On This Day in History – January 17

Major Events

• 38 BCE – Octavian (later Augustus) marries Livia Drusilla, a union that would strongly influence Roman imperial politics.
• 1377 – Pope Gregory XI enters Rome, ending the Avignon Papacy and restoring the papal seat to Rome.
• 1562 – France issues the Edict of Saint-Germain, granting limited tolerance to Protestants and igniting tensions that lead to the French Wars of Religion.
• 1773 – Captain James Cook crosses the Antarctic Circle for the first time in recorded history.
• 1893 – The Kingdom of Hawaii is overthrown, leading to eventual U.S. annexation.
• 1917 – Denmark sells the Danish West Indies to the United States, now known as the U.S. Virgin Islands.
• 1945 – Soviet and Polish forces liberate Warsaw from Nazi occupation during World War II.
• 1961 – U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivers his farewell address, warning against the “military-industrial complex.”
• 1995 – The Kobe earthquake strikes Japan, killing over 6,000 people and causing massive destruction.
• 2017 – A major diplomatic crisis erupts after revelations about global cyber espionage activities.

Famous Birthdays

• 1706 – Benjamin Franklin, American statesman, inventor, and Founding Father (d. 1790)
• 1863 – David Lloyd George, British Prime Minister (d. 1945)
• 1899 – Al Capone, American crime boss (d. 1947)
• 1928 – Vidal Sassoon, British hairstylist and entrepreneur (d. 2012)
• 1933 – Dalida, Egyptian-Italian singer (d. 1987)
• 1942 – Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali), American boxer and activist (d. 2016)
• 1959 – Steve Earle, American singer-songwriter
• 1962 – Jim Carrey, Canadian-American actor and comedian
• 1982 – Dwyane Wade, American basketball player

Notable Deaths

• 395 – Theodosius I, Roman Emperor (b. 347)
• 1468 – Skanderbeg, Albanian military leader (b. 1405)
• 1893 – Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th President of the United States (b. 1822)
• 1942 – Walter von Reichenau, German field marshal (b. 1884)
• 1967 – Evelyn Nesbit, American model and actress (b. 1884)
• 1989 – Donny Hathaway, American singer-songwriter (b. 1945)
• 2012 – Johnny Otis, American musician and producer (b. 1921)
• 2015 – Etta James, American singer (b. 1938)
• 2021 – Walter Bernstein, American journalist (b. 1919)

Holidays

• Benjamin Franklin Day – United States
• Kid Inventors’ Day – International
• Ditch New Year’s Resolutions Day

Fun Facts

• Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17 according to the modern Gregorian calendar.
• Captain Cook’s Antarctic crossing disproved myths of a warm southern continent.
• Eisenhower’s “military-industrial complex” warning remains widely quoted today.
• The Kobe earthquake prompted major changes in Japanese disaster preparedness.
• Kid Inventors’ Day honors Franklin’s first invention, swim fins, created at age 12.
• January 17 has been linked to major turning points in politics, science, and exploration.