What are the important events that happened on February 17? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.
February 17: Facts & Myths About This Day
February 17 is the 48th day of the year 2024 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 318 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Saturday.
Under the Julian calendar, this day is February 4, 2024 – a Saturday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?
When this day started, 1,708,128,000 seconds has elapsed since midnight of January 1, 1970 – the Unix epoch.
Strange as it may, if we name this day after a polygon then it will be called ‘tetracontaoctagon’ day.
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Aquarius is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Amethyst is the modern birthstone for this month. Bloodstone is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.
According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 347 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.
The ancient Maya civilization believes that the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012. There are now 4,075 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.
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February 17 Historical Events
- 364 –Emperor Jovian dies after a reign of eight months. He is found dead in his tent at Tyana (Asia Minor) en route back to Constantinople in suspicious circumstances.
- 1753 –In Sweden February 17 is followed by March 1 as the country moves from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar.
- 1838 –Weenen massacre: Hundreds of Voortrekkers along the Blaukraans River, Natal are killed by Zulus.
- 1864 –American Civil War: The Ship becomes the first submarine to engage and sink a warship, the USS Housatonic.
- 1871 –The victorious Prussian Army parades though Paris, France after the end of the Siege of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War.
- 1959 –Project Vanguard: Vanguard 2 – The first weather satellite is launched to measure cloud-cover distribution.
- 1964 –Gabonese president Leon M'ba is toppled by a coup and his rival, Jean-Hilaire Aubame, is installed in his place.
- 1969 –New Year’s Day in Chinese calendar. Start of the year of the Earth Rooster in Chinese astrology.
- 1996 –In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, world champion Garry Kasparov beats the Deep Blue supercomputer in a chess match.
- 2003 –The London Congestion Charge scheme begins.
Who were born on February 17?
- 1653 –Arcangelo Corelli, Italian composer (d. 1713)
- 1916 –Raf Vallone, Italian actor (d. 2002)
- 1959 –Rowdy Gaines, American swimmer
- 1974 –Bryan White, American singer
- 1979 –Sarah Lee Guthrie, American musician
- 1983 –Gérald Cid, French footballer
- 1983 –Marios Kaperonis, Greek boxer
- 1988 –Natascha Kampusch, Austrian kidnapping victim
- 1989 –Chord Overstreet, American actor
- 2000 –Theo Diconu,footballer
Who died on February 17?
- 1609 –Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1549)
- 1680 –Denzil Holles, 1st Baron Holles, English statesman and writer (b. 1599)
- 1856 –Heinrich Heine, German writer (b. 1797)
- 1883 –Vasudeo Balwant Phadke, Indian revolutionary (b. 1845)
- 1912 –Edgar Evans, Welsh naval officer (b. 1876)
- 1934 –Siegbert Tarrasch, German chess player (b. 1862)
- 1982 –Nestor Chylak, American baseball umpire (b. 1922)
- 1990 –Hap Day, Canadian ice hockey player and manager (b. 1901)
- 2003 –Steve Bechler, American baseball player (b. 1979)
- 2008 –Brian Harris, English footballer (b. 1935)
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