History of Today 17 June: Important Events, Births and Deaths

Welcome to History of Today 17 June. On this page, you can read important historical events, famous births, notable deaths and general knowledge facts related to 17 June. This information is useful for UPSC, SSC, Banking, Railway, State PSC and other competitive exams.

Last updated on 17 June 2026, 01:00 AM

Important Events on 17 June in History

17 Jun 2021: Juneteenth National Independence Day, was signed into law by President Joe Biden, to become the first federal holiday established since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983. Read more
17 Jun 2017: A series of wildfires in central Portugal kill at least 64 people and injure 204 others. Read more
17 Jun 2015: Nine people are killed in a mass shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Read more
17 Jun 1994: Following a televised low-speed highway chase, O. J. Simpson is arrested for the murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman. Read more
17 Jun 1992: A "joint understanding" agreement on arms reduction is signed by U.S. president George Bush and Russian president Boris Yeltsin (this would be later codified in START II). Read more
17 Jun 1991: Apartheid: The South African Parliament repeals the Population Registration Act which required racial classification of all South Africans at birth. Read more
17 Jun 1989: Interflug Flight 102 crashes during a rejected takeoff from Berlin Schönefeld Airport, killing 21 people. Read more
17 Jun 1987: With the death of the last individual of the species, the dusky seaside sparrow becomes extinct. Read more
17 Jun 1985: Space Shuttle program: STS-51-G mission: Space Shuttle Discovery launches carrying Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the first Arab and first Muslim in space, as a payload specialist. Read more
17 Jun 1972: Watergate scandal: Five White House operatives are arrested for burgling the offices of the Democratic National Committee during an attempt by members of the administration of President Richard M. Nixon to illegally wiretap the political opposition as part of a broader campaign to subvert the democratic process. Read more
17 Jun 1971: U.S. president Richard Nixon in a televised press conference called drug abuse "America's public enemy number one", starting the war on drugs. Read more
17 Jun 1967: Nuclear weapons testing: China announces a successful test of its first thermonuclear weapon. Read more
17 Jun 1963: The United States Supreme Court rules 8–1 in Abington School District v. Schempp against requiring the reciting of Bible verses and the Lord's Prayer in public schools. Read more
17 Jun 1963: A day after South Vietnamese president Ngo Dinh Diem announced the Joint Communiqué to end the Buddhist crisis, a riot involving around 2,000 people breaks out. One person is killed. Read more
17 Jun 1960: The Nez Perce tribe is awarded $4 million for 7 million acres (28,000 km2) of land undervalued at four cents/acre in the 1863 treaty. Read more
17 Jun 1958: The Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing, in the process of being built to connect Vancouver and North Vancouver (Canada), collapses into the Burrard Inlet killing 18 ironworkers and injuring others. Read more
17 Jun 1953: Cold War: East Germany Workers Uprising: In East Germany, the Soviet Union orders a division of troops into East Berlin to quell a rebellion. Read more
17 Jun 1952: Guatemala passes Decree 900, ordering the redistribution of uncultivated land. Read more
17 Jun 1948: United Air Lines Flight 624, a Douglas DC-6, crashes near Mount Carmel, Pennsylvania, killing all 43 people on board. Read more
17 Jun 1944: Iceland declares independence from Denmark and becomes a republic. Read more
17 Jun 1940: World War II: RMS Lancastria is attacked and sunk by the Luftwaffe near Saint-Nazaire, France. At least 3,000 are killed in Britain's worst maritime disaster. Read more
17 Jun 1940: World War II: The British Army's 11th Hussars assault and take Fort Capuzzo in Libya from Italian forces. Read more
17 Jun 1940: The three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania fall under the occupation of the Soviet Union. Read more
17 Jun 1939: Last public guillotining in France: Eugen Weidmann, a convicted murderer, is executed in Versailles outside the Saint-Pierre prison. Read more
17 Jun 1933: Union Station massacre: In Kansas City, Missouri, four FBI agents and captured fugitive Frank Nash are gunned down by gangsters attempting to free Nash. Read more
17 Jun 1932: Bonus Army: Around a thousand World War I veterans amass at the United States Capitol as the U.S. Senate considers a bill that would give them certain benefits. Read more
17 Jun 1930: U.S. president Herbert Hoover signs the Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act into law. Read more
17 Jun 1929: The town of Murchison, New Zealand is rocked by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake killing 17. At the time it was New Zealand's worst natural disaster. Read more
17 Jun 1922: Portuguese naval aviators Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral complete the first aerial crossing of the South Atlantic. Read more
17 Jun 1910: Aurel Vlaicu pilots an A. Vlaicu nr. 1 on its first flight. Read more
17 Jun 1901: The College Board introduces its first standardized test, the forerunner to the SAT. Read more
17 Jun 1900: Boxer Rebellion: Western Allied and Japanese forces capture the Taku Forts in Tianjin, China. Read more
17 Jun 1898: The United States Navy Hospital Corps is established. Read more
17 Jun 1885: The Statue of Liberty arrives in New York Harbor. Read more
17 Jun 1877: American Indian Wars: Battle of White Bird Canyon: The Nez Perce defeat the U.S. Cavalry at White Bird Canyon in the Idaho Territory. Read more
17 Jun 1876: American Indian Wars: Battle of the Rosebud: One thousand five hundred Sioux and Cheyenne led by Crazy Horse beat back General George Crook's forces at Rosebud Creek in Montana Territory. Read more
17 Jun 1863: American Civil War: Battle of Aldie in the Gettysburg campaign. Read more
17 Jun 1861: American Civil War: Battle of Vienna, Virginia. Read more
17 Jun 1843: The Wairau Affray, the first serious clash of arms between Māori and British settlers in the New Zealand Wars, takes place. Read more
17 Jun 1839: In the Kingdom of Hawaii, Kamehameha III issues the edict of toleration which gives Roman Catholics the freedom to worship in the Hawaiian Islands. The Hawaii Catholic Church and the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace are established as a result. Read more
17 Jun 1831: The steam locomotive Best Friend of Charleston causes the first boiler explosion caused by a steam locomotive. Read more

Famous Births on 17 June

17 Jun 2003: Rizki Juniansyah, Indonesian weightlifter Rizki Juniansyah is an Indonesian weightlifter who currently specializes in the men's 79 kg lightweight class and holds various world records at the youth, junior, and senior IWF competition levels. He is the current Olympic champion, having won gold at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, making him Indonesia's youngest Olympic gold medalist in history and its first in weightlifting. Read more
17 Jun 2000: Odessa A'zion, American actress Odessa Zion Segall Adlon, known professionally as Odessa A'zion, is an American actress. On television, she is known for her roles in the CBS series Fam (2019), the Netflix series Grand Army (2020) and the HBO series I Love LA (2025). For her performance in the film Marty Supreme (2025), she was nominated for an Actor Award and a British Academy Film Award. Her other films include Hellraiser (2022), The Inhabitant (2022), Sitting in Bars with Cake (2023), Fresh Kills (2024) and Until Dawn (2025). Read more
17 Jun 1999: Henri Jokiharju, Finnish ice hockey player Henri Jokiharju is a Finnish professional ice hockey player who is a defenceman for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Jokiharju was selected 29th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round of the 2017 NHL entry draft. Read more
17 Jun 1999: Elena Rybakina, Kazakhstani tennis player Elena Andreyevna Rybakina is a Kazakhstani professional tennis player. She is currently ranked world No. 2 in women's singles by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA). Rybakina has won 13 WTA Tour-level singles titles, including two majors at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships and the 2026 Australian Open, as well as the 2025 WTA Finals and two WTA 1000 events. Rybakina is the first Kazakhstani player to win a major and to be ranked inside the world's top 10. Read more
17 Jun 1997: KJ Apa, New Zealand actor Keneti James Fitzgerald Apa is a New Zealand actor and musician. He gained recognition for playing Kane Jenkins in the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street (2013–2015) and Archie Andrews in the CW teen drama series Riverdale (2017–2023). He has also starred in the adventure drama film A Dog's Purpose (2017), the teen drama film The Hate U Give (2018), and the biographical romantic drama film I Still Believe (2020). Apa released his debut solo album in 2021, the indie folk-rock album Clocks. Read more
17 Jun 1997: Raluca Șerban, Romanian-Cypriot tennis player Raluca Georgiana Șerban is a Romanian-born Cypriot professional tennis player, who since 2019 has represented Cyprus. She has a career-high singles ranking of world No. 152, achieved on 24 July 2023, becoming the only Cypriot player to have been ranked inside the Top 300. Read more
17 Jun 1995: Clément Lenglet, French footballer Clément Nicolas Laurent Lenglet is a French professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for La Liga club Atlético Madrid and the France national team. Read more
17 Jun 1995: Aoi Morikawa, Japanese actress and model Aoi Morikawa is a Japanese actress and model who is affiliated with Stardust Promotion. Read more
17 Jun 1995: Michel-Friedrich Schiefler, German politician Michel-Friedrich Schiefler is a German politician serving as a member of the Landtag of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern since 2021. He has served as deputy chairman of the Social Democratic Party in Vorpommern-Rügen since 2019. Read more
17 Jun 1994: Amari Cooper, American football player Amari Cooper is an American former professional football wide receiver who played 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, winning the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top receiver and earning unanimous All-American honors in 2014. Cooper was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft. Read more
17 Jun 1993: Nikita Kucherov, Russian ice hockey player Nikita Igorevich Kucherov is a Russian professional ice hockey player who is a right winger and alternate captain for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). Regarded as one of the best players in the world, Kucherov is a two-time recipient of the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player in 2019 and 2026, and twice was voted the winner of the Ted Lindsay Award as players' choice for the best player in the NHL in 2019 and 2025. He led the league in scoring three times, thus earning the Art Ross Trophy in 2019, 2024, and 2025, and was the runner-up for the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the league's goal-scoring leader in 2017. Read more
17 Jun 1991: Daniel Tupou, Australian-Tongan rugby league player Daniel Tupou is a professional rugby league footballer who plays on the wing for the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League (NRL). He has played for Tonga and Australia at international level. Read more
17 Jun 1990: Jordan Henderson, English footballer Jordan Brian Henderson is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Premier League club Brentford and the England national team. He is known for his leadership, versatility, and physicality. Read more
17 Jun 1990: Josh Mansour, Australian rugby league player Joshua Mansour is a former professional rugby league footballer who played as a winger. He represented Lebanon and Australia at international level. Read more
17 Jun 1989: Georgios Tofas, Cypriot footballer Georgios Tofas is a Cypriot footballer who played for Enosis Neon Paralimni as a striker. Read more
17 Jun 1989: Simone Battle, American singer and actress (died 2014) Simone Sherise Battle was an American singer, dancer and actress. Beginning her career after appearing in the American series Zoey 101 and Everybody Hates Chris, she also starred in several music videos and in the film We the Party (2012) alongside Snoop Dogg. Battle garnered attention after auditioning for the American version of The X Factor in 2011, and was eliminated at the first live show. Read more
17 Jun 1988: Andrew Ogilvy, Australian basketball player Andrew James "A.J." Ogilvy is an Australian former professional basketball player. He played three seasons of college basketball for Vanderbilt before playing in Europe for the first three years of his professional career. After a season in his hometown with the Sydney Kings, he returned to Spain for a second stint. In 2015, he joined the Illawarra Hawks and helped lead them to a grand final appearance in 2017. After seven seasons with the Hawks, he retired from the National Basketball League (NBL) in 2022. Read more
17 Jun 1988: Shaun MacDonald, Welsh footballer Shaun Benjamin MacDonald is a Welsh footballer who plays as a midfielder for Cymru South club Trefelin. Read more
17 Jun 1988: Stephanie Rice, Australian swimmer Stephanie Louise Rice, is an Australian former competitive swimmer. She won three gold medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, and was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia on 26 January 2009. Read more
17 Jun 1987: Kendrick Lamar, American rapper Kendrick Lamar Duckworth is an American rapper and songwriter. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, his music features conscious, introspective lyrics, with political criticism and social commentary concerning African-American culture. Music journalists have listed Lamar among the greatest rappers of all time. In 2018, he became the first musician outside of the classical and jazz genres to receive the Pulitzer Prize for Music. Read more
17 Jun 1987: Nozomi Tsuji, Japanese singer and actress Nozomi Sugiura , known professionally by her birth name Nozomi Tsuji is a Japanese media personality, singer, and blogger. In 2000, she began her career as a singer for Japanese girl band Morning Musume. Tsuji later found success with related groups Mini Moni and W. She has participated in the shuffle groups 10-nin Matsuri, Odoru 11, and 11Water, H.P. All Stars, as well as being a member of the Morning Musume splinter group Morning Musume Otomegumi Read more
17 Jun 1986: Apoula Edel, Armenian footballer Apoula Edima Bete Edel is a former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Born in Cameroon, he played for the Armenia national team. Read more
17 Jun 1986: Helen Glover, English rower Helen Rachel Mary Backshall is a British professional rower and a member of the Great Britain Rowing Team. Ranked the number 1 female rower in the world in 2015–16, she is a two-time Olympic champion, triple World champion, quintuple World Cup champion and quintuple European champion. She and her partner Heather Stanning were the World, Olympic, World Cup and European record holders, plus the Olympic, World and European champions in the women's coxless pairs. She has also been a British champion in both women's fours and quadruple sculls. Read more
17 Jun 1985: Özge Akın, Turkish sprinter Özge Akın is a Turkish sprinter competing in the 400 m events. She is the current Turkish record holder of the 400 m hurdles events. Following her marriage to her coach, her surname changed to Akın, although she was also subsequently known by the surname Akın-Gürler. Read more
17 Jun 1985: Marcos Baghdatis, Cypriot tennis player Marcos Baghdatis is a Greek Cypriot former professional tennis player and coach. He was the runner-up at the 2006 Australian Open and a semifinalist at the 2006 Wimbledon Championships, and reached a career-high ATP singles ranking of world No. 8 in August 2006. In the latter part of his career, Baghdatis endured a series of injuries that impacted his play. Read more
17 Jun 1985: Rafael Sóbis, Brazilian footballer Rafael Augusto Sóbis is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Read more
17 Jun 1984: Michael Mathieu, Bahamian sprinter Michael Walter Mathieu is a retired Bahamian sprinter hailing from Freeport, Grand Bahama who specialized in the 200 metres and 400 metres. He was part of the Bahamian silver medal-winning team in the men's 4 × 400 metres relay at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, running second leg and recording a 44.0 split, and the gold medal-winning team at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He was also a part of second place relay team at the 2007 World Championships. He won the bronze medal in the 4 × 400 metres relay in the 2016 Summer Olympics. Read more
17 Jun 1984: Si Tianfeng, Chinese race walker Si Tianfeng is a Chinese race walker. He represented China at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, finishing 17th. He also competed in the 50 km walk at the 2009 Chinese National Games and won the bronze medal. Si set a Games record to take the gold medal in the 50 km walk at the 2010 Asian Games. He was fourth at the World Race Walking Cup that year. Read more
17 Jun 1983: Lee Ryan, English singer/actor Lee Ryan is an English singer, songwriter, actor and voice actor. He is the lead singer of the boy band Blue. During his time with Blue, they sold over 15 million records worldwide, and performed with and released records with Elton John and Stevie Wonder. Read more
17 Jun 1983: Vlasis Kazakis, Greek footballer Vlasis Kazakis is a Greek former professional footballer who played as a forward. Read more
17 Jun 1982: Alex Rodrigo Dias da Costa, Brazilian footballer Alex Rodrigo Dias da Costa, known as Alex, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. He was known for his physical strength and the power of his shot, which has gained him the nicknames of "The Tank" and "Canhão da Vila". Read more
17 Jun 1982: Marek Svatoš, Slovak ice hockey player (died 2016) Marek Svatoš was a Slovak professional ice hockey winger. He last played during the 2013–14 season in the Slovak Extraliga with Košice, the same club with which he began his career in 1999. Svatoš played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for several seasons, mostly with the Colorado Avalanche; his last stint in the NHL was in the 2010–11 season, during which he played with the Nashville Predators and Ottawa Senators after beginning the season in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) with Avangard Omsk. Read more
17 Jun 1982: Stanislava Hrozenská, Slovak tennis player Stanislava Hrozenská is a retired Slovak tennis player. She was a semifinalist at the 1999 US Open – Girls' doubles tournament. Read more
17 Jun 1982: Stefan Hodgetts, English racing driver Stefan Hodgetts is a British auto racing driver, best known for driving a part season in the British Touring Car Championship. His father Chris was twice champion of the BTCC. Read more
17 Jun 1982: Arthur Darvill, English actor Thomas Arthur Darvill is an English actor, composer and musician. He is known for portraying Rory Williams, a companion of the Eleventh Doctor in the television series Doctor Who (2010–2012), as well as Rip Hunter in Legends of Tomorrow and Rev. Paul Coates in Broadchurch (2013–2017). From 2013 to 2014, he appeared in the lead role in the theatre musical Once in the West End and on Broadway. He played Curly in the West End revival of Oklahoma!, for which he won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical. Read more
17 Jun 1982: Jodie Whittaker, English actress Jodie Auckland Whittaker is an English actress. She is best known for her roles on television as Beth Latimer in Broadchurch (2013–2017) and the Thirteenth Doctor in Doctor Who. Read more
17 Jun 1981: Kyle Boller, American football player Kyle Bryan Boller is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for the California Golden Bears, he was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2003 NFL draft. He was a member of the Ravens from 2003 to 2008, the St. Louis Rams in 2009, and the Oakland Raiders from 2010 to 2011. Read more
17 Jun 1981: Shane Watson, Australian cricketer Shane Robert Watson is an Australian cricket coach, commentator and former cricketer who played for and occasionally captained the Australian national cricket team between 2002 and 2016. He was an all-rounder who played as a right-handed batsman and a right-arm fast-medium bowler. He was ranked as the world's No. 1 all-rounder in Twenty20 Internationals (T20I) for 150 weeks, including an all-time record of 120 consecutive weeks from 13 October 2011 to 30 January 2014. He began playing during the Australian team's golden era in the early 2000s, and was the last player from this era to retire. In his time playing for Australia, Watson was part of their winning squad in the Cricket World Cup two times in 2007, and 2015 along with the ICC Champions Trophy twice in 2006 and 2009, with Watson named as the player of the match in the final on both occasions, as he scored the winning run in the 2006 tournament, with the winning six in the 2009 tournament. Read more
17 Jun 1980: Elisa Rigaudo, Italian race walker Elisa Rigaudo is an Italian race walker from Cuneo. Read more
17 Jun 1980: Jeph Jacques, American author and illustrator Jeffrey Paul "Jeph" Jacques is an American-Canadian cartoonist who writes and draws the webcomic Questionable Content. Jacques has formerly created the webcomics indietits from 2005 to 2007, Derelict Orbital Reflector Devices and Alice Grove. Read more
17 Jun 1980: Venus Williams, American tennis player Venus Ebony Starr Williams is an American professional tennis player. She has been ranked as the world No. 1 in both women's singles and doubles by the Women's Tennis Association. Williams has won 49 WTA Tour-level singles titles, including seven majors, as well as a gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 2008 WTA Tour Championships. She has also won 22 doubles titles, including 14 majors and three Olympic gold medals. Read more
17 Jun 1979: Nick Rimando, American soccer player Nicholas Paul Rimando is an American former professional soccer player who played as a goalkeeper. Having spent his entire career in Major League Soccer, he holds the records for career wins, clean sheets, saves, and overall appearances. He also played for the United States national team. Read more
17 Jun 1979: Tyson Apostol, American television personality Tyson Apostol is an American reality television personality, best known for his appearances on four seasons of the CBS reality television show Survivor. Read more
17 Jun 1979: Young Maylay, American rapper, producer, and voice actor Christopher Bellard, known professionally as Young Maylay, is an American rapper, record producer, and voice actor based in Los Angeles, California. He is best known for his portrayal of Carl "CJ" Johnson, the main character of the action-adventure game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004). Read more
17 Jun 1978: Isabelle Delobel, French ice dancer Isabelle Delobel is a French former competitive ice dancer. With partner Olivier Schoenfelder, she is the 2008 World champion, the 2007 European champion, and the 2008 Grand Prix Final champion. Read more
17 Jun 1978: Travis Roche, Canadian ice hockey player Travis Roche is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenseman who last played for EHC Black Wings Linz of the Austrian Hockey League (EBEL). Read more
17 Jun 1977: Bartosz Brożek, Polish philosopher and jurist Bartosz Paweł Brożek is a Polish philosopher and jurist whose main research interests are in philosophy of law, philosophy of science, logic and cognitive science. He is currently professor of jurisprudence at the Jagiellonian University and vice rector of the Jagiellonian University, as well as a former director of the Copernicus Center for Interdisciplinary Studies in Kraków. Author or co-author of more than 20 book monographs and more than 70 scientific papers. He holds PhDs in both law (2003) and philosophy (2007), habilitation in law (2008) and the title of full professor (2013). Read more
17 Jun 1977: Tjaša Jezernik, Slovenian tennis player Tjaša Jezernik is a Slovenian retired tennis player. Read more
17 Jun 1977: Mark Tauscher, American football player and sportscaster Mark Tauscher is an American former professional football player who spent his entire 11-year career as an offensive tackle for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers. Tauscher was selected by the Packers in the seventh round of the 2000 NFL draft. He won Super Bowl XLV with them over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He now provides studio commentary for NFL coverage on Sky Sports in Britain. Read more
17 Jun 1976: Scott Adkins, English actor and martial artist Scott Edward Adkins is an English actor and martial artist. He gained prominence with his portrayal of the Russian prison fighter Yuri Boyka in the American film Undisputed II: Last Man Standing (2006), a role he reprised in its sequels Undisputed III: Redemption (2010), which won him an Action on Film Award for Breakout Action Star, and Boyka: Undisputed (2017), which won him a Jackie Chan Action Movie Award for Best Action Movie Actor. Read more
17 Jun 1976: Sven Nys, Belgian cyclist Sven Nys is a Belgian former professional cyclist competing in cyclo-cross and mountain bike. With two world championships, seven world cups, and over 140 competitive victories, he is considered one of the best cyclo-cross racers of his generation, and remains a prominent figure in cyclo-cross. Apart from cyclo-cross, Nys is also fivefold national mountainbike champion, and has competed in that discipline in two Olympic games. Read more
17 Jun 1975: Joshua Leonard, American actor, director, and screenwriter Joshua Granville Leonard is an American actor, producer, writer, and director, known for his role in The Blair Witch Project (1999). He has since starred in films such as Madhouse (2004), The Shaggy Dog (2006), Higher Ground (2011), The Motel Life (2012), Snake and Mongoose (2013), If I Stay (2014), The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014), 6 Years (2015), and Unsane (2018). Read more
17 Jun 1975: Juan Carlos Valerón, Spanish footballer Juan Carlos Valerón Santana is a Spanish former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. Read more
17 Jun 1975: Phiyada Akkraseranee, Thai actress and model Phiyada Akkaraseranee, later Phiyada Jutharattanakul, nickname Aom, , is a Thai actress, model, and host. She is the second daughter of Pisarn Akarasenee, a well-known actor in and producer of various popular Thai TV series. Read more
17 Jun 1974: Evangelia Psarra, Greek archer Evangelia Psarra is a Greek archer who has competed at the Summer Olympics six times from 2000 to 2020. Read more
17 Jun 1973: Leander Paes, Indian tennis player Leander Adrian Paes is an Indian former professional tennis player. He is regarded as one of the greatest doubles tennis players of all-time and holds the record for the most doubles wins in the Davis Cup. Paes won eight men's doubles and ten mixed doubles Grand Slam titles. He holds a career Grand Slam in men's doubles and mixed doubles making him one of only three men in the Open era to achieve this distinction and won the rare men's/mixed double at the 1999 Wimbledon Championships. Paes, together with Mahesh Bhupathi, were the first pair in Open era history to reach the men's doubles finals of all 4 Grand Slams in the same calendar year (1999). He is currently the brand ambassador of GS Delhi Aces, a team owned by Guru Samruddhi House of Investments in the Tennis Premier League. Read more
17 Jun 1971: Paulina Rubio, Mexican pop singer Paulina Susana Rubio Dosamantes is a Mexican singer, songwriter and television personality. Referred to as "The Golden Girl", she first achieved recognition as a member of the successful pop group Timbiriche from 1982 through 1991. After leaving Timbiriche, she embarked on a solo career. Rubio has sold over 15 million records, making her one of the best-selling Latin music artists of all time. Read more
17 Jun 1971: Mildred Fox, Irish politician Mildred Fox is an Irish former independent politician. She was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Wicklow constituency from 1995 to 2007. Read more
17 Jun 1970: Stéphane Fiset, Canadian ice hockey player Stéphane Fiset is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League. Read more
17 Jun 1970: Will Forte, American actor, comedian, and screenwriter Orville Willis Forte IV is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer. He was a cast member and writer on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live for eight seasons from 2002 to 2010. His most famous recurring character was a parody of Macgyver named MacGruber; he reprised that role in the film adaptation, MacGruber (2010); and the limited series of the same name in 2021. Read more
17 Jun 1970: Jason Hanson, American football player Jason Douglas Hanson is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) for 21 seasons. After playing college football with the Washington State Cougars, he was selected by the Lions in the second round of the 1992 NFL draft with the 56th overall pick. Hanson holds the NFL record for the most seasons played with one team and also holds multiple kicking and scoring records. Due to his longevity and statistical success, even on many non-playoff teams, Hanson is often cited as one of the most-loved players in Detroit Lions franchise history. Read more
17 Jun 1970: Popeye Jones, American basketball player and coach Ronald Jerome "Popeye" Jones is an American professional basketball coach and former player who currently serves as an assistant coach for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Read more
17 Jun 1970: Michael Showalter, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter Michael Showalter is an American director, writer, and producer. He first achieved recognition as a cast member on MTV's The State, which aired from 1993 to 1995. Along with David Wain, Showalter created the Wet Hot American Summer franchise, with Showalter co-writing and starring in Wet Hot American Summer (2001) and the Netflix series. Showalter wrote and directed The Baxter (2005), in which he starred with Michelle Williams, Justin Theroux, and Elizabeth Banks. Both films featured many of his co-stars from The State, and so do several of his other projects. Showalter is also a co-creator, co-producer, actor, and writer for the TV series Search Party. He directed the 2017 film The Big Sick and the 2021 film The Eyes of Tammy Faye, both of which were critically acclaimed. Read more
17 Jun 1970: Alan Dowson, English football manager and former professional player Alan Dowson is an English football coach and former professional player who is manager at Hampton & Richmond Borough. Read more
17 Jun 1969: Paul Tergat, Kenyan runner Paul Kibii Tergat is a Kenyan former professional long-distance runner. He became the first Kenyan man to set the world record in the marathon in 2003, with a time of 2:04:55, and is regarded as one of the most accomplished long-distance runners of all time. Runnerworld called him the "Most comprehensive runner of all time". Read more
17 Jun 1969: Geoff Toovey, Australian rugby league player and coach Geoffrey Toovey, also known by the nickname of "Toovs" or "Tooves", is the former head coach of the Bradford Bulls and former professional rugby league footballer. Toovey played halfback and Five-Eighth for the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, then played as a hooker later in his career at the Northern Eagles. He played 286 first-grade matches in all, and captained Manly to the 1996 ARL premiership and the 1995 and 1997 grand finals. He played in 13 international matches for Australia between 1991 and 1998. Toovey is the former head coach of Manly-Warringah. Read more
17 Jun 1969: Ilya Tsymbalar, Ukrainian-Russian footballer and manager (died 2013) Ilya Vladimirovich Tsymbalar was a Ukrainian-Russian professional football player and coach. A midfielder, he represented both Ukraine and Russia on the international level. He primarily played as an attacking midfielder and was known for set-piece ability and technique. Read more
17 Jun 1968: Steve Georgallis, Australian rugby league player and coach Steve Georgallis is an Australian professional rugby league football coach who is the head coach of Greece, an assistant coach for the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League (NRL), Head Coach of the Parramatta Eels Women's team (NRLW),
and former professional rugby league footballer. Read more
17 Jun 1968: Minoru Suzuki, Japanese wrestler and mixed martial artist Minoru Suzuki is a Japanese professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. Despite being a freelancer for most of his career, he has worked for the largest promotions in Japan: New Japan Pro Wrestling, All Japan Pro Wrestling, and Pro Wrestling Noah. He also made appearances for promotions outside Japan, like Major League Wrestling (MLW), Revolution Pro Wrestling, TNA Wrestling, Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) and All Elite Wrestling/Ring of Honor. Read more
17 Jun 1967: Dorothea Röschmann, German soprano and actress Dorothea Röschmann is a German soprano. She is famous for her performances in operas by Mozart as well as Lieder. Read more
17 Jun 1967: Eric Stefani, American keyboard player and composer Eric Matthew Stefani is an American musician and animator best known as a founder and former member of the ska punk band No Doubt. He is the elder brother of former bandmate Gwen Stefani. He is also a former animator on the television series The Simpsons. Read more
17 Jun 1966: Mohammed Ghazy Al-Akhras, Iraqi journalist and author Mohammed Gahzy Al-Akhras is an Iraqi Arabic writer and journalist. He is known for his moderate political and social opinions, mainly through his daily column in Al Sabaah and his program on the al-Hurra TV channel, Abwab. He has authored several books dealing with the cultural environment in the Arab – particularly the Iraqi – world. The most prominent of his works is Khareef al-Muthaqqaf al-Iraqi. This book was controversial upon publication, and received praise as well as criticism from reviewers. Read more
17 Jun 1966: Tory Burch, American fashion designer and philanthropist Tory Burch is an American fashion designer and businesswoman. She is the executive chairman and chief creative officer of her own brand, Tory Burch LLC. She was listed as the 88th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes in 2020. Read more
17 Jun 1966: Ken Clark, American football player (died 2013) Kenneth R. Clark was an American professional football player from Evergreen, Alabama who played running back for three seasons for the Indianapolis Colts. Read more
17 Jun 1966: Diane Modahl, English runner Diane Dolores Modahl is an English former middle-distance runner who specialised in the 800 metres. She won a gold medal in the 800 m at the 1990 Commonwealth Games, silver at the 1986 Commonwealth Games, and bronze at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. Read more
17 Jun 1966: Jason Patric, American actor John Anthony Miller III, better known by his stage name Jason Patric is an American film, television and stage actor. He is known for his roles in films such as The Lost Boys (1987), Rush (1991), Geronimo: An American Legend (1993), Sleepers (1996), Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997), Your Friends & Neighbors (1998), Narc (2002), The Alamo (2004), My Sister's Keeper (2009), and The Losers (2010). His father was actor/playwright Jason Miller, and his maternal grandfather was actor Jackie Gleason. Read more
17 Jun 1965: Dermontti Dawson, American football player and coach Dermontti Farra Dawson is an American former professional football player who was a center and long snapper in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football with the Kentucky Wildcats. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the 1988 NFL draft and spent his entire pro career with the team and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2012. Read more
17 Jun 1965: Dan Jansen, American speed skater and sportscaster Daniel Erwin Jansen is a retired American speed skater. A multiple world champion in sprint and perennial favorite at the Winter Olympics, he broke a ten-year Olympic jinx when he won a gold medal in his final race, which was the 1,000 meters in the 1994 Winter Games. Read more
17 Jun 1965: Dara O'Kearney, Irish runner and poker player Dara O'Kearney, born 17 June 1965 in Ennis, County Clare, is an Irish international ultra runner and professional poker player. He is the son of Irish language activist and writer Sean Ua Cearnaigh, and nephew of Irish politician Chris Flood. Read more
17 Jun 1964: Rinaldo Capello, Italian race car driver Rinaldo "Dindo" Capello is an Italian professional racing driver. He is a three-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with Bentley in 2003 and Audi in 2004 and 2008. Capello is a two-time American Le Mans Series champion, a five-time 12 Hours of Sebring winner, and the record holder for most wins at Petit Le Mans, having won five times. Capello has also raced in the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, the FIA World Endurance Championship, DTM and the Italian GT Championship. Read more
17 Jun 1964: Michael Gross, German swimmer Michael Groß, usually spelled Michael Gross in English, is a former competitive swimmer from Germany. He is 201 centimetres tall, and received the nickname "The Albatross" for his especially long arms that gave him a total span of 2.13 meters. Gross, competing for West Germany, won three Olympic gold medals, two in 1984 and one in 1988 in the freestyle and butterfly events, in addition to two World Championship titles in 1982, two in 1986 and one in 1991. Read more
17 Jun 1964: Steve Rhodes, English cricketer and coach Steven John Rhodes is an English cricket coach and former cricketer. He was the former coach of the Bangladesh national cricket team. He was best known as a wicket-keeper, but was also a useful number six or seven batsman, making twelve first-class centuries. Read more
17 Jun 1963: Greg Kinnear, American actor, television presenter, and producer Gregory Buck Kinnear is an American actor and former talk show host. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in As Good as It Gets (1997). Read more
17 Jun 1962: Michael Monroe, Finnish singer-songwriter and saxophonist Matti Antero Kristian Fagerholm, known professionally as Michael Monroe, is a Finnish rock musician who rose to fame as the vocalist and saxophonist for the glam punk band Hanoi Rocks. He has also served as the frontman for all-star side projects, such as Demolition 23 and Jerusalem Slim. Read more
17 Jun 1961: Kōichi Yamadera, Japanese actor and singer Koichi Yamadera is a Japanese actor, narrator and singer from Shiogama, Miyagi Prefecture. He graduated from Tohoku Gakuin University's economics school and is currently affiliated with Across Entertainment. Before that, he was affiliated with the Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society. Read more
17 Jun 1960: Adrián Campos, Spanish race car driver (died 2021) Adrián Campos Suñer was a Spanish Formula One driver. He participated in 21 Grands Prix for Minardi between 1987 and 1988, without scoring a championship point. He later moved into team management, with more success. He was the founder of the Campos Meta Formula One team, which competed in Formula One from 2010 to 2012. He founded Campos Racing in 1998. Read more
17 Jun 1960: Thomas Haden Church, American actor Thomas Haden Church is an American actor. After starring in the 1990s sitcom Wings and playing the lead for two seasons in Ned & Stacey (1995–1997), Church became known for his film work, including his role of Lyle van de Groot in George of the Jungle (1997), his Academy Award–nominated performance in Sideways (2004), his role as the Marvel Comics villain Sandman in the superhero films Spider-Man 3 (2007) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), as well as his starring roles in Over the Hedge (2006), Smart People (2008), Easy A (2010), We Bought a Zoo (2011), Max (2015), and Hellboy (2019). He also made his directorial debut with Rolling Kansas (2003). In 2023, he starred as antagonist Agent Stone in the post-apocalyptic action comedy series Twisted Metal. Read more
17 Jun 1959: Carol Anderson, American author and historian Carol Elaine Anderson is an American academic. She is the Charles Howard Candler professor of African American Studies at Emory University. Her research focuses on public policy with regard to race, justice, and equality. In 2023, she was elected to the American Philosophical Society. Read more
17 Jun 1959: Lawrence Haddad, South African-English economist and academic Lawrence James Haddad, is a British economist whose main research focuses on how to make food systems work better to advance the nutrition status of people globally. Read more
17 Jun 1959: Nikos Stavropoulos, Greek basketball player and coach Nikolaos "Nikos" Stavropoulos, a.k.a. Professor Nicholas "Magic" Stavropoulos, is a former Greek professional basketball player and coach. During his club playing career, at a height of 1.96 m tall, Stavropoulos played at the point guard and shooting guard positions. During his playing career, Stavropoulos was known for his dazzling passing skills, and his spectacular play-making ability, which garnered him the nickname "Magic", or "Greek Magic", after NBA player Magic Johnson, who played during the same era, and was also known for his dazzling passes and play-making ability. Read more
17 Jun 1958: Pierre Berbizier, French rugby player and coach Pierre Berbizier is a French former rugby union footballer and a current coach. His usual position was at scrum-half. He played 56 times for France. Read more
17 Jun 1958: Jello Biafra, American singer-songwriter and producer Eric Reed Boucher, known professionally as Jello Biafra, is an American singer, spoken word artist and political activist. He is the former lead singer and songwriter for the San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys. Read more
17 Jun 1958: Bobby Farrelly, American director, producer, and screenwriter Robert Thomas Farrelly is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He is one of the Farrelly brothers, alongside his brother Peter, who together are known for directing and producing successful box-office comedy films, including Dumb and Dumber (1994), There's Something About Mary (1998), Me, Myself and Irene (2000), Shallow Hal (2001), and the 2007 remake of The Heartbreak Kid. He made his solo directorial debut in 2023 with Champions. Read more
17 Jun 1958: Sam Hamad, Syrian-Canadian academic and politician Sam Hamad is a Canadian politician. He is the former member of National Assembly (MNA) for the riding of Louis-Hebert in the Quebec City region. A member of the Quebec Liberal Party, he has held various cabinet posts during his 14 years in the National Assembly. He was the Minister of Natural Resources, Minister for Transports and he was also the Minister of Employment and Social Solidarity, Minister of Labour and Minister responsible for the Capitale-Nationale region. Read more
17 Jun 1958: Jon Leibowitz, American lawyer and politician Jon Leibowitz is an American attorney who served as the 53rd chair of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) from 2009 to 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a commissioner of the FTC from 2004 to 2013. Read more
17 Jun 1958: Daniel McVicar, American actor Daniel McVicar is an American actor, director and writer known for his work in European films and American television. Read more
17 Jun 1957: Philip Chevron, Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2013) Philip Ryan, professionally known as Philip Chevron, was an Irish singer-songwriter and guitarist and record producer. He was best known as the lead guitarist for the Celtic punk band the Pogues and as the frontman for the 1970s punk rock band The Radiators from Space. Upon his death in 2013, Chevron was regarded as one of the most influential figures in Irish punk music. Read more
17 Jun 1957: Martin Dillon, American tenor and educator (died 2005) Martin Dillon was an American musician, operatic tenor, and professor of music at Rutgers University in Camden, New Jersey. Read more
17 Jun 1957: Uģis Prauliņš, Latvian composer Uģis Prauliņš is a Latvian composer whose choral work Missa Rigensis was recorded by the Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge, the Riga Cathedral Boys Choir, Youth Choir BALSIS and has been performed in several locations around the world, amongst those Canada, France, England. Read more
17 Jun 1956: Iain Milne, Scottish rugby player Iain Gordon Milne is a former Scotland international rugby union player and British & Irish Lion. Read more
17 Jun 1955: Mati Laur, Estonian historian, author, and academic Mati Laur is an Estonian historian. He has written and coauthored textbooks about early modern Estonia. He has published scholarly articles about eighteenth-century Estonia, which also was the subject of his doctoral dissertation. Despite this narrow specialisation, he is a professor of general history at the University of Tartu. Read more
17 Jun 1955: Bob Sauvé, Canadian ice hockey player and coach Robert F. Sauvé is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. Read more
17 Jun 1955: Cem Hakko, Turkish fashion designer and businessman Cem Hakko is a Turkish fashion designer and businessman. He is the son of Vitali Hakko (1913–2007). Read more
17 Jun 1954: Mark Linn-Baker, American actor and director Mark Linn-Baker is an American actor and director who played Benjy Stone in the film My Favorite Year and Larry Appleton in the television sitcom Perfect Strangers. Read more
17 Jun 1953: Vernon Coaker, English educator and politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Defence Vernon Rodney Coaker, Baron Coaker is a British politician and life peer who has served as Minister of State for Defence since 2024. A member of the Labour Party, he was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Gedling from 1997 to 2019. Read more
17 Jun 1953: Juan Muñoz, Spanish sculptor and storyteller (died 2001) Juan Muñoz was a Spanish sculptor, working primarily in paper maché, resin and bronze. He was also interested in the auditory arts and created compositions for the radio. He was a self-described "storyteller". In 2000, Muñoz was awarded Spain's major Premio Nacional de Bellas Artes in recognition of his work; he died shortly after, in 2001. Read more
17 Jun 1952: Mike Milbury, American ice hockey player, coach, and manager Michael James Milbury is an American former professional ice hockey player and current sports announcer. He played for twelve seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), all for the Boston Bruins. He helped the Bruins reach the Stanley Cup Final in 1977 and 1978. He was inducted into the U.S hockey hall of fame in 2006. Read more
17 Jun 1952: Estelle Morris, Baroness Morris of Yardley, English educator and politician, Secretary of State for Education Estelle Morris, Baroness Morris of Yardley,, is a British politician and life peer who served as Secretary of State for Education and Skills from 2001 to 2002. A member of the Labour Party, she was Member of Parliament (MP) for Birmingham Yardley from 1992 to 2005. Read more
17 Jun 1951: Starhawk, American author and activist Starhawk is an American feminist and writer. She is known as a theorist of feminist neopaganism and ecofeminism. In 2013, she was listed in Watkins' Mind Body Spirit magazine as one of the 100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People. Read more
17 Jun 1951: John Garrett, Canadian ice hockey player and sportscaster John Murdoch Garrett was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender and television sports commentator. He played in the World Hockey Association from 1973 to 1979 and then in the National Hockey League from 1979 to 1985. After retiring from playing he turned to broadcasting. Read more
17 Jun 1951: Joe Piscopo, American actor, comedian, and screenwriter Joseph Charles John Piscopo is an American actor, comedian, and conservative radio talk show host. He was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1980 to 1984, where he played a variety of recurring characters. His film roles include Danny Vermin in Johnny Dangerously (1984), Moe Dickstein in Wise Guys (1986), Doug Bigelow in Dead Heat (1988) and Kelly Stone in Sidekicks (1992). Read more
17 Jun 1949: Snakefinger, English singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1987) Philip Charles Lithman, who performed under the stage name Snakefinger, was an English musician, singer and songwriter. A multi-instrumentalist, he was best known for his guitar and violin work and his collaborations with the Residents. Read more
17 Jun 1949: John Craven, English economist and academic John Anthony George Craven is a British economist, a former vice-chancellor of the University of Portsmouth. In 2006, he founded the University Alliance, and served as its first chair until 2009. Read more
17 Jun 1949: Russell Smith, American country singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2019) Howard Russell Smith was an American singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer of the groups The Amazing Rhythm Aces and Run C&W. As a solo artist, he released four studio albums and charted five singles on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart between 1984 and 1989. Read more
17 Jun 1948: Dave Concepción, Venezuelan baseball player and manager David Ismael Concepción Benitez is a Venezuelan former professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire career in Major League Baseball as a shortstop for the Cincinnati Reds dynasty that won four National League pennants and two World Series championships between 1970 and 1976. Read more
17 Jun 1948: Jacqueline Jones, American historian and academic Jacqueline Jones is an American social historian and winner of the Pulitzer Prize in history.
She held the Walter Prescott Webb Chair in History and Ideas from 2008 to 2017, is the Ellen C. Temple Professor of Women’s History Emerita at the University of Texas at Austin, and is the past president of the American Historical Association. Her expertise is in American social history in addition to writing on economics, race, slavery, and class. She is a Macarthur Fellow, Bancroft Prize Winner, and Pulitzer Prize winner in 2024 after twice being a finalist. Read more
17 Jun 1948: Aurelio López, Mexican baseball player and politician (died 1992) Aurelio Alejandro López Rios was a Mexican professional baseball player. After pitching for several years in the Mexican League, he spent eleven seasons with four teams in Major League Baseball — a majority of it spent with the Detroit Tigers. He acquired the nickname "Señor Smoke" in Detroit, while he was known as "El Buitre de Tecamachalco" in Mexico. López was discovered in his hometown by Mexican League scouts and converted from a starting pitcher to a relief pitcher. Read more
17 Jun 1948: Karol Sikora, English physician and academic Karol Sikora is a British physician specialising in oncology, who has been described as a leading authority on cancer. He was a founder and medical director of Rutherford Health, a company that provided proton therapy services, and is Director of Medical Oncology at the Bahamas Cancer Centre. Read more
17 Jun 1947: Christopher Allport, American actor (died 2008) Christopher Allport was an American actor. Read more
17 Jun 1947: Timothy Wright, American gospel singer, pastor (died 2009) Timothy Wright, generally credited as Rev. Timothy Wright or Reverend Timothy Wright on recordings, was an American gospel singer and pastor. Read more
17 Jun 1947: Linda Chavez, American journalist and author Linda Lou Chavez is an American author, commentator, and radio talk show host. She is also a Fox News analyst, Chairman of the Center for Equal Opportunity, has a syndicated column that appears in newspapers nationwide each week, and sits on the board of directors of two Fortune 500 companies: Pilgrim's Pride and ABM Industries. Chavez was the highest-ranking woman in President Ronald Reagan's White House, and was the first Latina ever nominated to the United States Cabinet, when President George W. Bush nominated her Secretary of Labor. She withdrew from consideration for the position when the media published allegations that she had employed an illegal immigrant a decade earlier. In 2000, Chavez was named a Living Legend by the Library of Congress. She is currently vice chair of the Renew Democracy Initiative, a cross-partisan non-profit. Read more
17 Jun 1947: George S. Clinton, American composer and songwriter George Stanley Clinton Jr. is an American composer, songwriter, arranger, and session musician. Read more
17 Jun 1947: Gregg Rolie, American rock singer-songwriter and keyboard player Gregg Alan Rolie is an American keyboardist, singer and songwriter. Rolie served as lead singer of the bands Santana and Journey – both of which he co-founded. He also helmed rock group the Storm, performed in Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band until 2021, and since 2001 with his Gregg Rolie Band. Rolie is a two-time inductee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, having been inducted both as a member of Santana in 1998 and as a member of Journey in 2017. Read more
17 Jun 1947: Paul Young, English singer-songwriter (died 2000) Paul Young was a British singer and songwriter. He achieved success in the bands Sad Café and Mike + the Mechanics. Read more
17 Jun 1946: Peter Rosei, Austrian author, poet, and playwright Peter Rosei is an Austrian literary writer. Read more
17 Jun 1945: Tommy Franks, American general Tommy Ray Franks is a retired United States Army general. His last army post was as the Commander of the United States Central Command, overseeing United States military operations in a 25-country region, including the Middle East. Franks succeeded General Anthony Zinni to this position on 6 July 2000 and served until his retirement on 7 July 2003.
Franks was the United States general leading the attack on the Taliban in Afghanistan in response to the September 11 attacks on the United States in 2001. He also oversaw the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. Read more
17 Jun 1945: Ken Livingstone, English politician, 1st Mayor of London Kenneth Robert Livingstone is an English politician who served as the Leader of the Greater London Council (GLC) from 1981 until the council was abolished in 1986, and as the first mayor of London from the creation of the office in 2000 until 2008. He also served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Brent East from 1987 to 2001. He is a former member of the Labour Party, ideologically identifying as a socialist. Read more
17 Jun 1945: Eddy Merckx, Belgian cyclist and sportscaster Édouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx, is a Belgian former professional road and track cyclist racer who is the most successful rider in the history of competitive cycling. His victories include an unequalled eleven Grand Tours, all five Monuments, setting the hour record, three World Championships, every major one-day race other than Paris–Tours, and extensive victories on the track. Read more
17 Jun 1945: Art Bell, American broadcaster and author (died 2018) Arthur William Bell III was an American broadcaster and author. He was the founder and the original host of the paranormal-themed radio program Coast to Coast AM, which is syndicated on hundreds of radio stations in the United States and Canada. He also created and hosted its companion show Dreamland. Coast to Coast still airs nightly, now hosted weeknights by George Noory. Bell's past shows from 1994 to 2002 are repeated on Premiere Networks on Saturday evenings. They are retitled Somewhere in Time with Art Bell. Read more
17 Jun 1944: Randy Johnson, American football player (died 2009) Randolph Klaus Johnson was an American professional football player. He was the starting quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons in their inaugural season of 1966. He also had brief stints with the New York Giants, Washington Redskins, and Green Bay Packers. In 1974, he played with The Hawaiians of the World Football League (WFL). Read more
17 Jun 1944: Chris Spedding, English singer-songwriter and guitarist Christopher John Spedding is an English guitarist and record producer. In a career spanning more than 50 years, Spedding is best known for his studio session work. By the early 1970s, he had become one of the most sought-after session guitarists in England. Spedding has played on and produced many albums and singles. He has also been a member of eleven rock bands: the Battered Ornaments, Frank Ricotti Quartet, King Mob, Mike Batt and Friends, Necessaries, Nucleus, Ricky Norton, Sharks, Trigger, and the Wombles. In May 1976, Spedding also produced the first Sex Pistols recordings. Read more
17 Jun 1943: Newt Gingrich, American historian and politician, 58th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Newton Leroy Gingrich is an American politician who served as the 50th speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999. A member of the Republican Party, he was the U.S. representative for Georgia's 6th congressional district serving north Atlanta and nearby areas from 1979 until his resignation in 1999. In 2012, Gingrich unsuccessfully ran for the Republican nomination for president of the United States. Read more
17 Jun 1943: Barry Manilow, American singer-songwriter and producer Barry Manilow is an American singer and songwriter with a career spanning over sixty years. His hit recordings include "Could It Be Magic", "Looks Like We Made It", "Mandy", "I Write the Songs", "Ready to Take a Chance Again", "Can't Smile Without You", "Weekend in New England", and "Copacabana ". Read more
17 Jun 1943: Chantal Mouffe, Belgian theorist and author Chantal Mouffe is a Belgian political theorist, teaching at University of Westminster. She is best known for her and Ernesto Laclau's contribution to the development of the so-called Essex School of discourse analysis. She is a strong critic of deliberative democracy and advocates a conflict-oriented model of radical democracy. Read more
17 Jun 1943: Burt Rutan, American engineer and pilot Elbert Leander "Burt" Rutan is an American retired aerospace engineer and entrepreneur noted for his originality in designing light, strong, unusual-looking, and energy-efficient air and space craft. He designed the record-breaking Voyager, which in 1986 was the first plane to fly around the world without stopping or refueling. He also designed the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer, which in 2006 set the world record for the fastest and longest nonstop non-refueled circumnavigation flight in history. In 2004, Rutan's sub-orbital spaceplane design SpaceShipOne became the first privately funded spacecraft to enter the realm of space, winning the Ansari X-Prize that year for achieving the feat twice within a two-week period. Read more
17 Jun 1942: Mohamed ElBaradei, Egyptian politician, Vice President of Egypt, Nobel Prize laureate Mohamed Mostafa ElBaradei is an Egyptian lawyer and diplomat who served as Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from 1997 to 2009, then as vice president of Egypt on an interim basis from 14 July to 14 August 2013. Read more
17 Jun 1942: Doğu Perinçek, Turkish lawyer and politician Doğu Perinçek is a Turkish politician, doctor of law and former communist revolutionary who has been chairman of the left-wing nationalist Patriotic Party since 2015. He was also a member of the Talat Pasha Committee, an organization that denies the Armenian genocide. Politically, he is a Eurasianist who favors closer relations with China and Russia, and is one of the most anti-American politicians in Turkey. Read more
17 Jun 1942: Roger Steffens, American actor and producer Roger Steffens is an American actor, author, lecturer, editor, reggae archivist, photographer, and producer. Six rooms of his home in Los Angeles house reggae archives, which include the world's largest collection of Bob Marley material. Based on these archives Steffens lectures internationally with a multi-media presentation called The Life of Bob Marley. His radio career began in New York City in 1961, and he co-hosted Reggae Beat on KCRW in Los Angeles and was syndicated on 130 stations worldwide in the 1980s. Read more
17 Jun 1941: Nicholas C. Handy, English chemist and academic (died 2012) Nicholas Charles Handy was a British theoretical chemist. He retired as Professor of quantum chemistry at the University of Cambridge in September 2004. Read more
17 Jun 1940: George Akerlof, American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate George Arthur Akerlof is an American economist and a university professor at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University and Koshland Professor of Economics Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley. Akerlof was awarded the 2001 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, jointly with Michael Spence and Joseph Stiglitz, "for their analyses of markets with asymmetric information." He is the husband of former United States Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen. Read more
17 Jun 1940: Bobby Bell, American football player Bobby Lee Bell Sr. is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker and defensive end for the Kansas City Chiefs of the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Bell is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, College Football Hall of Fame, NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team, and played on the Chiefs' team that won Super Bowl IV. Paul Zimmerman described him as the first, and prototype, size and speed linebacker. Read more
17 Jun 1940: Chuck Rainey, American bassist Charles Walter Rainey III is an American bass guitarist who has performed and recorded with many well-known acts, including Aretha Franklin, Steely Dan, and Quincy Jones. Rainey is credited for playing bass on more than 1,000 albums, and is one of the most recorded bass players in the history of recorded music. Read more
17 Jun 1937: Peter Fitzgerald, Irish footballer and manager (died 2013) Peter Joseph Fitzgerald was an Irish professional footballer who played as a forward. Read more
17 Jun 1937: Ted Nelson, American sociologist and philosopher Theodor Holm Nelson is an American pioneer of information technology, philosopher of computer science, and sociologist. He coined the terms hypertext and hypermedia in 1963 and published them in 1965. According to his profile published in Forbes in 1997, Nelson "sees himself as a literary romantic, like a Cyrano de Bergerac, or 'the Orson Welles of software'." Read more
17 Jun 1937: Clodovil Hernandes, Brazilian fashion designer, television presenter and politician (died 2009) Clodovil Hernandes was a Brazilian fashion designer, television presenter, and politician. Read more
17 Jun 1936: Vern Harper, Canadian tribal leader and activist (died 2018) Vern Harper Vernon Harper born on June 17, 1936 in Regent Park Toronto, Ontario – May 12, 2018) was a Canadian First Nations Cree Elder, medicine man, and Aboriginal rights activist. Read more
17 Jun 1936: Ken Loach, English director, producer, and screenwriter Kenneth Charles Loach is a retired English filmmaker. His socially critical directing style and socialist views are evident in his film treatment of social issues such as poverty, homelessness, and labour rights. Read more
17 Jun 1933: Harry Browne, American soldier and politician (died 2006) Harry Edson Browne was an American writer, libertarian political activist, and investment advisor. He was the Libertarian Party's presidential nominee in the U.S. elections of 1996 and 2000 running on a platform that advocated abolishing the federal income tax, privatizing Social Security, ending the war on drugs, and drastically reducing the size and scope of government. A leading figure in the modern libertarian movement, Browne was a passionate advocate for personal freedom, limited government, and voluntary cooperation. He authored 12 books that in total have sold more than 2 million copies including his influential work How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World (1973), which provided a blueprint for achieving individual liberation by rejecting societal constraints and embracing self-reliance. Through his presidential campaigns, writings, and public appearances, Browne articulated a vision of a society free from coercion, inspiring generations of libertarians to challenge political and cultural orthodoxy. Read more
17 Jun 1933: Christian Ferras, French violinist (died 1982) Christian Ferras was a French violinist. Read more
17 Jun 1933: Maurice Stokes, American basketball player (died 1970) Maurice Stokes was an American professional basketball player. He played for the Cincinnati/Rochester Royals of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1955 to 1958. Stokes was a three-time NBA All-Star, a three-time All-NBA Second Team member and the 1956 NBA Rookie of the Year. His career – and later his life – was cut short by a debilitating brain injury and paralysis. Read more
17 Jun 1932: Derek Ibbotson, English runner (died 2017) George Derek Ibbotson was an English runner who excelled in athletics in the 1950s. His most famous achievement was setting a new world record in the mile in 1957. Read more
17 Jun 1932: John Murtha, American colonel and politician (died 2010) John Patrick Murtha Jr. was an American politician and Marine Corps officer. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1974 until his death in 2010. Murtha was the first Vietnam War veteran elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and is the longest-serving member of the chamber ever elected from Pennsylvania. Read more
17 Jun 1931: John Baldessari, American painter and illustrator (died 2020) John Anthony Baldessari was an American conceptual artist known for his work featuring found photography and appropriated images. He lived and worked in Santa Monica and Venice, California. Read more
17 Jun 1930: Cliff Gallup, American guitarist (died 1988) Clifton E. Gallup was an American guitarist. He was the lead guitarist for Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps in the 1950s. Gallup's recording career was brief, recording 35 songs with Vincent in 1956 plus a 1960s solo album, but he performed occasionally until the end of his life as a part-time hobby. Read more
17 Jun 1930: Brian Statham, English cricketer (died 2000) John Brian Statham, was an English professional cricketer from Gorton, in Manchester, who played for Lancashire County Cricket Club from 1950 to 1968 and for England from 1951 to 1965. As an England player, he took part in nine overseas tours from 1950–51 to 1962–63. He was a right arm fast bowler and was noted for the consistent accuracy of his length and direction. Read more
17 Jun 1930: Shatzi Weisberger, Jewish-American nurse, educator, and activist (died 2022) Joyce "Shatzi" Weisberger was an American death educator, activist, and nurse based in New York City. After a 47-year career in nursing, she began engaging in public death education and end-of-life advocacy. Throughout her life, Weisberger was involved in several activist movements, including the civil rights movement, anti-nuclear movement, ACT UP, and campaigns against police brutality. In her later years, she was affiliated with the New York chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace, expressing opposition to Zionism. Read more
17 Jun 1929: Bud Collins, American journalist and sportscaster (died 2016) Arthur Worth "Bud" Collins Jr. was an American journalist and television sportscaster, best known for his tennis commentary. Collins was married to photographer Anita Ruthling Klaussen. Read more
17 Jun 1929: Tigran Petrosian, Armenian chess player (died 1984) Tigran Vardani Petrosian was a Soviet-Armenian chess grandmaster. The ninth World Chess Champion from 1963 to 1969, he was nicknamed "Iron Tigran" due to his almost-impenetrable defensive playing style, which emphasized safety above all else. Petrosian is often credited with popularizing chess in Armenia. Read more
17 Jun 1928: Juan María Bordaberry, President of Uruguay (died 2011) Juan María Bordaberry Arocena, was an Uruguayan politician and cattle rancher who served as the 34th President of Uruguay from 1972 until his ouster in 1976. For the last three years of his tenure, he was the first President of the Civic-Military Dictatorship. Previously, he was the Minister of Agriculture from 1969 to 1972. He came to office following the Presidential elections of late 1971. In 1973, Bordaberry engineered a self-coup where he dissolved the General Assembly and transferred its powers to a military-influenced Council of State. He then ruled by decree as a military-sponsored dictator until disagreements with the military led to his being overthrown before his original term of office had expired. Read more
17 Jun 1927: Martin Böttcher, German composer and conductor (died 2019) Martin Böttcher was a German composer, arranger and conductor. Read more
17 Jun 1927: Wally Wood, American author, illustrator, and publisher (died 1981) Wallace Allan Wood was an American comic book writer, artist and independent publisher, widely known for his work on EC Comics's titles such as Weird Science, Weird Fantasy, and MAD Magazine from its inception in 1952 until 1964, as well as for T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, and work for Warren Publishing's Creepy. He drew a few early issues of Marvel's Daredevil and established the title character's distinctive red costume. Wood created and owned the long-running characters Sally Forth and Cannon. Read more
17 Jun 1925: Alexander Shulgin, American pharmacologist and chemist (died 2014) Alexander Theodore "Sasha" Shulgin was an American biochemist, broad researcher of synthetic psychoactive compounds, and author of works regarding these, who independently explored the organic chemistry and pharmacology of such agents—in his mid-life and later, many through preparation in his home laboratory, and testing on himself. He is acknowledged to have introduced to broader use, in the late 1970s, the previously synthesized compound MDMA ("ecstasy"), in research psychopharmacology and in combination with conventional therapy, the latter through presentations and academic publications, including to psychologists; and for the rediscovery, occasional discovery, and regular synthesis and personal use and distribution, of possibly hundreds of psychoactive compounds. As such, Shulgin is seen both as a pioneering and a controversial participant in the emergence of the broad use of psychedelics. Read more
17 Jun 1923: Elroy Hirsch, American football player (died 2004) Elroy Leon "Crazylegs" Hirsch was an American professional football player, sport executive, and actor. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 1974. He was a first-team All-Pro in 1951 and 1953, was named to the National Football League (NFL) 1950s All-Decade Team and also was selected as a member of the NFL 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1969 and the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team in 2019. Read more
17 Jun 1923: Arnold S. Relman, American physician and academic (died 2014) Arnold Seymour Relman — known as Bud Relman to intimates — was an American internist and professor of medicine and social medicine. He was editor of The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) from 1977 to 1991, where he instituted two important policies: one asking the popular press not to report on articles before publication and another requiring authors to disclose conflicts of interest. He wrote extensively on medical publishing and reform of the U.S. health care system, advocating non-profit delivery of single-payer health care. Relman ended his career as professor emeritus at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. Read more
17 Jun 1923: Dale C. Thomson, Canadian historian and academic (died 1999) Dale Cairns Thomson was a professor and departmental director at the Université de Montréal, professor and Vice-Principal of McGill University and a professor of international relations and Director of the Center of Canadian Studies at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C. and the author of several important historical works. Read more
17 Jun 1922: John Amis, English journalist and critic (died 2013) John Preston Amis was a British broadcaster, classical music critic, music administrator, and writer. He was a frequent contributor for The Guardian and to BBC radio and television music programming. Read more
17 Jun 1920: Jacob H. Gilbert, American lawyer and politician (died 1981) Jacob H. Gilbert was an American lawyer and politician who served six terms as a United States representative from New York between 1960 and 1971. Read more
17 Jun 1920: Setsuko Hara, Japanese actress (died 2015) Setsuko Hara was a Japanese actress. She is best known for her performances in Yasujirō Ozu's films Late Spring (1949), Tokyo Story (1953) and Tokyo Twilight (1957), amongst many others, and for working extensively with director Mikio Naruse. She is widely considered to be one of the greatest Japanese film actresses of all time. Read more
17 Jun 1920: François Jacob, French biologist and geneticist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 2013) François Jacob was a French biologist. He shared the 1965 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Jacques Monod and André Lwoff "for their discoveries concerning genetic control of enzyme and virus synthesis." He and Monod originated the idea that control of enzyme levels in all cells occurs through regulation of transcription. For his work in the French Resistance, he received the Cross of Liberation, the Légion d'honneur and Croix de guerre. Read more
17 Jun 1920: Peter Le Cheminant, English air marshal and politician, Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey (died 2018) Air Chief Marshal Sir Peter de Lacy Le Cheminant, was a senior commander of the Royal Air Force (RAF), who served as Vice-Chief of the Defence Staff from 1974 to 1976 and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Allied Forces Central Europe from 1976 until his retirement in 1979. Read more
17 Jun 1919: William Kaye Estes, American psychologist and academic (died 2011) William Kaye Estes was an American psychologist. A Review of General Psychology survey, published in 2002, ranked Estes as the 77th most cited psychologist of the 20th century. In order to develop a statistical explanation for the learning phenomena, William Kaye Estes developed the Stimulus Sampling Theory in 1950 which suggested that a stimulus-response association is learned by a single trial; however, the learning process is continuous and consists of the accumulation of distinct stimulus-response pairings. Read more
17 Jun 1919: John Moffat, Scottish lieutenant and pilot (died 2016) John William Charlton Moffat was a Scottish Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm pilot, widely credited as the pilot whose torpedo crippled the German battleship Bismarck and author of the biographical I sank the Bismarck.
Moffat took part in the courageous strike on the German battleship Bismarck during its Atlantic sortie, codenamed Operation Rheinübung, on 26 May 1941 whilst flying a Fairey Swordfish biplane. Read more
17 Jun 1919: Beryl Reid, English actress (died 1996) Beryl Elizabeth Reid was a British actress. She won the 1967 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for The Killing of Sister George, the 1980 Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performance for Born in the Gardens, and the 1982 BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for Smiley's People. Her film appearances included The Belles of St. Trinian's (1954), The Killing of Sister George (1968), The Assassination Bureau (1969), and No Sex Please, We're British (1973). Read more
17 Jun 1918: Ajahn Chah, Thai monk and educator (died 1992) Ajahn Chah was a Thai Buddhist monk. He was an influential teacher of the Buddhadhamma and a founder of two major monasteries in the Thai Forest Tradition. Read more
17 Jun 1917: Dufferin Roblin, Canadian politician, 14th Premier of Manitoba (died 2010) Dufferin "Duff" Roblin was a Canadian businessman and politician. He served as the 14th premier of Manitoba from 1958 to 1967. Roblin was appointed to the Senate of Canada on the advice of Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. In the government of Brian Mulroney, he served as government leader in the Senate. He was the grandson of Sir Rodmond Roblin, who also served as Manitoba Premier. His ancestor John Roblin served in the Upper Canada assembly. Read more
17 Jun 1916: Terry Gilkyson, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1999) Terry Gilkyson was an American folk singer and songwriter. Read more
17 Jun 1915: David "Stringbean" Akeman, American singer and banjo player (died 1973) David Akeman, better known as Stringbean, was an American singer-songwriter, musician, comedian, and semiprofessional baseball player best known for his role as a main cast member on the hit television show Hee Haw and as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. Akeman was well known for his "old-fashioned" banjo-picking style, careful mix of comedy and music, and his memorable stage wardrobe. Akeman and his wife were shot and murdered by burglars in their rural Tennessee home near Ridgetop, Tennessee, in 1973. Read more
17 Jun 1915: Marcel Cadieux, Canadian civil servant and diplomat, Canadian Ambassador to the United States (died 1981) Marcel Cadieux, was a Canadian civil servant and diplomat. Read more
17 Jun 1914: John Hersey, American journalist and author (died 1993) John Richard Hersey was an American writer and journalist. He is considered one of the earliest practitioners of the so-called New Journalism, in which storytelling techniques of fiction are adapted to non-fiction reportage. In 1999, Hiroshima, Hersey's account of the aftermath of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, was adjudged the finest work of American journalism of the 20th century by a 36-member panel associated with New York University's journalism department. Read more
17 Jun 1910: Red Foley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 1968) Clyde Julian "Red" Foley was an American musician who made a major contribution to the growth of country music after World War II. For more than two decades, Foley was one of the biggest stars of the genre, selling more than 25 million records. His 1951 hit, "Peace in the Valley", was among the first million-selling gospel records. A Grand Ole Opry veteran until his death, Foley also hosted the first popular country music series on network television, Ozark Jubilee, from 1955 to 1960. Read more
17 Jun 1910: George Hees, Canadian football player and politician (died 1996) George Harris Hees was a Canadian politician and businessman. Read more
17 Jun 1909: Elmer L. Andersen, American businessman and politician, 30th Governor of Minnesota (died 2004) Elmer Lee Andersen was an American businessman, philanthropist, and politician who built a successful business career with the H. B. Fuller Company. Andersen was most notably the 30th governor of Minnesota. A self-described progressive Republican, he was a well-regarded politician who passed many social and environmental regulations during his time as governor. Read more
17 Jun 1909: Ralph E. Winters, Canadian-American film editor (died 2004) Ralph Ethan Winters was a Canadian-born film editor who became one of the leading figures of this field in the American industry. Read more
17 Jun 1907: Maurice Cloche, French director, producer, and screenwriter (died 1990) Maurice Cloche was a French film director, screenwriter, photographer and film producer. Best known for his Oscar-winning film Monsieur Vincent (1947) he won a 1948 Special Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Read more
17 Jun 1904: Ralph Bellamy, American actor (died 1991) Ralph Rexford Bellamy was an American actor whose career spanned 65 years on stage, film, and television. During his career, he played leading roles as well as supporting roles, garnering acclaim and awards, including a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for Sunrise at Campobello as well as Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor nomination for The Awful Truth (1937). In 1986, Bellamy was awarded with an Academy Honorary Award. Read more
17 Jun 1904: J. Vernon McGee, American pastor and theologian (died 1988) John Vernon McGee was an American ordained Presbyterian minister, pastor, Bible teacher, theologian, and radio minister. Read more
17 Jun 1904: Patrice Tardif, Canadian farmer and politician (died 1989) Patrice Tardif was a politician in Quebec. He was a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec (MLA). Read more
17 Jun 1903: Ruth Graves Wakefield, American chef, created the chocolate chip cookie (died 1977) Ruth Graves Wakefield was an American chef, known for her innovations in the baking field. She pioneered the first chocolate chip cookie recipe, an invention many people incorrectly assume was a mistake. Her new dessert, supposedly conceived of as she returned from a vacation in Egypt, is the inspiration behind the massively popular Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookie. Throughout her life, Wakefield found occupation as a dietitian, educator, business owner, and published author. She wrote a cookbook titled Ruth Wakefield’s, Toll House: Tried and True Recipes. Read more
17 Jun 1902: Sammy Fain, American pianist and composer (died 1989) Sammy Fain was an American composer of popular music. In the 1920s and early 1930s, he contributed numerous songs that form part of The Great American Songbook, and to Broadway theatre. Read more
17 Jun 1902: Alec Hurwood, Australian cricketer (died 1982) Alexander Hurwood, was an Australian cricketer who played in two Tests in the 1930–31 season. Read more
17 Jun 1900: Martin Bormann, German politician (died 1945) Martin Ludwig Bormann was a German Nazi Party official, head of the Nazi Party Chancellery, private secretary to Adolf Hitler and war criminal. Bormann gained immense power by using his position as Hitler's private secretary to control the flow of information and access to Hitler. He used his position to create an extensive bureaucracy and involve himself as much as possible in decision-making. Read more
17 Jun 1900: Evelyn Irons, Scottish journalist and war correspondent (died 2000) Evelyn Graham Irons was a Scottish journalist, the first female war correspondent to be decorated with the French Croix de Guerre. Read more
17 Jun 1898: M. C. Escher, Dutch illustrator (died 1972) Maurits Cornelis Escher was a Dutch graphic artist who made woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints, many of which were inspired by mathematics.
Despite wide popular interest, for most of his life Escher was neglected in the art world, even in his native Netherlands. He was 70 before a retrospective exhibition was held. In the late twentieth century, he became more widely appreciated, and in the twenty-first century he has been celebrated in exhibitions around the world. Read more
17 Jun 1898: Carl Hermann, German physicist and academic (died 1961) Carl Heinrich Hermann, also spelled Karl Hermann, was a German physicist, crystallographer, and resistance fighter in Nazi Germany. He is known for his research in crystallographic symmetry, nomenclature, and mathematical crystallography in N-dimensional spaces. Read more
17 Jun 1898: Joe McKelvey, Executed Irish republican (died 1922) Joseph McKelvey was an Irish Republican Army officer who was executed during the Irish Civil War without trial or court martial. He participated in the Anti-Treaty IRA's repudiation of the authority of the Dáil Éireann, the civil government of the Irish Republic declared in 1919 in March 1922, and was elected to the IRA Army Council as Deputy Chief of Staff. In April 1922, he helped command the occupation of the Four Courts in defiance of the new Irish Free State. This action helped to spark the civil war, between pro- and anti-treaty factions. McKelvey was among the most hardline of the republican side and, briefly in June 1922, became IRA Chief of Staff. Read more
17 Jun 1898: Harry Patch, English soldier and firefighter (died 2009) Henry John Patch, dubbed in his later years "the Last Fighting Tommy", was an English supercentenarian, briefly the oldest man in Europe, and the world's last surviving trench combat soldier of the First World War. Patch was not the longest-surviving soldier of the First World War, but he was the fifth-longest-surviving veteran of any sort from the First World War, behind British veterans Claude Choules and Florence Green, Frank Buckles of the United States and John Babcock of Canada. At the time of his death, aged 111 years and 38 days, Patch was the fourth-oldest man in the world, behind Walter Breuning, Horacio Celi Mendoza, and Jiroemon Kimura. Read more
17 Jun 1897: Maria Izilda de Castro Ribeiro, Brazilian girl, popular saint (died 1911) Maria Izilda de Castro Ribeiro, popularly known as Menina Izildinha, Angel of the Lord or Saint Izildinha, is an unofficial popular child saint to whom Brazilian Catholics have attributed inexplicable miracles, cures and healings. Read more
17 Jun 1888: Heinz Guderian, German general (died 1954) Heinz Wilhelm Guderian was a German army general and military theorist. A pioneer and advocate of the "blitzkrieg" approach, he played a central role in the development of the panzer division concept and tank warfare more broadly. Read more
17 Jun 1882: Adolphus Frederick VI, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (died 1918) Adolphus Frederick VI was the last reigning Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. Read more
17 Jun 1882: Igor Stravinsky, Russian pianist, composer, and conductor (died 1971) Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky was a Russian composer and conductor with French and American citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the 20th century and a pivotal figure in modernist music. Read more
17 Jun 1881: Tommy Burns, Canadian boxer and promoter (died 1955) Tommy Burns was a Canadian professional boxer. He remains the only Canadian-born fighter to win the World Heavyweight Championship and is the shortest champion in the division's history. The first to travel the globe in defending his title, Burns made 13 title defences against 11 different boxers, despite often being the underdog due to his size. Read more
17 Jun 1880: Carl Van Vechten, American author and photographer (died 1964) Carl Van Vechten was an American writer and artistic photographer who was a patron of the Harlem Renaissance and the literary executor of Gertrude Stein. He gained fame as a writer, and notoriety as well, for his 1926 novel Nigger Heaven. In his later years, he took up photography and took many portraits of notable people. Although he was married to women for most of his adult years, Van Vechten engaged in numerous affairs with other men during his lifetime. Read more
17 Jun 1876: William Carr, American rower (died 1942) William John Carr was an American rower who competed in the 1900 Summer Olympics. He was part of the American boat Vesper Boat Club, which won the gold medal in the eights. Read more
17 Jun 1876: Edward Anthony Spitzka, American anatomist and author (died 1922) Edward Anthony Spitzka was an American anatomist who autopsied the brain of Leon Czolgosz, the assassin of president William McKinley. Read more
17 Jun 1871: James Weldon Johnson, American author, journalist, and activist (died 1938) James Weldon Johnson was an American writer and civil rights activist. He was married to civil rights activist Grace Nail Johnson. Johnson was a leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), where he started working in 1917. In 1920, he was chosen as executive secretary of the organization, effectively the operating officer. He served in that position from 1920 to 1930. In 1928 and then again in 1930 he received Rosenwald fellowships from the Rosenwald Fund to write Black Manhattan. Read more
17 Jun 1867: Flora Finch, English-American actress (died 1940) Flora Finch was an English-born vaudevillian, stage and film actress who starred in over 300 silent films, including over 200 for the Vitagraph Studios film company. The vast majority of her films from the silent era are currently classified as lost. Read more
17 Jun 1867: John Robert Gregg, Irish-born American educator, publisher, and humanitarian (died 1948) John Robert Gregg was an Irish-born American educator, publisher, and inventor, best known as the creator of the eponymous shorthand writing system, Gregg shorthand. Developed in the late 19th century and refined over several decades, Gregg shorthand became one of the most widely used systems of shorthand in the English-speaking world, particularly in business and educational settings during the 20th century. Read more
17 Jun 1867: Henry Lawson, Australian poet and author (died 1922) Henry Archibald Hertzberg Lawson was an Australian writer and bush poet. Along with his contemporary Banjo Paterson, Lawson is among the best-known Australian poets and fiction writers of the colonial period and is often called Australia's "greatest short story writer". Read more
17 Jun 1865: Susan La Flesche Picotte, Native American physician (died 1915) Susan La Flesche Picotte was a Native American medical doctor and reformer and member of the Omaha tribe. She is widely acknowledged as one of the first Indigenous people, and the first Indigenous woman, to earn a medical degree. She campaigned for public health and for the formal, legal allotment of land to members of the Omaha tribe. She served as a physician to over 1,200 Omaha people on the reservation, working under conditions of significant pay disparity compared to white government doctors. In 1913, after no Commissioner of Indian Affairs during her life supported government-funded hospital for Native Americans, she founded the Walthill Hospital, the first privately funded hospital on a Native American reservation. Read more
17 Jun 1863: Charles Michael, duke of Mecklenburg (died 1934) Charles Michael, Duke of Mecklenburg was an officer in the Imperial Russian Army, heir presumptive to the throne of Mecklenburg-Strelitz and from 1918 head of the Grand Ducal House. Read more
17 Jun 1861: Pete Browning, American baseball player (died 1905) Louis Rogers "Pete" Browning, nicknamed "Gladiator" and "the Louisville Slugger", was an American professional baseball center fielder and left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1882 to 1894. He played primarily for the Louisville Eclipse/Colonels, becoming one of the sport's most accomplished batters of the 1880s. Read more
17 Jun 1861: Omar Bundy, American general (died 1940) Major General Omar Bundy was a career United States Army officer who was a veteran of the American Indian Wars, Spanish–American War, Philippine–American War, Pancho Villa Expedition, and World War I. Read more
17 Jun 1858: Eben Sumner Draper, American businessman and politician, 44th Governor of Massachusetts (died 1914) Eben Sumner Draper was an American businessman and politician from Massachusetts. He was for many years a leading figure in what later became the Draper Corporation, the dominant manufacturer of cotton textile process machinery in the world during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He served as the 44th governor of Massachusetts from 1909 to 1911. Read more
17 Jun 1833: Manuel González Flores, Mexican general and president (died 1893) José Manuel del Refugio González Flores was a Mexican general and liberal politician who served as the 35th President of Mexico from 1880 to 1884. Read more
17 Jun 1832: William Crookes, English chemist and physicist (died 1919) Sir William Crookes was an English chemist and physicist who attended the Royal College of Chemistry, now part of Imperial College London, and worked on spectroscopy. He was a pioneer of vacuum tubes, inventing the Crookes tube, which was made in 1875. Observing cathode rays generated in these tubes, Crookes posited that "radiant matter" was a unique fourth state of matter, a foundational contribution to plasma physics. Read more
17 Jun 1821: E. G. Squier, American archaeologist and journalist (died 1888) Ephraim George Squier, usually cited as E. G. Squier, was an American archaeologist, history writer, painter and newspaper editor. Read more
17 Jun 1818: Charles Gounod, French composer and academic (died 1893) Charles-François Gounod was a French composer, conductor, and organist of the Romantic era. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been Faust (1859); his Roméo et Juliette (1867) also remains in the international repertoire. He composed a large amount of church music, many songs, and popular short pieces including his "Ave Maria" and "Funeral March of a Marionette". Read more
17 Jun 1818: Sophie of Württemberg, queen of the Netherlands (died 1877) Sophie of Württemberg was Queen of the Netherlands as the first wife of King William III. Sophie separated from William in 1855 but continued to perform her duties as queen in public. She was known for her progressive and liberal views and corresponded with several famous intellectuals. Read more
17 Jun 1811: Jón Sigurðsson, Icelandic scholar and politician (died 1879) Jón Sigurðsson was the leader of the 19th century Icelandic independence movement. Read more
17 Jun 1810: Ferdinand Freiligrath, German poet and translator (died 1876) Ferdinand Freiligrath was a German poet, translator and liberal agitator, who is considered part of the Young Germany movement. Read more
17 Jun 1808: Henrik Wergeland, Norwegian poet, playwright, and linguist (died 1845) Henrik Arnold Thaulow Wergeland was a Norwegian writer, most celebrated for his poetry but also a prolific playwright, polemicist, historian, and linguist. He is often described as a leading pioneer in the development of a distinctly Norwegian literary heritage and of modern Norwegian culture. Read more
17 Jun 1800: William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse, English-Irish astronomer and politician (died 1867) William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse, was an English engineer and astronomer. He built several giant telescopes.
His 72-inch telescope, built in 1845 and colloquially known as the "Leviathan of Parsonstown", was the world's largest telescope, in terms of aperture size, until the early 20th century. From April 1807 until February 1841, he was styled as Baron Oxmantown. Read more

Notable Deaths on 17 June

17 Jun 2021: Kenneth Kaunda, Zambian educator and politician, first president of Zambia (born 1924) Kenneth Kaunda, also known as KK, was a Zambian politician who served as the first president of Zambia from 1964 to 1991. He was at the forefront of the campaign for independence from the British Empire, though he would subsequently establish himself as a dictator and oversee Zambia's economic collapse once this was achieved. Dissatisfied with Harry Nkumbula's leadership of the Northern Rhodesian African National Congress, he broke away and founded the Zambian African National Congress, later becoming the head of the socialist United National Independence Party (UNIP). Read more
17 Jun 2020: Jean Kennedy Smith, American activist, humanitarian, author and diplomat (United States Ambassador to Ireland, 1993–1998) (born 1928) Jean Ann Kennedy Smith was an American diplomat, activist, humanitarian, and author who served as United States Ambassador to Ireland from 1993 to 1998. A member of the Kennedy family, Kennedy was the eighth of nine children born to Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. and Rose Kennedy. Her siblings included President of the United States John F. Kennedy, United States Senator Robert F. Kennedy of New York, United States Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, Rosemary Kennedy, and Special Olympics founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver. Read more
17 Jun 2019: Gloria Vanderbilt, American artist, author actress, fashion designer, heiress and socialite (born 1924) Gloria Laura Vanderbilt was an American artist, author, actress, fashion designer, heiress, and socialite. Read more
17 Jun 2019: Mohamed Morsi, Egyptian professor and politician, first elected president of Egypt after Egyptian revolution (born 1951) Mohamed Mohamed Morsi Eissa Al-Ayyat was an Egyptian politician, engineer, and professor who served as the 5th president of Egypt from 2012 to 2013, when General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi removed him from office in a coup d'état after protests in June. Affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood organization, Morsi led the Freedom and Justice Party from 2011 to 2012. Read more
17 Jun 2017: Baldwin Lonsdale, president of Vanuatu (born 1948) Baldwin Jacobson Lonsdale was a Vanuatuan politician and Anglican priest who served as the president of Vanuatu from 22 September 2014 until his death in 2017. Read more
17 Jun 2015: Ron Clarke, Australian runner and politician, Mayor of the Gold Coast (born 1937) Ronald William Clarke was an Australian athlete, writer, and the Mayor of the Gold Coast from 2004 to 2012. He was one of the best-known middle- and long-distance runners in the 1960s, notable for setting seventeen world records. Read more
17 Jun 2015: John David Crow, American football player and coach (born 1935) John David Crow Sr. was an American professional football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1957 as a halfback playing for the Texas A&M Aggies. After college, he played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chicago / St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco 49ers from 1958 to 1968. Read more
17 Jun 2015: Süleyman Demirel, Turkish engineer and politician, 9th President of Turkey (born 1924) Sami Süleyman Gündoğdu Demirel was a Turkish politician, engineer, and statesman who served as the president of Turkey from 1993 to 2000. He previously served as the prime minister of Turkey seven times between 1965 and 1993. He was the leader of the Justice Party (AP) from 1964 to 1980 and the leader of the True Path Party (DYP) from 1987 to 1993. Read more
17 Jun 2015: Roberto M. Levingston, Argentinian general and politician, 36th President of Argentina (born 1920) Roberto Marcelo Levingston Laborda was an Argentine Army general who was the 36th President of Argentina from 1970 to 1971.
His presidency was marked by a protectionist economic policy amid the country's financial struggles, and the imposition of the death penalty against terrorists and kidnappers. Read more
17 Jun 2015: Clementa C. Pinckney, American minister and politician (born 1973) Clementa "Clem" Carlos Pinckney was an American politician and pastor who served as a Democratic member of the South Carolina Senate, representing the 45th District from 2000 until his assassination in 2015. He was previously a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1997 through 2000. Read more
17 Jun 2014: Patsy Byrne, English actress (born 1933) Patricia Anne Thirza Byrne was an English actress, best known for her role as "Nursie" in Blackadder II as well as Malcolm's domineering Mother, Mrs Stoneway in all seven series of the ITV comedy Watching between 1987 and 1993. Read more
17 Jun 2014: Éric Dewailly, Canadian epidemiologist and academic (born 1954) Éric Dewailly was a Canadian epidemiologist and medical researcher from Quebec. He was particularly notable for his research into human toxicology and the effect of contaminants on the environment in the Arctic. A professor of medicine at Laval University and the Centre hospitalier universitaire de Québec Research Center, he was also a scientific director of the World Health Organization's Collaborative Centre in Environmental Health. Read more
17 Jun 2014: Stanley Marsh 3, American businessman and philanthropist (born 1938) Stanley Marsh 3 was an American artist, businessman, philanthropist, and prankster from Amarillo, Texas. He is perhaps best known for having been the sponsor of the Cadillac Ranch, an unusual public art installation off historic Route 66, now Interstate 40, west of Amarillo. Read more
17 Jun 2014: Arnold S. Relman, American physician and academic (born 1923) Arnold Seymour Relman — known as Bud Relman to intimates — was an American internist and professor of medicine and social medicine. He was editor of The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) from 1977 to 1991, where he instituted two important policies: one asking the popular press not to report on articles before publication and another requiring authors to disclose conflicts of interest. He wrote extensively on medical publishing and reform of the U.S. health care system, advocating non-profit delivery of single-payer health care. Relman ended his career as professor emeritus at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts. Read more
17 Jun 2014: Larry Zeidel, Canadian-American ice hockey player and sportscaster (born 1928) Lazarus "Larry The Rock" Zeidel was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman, most notably for the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League, for whom he played nine seasons, and in the National Hockey League for the Chicago Black Hawks and the Philadelphia Flyers during a career that lasted from 1947 to 1969. He is considered one of the most violent players in hockey history, and at the time of his retirement, was the most penalized player in minor league history. Read more
17 Jun 2013: Michael Baigent, New Zealand-English theorist and author (born 1948) Michael Baigent was a New Zealand writer who published a number of popular works questioning traditional perceptions of history and the life of Jesus. He is known best as a co-author of the book The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail. Read more
17 Jun 2013: Atiqul Haque Chowdhury, Bangladeshi playwright and producer (born 1930) Atiqul Haque Chowdhury was a prominent media personality in Bangladesh. He significantly contributed to the development of Bangladesh television and radio. Read more
17 Jun 2013: Pierre F. Côté, Canadian lawyer and civil servant (born 1927) Pierre-Ferdinand Côté, was a Canadian civil servant and lawyer. Côté served as the first Chief Electoral Officer of Quebec from 1978 until 1997. The Chief Electoral Officer is the official responsible for the administration of the electoral and referendum system in the province of Quebec. Read more
17 Jun 2013: Bulbs Ehlers, American basketball player (born 1923) Edwin Sheffield "Bulbs" Ehlers was an American professional basketball player. Standing 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) and weighing 198 pounds (90 kg), he played the Shooting Guard positions. Ehlers was drafted third overall in the inaugural 1947 BAA draft by the Boston Celtics. In two seasons in the league, both with the Celtics, Ehlers averaged 8.1 points per game. Read more
17 Jun 2013: James Holshouser, American politician, 68th Governor of North Carolina (born 1934) James Eubert Holshouser Jr. was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 68th Governor of North Carolina from 1973 to 1977. He was the first Republican candidate to be elected as governor of the state since 1896. Born in Boone, North Carolina, Holshouser initially sought to become a sports journalist before deciding to pursue a law degree. While in law school he developed an interest in politics and in 1962 he was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives where he focused on restructuring government and higher education institutions, and drug abuse legislation. Made chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party in March 1966, he established the organization's first permanent staff and gained prominence by opposing a cigarette tax. Read more
17 Jun 2012: Stéphane Brosse, French mountaineer (born 1971) Stéphane Brosse was a French ski mountaineer. Read more
17 Jun 2012: Patricia Brown, American baseball player (born 1931) Patricia Irene Brown was a pitcher who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). Listed at 5' 5", 135 lb., she batted and threw right handed. Read more
17 Jun 2012: Nathan Divinsky, Canadian mathematician and chess player (born 1925) Nathan Joseph Harry Divinsky was a Canadian mathematician, university professor, chess master, writer, and politician. Divinsky was also known for being the former husband of the 19th Prime minister of Canada, Kim Campbell. Divinsky and Campbell were married from 1972 to 1983. Read more
17 Jun 2012: Rodney King, American victim of police brutality (born 1965) Rodney Glen King was an African American victim of police brutality. On March 3, 1991, he was severely beaten by officers of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) during his arrest after a high speed pursuit for driving while intoxicated on Interstate 210. An uninvolved resident, George Holliday, saw and filmed the incident from his nearby balcony and sent the footage, which showed King on the ground being beaten, to a local news station, KTLA. The station broadcast the film, which was rebroadcast by other stations, with this exposure precipitating riots. Read more
17 Jun 2012: Fauzia Wahab, Pakistani actress and politician (born 1956) Fauzia Wahab was a Pakistani politician who served as the senior ex officio member and the secretary-general of the central executive committee of the Pakistan Peoples Party. Read more
17 Jun 2011: Rex Mossop, Australian rugby player and sportscaster (born 1928) Rex Peers "Moose" Mossop was an Australian rugby union and rugby league footballer who played in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s – a dual-code international, and an Australian television personality from 1964 until 1991. Read more
17 Jun 2009: Ralf Dahrendorf, German-English sociologist and politician (born 1929) Ralf Gustav Dahrendorf, Baron Dahrendorf, was a German-British sociologist, philosopher, political scientist and liberal politician. A class conflict theorist, Dahrendorf was a leading expert on explaining and analysing class divisions in modern society. Dahrendorf wrote multiple articles and books, his most notable being Class and Conflict in Industrial Society (1959) and Essays in the Theory of Society (1968). Read more
17 Jun 2009: Darrell Powers, American sergeant (born 1923) Darrell Cecil "Shifty" Powers was a non-commissioned officer with Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, in the 101st Airborne Division during World War II. Powers was portrayed in the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers by Peter Youngblood Hills. Read more
17 Jun 2008: Cyd Charisse, American actress and dancer (born 1922) Cyd Charisse was an American dancer and actress. Read more
17 Jun 2007: Gianfranco Ferré, Italian fashion designer (born 1944) Gianfranco Ferré was an Italian fashion designer also known as "the architect of fashion" for his background and his original attitude toward creating fashion design. Read more
17 Jun 2007: Serena Wilson, American dancer and choreographer (born 1933) Serena Wilson, often known just as "Serena", was a well-known dancer, choreographer, and teacher who helped popularize belly dance in the United States. Serena's work also helped legitimize the dance form and helped it to be perceived as more than burlesque or stripping. Serena danced in clubs in her younger years, opened her own studio, hosted her own television show, founded her own dance troupe, and was the author of several books about belly dance. Read more
17 Jun 2006: Bussunda, Brazilian comedian (born 1962) Cláudio Besserman Vianna, commonly known as Bussunda, was a Brazilian humorist and TV comedian, member of the Casseta & Planeta troupe. He was born in Rio de Janeiro, where he lived and worked, having started his career in the 1980s as a writer for satirical magazine Casseta Popular. One of the most popular Brazilian comedians of his generation, the overweight Bussunda was famous for his impersonations of football striker Ronaldo and of Brazil's president Lula. He also did the voice of Shrek in the Brazilian Portuguese version of Shrek and Shrek 2. He was of Jewish descent. Read more
17 Jun 2004: Gerry McNeil, Canadian ice hockey player (born 1926) Joseph Gerald George McNeil was a professional ice hockey goaltender who won three Stanley Cups with the Montreal Canadiens between 1947 and 1956. Read more
17 Jun 2002: Willie Davenport, American sprinter and hurdler (born 1943) William D. Davenport was an American sprint runner. Read more
17 Jun 2002: Fritz Walter, German footballer (born 1920) Friedrich "Fritz" Walter was a German footballer who spent his entire senior career at 1. FC Kaiserslautern. He usually played as an attacking midfielder or inside forward. In his time with the Germany and West Germany national teams, he appeared in 61 games and scored 33 goals, and was the captain of the team that won the 1954 FIFA World Cup. After his career, he was named honorary captain of the Germany national team. Walter also holds the record for the most assists provided in FIFA World Cup tournaments with 9 assists. Read more
17 Jun 2001: Donald J. Cram, American chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1919) Donald James Cram was an American chemist who shared the 1987 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Jean-Marie Lehn and Charles J. Pedersen "for their development and use of molecules with structure-specific interactions of high selectivity." They were the founders of the field of host–guest chemistry. Read more
17 Jun 2001: Thomas Winning, Scottish cardinal (born 1925) Thomas Joseph Winning was a Scottish Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Glasgow from 1974 and President of the Bishops' Conference of Scotland from 1985 until his death. Winning was elevated to the cardinalate in 1994. Read more
17 Jun 2000: Ismail Mahomed, South African lawyer and jurist, 17th Chief Justice of South Africa (born 1931) Ismail Mahomed SCOB SC was a South African lawyer and jurist who served as the first non-white Chief Justice of South Africa from January 1997 until his death in June 2000. He was also the Chief Justice of Namibia from 1992 to 1999 and the inaugural Deputy President of the Constitutional Court of South Africa from 1995 to 1996. Read more
17 Jun 1999: Basil Hume, English cardinal (born 1923) George Basil Hume was an English Catholic prelate who served as Archbishop of Westminster from 1976 until his death in 1999. A member of the Benedictines, he was made a cardinal in 1977. Read more
17 Jun 1996: Thomas Kuhn, American historian and philosopher (born 1922) Thomas Samuel Kuhn was an American historian and philosopher of science whose 1962 book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions was influential in both academic and popular circles, popularizing the term paradigm shift, which has since become an English-language idiom. Read more
17 Jun 1996: Curt Swan, American illustrator (born 1920) Douglas Curtis Swan was an American comics artist. The artist most associated with Superman during the period fans call the Bronze Age of Comic Books, Swan produced hundreds of covers and stories from the 1950s through the 1980s. Read more
17 Jun 1987: Dick Howser, American baseball player, coach, and manager (born 1936) Richard Dalton Howser was an American Major League Baseball shortstop, coach, and manager who was best known as the manager of the Kansas City Royals during the 1980s and for guiding them to the franchise's first World Series title in 1985. Read more
17 Jun 1986: Kate Smith, American singer (born 1907) Kathryn Elizabeth Smith was an American contralto. Referred to as The First Lady of Radio, Smith became well known for her renditions of "God Bless America" and "When the Moon Comes over the Mountain". She began to use the descriptor The Songbird of the South in the late 1920s, while performing on the stage. This term was also used by other southern vocalists of that era; however, as the Washington D.C. Sunday Star noted, Smith was not really southern—born in Virginia, she had spent nearly all of her life in the D.C. area. But as Smith became nationally known, she became more identified with the term. By early 1929, she was being referred to that way on a regular basis: a version of the term, using "from" rather than "of," was seen in newspaper advertisements that promoted her stage performances. "Songbird of the South" was used when she appeared on the NBC Radio Network in April. Then, in the summer of that year, she starred in a Vitaphone short feature titled "Songbird of the South," in which she sang two of her hit songs, "Bless You Sister" and "Carolina Moon." Read more
17 Jun 1985: John Boulting, English director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1913) John Edward Boulting and Roy Alfred Clarence Boulting, known collectively as the Boulting brothers, were English filmmakers and identical twins who became known for their series of satirical comedies in the 1950s and 1960s. They produced many of their films through their own production company, Charter Film Productions, which they founded in 1937. Read more
17 Jun 1983: Peter Mennin, American composer and educator (born 1923) Peter Mennin was a prominent American composer, teacher and administrator. In 1958, he was named Director of the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, and in 1962 became President of the Juilliard School, a position he held until his death in 1983. Under his leadership, Juilliard moved from Claremont Avenue to its present location at Lincoln Center. Mennin is responsible for the addition of drama and dance departments at Juilliard. He also started the Master Class Program, and brought many artists to teach including Maria Callas, Pierre Fournier and others. Read more
17 Jun 1982: Roberto Calvi, Italian banker (born 1920) Roberto Calvi was an Italian banker, dubbed "God's Banker" by the press because of his close business dealings with the Holy See. He was a native of Milan and was chairman of Banco Ambrosiano, which collapsed in one of Italy's biggest political scandals. Read more
17 Jun 1981: Richard O'Connor, Indian-English general (born 1889) General Sir Richard Nugent O'Connor, was a senior British Army officer who fought in both the First and Second World Wars, and commanded the Western Desert Force in the early years of the Second World War. He was the field commander for Operation Compass, in which his forces destroyed a much larger Italian army – a victory which nearly drove the Axis from Africa, and in turn, led Adolf Hitler to send the Afrika Korps under Erwin Rommel to try to reverse the situation. O'Connor was captured by a German patrol on 6 April 1941 and spent over two years in an Italian prisoner of war camp. He eventually escaped after the fall of Mussolini in the autumn of 1943. In 1944 he commanded VIII Corps in the Battle of Normandy and later during Operation Market Garden. In 1945 he was General Officer in Command of the Eastern Command in India and then, in the closing days of British rule in the subcontinent, he headed Northern Command. His final job in the army was Adjutant-General to the Forces in London, in charge of the British Army's administration, personnel and organisation. Read more
17 Jun 1981: Zerna Sharp, American author and educator (born 1889) Zerna Addas Sharp was an American educator and book editor who is best known as the creator of the Dick and Jane series of beginning readers for elementary school-aged children. Published by Scott, Foresman and Company of Chicago, Illinois, the readers, which described the activities of her fictional siblings, "Dick," "Jane," "Sally," and other characters, were widely used in schools in the United States and many other English-speaking countries for nearly forty years. The series, which included such titles as We Look and See, We Come and Go, We Work and Play, and Fun with Dick and Jane, among others, was marketed until 1973 and used the look-say method of teaching reading. Read more
17 Jun 1979: Hubert Ashton, English cricketer and politician (born 1898) Sir Hubert Ashton was an English first-class cricketer, footballer and politician. Read more
17 Jun 1979: Duffy Lewis, American baseball player and manager (born 1888) George Edward "Duffy" Lewis was an American professional baseball left fielder who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees, and the Washington Senators from 1910 to 1921. Read more
17 Jun 1975: James Phinney Baxter III, American historian and academic (born 1893) James Phinney Baxter III was an American historian, educator, and academic, who won the 1947 Pulitzer Prize for History for his book Scientists Against Time (1946). He was also the author of The Introduction of the Ironclad Warship (1933). Read more
17 Jun 1974: Refik Koraltan, Turkish lawyer and politician, 8th Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (born 1889) Refik Koraltan was a Turkish politician, having served as the Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) from 22 May 1950 to 27 May 1960. Read more
17 Jun 1968: José Nasazzi, Uruguayan footballer and manager (born 1901) José Nasazzi Yarza was a Uruguayan footballer who played as a right-back or centre-back. He captained his country when they won the inaugural FIFA World Cup in 1930. Read more
17 Jun 1963: Aleksander Kesküla, Estonian politician (born 1882) Aleksander Eduard Kesküla was an Estonian politician and revolutionary. Read more
17 Jun 1961: Jeff Chandler, American actor (born 1918) Jeff Chandler was an American actor. He was best known for his portrayal of Cochise in Broken Arrow (1950), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He was one of Universal Pictures' more popular male stars of the 1950s. His other credits include Sword in the Desert (1948), Deported (1950), Female on the Beach (1955), and Away All Boats (1956). He also performed as a radio actor and as a singer. Read more
17 Jun 1957: Dorothy Richardson, English journalist and author (born 1873) Dorothy Miller Richardson was a British author and journalist. Author of Pilgrimage, a sequence of 13 semi-autobiographical novels published between 1915 and 1967—though Richardson saw them as chapters of one work—she was one of the earliest modernist novelists to use stream of consciousness as a narrative technique. Richardson also emphasises in Pilgrimage the importance and distinct nature of female experiences. The title Pilgrimage alludes not only to "the journey of the artist … to self-realisation but, more practically, to the discovery of a unique creative form and expression". Read more
17 Jun 1957: J. R. Williams, Canadian-American cartoonist (born 1888) James Robert Williams was a Canadian cartoonist who signed his work J. R. Williams. He was best known for his long-run daily syndicated panel Out Our Way. As noted by Coulton Waugh in his 1947 book The Comics, anecdotal evidence indicated that more Williams' cartoons were clipped and saved than were other newspaper comics. A newspaper promotion of 1930 compared him to poets Eugene Field and James Whitcomb Riley. Read more
17 Jun 1956: Percival Perry, 1st Baron Perry, English businessman (born 1878) Percival Lea Dewhurst Perry, 1st Baron Perry KBE was an English motor vehicle manufacturer who served as chairman of Ford Motor Company Limited in Britain for 20 years from its incorporation in 1928, completing almost a lifetime's work with Henry Ford. He also led the establishment of Segro. Read more
17 Jun 1956: Paul Rostock, German surgeon and academic (born 1892) Paul Rostock was a German physician, official, and university professor. He was chief of the Office for Medical Science and Research under Third Reich Commissioner and war criminal Karl Brandt and a full professor, medical doctorate, medical superintendent of the University of Berlin Surgical Clinic. Read more
17 Jun 1956: Bob Sweikert, American race car driver (born 1926) Robert Charles Sweikert was an American racing driver, best known as the winner of the 1955 Indianapolis 500 and the 1955 National Championship, as well as the 1955 Midwest Sprint car championship – the only driver in history to sweep all three during a single racing season. Read more
17 Jun 1954: Danny Cedrone, American guitarist and bandleader (born 1920) Donato Joseph "Danny" Cedrone was an American guitarist and bandleader, best known for his work with Bill Haley & His Comets on their epochal "Rock Around the Clock" in 1954. Read more
17 Jun 1952: Jack Parsons, American chemist and engineer (born 1914) John Whiteside Parsons was an American rocket engineer, chemist, and Thelemite occultist. Parsons was one of the principal founders of both the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and Aerojet. He invented the first rocket engine to use a castable, composite rocket propellant, and pioneered the advancement of both liquid-fuel and solid-fuel rockets. Read more
17 Jun 1942: Charles Fitzpatrick, Canadian lawyer and politician, 5th Chief Justice of Canada (born 1853) Sir Charles Fitzpatrick, was a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as Minister of Justice of Canada, as Chief Justice of Canada and then as Lieutenant Governor of Quebec. Read more
17 Jun 1941: Johan Wagenaar, Dutch organist and composer (born 1862) Johan Wagenaar was a Dutch composer and organist. Read more
17 Jun 1941: Đorđe Bogić, protopresbyter of the Serbian Orthodox Church, victim of Genocide of Serbs (born 1911) Georgije Bogić was a Serbian Orthodox protopresbyter and the parish priest of the Orthodox church in Našice; who was martyred by the Ustaše during the Second World War, for which he was canonized as Saint George of Slavonia, being recognised as a new martyr and hieromartyr. Read more
17 Jun 1940: Arthur Harden, English biochemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1865) Sir Arthur Harden, FRS was a British biochemist. He shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1929 with Hans Karl August Simon von Euler-Chelpin for their investigations into the fermentation of sugar and fermentative enzymes. He was a founding member of the Biochemical Society and editor of the Biochemical Journal for 25 years. Read more
17 Jun 1939: Allen Sothoron, American baseball player, coach, and manager (born 1893) Allen Sutton Sothoron was an American professional baseball player, coach and manager. As a player, he was a spitball pitcher who spent 11 years in the major leagues playing for the St. Louis Browns, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians and the St. Louis Cardinals. Born in Bradford, Ohio, Sothoron threw and batted right-handed, stood 5 feet 11 inches (1.80 m) tall and weighed 182 pounds (83 kg). He attended Albright College and Juniata College. Read more
17 Jun 1939: Eugen Weidmann, German criminal (born 1908) Eugen Weidmann was a German-born criminal and serial killer who was executed by guillotine in France in June 1939, the last public execution in France, an execution witnessed by the 17-year-old Christopher Lee who was visiting Paris at the time. Read more
17 Jun 1936: Julius Seljamaa, Estonian journalist, politician, and diplomat, Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs (born 1883) Julius Friedrich Seljamaa was an Estonian politician, diplomat and journalist. From 1933 to 1936, he was the Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs. Read more
17 Jun 1914: Julien Félix, French military officer and aviator (born 1869) Major Julien-Alexandre Félix was the director of manoeuvres in the French Military Aviation School, École militaire de Pau. He set the altitude record on August 5, 1911 in Étampes in France by climbing to 11,330 feet in 63 minutes, breaking the record of Georges Legagneux. Read more
17 Jun 1904: Nikolay Bobrikov, Russian soldier and politician, Governor-General of Finland (born 1839) Nikolay Ivanovich Bobrikov was a Russian general and politician. He served as Governor-General of Finland and the Finnish Military District from 29 August [O.S. 17 August] 1898 until his death, during the early reign of Emperor Nicholas II, and was responsible for promoting Russification policies in Finland. After his appointment as governor-general, he quickly became very unpopular and was assassinated by Eugen Schauman, a Finnish nationalist born in Kharkov. Read more
17 Jun 1898: Edward Burne-Jones, English soldier and painter (born 1833) Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet was an English painter and designer associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood's style and subject matter. Read more
17 Jun 1889: Lozen, Chiracaua Apache warrior woman (born ~1840) Lozen was a warrior and prophet of the Chihenne Chiricahua Apache. She was the sister of Victorio, a prominent chief. Born into the Chihenne band during the 1840s, Lozen was, according to legends, able to use her powers in battle to learn the movements of the enemy. According to James Kaywaykla, Victorio introduced her to Nana, "Lozen is my right hand … strong as a man, braver than most, and cunning in strategy. Lozen is a shield to her people". Read more
17 Jun 1866: Joseph Méry, French poet and author (born 1798) Joseph Méry was a French writer, journalist, novelist, poet, playwright and librettist. Read more
17 Jun 1839: Lord William Bentinck, English general and politician, 14th Governor-General of India (born 1774) Lieutenant-General Lord William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck,, known as Lord William Bentinck, was a British military commander and politician who served as the governor of the Bengal presidency from 1828 to 1834 and the first governor-general of India from 1834 to 1835. Read more
17 Jun 1821: Martín Miguel de Güemes, Argentinian general and politician (born 1785) Martín Miguel de Güemes was a military leader and popular caudillo who defended northwestern Argentina from the Spanish royalist army during the Argentine War of Independence. Read more
17 Jun 1813: Charles Middleton, 1st Baron Barham, Scottish-English admiral and politician (born 1726) Admiral Charles Middleton, 1st Baron Barham, PC was a Royal Navy officer and politician. As a junior officer he saw action during the Seven Years' War. Middleton was given command of a guardship at the Nore, a Royal Navy anchorage in the Thames Estuary, at the start of the American War of Independence, and was subsequently appointed Comptroller of the Navy. He went on to be First Naval Lord and then First Lord of the Admiralty. Read more

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