What are the important events that happened on January 17? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.
January 17: Facts & Myths About This Day
January 17 is the 17th day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 348 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Friday.
Under the Julian calendar, this day is January 4, 2025 – a Friday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?
When this day started, 28,951,200 minutes 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 ‘heptadecagon’ day.
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Capricorn is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Garnet is the modern birthstone for this month. Emerald is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.
According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 12 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 4,410 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.
Do people and celebrities interest you? Discover all the January 17 famous birthdays who share your special day. Learn some fun facts about your birthday!
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January 17 Historical Events
- 1377 –Pope Gregory XI moves the Papacy back to Rome from Avignon.
- 1773 –Captain James Cook and his crew become the first Europeans to sail below the Antarctic Circle.
- 1899 –The United States takes possession of Wake Island in the Pacific Ocean.
- 1929 –Popeye the Sailor Man, a cartoon character created by Elzie Segar, first appears in the Thimble Theatre comic strip.
- 1949 –The Goldbergs, the first sitcom on American television, first airs.
- 1950 –The Great Brinks Robbery – 11 thieves steal more than $2 million from an armored car Company’s offices in Boston, Massachusetts.
- 1961 –Former Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba is murdered in circumstances suggesting the support and complicity of the governments of Belgium and the United States.
- 1994 –1994 Northridge earthquake: A magnitude 6.7 earthquake hits Northridge, California.
- 1998 –Lewinsky scandal: Matt Drudge breaks the story of the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky affair on his website The Drudge Report.
- 2010 –Rioting begins between Muslim and Christian groups in Jos, Nigeria, resulting in at least 200 deaths.
Who were born on January 17?
- 1886 –Ronald Firbank, British novelist (d. 1926)
- 1925 –Abdul Kardar, Pakistani cricketer (d. 1996)
- 1925 –Robert Cormier, American author, columnist and reporter (d. 2000)
- 1926 –Moira Shearer, Scottish actress (d. 2006)
- 1939 –Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens and All Greece (d. 2008)
- 1957 –Michel Vaarten, Belgian cyclist
- 1958 –Valdas Kasparavičius, Lithuanian footballer
- 1965 –Sylvain Turgeon, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1980 –Gareth McLearnon, Northern Irish flautist
- 1984 –Calvin Harris, Scottish music producer and vocalist
Who died on January 17?
- 1654 –Paulus Potter, Dutch painter (b. 1625)
- 1887 –William Giblin, Premier of Tasmania (b. 1840)
- 1893 –Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th President of the United States (b. 1822)
- 1908 –Ferdinand IV Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1835)
- 1911 –Sir Francis Galton, English polymath, anthropologist, eugenicist (b. 1822)
- 1970 –Billy Stewart, American singer (b. 1937)
- 1977 –Dougal Haston, Scottish mountaineer (b. 1940)
- 2003 –Richard Crenna, American actor (b. 1926)
- 2005 –Virginia Mayo, American actress (b. 1920)
- 2008 –Allan Melvin, American actor (b. 1923)
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