JULY 17 | Birthdays and Events

Notable Birthdays for July 17

Elbridge Gerry (1744-1814) - The 5th VP of the U.S.

Ephraim Shay (1839-1916) - Inventor of the the Shay (steam) locomotive.

Frank Olson (1910-1953) - Biological warfare scientist for the U.S. government.

Phyllis Diller (1917-2012) - Actress and comedian.

Gordon Gould (1920-2005) - Inventor of the laser.

Lucie Arnaz (1951-Still Living) - Daughter of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.

David Hasselhoff (1952-Still Living) - Actor recognized for his roles in Knight Rider and Baywatch.

Memorable Events for July 17

1861- Congress authorizes paper money in the U.S.

1867 - Harvard School of Dental Medicine is establishes as the first dental school in the U.S.

1898 - Spaniards surrender to the U.S., marking the beginning of the end of the Spanish-American War.

1897 - The first ship arrives in Seattle carrying gold from Yukon.

1902 - Willis Carrier creates the first air conditioner.

1938 - Pilot Douglas Corrigan becomes known as "Wrong Way" after deciding to fly the "wrong way" from Brooklyn to Ireland.

1945 - Winston Churchill, Harry S. Truman and Joseph Stalin, meet to decide the future of a defeated Germany.

1955 - Disneyland is dedicated and opened.

1972 - The first two women begin training as FBI agents at Quantico.

1984 - The drinking age in the U.S. is changed from 18 to 21.

2018 - Astronomer Scott Sheppard and his team announce they have discovered a dozen irregular moons of Jupiter.