1524 – Giovanni da Verrazzano set sail westward from Madeira on the 17th January 1542, to find a sea route to the Pacific Ocean.
1851 – A. B. Frost the American illustrator was born on the 17th January 1851 (died 1928).
1899 – Al Capone the American gangster was born on the 17th January 1899 (died 1947).
1706 – Benjamin Franklin the American politician, scientist, publisher, and 6th President of Pennsylvania was born on the 17th January 1706 (died 1790). Benjamin Franklin was the signer of the United States Declaration of Independence.
1773 – Captain James Cook and his crew become the first Europeans to sail below the Antarctic Circle on the 17th January 1773.
1904 – Anton Chekhov‘s The Cherry Orchard received its premiere performance at the Moscow Art Theatre on the 17th January 1904.
1922 – Betty White the American actress was born on the 17th January 1922.
1927 – Eartha Kitt the American actress and singer was born on the 17th January 1927 (died 2008).
1929 – Popeye the Sailor Man the cartoon character created by Elzie Segar, first appeared on the 17th January 1929, in the Thimble Theatre comic strip.
1942 – Muhammad Ali the American boxer was born on the 17th January 1942.
1942 – Ita Buttrose the Australian journalist was born on the 17th January 1942.
1962 – Jim Carrey the Canadian-American actor and producer was born on the 17th January 1962.
1974 – Danny Bhoy the Scottish comedian was born on the 17th January 1974.
1976 ~ Keri Russell the American actress and dancer was born on the 17th January 1976. Keri Russell is best known as Felicity Porter in the Felicity television series which ran from 1998 to 2002, which she won a Golden Globe Award.
1980 – Zooey Deschanel the American actress and singer-songwriter from She & Him was born on the 17th January 1980.
1983 – Hudson’s store in Detroit closed on the 17th January 1983, due to high cost of operating. It was the tallest department store in the world.
1988 ~ Home and Away the Australian television soap opera was first broadcast on the 17th January 1988. Home and Away is the 2nd longest running Australian drama. Official website: www.au.tv.yahoo.com/Home-and-Away | YouTube video: Home and away openings from the 1st in 1988 to 1999…
1997 ~ Jack Vidgen the Australian singer-songwriter was born on the 17th January 1997. Jack Vidgen is best known for winning the 5th season of Australia’s Got Talent. Jack Vidgen’s official website: www.JackVidgen.com |Facebook: www.facebook.com/JackVidgen |Twitter: www.Twitter.com/JackVidgen | instagram: www.instagram.com/jack_vidgen
YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/user/JackVidgenHome | YouTube video: Jack Vidgen Singing “Yes I Am” in the Australia’s Got Talent finals in 2011…
1998 – Lewinsky scandal: Matt Drudge broke the story of the Bill Clinton–Monica Lewinsky affair on his website The Drudge Report on the 17th January 1998.
2007 – The Doomsday Clock was set to 5 minutes to midnight on the 17th January 2007, in response to North Korea nuclear testing.
2008 – British Airways Flight 38 crash landed just short of London Heathrow Airport in England on the 17th January 2008, with no fatalities. It was the 1st complete hull loss of a Boeing 777.
Today in History for the 17th January video produced by Associated Press
Associated Press official website: www.AP.org