What Happened on Jan 17

Benjamin Franklin Is Born

Benjamin Franklin was born on January 17, 1706, in Boston, Massachusetts, but his adopted home was Philadelphia, the largest city in... Read more

Battle of Cowpens

Morgan's strategy worked perfectly. The British drove in successive lines, anticipating victory only to encounter another, stronger line after... Read more

Andrew Jackson And Rachel Jackson Legally Get Married

This marriage was later deemed invalid, because Rachel's divorce had not yet, in fact, become final. They remarried, this time legally, on January... Read more

Battle of Dandridge

Description: Union forces under Maj. Gen. John G. Parke advanced on Dandridge, Tennessee, near the East Tennessee & Virginia Railroad, on January... Read more

Andrew Smith Hallidie Patented The "Endless Wire Ropeway"

On January 17, 1871, San Franciscan Andrew Smith Hallidie patented an improved "Endless Wire Ropeway", a key component in the construction of the... Read more

Alexandre Levy Dies

(November 10, 1864 Sao Paulo , † 17 January 1892) was a Brazilian Composer and Pianist . His Jewish family came from France and was musically... Read more

Overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaii

Until the 1890s the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi was an independent sovereign state, recognized by the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, and... Read more

Al Capone Born

Alphonse Gabriel Capone was born in Garden City, New York to Gabriel (December 12, 1864 – November 14, 1920) and Teresina Capone (December 28, 1867... Read more

Wake Island Is Annexed By The United States

Wake Island was annexed as empty territory by the United States on January 17, 1899. In 1935, Pan American Airways constructed a small village,... Read more

Eartha Kitt Is Born

Eartha Mae Kitt (January 17, 1927 – December 25, 2008) was an American actress, singer, and cabaret star. She was perhaps best known for her highly... Read more

Shari Lewis is Born

Shari Lewis (January 17, 1933 – August 2, 1998) was an American ventriloquist, puppeteer, and children's television show host, most popular during... Read more

Muhammad Ali (Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr.) Is Born

Muhammad Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942) is a retired American boxer and three-time World Heavyweight Champion, who is... Read more

Siege of Bakri

On 17 January, the surviving units of 45th Indian Brigade, with the Australian 2/19th and 2/29th Battalions serving as reinforcements, were... Read more

First Assault in the Battle of Monte Cassino

The first assault was made on January 17. Near the coast, British X Corps (56th and 5th Divisions) forced a crossing of the Garigliano (followed... Read more

Chełmno Extermination Camp is Abandoned by SS with the Approach of the Red Army

Beginning in September 1944, a group of Jewish prisoners, presumably brought from outside the Wartheland District, was forced to exhume and cremate... Read more

British South American Airways' Star Ariel Disappears

G-AGRE Star Ariel was an Avro Tudor Mark IVB passenger aircraft owned and operated by British South American Airways (BSAA) which disappeared... Read more

Aretha Franklin Releases "Soul '69"

Soul '69 is a 1969 album of cover material released by soul legend Aretha Franklin. The album charted at #1 on Billboard "Black Albums" and at #15... Read more

The Beatles release Yellow Submarine

Yellow Submarine is a soundtrack album released by The Beatles corresponding with the film of the same name released on Apple Records (catalogue... Read more

Super Bowl V - Colts 16, Cowboys 13

Super Bowl V was an American football game played on January 17, 1971 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League... Read more

Operation Instant Thunder, the Coalition Air Campaign Against Iraqi Forces, Begins

A day after the deadline set in Resolution, the coalition launched a massive air campaign which began the general offensive codenamed Operation... Read more

Great Hanshin Earthquake

The 7.2-magnitude Great Hanshin Earthquake of 1995 hit the Kobe area at 5:46 a.m. on Tuesday, January 17, leaving in its wake more than 5200... Read more

Season Five of 'American Idol' Premieres on Fox

Auditions were held in seven cities in the summer and early fall of 2005 in the following order: Chicago, Illinois Denver,... Read more

UFC 93: Franklin vs. Henderson

UFC 93: Franklin vs. Henderson was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on January 17, 2009 at The O2,... Read more

Minnesota Vikings defeat Dallas Cowboys, 34-3

Cowboys linebacker Keith Brooking left the Metrodome a lot grumpier than he did the last time he faced the Vikings in a playoff game. In 1998,... Read more