What happened on February 17? There are more than 289 events that were made this day in history. Here are the important historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.

Interesting Facts & Myths About February 17

February 17 In HistoryFebruary 17 is the 48th day of the year 2024. There are 318 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Saturday. This day falls under the 7th week of the year 2024.

On this day in Lebanon, Tennessee 37088 sunrise occured at 06:29 AM and sunset occured at 05:29 PM (local time).

The zodiac sign of a person born on this day is Aquarius. The modern birthstone for this month is Amethyst while the mystical birthstone is Bloodstone.

According to the Chinese calendar, there are 347 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year (January 29, 2025).

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Historical Events For February 17

  • 364
    Emperor Jovian dies after a reign of eight months. He is found dead in his tent at Tyana (Asia Minor) en route back to Constantinople in suspicious circumstances.
  • 1370
    Northern Crusades: Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Teutonic Knights meet in the Battle of Rudau.
  • 1500
    Duke Friedrich and Duke Johann attempt to subdue the peasantry of Dithmarschen, Denmark, in the Battle of Hemmingstedt.
  • 1600
    The philosopher Giordano Bruno is burned alive at Campo de' Fiori in Rome for heresy.
  • 1621
    Myles Standish is appointed as first commander of Plymouth colony.
  • 1753
    In Sweden February 17 is followed by March 1 as the country 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.
  • 1809
    Miami University is chartered by the State of Ohio.
  • 1814
    War of the Sixth Coalition: The Battle of Mormans.
  • 1819
    The United States House of Representatives passes the Missouri Compromise for the first time.
  • 1838
    Weenen massacre: Hundreds of Voortrekkers along the Blaukraans River, Natal are killed by Zulus.
  • 1854
    The United Kingdom recognizes the independence of the Orange Free State.
  • 1864
    American Civil War: The Ship 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.
  • 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 receives its première 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 meters freestyle swimming competition with a time of 57.4 seconds.
  • 1933
    Newsweek magazine is published for the first time.
  • 1933
    The Blaine Act ends Prohibition in the United States.
  • 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.
  • 1944
    World War II: The Battle of Eniwetok Atoll begins. The battle ends in an American victory on February 22.
  • 1950
    New Year’s Day in Chinese calendar. Start of the year of the Metal Tiger in Chinese astrology.
  • 1959
    Project Vanguard: Vanguard 2 – The first weather satellite is launched to measure cloud-cover distribution.
  • 1964
    Gabonese president Leon M'ba is toppled by a coup and his rival, Jean-Hilaire Aubame, is installed in his place.
  • 1964
    In Wesberry v. Sanders the Supreme Court of the United States rules that congressional districts have to be approximately equal in population.
  • 1965
    Project Ranger: The Ranger 8 probe launches on its mission to photograph the Mare Tranquillitatis region of the Moon in preparation for the manned Apollo missions. Mare Tranquillitatis or the “Sea of Tranquility” would become the site chosen for the Apollo 11 lunar landing.
  • 1968
    In Springfield, Massachusetts, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame opens.
  • 1972
    Sales of the Volkswagen Beetle exceed those of the Ford Model-T.
  • 1974
    Robert K. Preston, a disgruntled U.S. Army private, buzzes the White House in a stolen helicopter.
  • 1978
    The Troubles: The Provisional IRA detonates an incendiary bomb at the La Mon restaurant, near Belfast, killing 12 and seriously injuring 30.
  • 1979
    The Sino-Vietnamese War begins.
  • 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.
  • 1996
    NASA’s Discovery Program begins as the NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft lifts off on the first mission ever to orbit and land on an asteroid, 433 Eros.
  • 1998
    Nagorno-Karabakh War: Armenian troops kill 70–90 Azerbaijani civilians in the village of Qaradağlı.
  • 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.
  • 2011
    Libyan protests begin

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Who Were Born On February 17?

  • 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)
  • 1740
    Horace-Bénédict de Saussure, Swiss physicist and founder of alpinism (d. 1799)
  • 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
    Albert Gustaf Dahlman, Swedish executioner, the last to carry out capital punishment in Sweden (d. 1920)
  • 1848
    Louisa Lawson, Australian suffragist and writer (d. 1920)
  • 1854
    Friedrich Alfred Krupp, German industrialist (d. 1902)
  • 1861
    Princess Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont (d. 1922)
  • 1862
    Mori Ōgai, Japanese novelist and poet (d. 1922)
  • 1863
    Fyodor Sologub, Russian symbolist novelist and poet (d. 1927)
  • 1864
    Banjo Paterson, Australian poet (d. 1941)
  • 1864
    Jozef Murgaš, Slovak inventor (d. 1929)
  • 1874
    Thomas J. Watson, American computer manufacturer (d. 1956)
  • 1877
    André Maginot, French politician (d. 1932)
  • 1877
    Isabelle Eberhardt, Swiss explorer and writer (d. 1904)
  • 1877
    Isidora Sekulić, Serbian prose writer, novelist and essayist (d. 1958)
  • 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)
  • 1890
    Sir Ronald Fisher, Statistician and Geneticist (d. 1962)
  • 1891
    Abraham Fraenkel, German-born Israeli mathematician and recipient of the Israel Prize (d. 1965)
  • 1893
    Wally Pipp, American baseball player (d. 1965)
  • 1903
    Sadegh Hedayat, Iranian writer (d. 1951)
  • 1904
    Hans Morgenthau, German political philosopher (d. 1980)
  • 1908
    Bo Yibo, Chinese politician (d. 2005)
  • 1908
    Red Barber, American baseball announcer (d. 1992)
  • 1910
    Arthur Hunnicutt, American actor (d. 1979)
  • 1910
    Marc Lawrence, American actor (d. 2005)
  • 1911
    Orrin Tucker, American bandleader and composer (d.2011)
  • 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
    Alexander Obolensky, Russian prince and Rugby Union footballer (d. 1940)
  • 1916
    Raf Vallone, Italian actor (d. 2002)
  • 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 (d. 2001)
  • 1922
    Enrico Banducci, American nightclub owner (d. 2007)
  • 1922
    Tommy Edwards, American singer (d. 1969)
  • 1922
    Valentino Mazzia, American forensic anesthesiologist (d. 1999)
  • 1923
    John Marco Allegro, English scholar (d. 1988)
  • 1924
    Margaret Truman, American novelist (d. 2008)
  • 1925
    Hal Holbrook, American actor
  • 1925
    Ron Goodwin, English composer and conductor (d. 2003)
  • 1928
    Marta Romero, Puerto Rican actress & singer
  • 1929
    Chaim Potok, American author (d. 2002)
  • 1929
    Patricia Routledge, English actress
  • 1929
    Paul Meger, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1930
    Roger Craig, American baseball player and manager
  • 1930
    Ruth Rendell, English writer
  • 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
  • 1938
    Buck Trent, American banjo player
  • 1938
    Martha Henry, American/Canadian actress
  • 1938
    Yvonne Romain, British film and television actress
  • 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)
  • 1943
    Costas Azariadis, Greek macroeconomist
  • 1944
    Karl Jenkins, Welsh composer
  • 1945
    Brenda Fricker, Irish actress
  • 1945
    Zina Bethune, American actress
  • 1946
    Dodie Stevens, American singer
  • 1948
    Don Scardino, American television director and actor
  • 1948
    José José, Mexican singer and actor
  • 1948
    Rick Majerus, American basketball coach
  • 1949
    Fred Frith, English musician and composer
  • 1951
    Rashid Minhas, Pilot officer in Pakistan Air Force during Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 (d. 1971)
  • 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
  • 1958
    Alan Wiggins, American baseball player d. 1991
  • 1959
    Aryeh Deri, Israeli rabbi and politician
  • 1959
    Neil Lomax, American football player
  • 1959
    Rowdy Gaines, American swimmer
  • 1962
    David McComb, Australian musician (The Triffids) (d. 1999)
  • 1962
    Lou Diamond Phillips, American actor
  • 1962
    Samuel Bayer, American music video director
  • 1963
    Alison Hargreaves, British mountaineer (d. 1995)
  • 1963
    Jen-Hsun Huang, American entrepreneur and businessman
  • 1963
    Larry the Cable Guy, American comedian and actor
  • 1963
    Michael Jordan, American basketball player
  • 1963
    Rene Syler, American journalist
  • 1964
    Buster Olney, American sports columnist
  • 1965
    Michael Bay, American film director
  • 1966
    Luc Robitaille, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1966
    Michael Lepond, American musician (Symphony X)
  • 1966
    Quorthon, Swedish musician (Bathory) (d. 2004)
  • 1967
    Chanté Moore, American singer
  • 1968
    Bryan Cox, American football player
  • 1969
    David Douillet, French judoka
  • 1969
    Tuesday Knight, American actress
  • 1969
    Willi Kronhardt, German footballer
  • 1970
    Dominic Purcell, English/Australian actor
  • 1970
    Tommy Moe, American skier
  • 1971
    Denise Richards, American actress
  • 1971
    Jeremy Edwards, British actor
  • 1971
    Martyn Bennett, Canadian composer (d. 2005)
  • 1971
    SaRenna Lee, American pornographic actress
  • 1972
    Billie Joe Armstrong, American musician (Green Day)
  • 1972
    LG Petrov, Swedish singer (Entombed)
  • 1972
    Philippe Candeloro, French figure skater
  • 1972
    Ralphie May, American comedian
  • 1972
    Taylor Hawkins, American musician (Foo Fighters)
  • 1972
    Valeria Mazza, Argentinian model
  • 1972
    Yuki Isoya, Japanese singer (Judy and Mary)
  • 1973
    Drew Barry, American basketball player
  • 1973
    Raphaël Ibañez, French rugby player
  • 1974
    Bryan White, American singer
  • 1974
    Jerry O'Connell, American actor
  • 1974
    Kaoru, Japanese musician
  • 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
  • 1976
    William Roussel, French musician (Mütiilation)
  • 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
  • 1979
    Sarah Lee Guthrie, American musician
  • 1980
    Al Harrington, American basketball player
  • 1980
    Jason Ritter, American actor
  • 1980
    Klemi Saban, Israeli footballer
  • 1981
    Joseph Gordon-Levitt, American actor
  • 1981
    Paris Hilton, American actress and heiress
  • 1982
    Adriano, Brazilian footballer
  • 1982
    Brian Bruney, American baseball player
  • 1982
    Daniel Merriweather, Australian singer
  • 1983
    Gérald Cid, French footballer
  • 1983
    Kevin Rudolf, American singer-songwriter
  • 1983
    Marios Kaperonis, Greek boxer
  • 1983
    Nguyen Tien Minh, Vietnamese badminton player
  • 1984
    AB de Villiers, South African cricketer
  • 1984
    Drew Miller, American ice hockey player
  • 1984
    Jimmy Jacobs, American professional wrestler
  • 1984
    Kenta Kamakari, Japanese actor and voice actor
  • 1984
    Sadha, Indian film actress
  • 1985
    Anders Jacobsen, Norwegian ski jumper
  • 1985
    Anne Curtis, Filipino actress and model
  • 1986
    Joey O'Brien, Irish footballer
  • 1986
    Ricardo Rodriguez, American wrestler and ring announcer
  • 1988
    Natascha Kampusch, Austrian kidnapping victim
  • 1989
    Chord Overstreet, American actor
  • 1989
    Rebecca Adlington, English swimmer
  • 1989
    Stacey McClean, British singer
  • 1991
    Bonnie Wright, English actress
  • 1991
    Ed Sheeran, English signer
  • 1992
    Meaghan Jette Martin, American actress and singer
  • 1993
    AJ Perez, Filipino actor and model (d. 2011)
  • 1993
    Philip Wiegratz, German actor
  • 1996
    Sasha Pieterse, South African/American actress
  • 2000
    Theo Diconu,footballer

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Who Died On February 17?

  • 364
    Jovian, Roman Emperor (b. 331)
  • 440
    Mesrop Mashtots, Armenian monk and linguist (b. 360)
  • 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)
  • 1905
    William Bickerton, Mormon prophet (b. 1815)
  • 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)
  • 1962
    Joseph Kearns, American actor (b. 1907)
  • 1970
    Alfred Newman, American film composer (b. 1900)
  • 1970
    Shmuel Yosef Agnon, Israeli writer, Nobel laureate (b. 1888)
  • 1977
    Janani Luwum, Ugandan Archbishop (b. 1922)
  • 1982
    Lee Strasberg, Austrian-born actor (b. 1901)
  • 1982
    Nestor Chylak, American baseball umpire (b. 1922)
  • 1982
    Thelonious Monk, American jazz pianist (b. 1917)
  • 1986
    Jiddu Krishnamurti, Indian philosopher (b. 1895)
  • 1988
    John Marco Allegro, English scholar (b. 1923)
  • 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
  • 1998
    Bob Merrill, American composer and lyricist (b. 1921)
  • 1998
    Ernst Jünger, German author (b. 1895)
  • 2001
    Barry Burman, English artist (b. 1943)
  • 2001
    Bob Geary, Canadian football player and manager (b. 1933)
  • 2001
    Khalid Abdul Muhammed, American Nation of Islam spokesman (b. 1948)
  • 2003
    Steve Bechler, American baseball player (b. 1979)
  • 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
    Bill Cowsill, American singer (The Cowsills) (b. 1948)
  • 2006
    Ray Barretto, Puerto Rican musician (b. 1929)
  • 2007
    Dermot O'Reilly, Irish-born musician, producer and songwriter (b. 1943)
  • 2007
    Jurga Ivanauskaitė, Lithuanian writer (b. 1961)
  • 2007
    Maurice Papon, French Nazi collaborator (b. 1910)
  • 2007
    Mike Awesome, American professional wrestler (b. 1965)
  • 2008
    Brian Harris, English footballer (b. 1935)
  • 2009
    Conchita Cintrón, Chilean bullfighter (b. 1922)
  • 2009
    Gazanfer Özcan, Turkish actor (b. 1931)
  • 2009
    Mike Whitmarsh, American volleyball player (b. 1962)

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