanish motorcycle racer
  • 1995Madison Keys, American tennis player
  • 1996 – Sebastian Aho, Swedish ice hockey player
  • 1996 – Sasha Pieterse, South African-American actress and singer-songwriter
  • 1998 – Devin White, American football player

Deaths

Pre-1600

  • 364 – Jovian, Roman emperor (b. 331)
  • 440 – Mesrop Mashtots, Armenian monk, linguist, and theologian (b. 360)
  • 923 – Al-Tabari, Persian scholar (b. 839)
  • 1178 – Evermode of Ratzeburg, bishop of Ratzeburg
  • 1220 – Theobald I, Duke of Lorraine
  • 1339 – Otto, Duke of Austria (b. 1301)
  • 1371 – Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria
  • 1500 – Adolph, Count of Oldenburg-Delmenhorst, German noble (b. before 1463)
  • 1600Giordano Bruno, Italian mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher (b. 1548)

1601–1900

1901–present

  • 1905 – Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia, fifth son and seventh child of Tsar Alexander II (b. 1857)
  • 1905 – William Bickerton, English-American religious leader, leader in the Latter Day Saint movement (b. 1815)
  • 1909Geronimo, American tribal leader (b. 1829)
  • 1912 – Edgar Evans, Welsh sailor and explorer (b. 1876)
  • 1919Wilfrid Laurier, Canadian lawyer and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1841)
  • 1924 – Oskar Merikanto, Finnish composer (b. 1868)
  • 1934Albert I of Belgium (b. 1875)
  • 1934 – Siegbert Tarrasch, German chess player and theoretician (b. 1862)
  • 1939 – Willy Hess, German violinist and educator (b. 1859)
  • 1946Dorothy Gibson, American actress and singer (b. 1889)
  • 1948 – Yahya Muhammad Hamid ed-Din, Imam of Yemen (b. 1904)
  • 1961 – Lütfi Kırdar, Turkish physician and politician, Turkish Minister of Health (b. 1887)
  • 1961 – Nita Naldi, American actress (b. 1894)
  • 1962 – Joseph Kearns, American actor (b. 1907)
  • 1962 – Bruno Walter, German-American pianist, composer, and conductor (b. 1876)
  • 1966Hans Hofmann, German-American painter (b. 1880)
  • 1969 – Berry L. Cannon, American aquanaut (b. 1935)
  • 1970Shmuel Yosef Agnon, Ukrainian-Israeli novelist, short story writer, and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1888)
  • 1970 – Alfred Newman, American composer and conductor (b. 1900)
  • 1972 – Friday Hassler, American race car driver (b. 1935)
  • 1977 – Janani Luwum, Ugandan archbishop and saint (b. 1922)
  • 1979 – William Gargan, American actor (b. 1905)
  • 1982 – Nestor Chylak, American baseball player and umpire (b. 1922)
  • 1982 – Thelonious Monk, American pianist and composer (b. 1917)
  • 1982 – Lee Strasberg, American actor and director (b. 1901)
  • 1986Jiddu Krishnamurti, Indian-American philosopher and author (b. 1895)
  • 1988 – John M. Allegro, English archaeologist and scholar (b. 1923)
  • 1988 – Karpoori Thakur, Indian educator and politician, 11th Chief Minister of Bihar (b. 1924)
  • 1989Lefty Gomez, American baseball player (b. 1908)
  • 1990 – Jean-Marc Boivin, French mountaineer, skier, and pilot (b. 1951)
  • 1994 – Randy Shilts, American journalist and author (b. 1951)
  • 1998Ernst Jünger, German soldier, philosopher, and author (b. 1895)
  • 2003 – Steve Bechler, American baseball player (b. 1979)
  • 2004José López Portillo, Mexican lawyer and politician, 51st President of Mexico (b. 1920)
  • 2005Dan O'Herlihy, Irish-American actor (b. 1919)
  • 2005 – Omar Sívori, Argentinian footballer and manager (b. 1935)
  • 2006 – Ray Barretto, American drummer (b. 1929)
  • 2006 – Bill Cowsill, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1948)
  • 2009Conchita Cintrón, Chilean bullfighter and journalist (b. 1922)
  • 2010Kathryn Grayson, American actress and singer (b. 1922)
  • 2012 – Robert Carr, English engineer and politician, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer (b. 1916)
  • 2012 – Michael Davis, American singer-songwriter and bass player (b. 1943)
  • 2012 – Nicolaas Govert de Bruijn, Dutch mathematician and theorist (b. 1918)
  • 2012 – Ulric Neisser, German-American psychologist and academic (b. 1928)
  • 2013Richard Briers, English actor (b. 1934)
  • 2013 – Shmulik Kraus, Israeli singer-songwriter and actor (b. 1935)
  • 2013 – Sophie Kurys, American baseball player (b. 1925)
  • 2013 – Mindy McCready, American singer-songwriter (b. 1975)
  • 2014 – Bob Casale, American guitarist, keyboard player, and producer (b. 1952)
  • 2014 – Peter Florin, German politician and diplomat, President of the United Nations General Assembly (b. 1921)
  • 2014 – Wayne Smith, Jamaican singer (b. 1965)
  • 2015 – John Barrow, American-Canadian football player and manager (b. 1935)
  • 2015 – Cathy Ubels-Veen, Dutch politician (b. 1928)
  • 2015 – Liu Yudi, Chinese general and pilot (b. 1923)
  • 2016 – Andy Ganteaume, Trinidadian cricketer (b. 1921)
  • 2016 – Mohamed Hassanein Heikal, Egyptian journalist (b. 1923)
  • 2016 – Claude Jeancolas, French historian, author, and journalist (b. 1949)
  • 2016 – Tony Phillips, American baseball player (b. 1959)
  • 2016 – Andrzej Żuławski, Polish film director (b. 1940)
  • 2017Robert H. Michel, American politician (b. 1923)
  • 2017 – Michael Novak, American Roman Catholic theologian (b. 1933)
  • 2021Rush Limbaugh, American talk show host and author (b. 1951)
  • 2021 – Seif Sharif Hamad, Tanzanian politician (b. 1943)
  • 2024 – Gamini Jayawickrama Perera, Sri Lankan politician (b. 1941)

Holidays and observances

  • Christian feast day:
    • Seven Founders of the Servite Order
      • Alexis Falconieri
    • Constabilis
    • Donatus, Romulus, Secundian, and Companions
    • Fintan of Clonenagh
    • Janani Luwum (Anglican Communion)
    • Lommán of Trim
    • February 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • Independence Day, celebrates the independence declaration of Kosovo in 2008, still partially recognized.
  • Revolution Day (Libya)

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: 17 de febrero para niños

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February 17 Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.