February 17

February 17 is the 48th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are
317 days remaining (318 in leap years).

Events

   * 197 - Battle of Lugdunum, Roman Emperor Septimius Severus defeats his
     rival Clodius Albinus, securing full control over the Roman Empire.
   * 1621 - Miles Standish is appointed as first commander of Plymouth
     colony
   * 1753 - February 17 is followed by March 1 as Sweden moves to the
     Gregorian from the Julian calendar
   * 1772 - First partition of Poland, by Russia and Prussia, later
     including Austria
   * 1801 - An electoral tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr is
     resolved when Jefferson is elected President of the United States and
     Burr Vice President by the United States House of Representatives.
   * 1819 - The United States House of Representatives passes the Missouri
     Compromise
   * 1854 - The British recognize the independence of the Orange Free State
   * 1865 - American Civil War: Columbia, South Carolina burns as
     Confederate forces flee from advancing Union forces.
   * 1867 - The first ship passes through the Suez Canal
   * 1913 - The Armory Show opens in New York City. It displays works of
     artists who are to become some of the most influential painters of the
     early 20th century
   * 1924 - In Miami, Florida, Johnny Weissmuller sets a new world record in
     the 100-yard freestyle swimming competition with a time of 52-2/5
     seconds.
   * 1933 - The magazine Newsweek is published for the first time.
   * 1933 - The Blaine Act ends Prohibition in the United States
   * 1944 - World War II: Battle of Eniwetok Atoll begins. The battle ended
     in an American victory on February 22.
   * 1947 - Propaganda: The Voice of America begins to transmit radio
     broadcasts into the Soviet Union.
   * 1964 - In Wesberry v. Sanders the Supreme Court of the United States
     rules that congressional districts have to be approximately equal in
     population.
   * 1968 - In Springfield, Massachusetts the Naismith Memorial Basketball
     Hall of Fame opens.
   * 1972 - Sales of the Volkswagen Beetle model exceed those of Ford
     Model-T �(15 million)
   * 1979 - China invades Vietnam
   * 1992 - A court in Milwaukee, Wisconsin sentences Serial killer Jeffrey
     Dahmer to life in prison.
   * 1995 - Colin Ferguson is convicted of six counts of murder for the
     December 1993 Long Island Rail Road shootings and later receives a 200+
     year sentence.
   * 1996 - In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, world champion Garry Kasparov
     beats the "Deep Blue" supercomputer in a chess match.

Births

   * 1653 - Arcangelo Corelli, composer (+ 1713)
   * 1699 - Georg Wenzeslaus von Knobelsdorff, master builder (+ 1753)
   * 1774 - Raphael Peale, painter
   * 1821 - Lola Montez, dancer, actress, friend of monarchs (+ 1861)
   * 1844 - Montgomery Ward, department store founder
   * 1854 - Friedrich Alfred Krupp, industrialist (+ 1902)
   * 1874 - Thomas Watson, computer pioneer, first president of IBM
   * 1877 - Andre Maginot, politician, Maginot Line (+ 1932)
   * 1888 - Otto Stern, physicist, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics 1943
     (+ 1969)
   * 1908 - Red Barber, baseball announcer, sports journalist (+ 1992)
   * 1924 - Margaret Truman, novelist, daughter of President Harry S Truman
   * 1925 - Hal Holbrook, actor
   * 1929 - Chaim Potok, author (+ 2002)
   * 1929 - Patricia Routledge, actress
   * 1930 - Ruth Barbara Rendell, writer
   * 1934 - Alan Bates, actor
   * 1934 - Barry Humphries (aka "Dame Edna Everage"), actor, comedian
   * 1936 - Jim Brown, American football star
   * 1937 - Rita S�ssmuth, politician
   * 1941 - Julia McKenzie, actress
   * 1941 - Gene Pitney, singer
   * 1945 - Brenda Fricker, actress
   * 1953 - Norman Pace, actor, comic
   * 1962 - Lou Diamond Phillips, actor
   * 1963 - Michael Jordan, basketball
   * 1972 - Denise Richards, actress
   * 1972 - Philippe Candeloro, figure skater
   * 1972 - Billie Joe Armstrong, musician ("Green Day")

Deaths

   * 197 - Clodius Albinus, aspirant to Emperor of Rome (killed in battle)
   * 1600 - Giordano Bruno, religious reformer
   * 1673 - Moli�re, writer
   * 1856 - Heinrich Heine, writer
   * 1919 - Wilfrid Laurier, seventh Prime Minister of Canada
   * 1934 - King Albert I of Belgium
   * 1962 - Bruno Walter, conductor
   * 1982 - Thelonious Monk, jazz pianist
   * 1982 - Lee Strasberg, acting teacher, actor
   * 1994 - Randy Shilts, author, AIDS activist
   * 1998 - Ernst J�nger, militaristic German author, dies at 102

Holidays and observances

   * Roman Empire - Quirinalia in honor of Quirinus
   * Ancient Latvia - Tanis Diena observed

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