Major Events
- 1773 Captain James Cook becomes the first to cross Antarctic Circle (66° 33' S)
- 1873 Modoc warriors defeats the United States Army in the First Battle of the Stronghold, a part of the Modoc War
- 1912 Captain Robert Scott's expedition arrives at the South Pole, one month after Roald Amundsen
- 1920 First day of prohibition of alcohol comes into effect in the US as a result of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution
- 1946 United Nations Security Council holds its 1st meeting, at Westminster Central Hall in Westminster, England
- 1991 Operation Desert Storm begins, with US-led coalition forces bombing Iraq, during the Gulf War
- More January 17 Events
Jan 17 in Film & TV
- 1984 Supreme Court rules (5-4) that private use of home VCRs to tape TV programs for later viewing does not violate federal copyright laws
Jan 17 in Music
- 1976 "I Write the Songs" cover by Barry Manilow hits #1
Jan 17 in Sport
- 1916 Rodman Wanamaker organises a lunch to discuss forming a golfers association (later the PGA) at the Taplow Club, Martinique Hotel, New York City
Did You Know?
Doomsday Clock set to five minutes to midnight in response to North Korea's 1st nuclear test
Pius V
Benjamin Franklin
David Lloyd George
David Beatty
Arnold Rothstein
Al Capone
Betty White
James Earl Jones
Jim Carrey
Kid Rock
Zooey Deschanel
Jake Paul
Tiësto
Calvin Harris
'Philadelphia' Jack O'Brien
Jacques Plante
Muhammad Ali
Dwyane WadeFamous Weddings
- 38 BC Roman Republican Leader Octavian, later Augustus 1st Roman Emperor, weds Livia Drusilla
- 1926 American comedian George Burns (28) weds American comedienne Gracie Allen (31), until her death in 1964
- 1946 American actor John Wayne (38) weds actress Esperanza Baur (25) in Long Beach, California; divorce in 1954
Famous Divorces
- 1990 NFL coach Jimmy Johnson (46) divorces Linda Kay Cooper after 26 years of marriage
More January 17 Weddings
George Bancroft
Rutherford B. Hayes
Juliette Gordon Low
Patrice Lumumba
T. H. White
Bobby FischerArticles, Photos and Quiz
The President Who Was Never President
Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, a drafter and signer of the Declaration of Independence, was born on this day.
January 17, 1706
Sex Pistols' Break Up
Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious on stage during the band's last show at Winterland in San Francisco, January 14, 1978
January 17, 1978
