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What happened in history on this day: October 17?
On October 17 in ...
- 1777 - British General John Burgoyne surrenders at Saratoga, New York.
- 1781 - British General Lord Cornwallis is defeated at Yorktown.
- 1786 - The Commonwealth of Massachusetts authorizes a mint for striking gold, silver, and copper coinage.
- 1787 - Boston blacks petition legislature for equal school facilities.
- 1814 - US Treasury Secretary George Dallas recommends creation of a national bank with capital of $50 million.
- 1829 - Delaware River and Chesapeake Bay Canal is formally opened.
- 1871 - President Ulysses Grant suspends writ of habeas corpus.
- 1888 - Thomas Edison files a patent for the Optical Phonograph (the first movie).
- 1894 - Ohio national guard kills three lynchers while rescuing a black man.
- 1904 - Bank of Italy (Bank of America) opens its doors.
- 1918 - First use of American Code Talkers in World War I, by members of the Choctaq tribe in radio communications.
- 1919 - Radio Corporation of America (RCA) is created.
- 1931 - American gangster Al Capone is convicted of US tax evasion in Chicago, Illinois, and sentenced to 11 years in prison and fined US$80,000.
- 1933 - Albert Einstein arrives in the US, a refugee from Germany.
- 1941 - First US destroyer (Kearney) torpedoed in World War II, off Iceland.
- 1973 - Five-month oil embargo by Arab states against US and Netherlands begins.
- 1978 - US President Jimmy Carter signs bill restoring Jefferson Davis' citizenship.
- 1979 - Personal Software releases VisiCalc for the Apple II, for US$99.
- 1986 - US Senate approves immigration bill prohibiting hiring of illegal aliens and offering amnesty to illegals who entered prior to 1982.
- 1988 - Phillip Morris announces US$11 billion tender offer for Kraft.
- 1989 - In Loma Prieta, California, an earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale occurs. Three events are about 1.5 and 3.0 seconds apart. Sixty-two people killed, 3,757 injured and damage estimated at US$5.6 billion.
- 1992 - Yoshihiro Hattori, a 16-year-old Japanese exchange student, mistakes the address of a party and is shot dead after knocking on the wrong door in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The shooter, Rodney Peairs, is later acquitted, sparking outrage in Japan.
- 1998 - (to October 18) Severe flooding takes place in south Central Texas.
- 2006 - The United States population reaches 300 million based on a United States Census Bureau projection.
- 2019 - New York City's city council votes to close Rikers Island jail in 2026.
Births on October 17
- 1886 - Birth of Spring Byington in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA; actress (Lily Ruskin - December Bride).
- 1903 - Birth of Irene Ryan in El Paso, Texas, USA; actress (Granny - The Beverly Hillbillies).
- 1903 - Birth of Jerry Colonna in Boston, Massachusetts, USA; comedian (Jerry Colonna Show).
- 1905 - Birth of Jean Arthur in New York City, New York, USA; actress (Shane, Mr Smith Goes to Washington).
- 1915 - Birth of Arthur Asher Miller AKA Arthur Miller in New York City, New York, USA; playwright (Death of a Salesman, The Crucible) (dies 2005).
- 1917 - Birth of Marsha Hunt in Chicago, Illinois, USA; actress (Jennifer - Peck's Bad Girl, Jigsaw).
- 1918 - Birth of Rita Hayworth in New York, USA; actress (Gilda, Pal Joey) (dies 1987, Alzheimer victim).
- 1921 - Birth of Tom Poston in Columbus, Ohio, USA; actor (Steve Allen Show, Newhart).
- 1925 - Birth of Jack Wagner in California, USA; actor, radio personality, announcer of many Disneyland attractions since 1970, retired 1991, named Disney Legend 2005.
- 1926 - Birth of Beverly Garland in Santa Cruz, California, USA; actress (My Three Sons).
- 1926 - Birth of Julie Adams in Waterloo, Iowa, USA; actress (Yancy Derringer, Code Red).
- 1926 - Birth of Karl G Henize in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; astronaut (STS 51F).
- 1928 - Birth of Julie Adams in Iowa, USA; actress (Away All Boats, Black Rose).
- 1930 - Birth of Jimmy Breslin in Queens, New York City, USA; columnist (New York Post, News, Newsday).
- 1941 - Birth of James Seals in Sidney, Texas, USA; singer (Seals and Crofts - "Summer Breeze").
- 1943 - Birth of Susan Davenny Wyner in New Haven, Connecticut, USA; soprano (Walter Naumberg Prize).
- 1944 - Birth of Carol Cole in West Medford, Massachusetts, USA; actress (Ellie - Grady).
- 1946 - Birth of Bob Seagren in Pomona, California, USA; actor (Soap), pole vaulter (Olympic-gold-1968).
- 1947 - Birth of Michael McKean in New York City, New York, USA; actor (Lenny - Laverne and Shirley, Grand).
- 1948 - Birth of George Wendt in Chicago, Illinois, USA; actor (Norm - Cheers).
- 1949 - Birth of Bill Hudson in Portland, Oregon, USA; comedian (Bonkers, Hudson Brothers Show).
- 1949 - Birth of Timothy Bottoms in Santa Barbara, California, USA; actor (Adam - East of Eden).
- 1952 - Birth of Howard E Rollins Junior in Baltimore, Maryland, USA; actor (Bannister - Wildside).
- 1956 - Birth of Mae C Jemison in Decatur, Alabama, USA; medical doctor, astronaut (Sked:STS 47).
- 1957 - Birth of Vincent Van Patten in Belrose, New York, USA; actor (Apple's Way, Three for the Road).
- 1965 - Birth of Connie Ann Hearn in Anchorage, Alaska, USA; actress (New Kind of Family).
Deaths on October 17
- 1900 - Death of James Parsons Major in Sommerville, New Jersey, USA; designer and engraver, designed first US postage stamps (1847 5-cent, 10-cent), banknote engraver with American Banknote Company.
- 1991 - Death of Tennessee Ernie Fordat age 72; American country singer ("16 Tons") (born 1919).
- 1993 - Death of Criss Oliva, American lead guitarist of Savatage (born 1964).
- 2009 - Death of Jay W. Johnson at age 66 of an apparent heart attack in Virgina, USA; television broadcaster for 32 years, US Congressman (1996-97), 36th director of US Mint (1999-2001).
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