History of Today in India – 17 February

Explore the history of today 17 February in India, including important events, famous personalities, and milestones for UPSC SSC,Banking & PSC exams.

Last updated on 17 February 2026, 02:50 PM

📜 Important Events on 17 February in World History

17 Feb 2016: Military vehicles explode outside a Turkish Armed Forces barracks in Ankara, Turkey, killing at least 29 people and injuring 61 others. Read more
17 Feb 2015: Eighteen people are killed and 78 injured in a stampede at a Mardi Gras parade in Haiti. Read more
17 Feb 2011: Arab Spring: Libyan protests against Muammar Gaddafi's regime begin. Read more
17 Feb 2011: Arab Spring: In Bahrain, security forces launch a deadly pre-dawn raid on protesters in Pearl Roundabout in Manama; the day is locally known as Bloody Thursday. Read more
17 Feb 2008: Kosovo declares independence from Serbia. Read more
17 Feb 2006: A massive mudslide occurs in Southern Leyte, Philippines; the official death toll is set at 1,126. Read more
17 Feb 1996: In Philadelphia, world champion Garry Kasparov beats the Deep Blue supercomputer in a chess match. Read more
17 Feb 1996: NASA's Discovery Program begins as the NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft lifts off on the first mission ever to orbit and land on an asteroid, 433 Eros. Read more
17 Feb 1996: The 8.2 Mw  Biak earthquake shakes the Papua province of eastern Indonesia with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). A large tsunami followed, leaving 166 people dead or missing and 423 injured. Read more
17 Feb 1995: The Cenepa War between Peru and Ecuador ends on a ceasefire brokered by the UN. Read more
17 Feb 1992: First Nagorno-Karabakh War: Armenian troops massacre more than 20 Azerbaijani civilians during the Capture of Garadaghly. Read more
17 Feb 1991: Ryan International Airlines Flight 590 crashes during takeoff from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, killing both pilots, the aircraft's only occupants. Read more
17 Feb 1980: First winter ascent of Mount Everest by Krzysztof Wielicki and Leszek Cichy. Read more
17 Feb 1979: The Sino-Vietnamese War begins. Read more
17 Feb 1978: The Troubles: The Provisional IRA detonates an incendiary bomb at the La Mon restaurant, near Belfast, killing 12 and seriously injuring 30 others, all Protestants. Read more
17 Feb 1974: Robert K. Preston, a disgruntled U.S. Army private, buzzes the White House in a stolen helicopter. Read more
17 Feb 1972: Cumulative sales of the Volkswagen Beetle exceed those of the Ford Model T. Read more
17 Feb 1970: The family of Jeffrey R. MacDonald, United States Army captain, is found murdered in their home in Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. Eventually, MacDonald himself was charged with and convicted of the murder of his pregnant wife and two daughters. Read more
17 Feb 1969: American aquanaut Berry L. Cannon dies of carbon dioxide poisoning while attempting to repair a leak in the SEALAB III underwater habitat. The SEALAB project was subsequently abandoned. Read more
17 Feb 1966: Aeroflot Flight 065 crashes during take-off from Sheremetyevo International Airport, killing 21. Read more
17 Feb 1965: Project Ranger: The Ranger 8 probe launches on its mission to photograph the Mare Tranquillitatis region of the Moon in preparation for the crewed Apollo missions. Mare Tranquillitatis or the "Sea of Tranquility" would become the site chosen for the Apollo 11 lunar landing. Read more
17 Feb 1964: In Wesberry v. Sanders the Supreme Court of the United States rules that congressional districts have to be approximately equal in population. Read more
17 Feb 1964: Gabonese president Léon M'ba is toppled by a coup and his rival, Jean-Hilaire Aubame, is installed in his place. Read more
17 Feb 1959: Project Vanguard: Vanguard 2: The first weather satellite is launched to measure cloud-cover distribution. Read more
17 Feb 1959: A Turkish Airlines Vickers Viscount crashes near Gatwick Airport, killing 14; Turkish prime minister Adnan Menderes survives the crash. Read more
17 Feb 1949: Chaim Weizmann begins his term as the first President of Israel. Read more
17 Feb 1948: The Al-Waziri coup briefly ousts the ruling Hamidaddin dynasty of Yemen; Imam Yahya Muhammad Hamid ed-Din is killed. Read more
17 Feb 1944: World War II: The Battle of Eniwetok begins. The battle ends in an American victory on February 22. Read more
17 Feb 1944: World War II: Operation Hailstone begins: U.S. naval air, surface, and submarine attack against Truk Lagoon, Japan's main base in the central Pacific, in support of the Eniwetok invasion. Read more
17 Feb 1919: The Ukrainian People's Republic asks the Entente and the United States for help fighting the Bolsheviks. Read more
17 Feb 1913: The Armory Show opens in New York City, displaying works of artists who are to become some of the most influential painters of the early 20th century. Read more
17 Feb 1905: Russian Revolution of 1905: Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia is assassinated in the Moscow Kremlin by Socialist Revolutionary Ivan Kalyayev. Read more
17 Feb 1865: American Civil War: Columbia, South Carolina, is burned as Confederate forces flee from advancing Union forces. Read more
17 Feb 1864: American Civil War: The H. L. Hunley becomes the first submarine to engage and sink a warship, the USS Housatonic. Read more
17 Feb 1863: A group of citizens of Geneva found an International Committee for Relief to the Wounded, which later became known as the International Committee of the Red Cross. Read more
17 Feb 1859: Cochinchina Campaign: The French Navy captures the Citadel of Saigon, a fortress manned by 1,000 Nguyễn dynasty soldiers, en route to conquering Saigon and other regions of southern Viet Nam. Read more
17 Feb 1854: The United Kingdom recognizes the independence of the Orange Free State. Read more
17 Feb 1838: Weenen massacre: Hundreds of Voortrekkers along the Blaukraans River, Natal are killed by Zulus. Read more
17 Feb 1819: The United States House of Representatives passes the Missouri Compromise for the first time. Read more
17 Feb 1814: War of the Sixth Coalition: The Battle of Mormant. Read more
17 Feb 1801: United States presidential election: A tie in the Electoral College between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr is resolved when Jefferson is elected President of the United States and Burr Vice President by the United States House of Representatives. Read more

🎂 Important Births on 17 February in World History

17 Feb 2006: Tyler Dibling, English footballer Tyler-Jay Robert Dibling is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger for Premier League club Everton. Read more
17 Feb 1999: Alex de Minaur, Australian tennis player Alex de Miñaur Román is an Australian professional tennis player. He has been ranked by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) as high as world No. 6 in singles, which he achieved on 15 July 2024, and No. 58 in doubles, attained on 12 October 2020. De Minaur has won eleven ATP Tour titles in singles and one in doubles. He has reached seven major quarterfinals. He is the current No. 1 singles player from Australia. Read more
17 Feb 1998: Devin White, American football player Devin Marcel White is an American professional football linebacker for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the LSU Tigers, and was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fifth overall in the 2019 NFL draft. He spent five seasons with the Buccaneers and won a Super Bowl championship with the team in Super Bowl LV. Read more
17 Feb 1997: Gaetano Castrovilli, Italian footballer Gaetano Castrovilli is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie B club Cesena. Read more
17 Feb 1997: Zeki Çelik, Turkish footballer Mehmet Zeki Çelik is a Turkish professional footballer who plays for Serie A club Roma and the Turkey national team. Mainly a right-back, he can also be deployed as a centre-back in a back three. Read more
17 Feb 1996: Sebastian Aho, Swedish ice hockey player Sebastian Johannes Aho is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Aho was drafted by the New York Islanders, 139th overall, in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. Read more
17 Feb 1996: Sasha Pieterse, South African-American actress and singer-songwriter Sasha Pieterse Sheaffer is a South African-born American actress and singer. She is known for portraying Alison DiLaurentis in the Freeform series Pretty Little Liars (2010–2017), and its spin-off Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists (2019), in which she achieved global stardom and critical acclaim. Read more
17 Feb 1995: Madison Keys, American tennis player Madison Keys is an American professional tennis player. She has been ranked as high as world No. 5 in women's singles by the WTA. Keys has won ten career singles titles, including a major at the 2025 Australian Open. She was also a finalist at the 2017 US Open. Read more
17 Feb 1994: Mason Jobst, American ice hockey player Mason Kane Jobst is an American professional ice hockey left winger who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Rochester Americans in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). Read more
17 Feb 1993: Marc Márquez, Spanish motorcycle racer Marc Márquez Alentà is a Spanish Grand Prix motorcycle road racer who races for the Ducati Lenovo Team. He previously raced for Honda's factory team from 2013 to 2023, and for the Ducati satellite team Gresini in 2024. Widely considered one of the greatest motorcycle racers of all time, he has won nine Grand Prix World Championships, including seven in the MotoGP class. Read more
17 Feb 1992: Meaghan Martin, American actress and singer Meaghan Jette Martin is an American actress and singer best known for her work in film, television, and theatre. She is best known for her starring role in the ABC Family television series, 10 Things I Hate About You as Bianca Stratford. She is also well known for her role as Tess Tyler in the Disney Channel television films Camp Rock and its sequel Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam. She has also had guest starring roles in House and Jessie, and played the recurring role of Julie #2 in Awkward. Martin also starred as Jo Mitchell in Mean Girls 2. Martin is also known for voicing Naminé in the video game series Kingdom Hearts and Jessica in Until Dawn. In 2019, Martin made her professional London stage debut in The Actor's Nightmare at the Park Theatre in London. Read more
17 Feb 1991: Phil Pressey, American basketball player and coach Phillip Michael Pressey is an American professional basketball coach and former player who played at the point guard position. He is currently the head coach for the Maine Celtics of the NBA G League. Read more
17 Feb 1991: Ed Sheeran, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer Edward Christopher Sheeran is an English singer-songwriter and musician. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently released the extended play No. 5 Collaborations Project. He signed with Asylum Records the same year. Read more
17 Feb 1991: Jeremy Allen White, American actor Jeremy Allen White is an American actor. His breakthrough role was juvenile delinquent Lip Gallagher in the comedy-drama series Shameless from 2011 to 2021, which earned him a nomination for a Critics' Choice Television Award. White received wider acclaim for playing troubled star cook Carmen Berzatto in the psychological dramedy series The Bear (2022–present), for which he received three consecutive Golden Globe Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Critics' Choice Awards, and two Primetime Emmy Awards. Read more
17 Feb 1991: Bonnie Wright, English actress, filmmaker, and activist Bonnie Francesca Wright is an English actress, filmmaker, and environmental activist. She is best known for her role as Ginny Weasley in the Harry Potter film series. Read more
17 Feb 1990: Marianne St-Gelais, Canadian speed skater Marianne St-Gelais is a Canadian former short track speed skater. She won two silver medals in the 500 m and 3,000 m relay at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, and a third silver in the 3,000 m relay at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. Read more
17 Feb 1990: Edin Višća, Bosnian footballer Edin Višća is a Bosnian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Süper Lig club Trabzonspor. Read more
17 Feb 1989: Rebecca Adlington, English swimmer Rebecca Adlington is an English former competitive swimmer who specialised in freestyle events in international competition. She won two gold medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the 400-metre freestyle and 800-metre freestyle, breaking the 19-year-old world record of Janet Evans in the 800-metre final. Adlington was Britain's first Olympic swimming champion since 1988, and the first British swimmer to win two Olympic gold medals since 1908. After winning her first World Championship gold over 800 metres in 2011, along with silver in the 400 metres at the same meet, she won bronze medals in both the women's 400-metre and 800-metre freestyle events in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Adlington is one of the few people to have won Olympic Games, World Championships, European championships and Commonwealth Games gold medals. Read more
17 Feb 1989: Chord Overstreet, American actor and singer Chord Paul Overstreet is an American actor and musician. He is best known for his role as Sam Evans on the Fox television series Glee (2009–2015). He has starred in the Apple TV+ comedy series Acapulco since 2021. Read more
17 Feb 1988: Michael Frolík, Czech ice hockey player Michael Frolík is a Czech professional ice hockey right winger for Rytíři Kladno in the Czech Extraliga. Read more
17 Feb 1988: Case Keenum, American football player Casey Austin Keenum is an American professional football quarterback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Houston Cougars, where he became the NCAA's all-time leader in total passing yards, touchdowns, and completions. In the 2008 college football season, Keenum ranked first nationally in total offense and second in total passing yards. Read more
17 Feb 1988: Vasyl Lomachenko, Ukrainian boxer Vasiliy Anatolyevich Lomachenko is a Ukrainian former professional boxer who competed between 2013 and 2024. He has held multiple world championships in three weight classes, including the World Boxing Organization (WBO) featherweight title from 2014 to 2016, the WBO super featherweight title from 2016 to 2018, the unified World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Council (WBC), WBO, and Ring magazine lightweight titles from 2018 to 2020, and the International Boxing Federation (IBF) lightweight title from 2024 to 2025. Read more
17 Feb 1987: Ísis Valverde, Brazilian actress Isis Nable Valverde is a Brazilian actress who played a lead role in the 2010 telenovela Ti Ti Ti and has participated in several other telenovelas. Read more
17 Feb 1986: Brett Kern, American football player Brett Alan Kern is an American former professional football player who was a punter in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Toledo Rockets and was signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2008. Read more
17 Feb 1985: Anders Jacobsen, Norwegian ski jumper Anders Jacobsen is a Norwegian former ski jumper. He competed at the 2010 and 2014 Winter Olympics and won a team bronze medal in the large hill event in 2010. He is the youngest Norwegian winner of Four Hills Tournament. Read more
17 Feb 1984: AB de Villiers, South African cricketer Abraham Benjamin de Villiers is a South African former international cricketer. He is regarded as one of the greatest batters of his generation. de Villiers was named as the ICC ODI Player of the Year three times during his 15-year international career. He was one of the five Wisden cricketers of the decade at the end of 2019. He began his international career as a wicket-keeper-batter, but he has most often played only as a batter. Read more
17 Feb 1984: Marcin Gortat, Polish basketball player Marcin Janusz Gortat, also known as "the Polish Hammer", or "the Polish Machine", is a Polish former professional basketball player, and current player development and assistant coach at the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m), 240 pounds (110 kg) center is the son of boxer Janusz Gortat. He was drafted in the second round by the Phoenix Suns in the 2005 NBA draft and played for the Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, Washington Wizards, and Los Angeles Clippers. He retired from professional basketball in 2020. Read more
17 Feb 1984: Katie Hill, Australian 3.0 point wheelchair basketball player Katie Hill is an Australian 3.0 point wheelchair basketball player. She participated in the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, where she won a bronze medal, and the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, where she won a silver medal. She has over 100 international caps playing for Australia. Read more
17 Feb 1982: Adriano, Brazilian footballer Adriano Leite Ribeiro is a Brazilian former professional footballer. He had four prolific seasons in Italy with Italian clubs Parma and Inter Milan, being considered one of the best strikers in the world during this time and earning the nickname "L'Imperatore". Read more
17 Feb 1982: Brian Bruney, American baseball player Brian Anthony Bruney is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees, Washington Nationals, and Chicago White Sox. He won the 2009 World Series with the Yankees, beating the Philadelphia Phillies. Read more
17 Feb 1981: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, American actor, director, and producer Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt is an American actor. He has received various accolades, including nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy for his leading performances in 500 Days of Summer (2009) and 50/50 (2011). He is the founder of the online media platform HitRecord whose projects such as HitRecord on TV (2014–15) and Create Together (2020) won him two Primetime Emmy Awards in the category of Outstanding Interactive Program. Read more
17 Feb 1981: Paris Hilton, American model, media personality, actress, singer, DJ, author and businesswoman Paris Whitney Hilton is an American media personality, businesswoman, and socialite. Born in New York City, she is a great-granddaughter of Hilton Hotels founder Conrad Hilton. She first attracted tabloid attention in the late 1990s for her presence in New York City's social scene, ventured into fashion modeling in 2000, and was proclaimed "New York's leading It Girl" in 2001. The reality television series The Simple Life (2003–2007), in which she co-starred with her friend Nicole Richie, and a leaked 2003 sex tape with her then-boyfriend Rick Salomon, later released as 1 Night in Paris (2004), catapulted her to global fame. Read more
17 Feb 1981: Pontus Segerström, Swedish footballer (died 2014) Pontus Segerström was a Swedish footballer who played as a defender. Read more
17 Feb 1980: Al Harrington, American basketball player Albert Harrington is an American former professional basketball player. Selected with the 25th overall pick in the 1998 NBA draft, Harrington played 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets, Orlando Magic, and Washington Wizards. He also spent a short stint with the Fujian Sturgeons of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Read more
17 Feb 1980: Jason Ritter, American actor Jason Morgan Ritter is an American actor. The son of John Ritter and Nancy Morgan, he is known for his work in television series such as Joan of Arcadia (2003–2005), Gravity Falls (2012–2016), Another Period (2015–2018), Kevin (Probably) Saves the World (2017–2018), Raising Dion (2019–2022), and Matlock (2024–). For his portrayal of Mark Cyr on Parenthood (2010–2014), Ritter was nominated for the 2012 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor. Read more
17 Feb 1980: Klemi Saban, Israeli footballer Klemi Saban,, is a retired Israeli football defender.
Saban is mostly known for playing at Maccabi Netanya, there he played 6 years, captained the club and won over 200 caps in all club competitions. Read more
17 Feb 1979: Conrad Ricamora, American actor Conrad Wayne Ricamora-Jensen is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Oliver Hampton on the ABC television series How to Get Away with Murder (2014–20). As a stage actor, he is noted for his roles in the original Off-Broadway musicals Here Lies Love and Soft Power, which premiered in 2013 and 2019, respectively, as well as his role in Oh, Mary!, for which he received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play. He made his Broadway debut in the 2015 revival of The King and I. In addition to his Tony nomination, Ricamora is also a two-time Grammy Award and Lucille Lortel Award nominee. Read more
17 Feb 1979: Josh Willingham, American baseball player Joshua David Willingham is an American former professional baseball left fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Florida Marlins, Washington Nationals, Oakland Athletics, Minnesota Twins, and Kansas City Royals. Read more
17 Feb 1978: Rory Kinnear, English actor and playwright Rory Michael Kinnear is an English actor. He won two Olivier Awards, both at the National Theatre, in 2008 for his portrayal of Sir Fopling Flutter in The Man of Mode, and for playing the William Shakespeare villain Iago in Othello in 2014. Read more
17 Feb 1976: Kelly Carlson, American actress and model Kelly Carlson is an American actress, model and martial artist. She is best known for her role as Kimber Henry in the FX drama series Nip/Tuck. Read more
17 Feb 1975: Kaspars Astašenko, Latvian ice hockey player (died 2012) Kaspars Astašenko was a Latvian professional ice hockey player. Astašenko was born in Riga, Latvia. Astašenko was drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, 127th overall. Astašenko played parts of two seasons in the National Hockey League with the Lightning. Read more
17 Feb 1975: Václav Prospal, Czech ice hockey player Václav "Vinny" Prospal is a Czech former professional ice hockey player, currently a hockey coach. He played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Philadelphia Flyers, Ottawa Senators, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, New York Rangers and Columbus Blue Jackets from. 1997 to 2013. He is currently serving as an assistant coach of the Rochester Americans in the American hockey league. Read more
17 Feb 1974: Kaoru, Japanese guitarist, songwriter, and producer Dir En Grey is a Japanese heavy metal band formed in February 1997 and currently signed to Firewall Div., a sub-division of Free-Will. With a consistent lineup of vocalist Kyo, guitarists Kaoru and Die, bassist Toshiya, and drummer Shinya, they have released eleven full-length albums. Numerous stylistic changes have made the genre of their music difficult to determine, though it is generally considered to be a form of metal. Originally a visual kei band, the members later opted for more subtle attire, but have continued to maintain a dramatic image on stage. Read more
17 Feb 1974: Jerry O'Connell, American actor, director, and producer Jeremiah O'Connell is an American actor and TV show host. He is known for his roles as Quinn Mallory in the television series Sliders, Andrew Clements in My Secret Identity, Vern Tessio in the film Stand by Me (1986), Joe in Joe's Apartment (1996), Frank Cushman in Jerry Maguire (1996), Derek in Scream 2 (1997), Michael in Tomcats (2001), Charlie Carbone in Kangaroo Jack (2003), and Detective Woody Hoyt on the NBC drama Crossing Jordan. He starred as Pete Kaczmarek in the single 2010–2011 season of The Defenders. He also had a starring role in the comedy horror film Piranha 3D (2010). Recently, he voiced Commander Jack Ransom on the animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks and hosted a version of Pictionary syndicated on Fox stations. Read more
17 Feb 1973: Drew Barry, American basketball player Drew William Barry is an American former professional basketball player. Read more
17 Feb 1973: Goran Bunjevčević, Serbian footballer (died 2018) Goran Bunjevčević was a Serbian footballer who played as a defender in Serbia, England and the Netherlands. Read more
17 Feb 1973: Raphaël Ibañez, French rugby player Raphaël Ibañez is a retired French rugby union footballer. A hooker, he played for the France national team 98 times, and as captain 41 times. After a career in club rugby management, he became Team Manager for France in 2020. Read more
17 Feb 1972: Billie Joe Armstrong, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, and producer Billie Joe Armstrong is an American musician and actor. He is best known for being the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Green Day, which he co-founded with Mike Dirnt in 1987. He is also a guitarist and vocalist for the punk rock band Pinhead Gunpowder, and provides lead vocals for Green Day's side projects Foxboro Hot Tubs, the Network, the Longshot and the Coverups. Armstrong has been considered by critics as one of the greatest punk rock guitarists of all time, as well as one of the greatest punk rock singers of all time. Read more
17 Feb 1972: Philippe Candeloro, French figure skater Philippe Candeloro is a French former competitive figure skater. He is a two-time Olympic bronze medalist, a two-time World medalist, a two-time European silver medalist, and a four-time French national champion (1994–1997). He has been a commentator for French television during figure skating events at the Olympics. He also made special appearance as himself and a villain's victim named "Frozer" in Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir. Read more
17 Feb 1972: Taylor Hawkins, American singer-songwriter and musician (died 2022) Oliver Taylor Hawkins was an American musician who was the drummer and a vocalist of the rock band Foo Fighters, sharing vocals with Dave Grohl. He joined the band in 1997, and remained the band's drummer until his death in March 2022. He recorded eight studio albums with Foo Fighters between 1999 and 2021. Before joining the band, he was a touring drummer for Sass Jordan and Alanis Morissette, as well as the drummer of the progressive experimental band Sylvia. Read more
17 Feb 1972: Valeria Mazza, Argentine model and businesswoman Valeria Raquel Mazza is an Argentine model and businesswoman. Mazza rose to prominence in the 1990s and became a household name after appearing on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue of 1996 and in the same year was one of the special co-hosters of Sanremo Music Festival 1996 Read more
17 Feb 1971: Denise Richards, American model and actress Denise Lee Richards is an American actress, model and TV personality. She rose to prominence with roles in the science fiction film Starship Troopers (1997), the erotic thriller film Wild Things (1998), and the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough (1999). Her performance as Bond girl Christmas Jones in the latter, while criticized, gave Richards her mainstream breakthrough. Read more
17 Feb 1970: Dominic Purcell, English-Australian actor and producer Dominic Haakon Myrtvedt Purcell is an Australian actor. He is best known as Lincoln Burrows in Prison Break, Mick Rory / Heat Wave in The Flash (2014–16) and Legends of Tomorrow (2016–21), and Drake / Dracula in Blade: Trinity (2004). He is also known for his role as Lewis "Lew" Brookbank in Three Way. In August 2023, he married Tish Cyrus, the ex-wife of country music star Billy Ray Cyrus, in Malibu, California after they were engaged in April 2023, becoming the stepfather of Brandi, Trace, Miley, and Noah Cyrus; he has four biological children from his first marriage. Read more
17 Feb 1969: David Douillet, French martial artist and politician David Donald Hubert Roger Douillet is a French politician and retired judoka. Read more
17 Feb 1969: Vasily Kudinov, Russian handball player (died 2017) Vasily Kudinov was a Russian handball player, born in Ilyinka, Astrakhan Oblast, Russian SFSR. Read more
17 Feb 1968: Giuseppe Signori, Italian footballer Giuseppe "Beppe" Signori is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Read more
17 Feb 1968: Wu'erkaixi, Chinese journalist and activist Uerkesh Davlet, commonly known by his pinyin name Wu'er Kaixi, is a Chinese political commentator known for his leading role during the Tiananmen protests of 1989. Read more
17 Feb 1966: Luc Robitaille, Canadian ice hockey player, manager, and actor Luc Jean-Marie Robitaille is a Canadian-American professional ice hockey executive and former player who serves as president of the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). Read more
17 Feb 1965: Michael Bay, American director and producer Michael Benjamin Bay is an American film director and producer. He is best known for making big-budget high-concept action films with fast cutting, stylistic cinematography and visuals, and extensive use of special effects, including frequent depictions of explosions. The films he has directed include Bad Boys (1995) and its sequel Bad Boys II (2003), The Rock (1996), Armageddon (1998), Pearl Harbor (2001), the first five films in the Transformers film series, Pain & Gain (2013), 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016), and Ambulance (2022). His films have grossed over US$6.6 billion worldwide, making him the fifth-most commercially successful director in history. Read more
17 Feb 1964: Sherry Hawco, Canadian gymnast (died 1991) Sherry Louise Hawco was a Canadian gymnast. Read more
17 Feb 1963: Larry the Cable Guy, American comedian and voice actor Daniel Lawrence Whitney, known professionally as Larry the Cable Guy, is an American stand-up comedian, actor and former radio personality. He was one of the members of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour, a comedy troupe which included Bill Engvall, Ron White, and Jeff Foxworthy. Read more
17 Feb 1963: Alison Hargreaves, English mountaineer (died 1995) Alison Jane Hargreaves was a British mountaineer. Her accomplishments included scaling Mount Everest alone, without supplementary oxygen or support from a Sherpa team, in 1995. She soloed all the great north faces of the Alps in a single season—a first for any climber. This feat included climbing the difficult north face of the Eiger in the Alps. Hargreaves also climbed 6,812-metre (22,349 ft) Ama Dablam in Nepal. Read more
17 Feb 1963: Jen-Hsun Huang, Taiwanese-American businessman, co-founded Nvidia Jen-Hsun Huang, commonly anglicized as Jensen Huang, is a Taiwanese and American business executive, electrical engineer, and philanthropist who is the founder, president, and chief executive officer (CEO) of Nvidia, the world's largest company by market capitalization. As of January 2026, Forbes estimates his net worth to be US$164.1 billion, making Huang the eighth-wealthiest individual in the world. Read more
17 Feb 1963: Michael Jordan, American basketball player, executive, and businessman Michael Jeffrey Jordan, also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and retired professional basketball player who is a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 15 seasons in the NBA between 1984 and 2003, winning six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls. By acclamation, Michael Jordan is one of the greatest basketball players of all time, and he was integral in popularizing basketball and the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s. He is one of the world's richest celebrities, with a $3.8 billion net worth as of 2025. Read more
17 Feb 1962: Lou Diamond Phillips, American actor and director Louis Diamond Phillips is an American actor, director, and writer. His breakthrough came when he starred as Ritchie Valens in the biographical drama film La Bamba (1987). For his performance as Angel David Guzman in Stand and Deliver (1988), he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture and won an Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male. Read more
17 Feb 1961: Angela Eagle, English politician, Shadow Leader of the House of Commons Dame Angela Eagle DBE is a British Labour Party politician serving as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Wallasey since 1992. She has served as Minister of State for Food Security and Rural Affairs since 2025. Read more
17 Feb 1961: Maria Eagle, English politician, Shadow Secretary of State for Defence Maria Eagle is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Liverpool Garston, previously Garston and Halewood, since 1997. She served as a junior minister in the governments of Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and Keir Starmer. Read more
17 Feb 1961: Andrey Korotayev, Russian anthropologist, historian, and sociologist Andrey Vitalievich Korotayev is a Russian anthropologist, economic historian, comparative political scientist, demographer and sociologist, with major contributions to world-systems theory, cross-cultural studies, Near Eastern history, Big History, and mathematical modelling of social and economic macrodynamics. Read more
17 Feb 1960: Lindy Ruff, Canadian hockey player and coach Lindy Cameron Ruff is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player who is the head coach for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). Ruff was previously the head coach of the Sabres from 1997 to 2013, winning the Jack Adams Award in 2006, and has also served as head coach of the Dallas Stars and New Jersey Devils. Ruff has won over 600 games with the Sabres, making him one of three coaches to win that many games for one team in NHL history. During his playing career, Ruff played in the NHL for the Sabres and New York Rangers, the former of which he captained. Read more
17 Feb 1959: Aryeh Deri, Moroccan-Israeli rabbi and politician, Israeli Minister of Internal Affairs Aryeh Makhlouf Deri, also Arie Deri, Arye Deri, or Arieh Deri, is an Israeli politician and one of the founders of the Shas political party who served as the Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Health, and Minister of the Interior and Periphery under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from December 2022 to January 2023. Previously he served as the Minister of the Interior, Minister of the Development of the Negev and Galilee, Minister of the Economy, as well as a member in the Security Cabinet of Israel. Read more
17 Feb 1959: Rowdy Gaines, American swimmer and sportscaster Ambrose "Rowdy" Gaines IV is an American former competitive swimmer, U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame member, three-time Olympic gold medalist, and member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame. He is referred to as "The Voice of Swimming", has covered swimming at the Olympic Games since 1992 in Barcelona and is currently a swimming analyst for television network NBC. Read more
17 Feb 1957: Loreena McKennitt, Canadian singer-songwriter, accordion player, and pianist Loreena McKennitt is a Canadian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer who writes, records, and performs world music with Celtic and Middle Eastern influences. McKennitt is known for her refined and clear soprano vocals. She has sold more than 16 million records worldwide. Read more
17 Feb 1956: Richard Karn, American actor and game show host Richard Karn is an American actor, author and former game show host. He starred as Al Borland in the ABC series Home Improvement and as Fred Peters in the Hulu series Pen15. Karn was also the fourth host of Family Feud from 2002 to 2006. Read more
17 Feb 1955: Mo Yan, Chinese author and academic, Nobel Prize laureate Guan Moye, better known by the pen name Mo Yan, is a Chinese novelist and short story writer. In 2012, Mo was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for his work as a writer "who with hallucinatory realism merges folk tales, history and the contemporary". Donald Morrison of TIME referred to him as "one of the most famous, oft-banned and widely pirated of all Chinese writers", and Jim Leach called him the Chinese answer to Franz Kafka or Joseph Heller. He is best known to Western readers for his 1986 novel Red Sorghum, the first two parts of which were adapted into the Golden Bear-winning film Red Sorghum (1988). Read more
17 Feb 1954: Lou Ann Barton, American singer-songwriter Lou Ann Barton is an American blues singer based in Austin, Texas since the 1970s. AllMusic noted that "The grace, poise, and confidence she projects on-stage is part of a long tradition for women blues singers". Read more
17 Feb 1954: Miki Berkovich, Israeli basketball player Moshe "Miki" Berkovich is an Israeli former professional basketball player. A 193 cm shooting guard, he is considered to be one of the greatest Israeli basketball players of all time. Read more
17 Feb 1954: Rene Russo, American actress Rene Marie Russo is an American actress and model. She began her career as a fashion model in the 1970s, appearing on magazine covers such as Vogue and Cosmopolitan. She made her film debut in the 1989 comedy Major League, and rose to international prominence in a number of thrillers and action films throughout the 1990s, including Lethal Weapon 3 (1992), In the Line of Fire (1993), Outbreak (1995), Get Shorty (1995), Ransom (1996), Lethal Weapon 4 (1998), and The Thomas Crown Affair (1999). Read more
17 Feb 1953: Becky Ann Baker, American actress Becky Ann Baker is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Jean Weir on the NBC comedy-drama series Freaks and Geeks (1999–2000) and as Loreen Horvath on the HBO comedy-drama series Girls (2012–2017); she earned two Critics' Choice Television Award nominations and a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for the latter. Read more
17 Feb 1952: Karin Büttner-Janz, German gymnast and physician Karin Büttner-Janz is a German medical doctor and former gymnast who won World and Olympic gold medals in artistic gymnastics for East Germany. She is co-inventor of the first artificial intervertebral disc, and from 1990 to 2012, she was chief physician of clinics in Berlin, Germany. She has a foundation named Spinefoundation. Read more
17 Feb 1952: Vladimír Padrůněk, Czech musician (died 1991) Vladimír Padrůněk was a Czech jazz and rock bass guitarist. He is known for his work with the groups Jazz Q, Energit, Etc…, Abraxas, and others. Read more
17 Feb 1951: Rashid Minhas, Pakistani soldier and pilot (died 1971) Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas NH was a Pakistani fighter pilot and the fifth recipient of Pakistan's highest military award, the Nishan-e-Haider. Minhas was the first and only officer from the Pakistan Air Force to receive the Nishan-e-Haider, and was also the youngest person and the shortest-serving officer to have received the award. During a routine training mission in August 1971, Minhas attempted to gain control of his jet trainer when his superior officer Flight Lieutenant Matiur Rahman BS took control over the plane to join the Bangladesh War of Independence but Minhas resisted his efforts to control the aircraft and crashed it in Sujawal District in Pakistan. Read more
17 Feb 1949: Fred Frith, English guitarist and songwriter Jeremy Webster "Fred" Frith is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer, and improviser. Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as a founding member of the English avant-rock group Henry Cow. He was also a member of the groups Art Bears, Massacre, and Skeleton Crew. He has collaborated with numerous musicians, including Robert Wyatt, Derek Bailey, the Residents, Lol Coxhill, John Zorn, Brian Eno, Mike Patton, Lars Hollmer, Bill Laswell, Iva Bittová, Jad Fair, Kramer, the ARTE Quartett, and Bob Ostertag. He has also composed several long works, including Traffic Continues and Freedom in Fragments. Frith produces most of his own music, and has also produced many albums by other musicians, including Curlew, the Muffins, Etron Fou Leloublan, and Orthotonics. Read more
17 Feb 1949: Dennis Green, American football player and coach (died 2016) Dennis Earl Green was an American professional football coach. During his National Football League (NFL) career, Green coached the Minnesota Vikings from 1992 to 2001 and the Arizona Cardinals from 2004 to 2006. He coached the Vikings to eight playoff appearances in nine years, despite having seven different starting quarterbacks in those postseasons. He was posthumously inducted into the Minnesota Vikings Ring of Honor in 2018. Read more
17 Feb 1948: José José, Mexican singer-songwriter, producer, and actor (died 2019) José Rómulo Sosa Ortiz, known professionally as José José was a Mexican singer and actor. Also known as "El Príncipe de la Canción", his performance and vocal style have influenced many Latin pop artists in a career that spanned more than four decades. Due to his vocals and popularity, José José was considered by Latin audiences and media as an icon of Latin pop music and one of the most emblematic Latin singers of his time. Read more
17 Feb 1946: Shahrnush Parsipur, Iranian-American author and academic Shahrnush Parsipur is an Iranian-born writer and translator. Read more
17 Feb 1945: Zina Bethune, American actress, dancer, and choreographer (died 2012) Zina Bianca Bethune was an American actress, dancer, and choreographer. She was the daughter of actress Ivy Bethune. Read more
17 Feb 1945: Brenda Fricker, Irish actress Brenda Fricker is an Irish actress, whose career has spanned six decades on stage and screen. She has appeared in more than 30 films and television roles. In 1990, she became the first Irish actress to win an Academy Award, earning the award for Best Supporting Actress for the biopic My Left Foot (1989). She also appeared in films such as The Field (1990), Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993), Angels in the Outfield (1994), A Time to Kill (1996), Veronica Guerin (2003), Inside I'm Dancing (2004) and Albert Nobbs (2011). Read more
17 Feb 1944: Karl Jenkins, Welsh saxophonist, keyboard player, and composer Sir Karl William Pamp Jenkins,, HonFLSW is a Welsh multi-instrumentalist and composer. His best known works include the song "Adiemus", Palladio (1995), The Armed Man (2000), his Requiem (2005) and his Stabat Mater (2008). Read more
17 Feb 1942: Huey P. Newton, American activist, co-founded the Black Panther Party (died 1989) Huey Percy Newton was an African American revolutionary and political activist who co-founded the Black Panther Party in 1966. He ran the party as its first leader and crafted its ten-point manifesto with Bobby Seale. Under his leadership, the party organized numerous social programs and community events, advocated for collective defense, and threatened political violence in service of their goals. Read more
17 Feb 1941: Julia McKenzie, English actress, singer, and director Julia Kathleen Nancy McKenzie is an English actress, singer, presenter, and theatre director. She has premièred leading roles written by both Alan Ayckbourn and Stephen Sondheim. On television, she is known for her BAFTA Award nominated role as Hester Fields in the sitcom Fresh Fields (1984–1986) and its sequel French Fields (1989–1991), as Miss Marple in Agatha Christie's Marple (2009–2013) and for her appearance in the BBC One costume drama series Cranford. Read more
17 Feb 1940: Vicente Fernández, Mexican singer-songwriter, actor, and producer (died 2021) Vicente Fernández Gómez was a Mexican mariachi singer, actor and film producer. Nicknamed "Chente", "El Charro de Huentitán", "El Ídolo de México", and "El Rey de la Música Ranchera", Fernández started his career as a busker, and went on to become a cultural icon, having recorded more than 100 albums and contributing to more than 150 films. His repertoire consisted of rancheras and other Mexican classics such as waltzes. Read more
17 Feb 1940: Gene Pitney, American singer-songwriter (died 2006) Gene Francis Alan Pitney was an American pop and country singer, songwriter, and musician. Read more
17 Feb 1937: Mary Ann Mobley, American model and actress, Miss America 1959 (died 2014) Mary Ann Mobley was an American actress, television personality, and Miss America 1959. Read more
17 Feb 1936: Jim Brown, American football player and actor (died 2023) James Nathaniel Brown was an American professional football player, civil rights activist, and actor. He played as a fullback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL) from 1957 to 1965. Widely considered one of the greatest running backs of all time, as well as one of the greatest players in NFL history, Brown was selected to a Pro Bowl and All-Pro team every season he was in the league, and was recognized as the AP NFL Most Valuable Player three times. Brown won an NFL championship with the Browns in 1964. He led the league in rushing yards in eight out of his nine seasons, and by the time he retired, he held most major rushing records. In 1999, he was named the greatest professional football player ever by The Sporting News and the Associated Press. Read more
17 Feb 1935: Christina Pickles, English-American actress Christina Pickles is an English actress, known for her work in the United States. She is known for her role as Nurse Helen Rosenthal in the NBC medical drama St. Elsewhere (1982–1988), for which she received five nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. She is also known for her recurring role as Judy Geller on the NBC sitcom Friends, for which she was nominated for the 1995 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. Read more
17 Feb 1934: Alan Bates, English actor (died 2003) Sir Alan Arthur Bates was an English actor who came to prominence in the 1960s, when he appeared in films ranging from Whistle Down the Wind to the kitchen sink drama A Kind of Loving. Read more
17 Feb 1934: Barry Humphries, Australian comedian, actor, and author (died 2023) John Barry Humphries was an Australian comedian, actor, author and satirist. He was best known for writing and playing his stage and television characters Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson. He appeared in numerous stage productions, films and television shows. Read more
17 Feb 1933: Craig L. Thomas, American captain and politician (died 2007) Craig Lyle Thomas was an American politician who served as United States senator from Wyoming from 1995 until his death in 2007. He was a member of the Republican Party. In the Senate, Thomas was considered an expert on agriculture and rural development. He had served in key positions in several state agencies, including a long tenure as Vice President of the Wyoming Farm Bureau from 1965 to 1974. Thomas resided in Casper for twenty-eight years. In 1984, he was elected from Casper to the Wyoming House of Representatives, in which he served until 1989. Read more
17 Feb 1931: Jiřina Jirásková, Czech actress and singer (died 2013) Jiřina Jirásková was a Czech actress. She was born and died in Prague, Czech Republic. Read more
17 Feb 1931: Buddy Ryan, American football coach (died 2016) James David "Buddy" Ryan was an American football coach in the National Football League (NFL) and American Football League (AFL). During his 35-season coaching career, Ryan served as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1986 to 1990, and of the Arizona Cardinals from 1994 to 1995. Ryan also served as the defensive coordinator of the Chicago Bears from 1978 to 1985, and of the Houston Oilers in 1993. Coaching multiple Hall of Fame defensive players throughout his career, Ryan is considered by many to be one of the greatest defensive minds in the history of American football. Read more
17 Feb 1930: Roger Craig, American baseball player, coach, and manager (died 2023) Roger Lee Craig was an American professional baseball pitcher, coach and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB). After playing for the Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies between 1955 and 1966, Craig became an acclaimed pitching coach, and a manager, between 1969 and 1992. Read more
17 Feb 1930: Benjamin Fain, Ukrainian-Israeli physicist and academic (died 2013) Benjamin Fain was an Israeli physicist, professor-emeritus, and former refusenik. Read more
17 Feb 1930: Ruth Rendell, English author (died 2015) Ruth Barbara Rendell, Baroness Rendell of Babergh, was an English author of thrillers and psychological murder mysteries. Read more
17 Feb 1929: Alejandro Jodorowsky, Chilean-French director and screenwriter Alejandro Jodorowsky Prullansky is a Chilean and French avant-garde filmmaker. Known for his films El Topo (1970), The Holy Mountain (1973) and Santa Sangre (1989), Jodorowsky has been "venerated by cult cinema enthusiasts" for his work which "is filled with violently surreal images and a hybrid blend of mysticism and religious provocation". Read more
17 Feb 1929: Chaim Potok, American rabbi and author (died 2002) Chaim Potok, was an American author, novelist, playwright, editor and rabbi. Among the more than a dozen books he authored, his first novel The Chosen (1967) was listed on The New York Times Best Seller list for 39 weeks and sold more than 3.4 million copies, and was adapted into a well-received 1981 feature film by the same title. Read more
17 Feb 1929: Nicholas Ridley, Baron Ridley of Liddesdale, English lieutenant and politician, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (died 1993) Nicholas Ridley, Baron Ridley of Liddesdale, was a British Conservative Party politician and government minister. Read more
17 Feb 1929: Patricia Routledge, English actress and singer (died 2025) Dame Katherine Patricia Routledge was an English actress and singer. She was best known for her role as Hyacinth Bucket in the BBC One comedy series Keeping Up Appearances (1990–1995), for which she was twice nominated for the BAFTA TV Award for Best Light Entertainment Performance. Read more
17 Feb 1928: Marta Romero, Puerto Rican actress and singer (died 2013) Marta Romero was a Puerto Rican actress and singer, and one of the pioneers in Puerto Rican television. Read more
17 Feb 1928: Michiaki Takahashi, Japanese virologist (died 2013) Michiaki Takahashi was a Japanese virologist, best known for inventing the first chickenpox vaccine. He developed the "Oka" vaccine by producing v-Oka, a live-attenuated virus strain of varicella zoster virus. Read more
17 Feb 1925: Ron Goodwin, English composer and conductor (died 2003) Ronald Alfred Goodwin was an English composer and conductor known for his film music. He scored over 70 films in a career lasting over fifty years. His most famous works included Where Eagles Dare, Battle of Britain, 633 Squadron, Margaret Rutherford's Miss Marple films, and Frenzy. Read more
17 Feb 1925: Hal Holbrook, American actor and director (died 2021) Harold Rowe Holbrook Jr. was an American actor. He first received critical acclaim in 1954 for a one-man stage show, titled Mark Twain Tonight!, that he developed while studying at Denison University. He won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 1966 for his portrayal of Twain. He continued to perform his signature role for more than 60 years, retiring the show in 2017 due to his failing health. Throughout his career, he also won five Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on television and was nominated for an Academy Award for his work in film. Read more
17 Feb 1924: Margaret Truman, American singer and author (died 2008) Mary Margaret Truman Daniel was an American classical soprano, actress, journalist, radio and television personality, writer, and New York socialite. She was the only child of President Harry S. Truman and First Lady Bess Truman. While her father was president during the years 1945 to 1953, Margaret regularly accompanied him on campaign trips, such as the 1948 countrywide whistle-stop campaign lasting several weeks. She also appeared at important White House and political events during those years and was a favorite with the media. Read more
17 Feb 1923: Buddy DeFranco, American clarinet player and bandleader (died 2014) Boniface Ferdinand Leonard "Buddy" DeFranco was an American jazz clarinetist. In addition to his work as a bandleader, DeFranco led the Glenn Miller Orchestra for almost a decade in the 1960s and 1970s. Read more
17 Feb 1922: Tommy Edwards, American R&B singer-songwriter (died 1969) Thomas Jefferson Edwards was an American singer and songwriter. His most successful record was the multi-million-selling song "It's All in the Game", becoming the first African-American to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Read more
17 Feb 1921: Duane Gish, American biochemist and academic (died 2013) Duane Tolbert Gish was an American biochemist and a prominent member of the creationist movement. A young Earth creationist, Gish was a former vice-president of the Institute for Creation Research (ICR) and the author of numerous publications about creation science. Read more
17 Feb 1920: Ivo Caprino, Norwegian director and screenwriter (died 2001) Ivo Caprino was a Norwegian film director and writer, best known for his puppet films. His most noted film, Flåklypa Grand Prix, was made in 1975. Read more
17 Feb 1920: Annie Glenn, American disability and communication disorder advocate (died 2020) Anna Margaret Glenn was an American advocate for people with disabilities and communication disorders and the wife of astronaut and senator John Glenn. A stutterer from an early age, Glenn promoted the awareness of stuttering and other disabilities among children and adults. Read more
17 Feb 1920: Curt Swan, American illustrator (died 1996) 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 Feb 1919: J. M. S. Careless, Canadian historian and academic (died 2009) James Maurice Stockford Careless was a Canadian historian. He taught history at the University of Toronto for 39 years, from 1945 until his retirement in 1984, and served as Chairman of the History Department from 1959 to 1967. He was known for his work in Canadian history, particularly his elaboration of the metropolitan-hinterland thesis and his studies on urban history. He twice won the Governor General's Awards for English-language non-fiction books for Canada: A Story of Challenge (1953) and his biography Brown of the Globe (1963). Read more
17 Feb 1919: Kathleen Freeman, American actress and singer (died 2001) Kathleen Freeman was an American actress. In a career that spanned more than 50 years, she portrayed acerbic maids, secretaries, teachers, busybodies, nurses, and battle-axe neighbors and relatives, almost invariably to comic effect. In film, she is perhaps best remembered for appearing in 12 Jerry Lewis comedies in the 1950s and 1960s and The Blues Brothers (1980). Read more
17 Feb 1919: Joe Hunt, American tennis player (died 1945) Joseph Raphael Hunt was an American tennis player of the late 1930s and early 1940s from Southern California. He was the number one ranked American in 1943 and won the US singles championship in his final match. He died off the coast of Florida in an airplane crash during World War II. To date he is the only man to win the U.S. boys', junior, collegiate, and men's singles championship. Read more
17 Feb 1918: William Bronk, American poet and academic (died 1999) William Bronk was an American poet. For his book, Life Supports (1981), he won the National Book Award for Poetry. Read more
17 Feb 1918: Jacqueline Ferrand, French mathematician (died 2014) Jacqueline Lelong-Ferrand was a French mathematician who worked on conformal representation theory, potential theory, and Riemannian manifolds. She taught at universities in Caen, Lille, and Paris. Read more
17 Feb 1916: Alexander Obolensky, Russian rugby player and pilot (died 1940) Prince Alexander Sergeevich Obolensky was a Rurikid prince of Russian aristocratic descent who became a naturalised Briton, having spent most of his life in England, and who went on to represent England in international rugby union. He was, and remains, popularly known as "The Flying Prince", "The Flying Slav", or simply as "Obo" to many sports fans. Read more
17 Feb 1916: Don Tallon, Australian cricketer (died 1984) Donald Tallon was an Australian cricketer who played 21 Test matches as a wicket-keeper between 1946 and 1953. He was widely regarded by his contemporaries as Australia's finest ever wicket-keeper and one of the best in Test history, with an understated style, an ability to anticipate the flight, length and spin of the ball and an efficient stumping technique. Tallon toured England as part of Don Bradman's Invincibles of 1948 and was recognised as one of the Wisden Cricketers of the Year in 1949 for his performances during that season. During his Test career, Tallon made 58 dismissals comprising 50 catches and 8 stumpings. Read more
17 Feb 1916: Raf Vallone, Italian footballer and actor (died 2002) Raffaele "Raf" Vallone was an Italian actor and footballer. One of the top male Italian stars of the 1950s and 1960s, he first became known for his association with the neorealist movement, and found success in several international productions. On stage, he was closely associated with the works of Arthur Miller. He played the role of Eddie Carbone in A View from the Bridge several times, including Sidney Lumet's 1962 film adaptation, for which he won the David di Donatello for Best Actor. Read more
17 Feb 1914: Arthur Kennedy, American actor (died 1990) John Arthur Kennedy was an American stage and film actor known for his versatility in supporting film roles and his ability to create "an exceptional honesty and naturalness on stage", especially in the original casts of Arthur Miller plays on Broadway. He won the 1949 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for Miller's Death of a Salesman. He also won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for the 1955 film Trial, and was a five-time Academy Award nominee. Read more
17 Feb 1912: Andre Norton, American author (died 2005) Andre Alice Norton was an American writer of science fiction and fantasy, who also wrote works of historical and contemporary fiction. She wrote primarily under the pen name Andre Norton, but also under Andrew North and Allen Weston. She was the first woman to be Gandalf Grand Master of Fantasy, to be SFWA Grand Master, and to be inducted by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame. Read more
17 Feb 1911: Oskar Seidlin, German-American author, poet, and scholar (died 1984) Oskar Seidlin was a Jewish emigre from Nazi Germany first to Switzerland and then to the U.S. He taught German language and literature as a professor at Smith College, Middlebury College, Ohio State University, and Indiana University from 1939 to 1979. He authored a number of fictional and non-fictional works. Read more
17 Feb 1910: Marc Lawrence, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (died 2005) Marc Lawrence was an American character actor who specialized in underworld types. He has also been credited as F. A. Foss, Marc Laurence and Marc C. Lawrence. Read more
17 Feb 1908: Bo Yibo, Chinese general and politician, Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China (died 2007) Bo Yibo (Chinese: 薄一波; pinyin: Bó Yībō; Wade–Giles: Po2 I1-po1; 17 February 1908 – 15 January 2007) was a Chinese politician. He was one of the most senior political figures in China during the 1980s and 1990s. Read more
17 Feb 1906: Mary Brian, American actress (died 2002) Mary Brian was an American actress who made the transition from silent films to sound films. Read more
17 Feb 1905: Rózsa Péter, Hungarian mathematician (died 1977) Rózsa Péter, until January 1934 Rózsa Politzer, was a Hungarian mathematician and logician. She is best known as the "founding mother of recursion theory". Read more
17 Feb 1904: Hans Morgenthau, German-American political scientist, philosopher, and academic (died 1980) Hans Joachim Morgenthau was a German-American jurist and political scientist who was one of the major 20th-century figures in the study of international relations. Morgenthau's works belong to the tradition of realism in international relations theory; he is usually considered among the most influential realists of the post-World War II period. Morgenthau made landmark contributions to international relations theory and the study of international law. His Politics Among Nations, first published in 1948, went through five editions during his lifetime and was widely adopted as a textbook in U.S. universities. While Morgenthau emphasized the centrality of power and "the national interest," the subtitle of Politics Among Nations—"the struggle for power and peace"—indicates his concern not only with the struggle for power but also with the ways in which it is limited by ethical and legal norms. Read more
17 Feb 1903: Sadegh Hedayat, Iranian-French author and translator (died 1951) Sadegh Hedayat was an Iranian writer, translator, satirist, and poet. Best known for his novel The Blind Owl, he was one of the earliest Iranian writers to adopt literary modernism in their career. He is widely considered to be the father of the atheist movement in Iran. Read more
17 Feb 1903: Joaquín Rodríguez Ortega, known as "Cagancho", Spanish bullfighter (died 1984) Joaquín Rodríguez Ortega, professionally known as Cagancho, was a Spanish bullfighter much of whose career was spent in Mexico, although he did sometimes perform in his native Spain, and one of his performances there, in Almagro, Ciudad Real in 1927 even gave rise to a now well known expression in the Spanish language. Rodríguez also found himself appraised in English when he and his craft were described by Ernest Hemingway in his non-fiction work Death in the Afternoon, along with many other Spanish bullfighters of the early 20th century. Read more
17 Feb 1900: Ruth Clifford, American actress (died 1998) Ruth Clifford was an American actress of leading roles in silent films whose career lasted from that era into the television era. Read more
17 Feb 1899: Jibanananda Das, Bangladeshi-Indian poet and author (died 1954) Jibanananda Das was an Indian poet, writer, novelist and essayist who wrote in the Bengali language. Often referred to as the Rupashi Banglar Kabi, he is regarded as one of the most prominent Bengali poets after Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam, although he received limited recognition during his lifetime. Read more
17 Feb 1893: Wally Pipp, American baseball player and journalist (died 1965) Walter Clement Pipp Sr. was an American professional baseball player. A first baseman, Pipp played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, and Cincinnati Reds between 1913 and 1928. Read more
17 Feb 1891: Abraham Fraenkel, German-Israeli mathematician and academic (died 1965) Abraham Fraenkel was a German-born Israeli mathematician. He was an early Zionist and the first Dean of Mathematics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is known for his contributions to axiomatic set theory, especially his additions to Ernst Zermelo's axioms, which resulted in the Zermelo–Fraenkel set theory. Read more
17 Feb 1890: Ronald Fisher, English-Australian statistician, biologist, and geneticist (died 1962) Sir Ronald Aylmer Fisher was a British polymath who was active as a mathematician, statistician, biologist, geneticist, and academic. He has been described as "a genius who almost single-handedly created the foundations for modern statistical science" and "the single most important figure in 20th century statistics". In genetics, Fisher was the one to most comprehensively combine the ideas of Gregor Mendel and Charles Darwin, as his work used mathematics to combine Mendelian genetics and natural selection; this contributed to the revival of Darwinism in the early 20th-century revision of the theory of evolution known as the modern synthesis. For his contributions to biology, Richard Dawkins declared Fisher to be the greatest of Darwin's successors. He is also considered one of the founding fathers of Neo-Darwinism. According to statistician Jeffrey T. Leek, Fisher is the most influential scientist of all time on the basis of the number of citations of his contributions. Read more
17 Feb 1888: Ronald Knox, English Catholic priest (died 1957) Ronald Arbuthnott Knox was an English Catholic priest, theologian, author, and radio broadcaster. Educated at Eton and Balliol College, Oxford, where he earned a high reputation as a classicist, Knox was ordained as a priest of the Church of England in 1912. He was a fellow and chaplain of Trinity College, Oxford until he resigned from those positions following his conversion to Catholicism in 1917. Knox became a Catholic priest in 1918, continuing in that capacity his scholarly and literary work. Read more
17 Feb 1888: Otto Stern, German-American physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1969) Otto Stern was a German-American experimental physical chemist. He is the second most nominated person for a Nobel Prize, with 82 nominations during the years 1925–1945. In 1943, he received the Nobel Prize in Physics "for his contribution to the development of the molecular ray method and his discovery of the magnetic moment of the proton". Read more
17 Feb 1887: Joseph Bech, Luxembourgish lawyer and politician, 15th Prime Minister of Luxembourg (died 1975) Joseph Bech was a Luxembourgish politician and lawyer. He was the prime minister of Luxembourg, serving for eleven years, from 16 July 1926 to 5 November 1937. He returned to the position after World War II, and served for another four years, from 29 December 1953 until 29 March 1958. The 1982–1983 academic year at the College of Europe was named in his honour. Read more
17 Feb 1887: Leevi Madetoja, Finnish composer and critic (died 1947) Leevi Antti Madetoja was a Finnish composer, music critic, conductor, and teacher of the late-Romantic and early-modern periods. He is widely recognized as one of the most significant Finnish contemporaries of Jean Sibelius, under whom he studied privately from 1908 to 1910. Read more
17 Feb 1881: Mary Carson Breckinridge, American nurse midwife, founded Frontier Nursing Service (died 1965) Mary Carson Breckinridge was an American nurse midwife and the founder of the Frontier Nursing Service (FNS), which provided comprehensive family medical care to the mountain people of rural Kentucky. FNS served remote and impoverished areas off the road and rail system but accessible by horseback. She modeled her services on European practices and sought to professionalize American nurse-midwives to practice autonomously in homes and decentralized clinics. Although Breckinridge's work demonstrated efficacy by dramatically reducing infant and maternal mortality in Appalachia, at a comparatively low cost, her model of nurse-midwifery never took root in the United States. Read more
17 Feb 1879: Dorothy Canfield Fisher, American educational reformer, social activist and author (died 1958) Dorothy Canfield Fisher was an educational reformer, social activist, and best-selling American author in the early 20th century. She strongly supported women's rights, racial equality, and lifelong education. Eleanor Roosevelt named her one of the ten most influential women in the United States. Her writing helped increase understanding of the Montessori method of child-rearing in the U.S.; she presided over the country's first adult education program; and her service as a member of the Book of the Month Club selection committee from 1925 to 1951 helped shape literary tastes in the U.S. Read more
17 Feb 1877: Isabelle Eberhardt, Swiss explorer and author (died 1904) Isabelle Wilhelmine Marie Eberhardt was a Swiss explorer and author. As a teenager, Eberhardt, educated in Switzerland by her father, published short stories under a male pseudonym. She became interested in North Africa, and was considered a proficient writer on the subject despite learning about the region only through correspondence. After an invitation from photographer Louis David, Eberhardt moved to Algeria in May 1897. She dressed as a man and converted to Islam, eventually adopting the name Si Mahmoud Saadi. Eberhardt's unorthodox behaviour made her an outcast among European settlers in Algeria and the French administration. Read more
17 Feb 1877: André Maginot, French sergeant and politician (died 1932) André Maginot was a French civil servant, soldier and Member of Parliament. He is best known for his advocacy of the string of forts known as the Maginot Line. Read more
17 Feb 1874: Thomas J. Watson, American businessman (died 1956) Thomas John Watson Sr. was an American businessman who was the chairman and CEO of IBM. He oversaw the company's growth into an international force from 1914 to 1956. Watson developed IBM's management style and corporate culture from John Henry Patterson's training at NCR. He turned the company into a highly effective selling organization, based largely on punched card tabulating machines. Read more
17 Feb 1864: Jozef Murgaš, Slovak priest, botanist, and painter (died 1929) Jozef Murgaš was a Slovak inventor, architect, botanist, painter and Roman Catholic priest. He contributed to radio development, which at the time was commonly known as "wireless telegraphy". Read more
17 Feb 1864: Banjo Paterson, Australian journalist, author, and poet (died 1941) Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson was an Australian bush poet, journalist and author, widely considered one of the greatest writers of Australia's colonial period. Read more
17 Feb 1862: Mori Ōgai, Japanese general, author, and poet (died 1922) Lieutenant-General Mori Rintarō , known by his pen name Mori Ōgai , was a Japanese Army Surgeon general officer, translator, novelist, poet and father of famed author Mari Mori. He obtained his medical license at a very young age and introduced translated German language literary works to the Japanese public. Mori Ōgai also was considered the first to successfully express the art of western poetry in Japanese. He wrote many works and created many writing styles. The Wild Geese (1911–1913) is considered his major work. After his death, he was considered one of the leading writers who modernized Japanese literature. Read more
17 Feb 1861: Helena of Waldeck and Pyrmont, duchess of Albany (died 1922) Princess Helen of Waldeck and Pyrmont, later Duchess of Albany, was a member of the British royal family by marriage. She was the fifth daughter and child of George Victor, Prince of Waldeck and Pyrmont, and his first wife, Princess Helena of Nassau. Read more
17 Feb 1854: Friedrich Alfred Krupp, German businessman (died 1902) Friedrich Alfred Krupp was a German steel manufacturer and head of the company Krupp. He was the son of Alfred Krupp and inherited the family business when his father died in 1887. Whereas his father had largely supplied iron and steel, Friedrich shifted his company's production back to arms manufacturing. Friedrich greatly expanded Krupp and acquired the Germaniawerft in 1896 which gave him control of warship manufacturing in Germany. He oversaw the development of nickel steel, U-boats, the diesel engine, and much more. He died in 1902, possibly by suicide, after being accused of homosexuality. His daughter Bertha inherited the company. Read more
17 Feb 1849: Joseph Favre, Swiss chef (died 1903) Joseph Favre was a Swiss chef who worked in Switzerland, France, Germany, and England. Although he initially only received primary education because of his humble origins, as an adult he attended science and nutrition classes at the University of Geneva, and eventually published his four-volume Dictionnaire universel de cuisine pratique, an encyclopedia of culinary science, in 1895. Read more
17 Feb 1848: Louisa Lawson, Australian poet and publisher (died 1920) Louisa Lawson was an Australian poet, writer, publisher, suffragist, and feminist. Her eldest son was the poet and author Henry Lawson. Read more
17 Feb 1843: Aaron Montgomery Ward, American businessman, founded Montgomery Ward (died 1913) Aaron Montgomery Ward was an American entrepreneur based in Chicago who made his fortune through the use of mail order for retail sales of general merchandise to rural customers. In 1872 he founded Montgomery Ward & Company, which became nationally known. Read more
17 Feb 1836: Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, Spanish author, poet, and playwright (died 1870) Gustavo Adolfo Claudio Domínguez Bastida, better known as Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, was a Spanish Romantic poet and writer, also a playwright, literary columnist, and talented in drawing. He is one of the most important figures in Spanish literature, with some considering him the most read Spanish writer after Miguel de Cervantes. He adopted the alias of Bécquer as his brother Valeriano Bécquer, a painter, had done earlier. He was associated with the romanticism and post-romanticism movements and wrote while realism enjoyed success in Spain. He was moderately well-known during his life, but it was after his death that most of his works were published. His best-known works are the Rhymes and the Legends, usually published together as Rimas y leyendas. These poems and tales are essential to studying Spanish literature and common reading for high-school students in Spanish-speaking countries. Read more
17 Feb 1832: Richard Henry Park, American sculptor (died 1902) Richard Henry Park was an American sculptor who worked in marble and bronze. He was commissioned to do work by the wealthy of the nineteenth century. He did a marble bust of John Plankinton, an astute businessman who founded the meat industry in Wisconsin and was "Milwaukee's foremost citizen." Read more
17 Feb 1821: Lola Montez, Irish-American actress and dancer (died 1861) Eliza Rosanna Gilbert, better known by the stage name Lola Montez, was an Irish dancer and actress who became famous as a Spanish dancer, courtesan, and mistress of King Ludwig I of Bavaria, who made her Gräfin (Countess) von Landsfeld. At the start of the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states, she was forced to flee. She proceeded to the United States via Austria, Switzerland, France and London, to return to her work as an entertainer and lecturer. Read more
17 Feb 1820: Henri Vieuxtemps, Belgian violinist and composer (died 1881) Henri François Joseph Vieuxtemps was a Belgian composer and violinist. He occupies an important place in the history of the violin as a prominent exponent of the Franco-Belgian violin school during the mid-19th century. He is also known for playing what is now known as the Vieuxtemps Guarneri del Gesù, a violin of superior workmanship. Read more
17 Feb 1817: Édouard Thilges, Luxembourgish jurist and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Luxembourg (died 1904) Jules Georges Édouard Thilges was a Luxembourgish politician. He served as prime minister of Luxembourg for over three years, from 20 February 1885 until 22 September 1888. Read more

🕊️ Important Deaths on 17 February in World History

17 Feb 2025: Paquita la del Barrio, Mexican singer, songwriter and actress (born 1947) Francisca Viveros Barradas, known professionally as Paquita la del Barrio, was a Mexican singer. She was a Grammy-nominated performer of rancheras, boleros and other traditional and contemporary Mexican musical genres. Read more
17 Feb 2025: Frits Bolkestein, Dutch politician (born 1933) Frederik "Frits" Bolkestein was a Dutch politician and energy executive who served as Leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) from 1990 to 1998 and European Commissioner for Internal Market from 1999 until 2004 under Romano Prodi. Read more
17 Feb 2025: Rick Buckler, English drummer, songwriter, and producer (born 1955) Paul Richard Buckler was an English musician who was the drummer of the rock band the Jam. Read more
17 Feb 2025: James Harrison, Australian blood plasma donor (born 1936) James Christopher Harrison was an Australian blood donor known as the "Man with the Golden Arm" for his prolific history of donations, 1,173 times between the ages 18 to 81. Read more
17 Feb 2024: Gamini Jayawickrama Perera, Sri Lankan politician (born 1941) Mallawa Arachchige Gamini Jayawickrama Perera was a Sri Lankan politician. He was a United National Party member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka for the Kurunegala District between 1994 and 2020, and had previously represented Katugampola in the National State Assembly from 1977 to 1989. Perera served many cabinet positions in various Sri Lankan governments, including being the Minister of Buddha Sasana, Minister of Wayamba Development, Minister of Sustainable Development and Wildlife, Minister of Food Security and the Minister of Irrigation and Water Management. Perera also briefly left national politics to become the Chief Minister of the North Western Province and serve in the North Western Provincial Council. Perera helped represent Sri Lanka's interests internationally as the chairman of United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, a position he was elected to in April 2016. Furthermore, he held the position of chairman of the United National Party during a significant period of his career. Read more
17 Feb 2024: Josette Molland, WWII French Resistance member and artist (born 1923) Josette Molland, also known as Josette Molland-Ilinsky, was a painter and member of the French Resistance in World War II. Read more
17 Feb 2021: Rush Limbaugh, American talk show host and author (born 1951) Rush Hudson Limbaugh III was an American conservative political commentator who was the host of The Rush Limbaugh Show, which first aired in 1984 and was nationally syndicated on AM and FM radio stations from 1988 until his death in 2021. Read more
17 Feb 2021: Seif Sharif Hamad, Tanzanian politician (born 1943) Seif Sharif Hamad was a Tanzanian politician who served as the First Vice President of Zanzibar and as Party Chairman of ACT Wazalendo. Read more
17 Feb 2017: Robert H. Michel, American politician (born 1923) Robert Henry Michel was an American Republican Party politician who was a member of the United States House of Representatives for 38 years. He represented central Illinois's 18th congressional district and was the GOP leader in the House, serving as House Minority Leader during his last 14 years in Congress, 1981 to 1995. Read more
17 Feb 2017: Michael Novak, American Roman Catholic theologian (born 1933) Michael John Novak Jr. was an American Catholic philosopher, journalist, novelist, and diplomat. The author of more than forty books on the philosophy and theology of culture, Novak is most widely known for his book The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism (1982). In 1993 Novak was honored with an honorary doctorate at Universidad Francisco Marroquín due to his commitment to the idea of liberty. In 1994 he was awarded the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion, which included a million-dollar purse awarded at Buckingham Palace. He wrote books and articles focused on capitalism, religion, and the politics of democratization. Read more
17 Feb 2016: Andy Ganteaume, Trinidadian cricketer (born 1921) Andrew Gordon Ganteaume was a Trinidadian cricketer who played one Test match for the West Indies in 1948 as a batsman. He scored 112 in his only Test innings which left him with the highest Test batting average in history until it was surpassed by Kurtis Patterson. Ganteaume played for Trinidad from a young age and was chosen to play in a Test match against England following his good batting form in 1948. However, his slow scoring probably cost him his place and he never played another Test, although he toured England with the West Indies in 1957. At the time of his death, Ganteaume was the oldest surviving West Indies Test cricketer. Read more
17 Feb 2016: Mohamed Hassanein Heikal, Egyptian journalist (born 1923) Mohamed Hassanein Heikal was an Egyptian journalist. For 17 years (1957–1974), he was editor-in-chief of the Cairo newspaper Al-Ahram and was a commentator on Middle East affairs for more than 50 years. Read more
17 Feb 2016: Claude Jeancolas, French historian, author, and journalist (born 1949) Claude Jeancolas was a French writer, art historian, and journalist. He is best known for his work on Arthur Rimbaud. Read more
17 Feb 2016: Tony Phillips, American baseball player (born 1959) Keith Anthony Phillips was an American professional baseball utility player who had an 18-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career from 1982 to 1999. He played regularly at second base, but also had significant time as a shortstop and third baseman. In addition, Phillips showed his versatility with over 100 game appearances in the outfield corners and as a designated hitter. Read more
17 Feb 2016: Andrzej Żuławski, Polish film director (born 1940) Andrzej Żuławski was a Polish film director and writer best known for his 1981 psychological horror film Possession. Żuławski often went against mainstream commercialism in his films, and enjoyed success mostly with European art-house audiences. Read more
17 Feb 2015: John Barrow, American-Canadian football player and manager (born 1935) John B. Barrow was an American college and professional football player who was an offensive and defensive tackle in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for fourteen seasons in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Barrow played college football for the University of Florida, and was recognized as an All-American. Thereafter, he played professionally for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL, and was later inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. Read more
17 Feb 2015: Cathy Ubels-Veen, Dutch politician (born 1928) Catharina "Cathy" Ubels-Veen was a Dutch politician. She was a member of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands between 1982 and 1986 for the Evangelical People's Party. Read more
17 Feb 2015: Liu Yudi, Chinese general and pilot (born 1923) Liu Yudi was a MiG-15 pilot of the People's Liberation Army Air Force of China. According to Chinese state source Xinhua, Liu was a flying ace during the Korean War, with 6 shootdowns. He later served as commander of the Beijing Military Region Air Force, and was awarded the rank of lieutenant general in 1988. Read more
17 Feb 2014: Bob Casale, American guitarist, keyboard player, and producer (born 1952) Robert Edward Casale Jr., or "Bob 2", was an American musician, composer and record producer. He came to prominence in the late 1970s as the rhythm guitarist and keyboardist of the new wave band Devo, which released a Top 20 hit in 1980 with the single "Whip It". The band has maintained a cult following throughout its existence. He was the younger brother of their co-founder and bass guitarist Gerald Casale. Read more
17 Feb 2014: Peter Florin, German politician and diplomat, President of the United Nations General Assembly (born 1921) Peter Florin was an East German politician and diplomat. Read more
17 Feb 2014: Wayne Smith, Jamaican singer (born 1965) Wayne Smith was a Jamaican reggae and dancehall musician best known for his 1985 hit "Under Me Sleng Teng", which is regarded as the track which initiated the digital era of reggae. Read more
17 Feb 2013: Richard Briers, English actor (born 1934) Richard David Briers was an English actor whose five-decade career encompassed film, radio, stage and television. Read more
17 Feb 2013: Shmulik Kraus, Israeli singer-songwriter and actor (born 1935) Shmuel 'Shmulik' Kraus was an Israeli pop-rock singer, composer, and actor. Kraus, one of the pioneers of Israeli music, underwent various personal crises in the course of his career. He appeared in several films, including Rocking Horse and Hole in the Moon, and composed songs for other performers, such as Shalom Hanoch. He was also known for his music for children based on the lyrics of Miriam Yalan-Shteklis. Read more
17 Feb 2013: Sophie Kurys, American baseball player (born 1925) Sophie Kurys was a former second basewoman who played from 1943 through 1952 in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). Listed at 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m), 115 lb (52 kg), Kurys batted and threw right-handed. Read more
17 Feb 2013: Mindy McCready, American singer-songwriter (born 1975) Malinda Gayle McCready was an American country music singer. Active from 1995 until her suicide in 2013, she recorded a total of five studio albums. Her debut album, 1996's Ten Thousand Angels, was released on BNA Records and was certified 2× Platinum by the RIAA, while 1997's If I Don't Stay the Night was certified Gold. 1999's I'm Not So Tough, her final album for BNA, was less successful, and she left the label. A self-titled fourth album followed in 2002 on Capitol Records. McCready's fifth and final studio album, I'm Still Here, was released in March 2010 on Iconic Records. Read more
17 Feb 2012: Robert Carr, English engineer and politician, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer (born 1916) Leonard Robert Carr, Baron Carr of Hadley, was a British Conservative Party politician who served as Home Secretary from 1972 to 1974. He served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for 26 years, and later served in the House of Lords as a life peer. Read more
17 Feb 2012: Michael Davis, American singer-songwriter and bass player (born 1943) Michael Davis was an American bass guitarist, singer, songwriter and music producer, best known as a member of the MC5. Read more
17 Feb 2012: Nicolaas Govert de Bruijn, Dutch mathematician and theorist (born 1918) Nicolaas Govert "Dick" de Bruijn was a Dutch mathematician, noted for his many contributions in the fields of analysis, number theory, combinatorics and logic. Read more
17 Feb 2012: Ulric Neisser, German-American psychologist and academic (born 1928) Ulric Richard Gustav Neisser (December 8, 1928 – February 17, 2012) was a German-American psychologist, Cornell University professor, and member of the US National Academy of Sciences. He has been referred to as the "father of cognitive psychology". Neisser researched and wrote about perception and memory. He posited that a person's mental processes could be measured and subsequently analyzed. In 1967, Neisser published Cognitive Psychology, which he later said was considered an attack on behaviorist psychological paradigms. Cognitive Psychology brought Neisser instant fame and recognition in the field of psychology. While Cognitive Psychology was considered unconventional, it was Neisser's Cognition and Reality that contained some of his most controversial ideas. A main theme in Cognition and Reality is Neisser's advocacy for experiments on perception occurring in natural settings. Neisser postulated that memory is, largely, reconstructed and not a snap shot of the moment. Neisser illustrated this during one of his highly publicized studies on people's memories of the Challenger explosion. In his later career, he summed up current research on human intelligence and edited the first major scholarly monograph on the Flynn effect. A Review of General Psychology survey, published in 2002, ranked Neisser as the 32nd most cited psychologist of the 20th century. Read more
17 Feb 2010: Kathryn Grayson, American actress and singer (born 1922) Kathryn Grayson was an American actress and coloratura soprano. Read more
17 Feb 2009: Conchita Cintrón, Chilean bullfighter and journalist (born 1922) Concepción Cintrón Verrill, also known as Conchita Cintrón or La Diosa de Oro, was a Chile-born Peruvian torera, perhaps the most famous in the history of bullfighting. In the ring Cintrón was said to display particular grace, style and bravado, a combination known as duende. Read more
17 Feb 2006: Ray Barretto, American drummer (born 1929) Raymundo "Ray" Barretto Pagán was an American percussionist and bandleader of Puerto Rican descent. Throughout his career as a percussionist, he played a wide variety of Latin music styles, as well as Latin jazz. His first hit, "El Watusi", was recorded by his Charanga Moderna in 1962, becoming the most successful pachanga song in the United States. In the late 1960s, Barretto became one of the leading exponents of boogaloo and what would later be known as salsa. Nonetheless, many of Barretto's recordings would remain rooted in more traditional genres such as son cubano. A master of the descarga, Barretto was a long-time member of the Fania All-Stars. His success continued into the 1970s with songs such as "Cocinando" and "Indestructible". His last album for Fania Records, Soy dichoso, was released in 1990. He then formed the New World Spirit jazz ensemble and continued to tour and record until his death in 2006. He is the father of American vocalist and saxophonist Chris Barretto, best known for being the former singer of progressive metal bands Monuments and Periphery. Read more
17 Feb 2005: Dan O'Herlihy, Irish-American actor (born 1919) Daniel Peter O'Herlihy was an Irish actor. His best-known roles included his Oscar-nominated portrayal of the title character in Luis Buñuel's Robinson Crusoe (1954), Brigadier General Warren A. Black in Fail Safe (1964), Marshal Ney in Waterloo (1970), Conal Cochran in Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982), Grig in The Last Starfighter (1984), "The Old Man" in RoboCop (1987) and its 1990 sequel, and Andrew Packard in the television series Twin Peaks (1990–91). Read more
17 Feb 2005: Omar Sívori, Argentinian footballer and manager (born 1935) Enrique Omar Sívori was an Argentine-Italian football player and manager who played as a forward. At club level, he is known for his successful time with Italian side Juventus during the late 1950s and early 1960s, where he won three Serie A titles among other trophies; he also played for River Plate in Argentina and Napoli in Italy. Read more
17 Feb 2004: José López Portillo, Mexican lawyer and politician, 51st President of Mexico (born 1920) José Guillermo Abel López Portillo y Pacheco was a Mexican writer, lawyer, and politician affiliated with the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) who served as the 58th president of Mexico from 1976 to 1982. López Portillo was the only official candidate in the 1976 presidential election, being the only president in recent Mexican history to win an election unopposed. Read more
17 Feb 2003: Steve Bechler, American baseball player (born 1979) Steven Scott Bechler was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles. Read more
17 Feb 1998: Ernst Jünger, German soldier, philosopher, and author (born 1895) Ernst Jünger was a German author, soldier, philosopher, and entomologist who became publicly known for his World War I memoir Storm of Steel. A prolific writer of over forty books, Jünger wrote particularly in the furtherance of conservatism and against what he perceived as the spiritual oppression of man. Read more
17 Feb 1994: Randy Shilts, American journalist and author (born 1951) Randy Shilts was an American journalist and author. After studying journalism at the University of Oregon, Shilts began working as a reporter for both The Advocate and the San Francisco Chronicle, as well as for San Francisco Bay Area television stations. In the 1980s, he was noted for being the first openly gay reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle. Read more
17 Feb 1990: Jean-Marc Boivin, French mountaineer, skier, and pilot (born 1951) Jean-Marc Boivin was a French mountaineer, extreme skier, hang glider and paraglider pilot, speleologist, BASE jumper, film maker and author. The holder of several altitude records for hang gliding and paragliding, the creator of numerous first ascents and first ski descents in the Alps, a member of the team that broke the record for a sub-glacial dive and the first person to paraglide from the summit of Mount Everest, Boivin was a pioneer of extreme sports. He died from injuries incurred after BASE jumping off Angel Falls in Venezuela, the highest waterfall in the world. Read more
17 Feb 1989: Lefty Gomez, American baseball player (born 1908) Vernon Louis "Lefty" Gomez was an American professional baseball player. A left-handed pitcher, Gomez played in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1930 and 1943 for the New York Yankees and the Washington Senators. Gomez was a six-time World Series champion with the Yankees. He was also known for his colorful personality and humor. Gomez also had the most strikeouts with 1,337 of any pitcher and the most All-Star selections with 7 of any player for the entire 1930s decade. Read more
17 Feb 1988: John M. Allegro, English archaeologist and scholar (born 1923) John Marco Allegro was an English archaeologist and Dead Sea Scrolls scholar. He was a populariser of the Dead Sea Scrolls through his books and radio broadcasts. He was the editor of some of the most famous and controversial scrolls published, the pesharim. A number of Allegro's later books, including The Sacred Mushroom and the Cross, brought him both popular fame and notoriety, and also complicated his career. Married with two children, he died of a heart attack on his 65th birthday in 1988. Read more
17 Feb 1988: Karpoori Thakur, Indian educator and politician, 11th Chief Minister of Bihar (born 1924) Karpoori Thakur was an Indian politician who twice served as the 11th Chief Minister of Bihar, first from December 1970 to June 1971, and then from June 1977 to April 1979. He was popularly known as Jan Nayak. On 26 January 2024, he was posthumously awarded India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, by the Government of India. This was announced by the President of India Draupadi Murmu on 23 January 2024. Read more
17 Feb 1986: Jiddu Krishnamurti, Indian-American philosopher and author (born 1895) Jiddu Krishnamurti was an Indian spiritual figure, speaker, and writer. Adopted by members of the Theosophical Society as a child, Krishnamurti was raised to fill the mantle of the prophesied World Teacher, a role tasked with aiding humankind's spiritual evolution. In 1922, he began to suffer from painful, seizure-like mystical episodes that would produce a lasting change in his perception of reality. In 1929, he broke from the Theosophy movement and disbanded the Order of the Star in the East which had been formed around him. He spent the rest of his life speaking to groups and individuals around the world, hoping to contribute a radical transformation of mankind. Read more
17 Feb 1982: Nestor Chylak, American baseball player and umpire (born 1922) Nestor George Chylak Jr. was an American umpire in Major League Baseball who worked in the American League from 1954 to 1978. He umpired in three ALCS, serving as crew chief in 1969 and 1973. He also called five World Series, serving as the crew chief in 1971 and 1977. He also worked in six All-Star Games: 1957, 1960, 1964, 1973 and 1978, working home plate in the second 1960 game and in 1973. Read more
17 Feb 1982: Thelonious Monk, American pianist and composer (born 1917) Thelonious Sphere Monk was an American jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the standard jazz repertoire, including "'Round Midnight", "Blue Monk", "Straight, No Chaser", "Ruby, My Dear", "In Walked Bud", and "Well, You Needn't". Monk is the second-most-recorded jazz composer after Duke Ellington. Read more
17 Feb 1982: Lee Strasberg, American actor and director (born 1901) Lee Strasberg was an Austro-Hungarian-born American acting coach and actor. He co-founded, with theatre directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 1931, which was hailed as "America's first true theatrical collective". In 1951, he became director of the nonprofit Actors Studio in New York City, considered "the nation's most prestigious acting school," and, in 1966, he was involved in the creation of Actors Studio West in Los Angeles. Read more
17 Feb 1979: William Gargan, American actor (born 1905) William Dennis Gargan was an American film, television and radio actor. He was the 5th recipient of the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 1967, and in 1941, was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Joe in They Knew What They Wanted. He acted in decades of movies including parts in Follow the Leader, Rain, Night Flight, Three Sons, Isle of Destiny and many others. The role he was best known for was that of a private detective Martin Kane in the 1949–1952 radio-television series Martin Kane, Private Eye. In television, he was also in 39 episodes of The New Adventures of Martin Kane. Read more
17 Feb 1977: Janani Luwum, Ugandan archbishop and saint (born 1922) Janani Jakaliya Luwum was a Ugandan Anglican bishop. He was the archbishop of the Church of Uganda from 1974 to 1977 and one of the most influential leaders of the modern church in Africa. He was arrested in February 1977 and died shortly after. Although the official account describes a car crash, it is generally accepted that he was murdered on the orders of then-president Idi Amin. Read more
17 Feb 1972: Friday Hassler, American race car driver (born 1935) Raymond Lee "Friday" Hassler was a NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series driver. Read more
17 Feb 1970: Shmuel Yosef Agnon, Ukrainian-Israeli novelist, short story writer, and poet, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1888) Shmuel Yosef Agnon was an Austro-Hungarian-born Israeli novelist, poet, and short-story writer. He was one of the central figures of modern Hebrew literature. In Hebrew, he is known by the pseudonym Shai Agnon. In English, his works are published under the name S. Y. Agnon. Read more
17 Feb 1970: Alfred Newman, American composer and conductor (born 1900) Alfred Newman was an American composer, arranger, and conductor of film music. From his start as a music prodigy, he came to be regarded as a respected figure in the history of film music. He won nine Academy Awards and was nominated 45 times, contributing to the extended Newman family being the most Academy Award-nominated family, with a collective 92 nominations in various music categories. Read more
17 Feb 1969: Berry L. Cannon, American aquanaut (born 1935) Berry Louis Cannon was an American aquanaut who served on the SEALAB II and III projects of the United States Navy. Cannon died while attempting to repair SEALAB III. A U.S. Navy Board of Inquiry concluded that Cannon died of carbon dioxide poisoning, and that his diving rig's baralyme canister, which should have absorbed the carbon dioxide Cannon exhaled, was empty. Read more
17 Feb 1966: Hans Hofmann, German-American painter (born 1880) Hans Hofmann was a German-born American painter, renowned as both an artist and teacher. His career spanned two generations and two continents, and is considered to have both preceded and influenced Abstract Expressionism. Born and educated near Munich, he was active in the early twentieth-century European avant-garde and brought a deep understanding and synthesis of Symbolism, Neo-impressionism, Fauvism, and Cubism when he emigrated to the United States in 1932. Hofmann's painting is characterized by its rigorous concern with pictorial structure and unity, spatial illusionism, and use of bold color for expressive means. The influential critic Clement Greenberg considered Hofmann's first New York solo show at Peggy Guggenheim’s Art of This Century in 1944 as a breakthrough in painterly versus geometric abstraction that heralded abstract expressionism. In the decade that followed, Hofmann's recognition grew through numerous exhibitions, notably at the Kootz Gallery, culminating in major retrospectives at the Whitney Museum of American Art (1957) and Museum of Modern Art (1963), which traveled to venues throughout the United States, South America, and Europe. His works are in the permanent collections of major museums around the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Tate Modern, Germanisches Nationalmuseum, National Gallery of Art, and Art Institute of Chicago. Read more
17 Feb 1963: Mijo Mirković, Croatian economist and author (born 1898) Mijo (Miho) Mirković, also known by his pen name Mate Balota, was a prominent Croatian poet, novelist and economist. Considered one of the most prominent Croatian poets of the 20th century and often credited as the greatest Istrian poet, he was called "the greatest Istrian after Labin's Matija Vlačić" by Tone Peruško. Read more
17 Feb 1962: Joseph Kearns, American actor (born 1907) Joseph Sherrard Kearns was an American actor, who is best remembered for his role as George Wilson on the CBS television series Dennis the Menace from 1959 until his death in 1962. He was also a prolific radio actor, and provided the voice of the Doorknob in the 1951 animated Disney film, Alice in Wonderland. Read more
17 Feb 1962: Bruno Walter, German-American pianist, composer, and conductor (born 1876) Bruno Walter was a German-born conductor, pianist, and composer. Born in Berlin, he left Nazi Germany in 1933, was naturalised as a French citizen in 1938, and settled in the United States in 1939. He worked closely with Gustav Mahler, whose music he helped to establish in the repertory, held major positions with the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Concertgebouw Orchestra, Salzburg Festival, Vienna State Opera, Bavarian State Opera, Staatsoper Unter den Linden and Deutsche Oper Berlin, among others, made recordings of historical and artistic significance, and is widely considered to be one of the great conductors of the 20th century. Read more
17 Feb 1961: Lütfi Kırdar, Turkish physician and politician, Turkish Minister of Health (born 1887) Mehmet Lütfi Kırdar was a Turkish physician, civil servant, politician and Minister of Health and Social Security. He is best remembered for his long-term position as the Governor and Mayor of Istanbul. Read more
17 Feb 1961: Nita Naldi, American actress (born 1894) Nita Naldi was an American stage performer and silent film actress. She was often cast in theatrical and screen productions as a vamp, a type of character first popularized by actress Theda Bara. Read more
17 Feb 1948: Yahya Muhammad Hamid ed-Din, Imam of Yemen (born 1904) Yahya Muhammad Hamid ed-Din was the first king of the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen from 1918 until his assassination in 1948. He became Imam of the Zaydis, a branch of Shia Islam, in 1904 after the death of his father, Muhammad Al-Mansur, and Imam of Yemen in 1918. His name and title in full was "His Majesty Amir al-Mu'mimin al-Mutawakkil 'Ala Allah Rab ul-Alamin Imam Yahya bin al-Mansur Bi'llah Muhammad Hamidaddin, Imam and Commander of the Faithful". Read more
17 Feb 1946: Dorothy Gibson, American actress and singer (born 1889) Dorothy Gibson was an American actress, socialite and artist's model, active in the early 20th century. She survived the sinking of the Titanic and starred in the first motion picture based on the disaster. Read more
17 Feb 1939: Willy Hess, German violinist and educator (born 1859) Willy Hess was a German violinist and violin teacher. Read more
17 Feb 1934: Albert I of Belgium (born 1875) Albert I was King of the Belgians from 23 December 1909 until his death in 1934. He is popularly referred to as the Knight King or Soldier King in Belgium in reference to his role during World War I. Read more
17 Feb 1934: Siegbert Tarrasch, German chess player and theoretician (born 1862) Siegbert Tarrasch was a German chess player, considered to have been among the strongest players and most influential theoreticians of the late 19th and early 20th century. Read more
17 Feb 1924: Oskar Merikanto, Finnish composer (born 1868) Oskar Merikanto was a Finnish composer, music critic, pianist, and organist. Read more
17 Feb 1919: Wilfrid Laurier, Canadian lawyer and politician, 7th Prime Minister of Canada (born 1841) Sir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier was the seventh prime minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911. The first French Canadian prime minister, his 15-year tenure remains the longest uninterrupted term of office among Canadian prime ministers and his nearly 45 years of service in the House of Commons is a record for the House. Laurier is best known for his compromises between English and French Canada. Read more
17 Feb 1912: Edgar Evans, Welsh sailor and explorer (born 1876) Petty Officer Edgar Evans was a Welsh Royal Navy petty officer and member of the "Polar Party" in Robert Falcon Scott's ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition to the South Pole in 1911–1912. This group of five men, personally selected for the final expedition push, attained the Pole on 17 January 1912. The party perished as they attempted to return to the base camp. Read more
17 Feb 1909: Geronimo, American tribal leader (born 1829) Gerónimo was a military leader and medicine man from the Bedonkohe band of the Ndendahe Apache people. From 1850 to 1886, Geronimo joined with members of three other Central Apache bands – the Tchihende, the Tsokanende and the Nednhi – to carry out numerous raids, as well as fight against Mexican and U.S. military campaigns in the northern Mexico states of Chihuahua and Sonora and in the southwestern American territories of New Mexico and Arizona. Read more
17 Feb 1905: Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia, fifth son and seventh child of Tsar Alexander II (born 1857) Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich of Russia was the fifth son and seventh child of Emperor Alexander II of Russia. He was an influential figure during the reigns of his brother Emperor Alexander III of Russia and his nephew Emperor Nicholas II, who was also his brother-in-law through Sergei's marriage to Elisabeth, the sister of Empress Alexandra. Read more
17 Feb 1905: William Bickerton, English-American religious leader, leader in the Latter Day Saint movement (born 1815) William Bickerton was a leader in the Latter Day Saint movement after the 1844 succession crisis. In 1862, Bickerton became the founding president of the church now known as The Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite), which is one of many churches that claim to be a continuation of the Church of Christ founded by Joseph Smith Jr in 1830. Read more
17 Feb 1890: Christopher Latham Sholes, American publisher and politician (born 1819) Christopher Latham Sholes was an American inventor who invented the QWERTY keyboard, and, along with Samuel W. Soule, Carlos Glidden and John Pratt, has been contended to be one of the inventors of the first typewriter in the United States. He was also a newspaper publisher and Wisconsin politician. In his time, Sholes went by the names C. Latham Sholes, Latham Sholes, or C. L. Sholes, but never "Christopher Sholes" or "Christopher L. Sholes". Read more
17 Feb 1874: Adolphe Quetelet, Belgian astronomer, mathematician, and sociologist (born 1796) Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet FRSF or FRSE was a Belgian-French astronomer, mathematician, statistician, and sociologist who founded and directed the Brussels Observatory and was influential in introducing statistical methods to the social sciences. His name is sometimes spelled with an accent as Quételet. Read more
17 Feb 1872: Gomburza, Filipino priests: José Apolonio Burgos y García was a Filipino Catholic priest, accused of mutiny by the Spanish colonial authorities in the Philippines in the 19th century. He was tried and executed in Manila along with two other clergymen, Mariano Gomez and Jacinto Zamora, who are collectively known as the Gomburza. Read more
17 Feb 1872: Gomburza, Filipino priests: Mariano Gómes de los Ángeles, often known by his birth name Mariano Gómez y Custodio or Mariano Gomez in modern orthography, was a Filipino Catholic priest who was falsely accused of mutiny by the Spanish colonial authorities in the Philippines in the 19th century. He was placed in a mock trial and summarily executed in Manila along with two other clergymen collectively known as the Gomburza. Gomes was the oldest of the three priests and spent his life writing about abuses against Filipino priests. Read more
17 Feb 1872: Gomburza, Filipino priests: Jacinto Zamora y del Rosario was a Filipino Catholic priest, part of the Gomburza, a trio of priests who were falsely accused of mutiny by the Spanish colonial authorities in the Philippines in the 19th century. Read more
17 Feb 1856: Heinrich Heine, German journalist and poet (born 1797) Christian Johann Heinrich Heine was a German poet, writer and literary critic. He is best known outside Germany for his early lyric poetry, which was set to music in the form of Lieder by composers such as Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann and Franz Schubert. Read more
17 Feb 1854: John Martin, English painter, engraver, and illustrator (born 1789) John Martin was an English Romanticist painter, engraver, and illustrator. He was known for his typically vast and dramatic paintings of religious subjects and fantastic compositions, populated with minute figures placed in imposing landscapes. Martin's paintings, and the prints made from them, enjoyed great success with the general public, with Thomas Lawrence referring to him as "the most popular painter of his day". He was also criticized by John Ruskin and other critics. Read more
17 Feb 1849: María de las Mercedes Barbudo, Puerto Rican political activist, the first woman Independentista in the island (born 1773) María de las Mercedes Barbudo was a Puerto Rican political activist, the first woman Independentista in the island, and a "Freedom Fighter". At the time, the Puerto Rican independence movement had ties with the Venezuelan rebels led by Simón Bolívar. Read more
17 Feb 1841: Ferdinando Carulli, Italian guitarist and composer (born 1770) Ferdinando Maria Meinrado Francesco Pascale Rosario Carulli was an Italian composer for classical guitar and the author of the influential Méthode complète pour guitare ou lyre, op. 27 (1810), which contains music still used by student guitarists today. He wrote a variety of works for classical guitar, including numerous solo and chamber works and several concertos. He was an extremely prolific writer, composing over 400 works for the instrument. Read more

Why is 17 February Important in World History?

Several significant political, cultural, educational, and sporting events took place on 17 February, making it an important topic for general knowledge and competitive examinations.

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What happened on 17 February in World history?

On 17 February, several important historical events, notable births, and major milestones occurred in World history.

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