Date·Lore

On This Day · The 17th day of the year

January 17

January 17's record stretches 633 years, from 1377 to 2010. Its center of gravity is the 20th century, and conflict is a recurring thread.

♑ZodiacCapricorn ◈BirthstoneGarnet ❀Birth flowerCarnation

Capricorn is the sign for January 17 — read more on the Capricorn page, or see January's birthstone & birth flower.

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed September 6, 2026

What happened on January 17?

January 17 is the 17th day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 1377 and 2010. Famous people born on January 17 include Tabaré Vázquez, Anita Borg and Michelle Obama.

Released on January 17

Movies, games, albums & shows

2025

  • Game Dynasty Warriors: Origins

Release data from TMDB & IGDB.

Events

10 notable moments
  1. 1377

    Pope Gregory XI

  2. 1773

    James Cook

  3. 1893

    Lorrin A. Thurston

  4. 1912

    Robert Falcon Scott

  5. 1943

    World War II

  6. 1945

    Raoul Wallenberg

  7. 1961

    Dwight D. Eisenhower

  8. 1989

    Stockton schoolyard shooting

  9. 2002

    Mount Nyiragongo

  10. 2010

    2010 Jos riots

Famous birthday twins

Born on January 17

Tabaré Vázquez

b. 1940

Anita Borg

b. 1949

Michelle Obama

b. 1964

Kipchoge Keino

b. 1940

Dwyane Wade

b. 1982

Benjamin Franklin

b. 1706

Muhammad Ali

b. 1942

Jim Carrey

b. 1962

Deaths

  • 2008Bobby Fischer
  • 1947Pyotr Krasnov
  • 1942Walter von Reichenau
  • 1893Rutherford B. Hayes
  • 1884Hermann Schlegel
  • 395Theodosius I

Holidays & observances

  • —Christian feast day: Anthony the Great
  • —Christian feast day: Blessed Angelo Paoli
  • —Christian feast day: Blessed Gamelbert of Michaelsbuch
  • —Christian feast day: Charles Gore (Church of England)
  • —Christian feast day: Jenaro Sánchez Delgadillo (one of Saints of the Cristero War)
  • —Christian feast day: Mildgyth
  • —Christian feast day: Our Lady of Pontmain
  • —Christian feast day: Sulpitius the Pious

The factual record above — event titles, dates, names, and observances — is drawn from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) license. DateLore adds curation, structure, and original editorial commentary. DateLore is not affiliated with the Wikimedia Foundation.

About the author

Roman Tailor compiles and reviews every date on DateLore. He's the writer and editor behind the site's editorial essays and the day-by-day almanac. Corrections and questions are welcome — read more about DateLore or get in touch.

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