- February 17
Events
*
1500 -Battle of Hemmingstedt .
*1600 - PhilosopherGiordano Bruno is burned alive atCampo de' Fiori inRome , charged of heresy.
*1621 -Myles Standish is appointed as first commander of Plymouth colony.
*1753 - February 17 is followed byMarch 1 asSweden moves from theJulian calendar to theGregorian calendar .
*1801 - An electoral tie betweenThomas Jefferson andAaron Burr is resolved when Jefferson is electedPresident of the United States and Burr Vice President by theUnited States House of Representatives .
*1814 -Battle of Mormans .
*1819 - The United States House of Representatives passes theMissouri Compromise .
*1854 - The British recognizes the independence of theOrange Free State .
*1864 -American Civil War : The "H. L. Hunley" becomes the firstsubmarine to engage and sink a warship, the USS "Housatonic".
*1865 - American Civil War:Columbia, South Carolina is burned as Confederate forces flee from advancing Union forces.
*1867 - The first ship passes through theSuez Canal .
*1871 - The victoriousPrussia n Army parades thoughParis, France after the end of theSiege of Paris during theFranco-Prussian War .
*1904 - "Madama Butterfly " premiers atLa Scala inMilan .
*1913 - TheArmory Show opens inNew York City , displaying works of artists who are to become some of the most influential painters of the early20th century .
*1924 - InMiami, Florida ,Johnny Weissmuller sets a new world record in the 100-yard freestyleswimming competition with a time of 52-2/5 seconds.
*1925 -Harold Ross andJane Grant found "The New Yorker " magazine; the debut issue is datedFebruary 21 , 1925.
*1933 - Themagazine "Newsweek " is published for the first time.
* 1933 - TheBlaine Act endsProhibition in the United States.
*1936 - The world's firstsuperhero ,The Phantom , makes his first appearance incomics .
*1944 -World War II :Battle of Eniwetok Atoll begins. The battle ends in an American victory onFebruary 22 .
* 1944 - World War II:Operation Hailstone begins. U.S. naval air, surface, and submarine attack against Truk (Chuuk ),Japan 's main base in the central Pacific, in support of the Eniwetok invasion.
*1947 - TheVoice of America begins to transmitradio broadcasts into theSoviet Union .
*1957 - A fire at a home for the elderly inWarrenton, Missouri kills 72 people.
*1958 -Pope Pius XII declaresSaint Clare of Assisi (1193 ~1253 ) thepatron saint oftelevision .
*1959 -Project Vanguard :Vanguard 2 - The firstweather satellite launched to measurecloud -cover distribution.
*1962 - A storm kills more than 300 people inHamburg ,West Germany .
*1964 - InWesberry v. Sanders theSupreme Court of the United States rules that congressional districts have to be approximately equal in population.
*1964 - Gabonese presidentLeon M'ba is toppled by a coup and his archrival,Jean-Hilaire Aubame , is installed in his place.
*1968 - InSpringfield, Massachusetts the Naismith MemorialBasketball Hall of Fame opens.
*1972 - Sales of theVolkswagen Beetle model exceed those ofFord Model-T .
*1974 -Robert K. Preston , a disgruntledU.S. Army private, buzzes theWhite House with a stolenhelicopter .
*1979 - TheSino-Vietnamese War begins.
*1992 - A court inMilwaukee, Wisconsin sentencesserial killer Jeffrey Dahmer to life in prison.
*1995 -Colin Ferguson is convicted of six counts ofmurder for theDecember 1993 Long Island Rail Road shootings and later receives a 200+ year sentence.
* 1995 - TheCenepa War betweenPeru andEcuador ends on acease-fire brokered by the UN.
*1996 - InPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania , world championGarry Kasparov beats the Deep Bluesupercomputer in achess match.
*2003 - TheLondon Congestion Charge scheme begins.
*2006 - A massive mudslide occurs inSouthern Leyte ,Philippines ; the official death toll is set at 1,126.
*2008 -Kosovo declares independence fromSerbia .Births
*
1490 -Charles III, Duke of Bourbon , Constable of France (d.1527 )
*1519 -Francis, Duke of Guise , French soldier and politician (d.1563 )
*1524 -Charles of Guise , French cardinal (d.1574 )
*1581 -Fausto Poli , Italian Catholic priest (d.1653 )
*1646 -Pierre Le Pesant, sieur de Boisguilbert , French economist (d.1714 )
*1653 -Arcangelo Corelli , Italian composer (d.1713 )
*1718 -Matthew Tilghman , American Continental Congressman (d.1790 )
*1723 -Tobias Mayer , German astronomer (d.1762 )
*1752 -Friedrich Maximilian Klinger , German writer (d.1831 )
*1754 -Nicolas Baudin , French explorer (d.1803 )
*1781 -René Laënnec , French physician (d.1826 )
*1792 -Karl Ernst von Baer , German biologist (d.1876 )
*1796 -Philipp Franz von Siebold , German physician (d.1866 )
*1816 -Haller Nutt , Southern Plantation owner (d.1864 )
*1820 -Elzéar-Alexandre Taschereau , Catholic cardinal (d.1898 )
*1820 -Henri Vieuxtemps , Belgian composer (d.1881 )
*1821 -Lola Montez , Irish dancer (d.1861 )
*1836 -Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer , Spanish poet (d.1870 )
*1844 -Aaron Montgomery Ward , American department store founder (d.1913 )
*1848 -Louisa Lawson , Australian suffragist and writer (d.1920 )
*1854 -Friedrich Alfred Krupp , German industrialist (d.1902 )
*1861 -Princess Helena, Duchess of Albany (d.1922 )
*1862 -Mori Ōgai , Japanese novelist and poet (d.1922 )
*1863 -Fyodor Sologub , Russian symbolist novelist and poet (d.1927 )
*1864 -Jozef Murgaš , Slovak inventor (d.1929 )
* 1864 -Banjo Paterson , Australian poet (d.1941 )
*1874 -Thomas J. Watson , American computer manufacturer (d.1956 )
*1877 -Isabelle Eberhardt , Swiss explorer and writer (d.1904 )
* 1877 -André Maginot , French politician (d.1932 )
*1885 - Steve Evans, American baseball player (d.1943 )
*1887 -Leevi Madetoja , Finnish composer (d.1947 )
*1888 -Otto Stern , German physicist, Nobel Prize Laureate (d.1969 )
*1893 -Wally Pipp , American baseball player (d.1965 )
*1904 -Hans Morgenthau , German political philosopher (d.1980 )
*1908 -Red Barber , American baseball announcer (d.1992 )
* 1908 -Bo Yibo , Chinese politician (d.2005 )
*1910 -Arthur Hunnicutt , American actor (d.1979 )
* 1910 -Marc Lawrence , American actor (d.2005 )
*1911 -Oskar Seidlin , Silesian-born American literary scholar (d.1984 )
*1912 -Andre Norton , American author (d.2005 )
*1914 - Arthur Kennedy, American actor (d.1990 )
* 1914 -Wayne Morris , American actor (d.1959 )
*1916 -Raf Vallone , Italian actor (d.2002 )
* 1916 -Alexander Obolensky , Russian prince and famed Rugby Union footballer who played for England.(d.1940 )
*1917 -Abdur Rahman Badawi , Egyptian philosopher (d.2002 )
* 1917 -Guillermo González Camarena , Mexican inventor (d.1965 )
*1919 -Kathleen Freeman , American actress (d.2001 )
*1920 -Ivo Caprino , Norwegian animated film director
*1922 -Enrico Banducci , American nightclub owner (d.2007 )
* 1922 -Tommy Edwards , American singer (d.1969 )
* 1922 -Marshall Teague , American race car driver (d.1959 )
*1924 -Margaret Truman , American novelist (d.2008 )
*1925 -Ron Goodwin , English composer and conductor (d.2003 )
* 1925 -Hal Holbrook , American actor
*1928 -Marta Romero , Puerto Rican actress & singer
*1929 -Paul Meger , Canadian ice hockey player
* 1929 -Chaim Potok , American author (d.2002 )
* 1929 -Patricia Routledge , English actress
*1930 - Roger Craig, American baseball player and manager
* 1930 -Ruth Rendell , English writer
*1932 -Buck Trent , American banjo player
*1933 -Bobby Lewis , American singer
* 1933 -Craig L. Thomas , American politician (d.2007 )
*1934 -Alan Bates , English actor (d.2003 )
* 1934 -Barry Humphries , Australian actor and comedian
*1935 -Christina Pickles , UK-born American actress
*1936 -Jim Brown , American football player
*1939 -John Leyton , British singer
* 1939 -Mary Ann Mobley , American actress and beauty queen
*1940 -Gene Pitney , American singer (d.2006 )
*1941 -Julia McKenzie , English actress and theatre director
*1942 -Huey P. Newton , American political activist (d.1989 )
*1944 -Karl Jenkins , Welsh composer
*1945 -Zina Bethune , American actress
* 1945 -Brenda Fricker , Irish actress
*1946 -Dodie Stevens , American singer
*1948 -José José , Mexican singer and actor
* 1948 -Rick Majerus , American basketball coach
*1949 -Fred Frith , English musician and composer
*1952 -Karin Janz , East German gymnast
*1953 -Norman Pace , British actor and comic
*1954 -Rene Russo , American actress
*1955 -Mo Yan , Chinese novelist
*1956 -Richard Karn , American actor
*1957 -Loreena McKennitt , Canadian musician
*1959 -Aryeh Deri , Israeli rabbi and politician
* 1959 -Neil Lomax , American football player
*1962 -Samuel Bayer , American music video director
* 1962 -Alison Hargreaves , British mountaineer (d.1995 )
* 1962 -Tyrone "Ty" Jones , American screenwriter
* 1962 -David McComb , Australian musician (The Triffids ) (d.1999 )
* 1962 -Lou Diamond Phillips , American actor
*1963 -Michael Jordan , American basketball player
* 1963 -Larry the Cable Guy , American comedian
*1963 -Jen-Hsun Huang , American entrepreneur and businessman
*1964 -Buster Olney , American sports columnist
*1965 -Michael Bay , American film director
*1966 -Ioannis Kalitzakis , Greek footballer
* 1966 -Quorthon , Swedish musician (Bathory) (d.2004 )
* 1966 -Luc Robitaille , Canadian ice hockey player
* 1966 -Michael Lepond , American musician
*1967 -Chanté Moore , American singer
*1968 -Bryan Cox , National Football League player
*1969 -Tuesday Knight , American actress
*1970 - Tim Mahoney, American musician (311)
* 1970 -Tommy Moe , American Olympic skier
* 1970 -Dominic Purcell , English-born actor
*1971 -Martyn Bennett , Canadian composer (d.2005 )
* 1971 -Jeremy Edwards , British actor
* 1971 -Denise Richards , American actress
*1972 -Billie Joe Armstrong , American musician (Green Day )
* 1972 -Philippe Candeloro , French figure skater
* 1972 -Taylor Hawkins , American musician (Foo Fighters )
* 1972 -Valeria Mazza , Argentinian model
* 1972 -Yuki Isoya , Japanese singer (formerlyJudy and Mary )
* 1973 -SaRenna Lee , American pornographic actress
*1974 - Kaoru, Japanese musician
* 1974 -Jerry O'Connell , American actor
* 1974 -Bryan White , American singer
*1975 -Wish Bone , American rapper
* 1975 -Harisu , South Korean singer, model and actress
* 1975 -Todd Harvey , Canadian ice hockey player
* 1975 -Vaclav Prospal , Czech ice hockey player
*1976 -Kelly Carlson , American actress
* 1976 -Scott Williamson , American baseball player
*1978 -Jacob Wetterling , American kidnapping victim
*1979 - Dee, Puerto Rican pornographic actress
* 1979 -Josh Willingham , American baseball player
*1980 -Al Harrington , American basketball player
* 1980 -Klemi Saban , Israeli footballer
* 1980 -Jason Ritter , American actor
*1981 -Joseph Gordon-Levitt , American actor
* 1981 -Paris Hilton , American actress and heiress
*1982 -Lupe Fiasco , American rapper
* 1982 - Adriano, Brazilian footballer
* 1982 -Brian Bruney , American baseball player
*1983 -Gérald Cid , French footballer
* 1983 -Marios Kaperonis , Greek boxer
*1984 -Jimmy Jacobs , American professional wrestler
* 1984 -Kenta Kamakari , Japanese actor and seiyuu
* 1984 -AB de Villiers , South African cricketer
*1985 -Anne Curtis , Filipino actress and commercial model
*1986 -Joey O'Brien , Irish footballer
*1986 -Sandra Nilsson , Swedish model
*1988 -Natascha Kampusch , Austrian kidnapping victim
*1991 -Bonnie Wright , British actress
*1992 -Meaghan Jette Martin , American child actress and singer
*1996 -Sasha Pieterse , South African child actressDeaths
*
364 -Jovian ,Roman Emperor
*440 - Mesrop Mashtots
*1339 -Otto, Duke of Austria (b.1301 )
*1371 -Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria
*1596 -Friedrich Sylburg , German classical scholar (b.1536 )
*1600 -Giordano Bruno , Italian philosopher (burned at the stake) (b.1548 )
*1609 -Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b.1549 )
*1624 -Juan de Mariana , Spanish historian (b.1536 )
*1659 -Abel Servien , French diplomat (b.1593 )
*1673 -Molière , French playwright (b.1622 )
*1680 -Denzil Holles, 1st Baron Holles , English statesman and writer (b.1599 )
* 1680 -Jan Swammerdam , Dutch biologist (b.1637 )
*1715 -Antoine Galland , French archaeologist (b.1646 )
*1732 -Louis Marchand , French organist and harpsichordist (b.1669 )
*1768 -Arthur Onslow , English politician (b.1691 )
*1780 -Andreas Felix von Oefele , German historian and librarian (b.1706 )
*1841 -Ferdinando Carulli , Italian guitarist (b.1770 )
*1854 - John Martin, English painter (b.1789 )
*1856 -Heinrich Heine , German writer (b.1797 )
*1874 -Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet , Belgian mathematician (b.1796 )
*1883 -Napoleon Coste , French guitarist and composer (b.1806 )
* 1883 -Vasudeo Balwant Phadke , Indian revolutionary (b.1845 )
*1890 -Christopher Sholes , American inventor (b.1819 )
*1909 -Geronimo , Apache leader (b.1829 )
*1912 -Edgar Evans , Welsh naval officer (b.1876 )
*1919 -Wilfrid Laurier , 7thPrime Minister of Canada (b.1841 )
*1934 - KingAlbert I of Belgium (b.1875 )
* 1934 -Siegbert Tarrasch , German chess player (b.1862 )
*1939 - Willy Hess, German violinist (b.1859 )
*1943 -Armand J. Piron , American jazz violinist and composer (b.1888 )
* 1943 -Konstantin Bogaevsky , Russian painter (b.1872 )
*1958 -Hugh McCrae , Australian writer (b.1876 )
*1961 -Nita Naldi , American actress (b.1897 )
*1962 -Bruno Walter , German conductor (b.1876 )
*1970 -Shmuel Yosef Agnon , Israeli writer, Nobel laureate (b.1888 )
* 1970 -Alfred Newman , American film composer (b.1901 )
*1977 -Janani Luwum , Ugandan Archbishop (b.1922 )
*1982 -Nestor Chylak , American baseball umpire (b.1922 )
* 1982 -Thelonious Monk , American jazz pianist (b.1917 )
* 1982 -Lee Strasberg , Austrian-born actor (b.1901 )
*1986 -Jiddu Krishnamurti , Indian philosopher (b.1895 )
*1989 -Lefty Gomez , American baseball player (b.1908 )
*1990 - Erik Rhodes, American actor (b.1906 )
* 1990 -Hap Day , Canadian ice hockey player and manager (b.1901 )
*1994 -Randy Shilts , American author and activist (b.1951 )
*1996 -Hervé Bazin , French writer (b.1911 )
*1997 -Zein Isa , Palestinian militant imprisoned in theUnited States for thehonor killing of his daughter
*1998 -Ernst Jünger , German author (b.1895 )
* 1998 -Bob Merrill , American composer and lyricist (b.1921 )
*2001 -Khalid Abdul Muhammed , American Nation of Islam spokesman (b.1948 )
* 2001 -Bob Geary , Canadian football player and manager (b.1933 )
*2004 -José López Portillo ,President of Mexico (b.1920 )
*2005 -Dan O'Herlihy , Irish actor (b.1919 )
* 2005 -Omar Sivori , Argentine footballer (b.1935 )
*2006 -Ray Barretto , Puerto Rican musician (b.1929 )
* 2006 -Bill Cowsill , American singer (The Cowsills ) (b.1948 )
*2007 -Jurga Ivanauskaitė , Lithuanian writer (b.1961 )
* 2007 -Mike Awesome , American professional wrestler (b.1965 )
* 2007 -Dermot O'Reilly , Irish-born Canadian musician, producer and songwriter (b.1943 )
* 2007 -Maurice Papon , French Nazi collaborator (b.1910 )
*2008 - Brian Harris, English footballer (b.1935 )Holidays and observances
*
Roman Empire -Quirinalia in honor ofQuirinus .
*AncientLatvia -Tanis Diena observed.
*Seven Founders of the Servite Order
*SaintAlexis Falconieri (d. 1310)
*Saint Constabilis
*February 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics) External links
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/17 BBC: On This Day]
*
* [http://www1.sympatico.ca/cgi-bin/on_this_day?mth=Feb&day=17 On This Day in Canada] ----
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