JUNE 17 | Birthdays and Events

Notable Birthdays for June 17

E. G. Squier (1821-1888) - Archaeologist who made significant discoveries about the Incan's.

Susan La Flesche Picotte (1865-1915) - One of the first Indigenous people, and the first Indigenous woman, to earn a medical degree.

George Cormack (1870-1953) - Inventor of the cereal Wheaties.

Sam Wooding (1895-1985) - One of the first American jazz pianists to tour Europe.

Ruth Graves Wakefield (1903-1977) - Considered the creator of the chocolate chip cookie.

David "Stringbean" Akeman (1915-1973) - Banjoist and comedian on Hee Haw.

Barry Manilow (1943-Still Living) - Singer of hits like Looks Like We Made It, Mandy, and Copacabana (At the Copa).

Gregg Rolie (1947-Still Living) - Musician and co-founder of the rock bands Santana and Journey.

Diane Murphy (1964-Still Living) - Actress known for her role as Tabitha in Bewitched.

Memorable Events for June 17

1824 - The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is established.

1863 - The Travelers Insurance Co of Hartford becomes the first chartered accident insurer.

1885 - The Statue of Liberty arrives in the New York Harbor.

1898 - The U.S. Navy Hospital Corps is established.

1901 - The College Board introduces its first standardized test, laying the foundation for the SAT.

1928 - Amelia Earhart leaves Newfoundland as a passenger and becomes the first woman to fly over the Atlantic.

1932 - World War I vets gather at the U.S. to hear the Senate consider a bill that would give them benefits.

1950 - The first kidney transplant is conducted at a Chicago hospital.

1971 - President Nixon called drug abuse "America's public enemy number one."

1987 - The Dusky Seaside Sparrow becomes extinct after the last living bird dies.

1991 - The body of the President Taylor (12th President) is exhumed to test how he died after rumors of being poisoned by arsenic.

2021 - President Joe Biden signs Juneteenth National Independence Day into law.