January 17
January 17 is the 17th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 348 days remaining (349 in leap years)
Events:
- 1819 - Simon Bolivar proclaims the Republic of Colombia
- 1995 - A M7.2 earthquake occurred at 05:46am JST near Kobe, Japan, causing huge loss of life and property damage.
- 2002 - Eruption of Mount Nyiragongo in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, displacing an estimated 400,000 people.
Births:
- 1463 - Friedrich III, Saxon elector (+ 1525)
- 1706 - Benjamin Franklin American writer, inventor, publisher, and ambassador (+ 1790)
- 1820 - Anne Brontë, British author (+ 1849)
- 1871 - David Earl Betty of the North Sea and of Brooksby, British admiral (+ 1936)
- 1899 - Al Capone, gangster, nicknamed "Scarface" (+ 1947)
- 1928 - Vidal Sassoon (cosmetologist)
- 1931 - James Earl Jones (actor)
- 1939 - Maury Povich (TV talk show host)
- 1942 - Muhammad Ali, American heavyweight boxer
- 1942 - Ulf Hoelscher, German violinist
- 1949 - Andy Kaufman, comedian (+ 1984)
- 1956 - Paul Young, English musician
- 1962 - Jim Carrey (actor, comedian)
- 1971 - Kid Rock (singer)
Deaths:
- 1751 - Tomaso Albinoni, aged 69, Italian composer
- 1799 - Maria Gaetana Agnesi, Italian mathematician
- 1861 - Lola Montez, adventurer
- 1886 - Amilcare Ponchielli, Italian composer
- 1991 - King Olav V of Norway
- 2002 - Camilo Jose Cela (85) - Spanish author, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature 1989
Holidays and observances:
- Ancient Latvia - Zirgu Diena observed
- Catholicism - Feast day of St. Anthony.
See Also: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December
January 16 - January 18 - December 17 - February 17 - Historical anniversaries - (Please read this before editing or creating a date page)