OCTOBER 17 | Birthdays and Events

Notable Birthdays for October 17

Jupiter Hammon (1711-1806) - Slave poet who was the first Black person to publish poetry and other written works.

Richard Mentor Johnson (1780-1850) - The 8th VP  of the U.S. (President Martin Van Buren).

Childe Hassam (1859-1935) - Painter and illustrator known for his urban paintings.

Henry Campbell Black (1860-1927) - Founder of Black's Law Dictionary.

James Rudolph Garfield (1865-1950) - U.S. Secretary of the Interior who played a key role in the expansion of the U.S. Park system.

Spring Byington (1886-1971) - Actress known for her role as Marmee in Little Women.

Doris Humphrey (1895-1958) - One of the greatest influences in modern dance.

Robert Lowery (1913-1971) - Second actor to play Batman.

Jerry Siegel (1914-1996) - Co-creator of Superman and creator of Doctor Occult.

Robert Atkins (1930-2003) - Creator of the Atkin diet.

Evel Knievel (1938-2007) - Motorcycle rider and stuntman.

Stephen Kovacevich (1940-Still Living) - One of the world's more revered pianist ever.

Earl Thomas Conley (1941-2019) -Country singer-songwriter and guitarist.

Jim Seals (1941-2022) - Half of the musical duo Seals and Crofts.

Michael Hossack (1946-2012) - Drummer for the Doobie Brothers.

Michael McKean (1947-Still Living) - Actor known as Lenny in Laverne & Shirley and cast member on Saturday Night Live.

Robert Jordan (1948-2007) - Author of Wheel of Time book series.

Howard Rollins (1950-1996) - Actor who played George Haley in Roots: The Next Generations.

Fran Cosmo (1956-Still Living) - Former lead singer for the band Boston.

Mae Jemison (1956-Still Living) - First Black woman astronaut to travel to space.

Stephen Palumbi (1956-Still Living) - Academic of genomics of marine organisms and research on how to preserve marine life.

Alan Jackson (1958-Still Living) - Country singer.

Mike Judge (1962-Still Living) - Creator of Beavis and Butt-Head.

Wood Harris (1969-Still Living) - Actor known as Julius Campbell in Remember the Titans and Jimi Hendrix the television film Hendrix.

Chris Kirkpatrick (1971-Still Living) - Founder of the band NSYNC.

Memorable Events for October 17

1691 - Merge between the Massachusetts Bay Colony and the Plymouth Colony.

1787 - Blacks in Boston petition the state legislature for equal school facilities for black students.

1829 - The Chesapeake Bay Canal opens.

1850 - The Knickerbocker Engine Co No. 5 firehouse is created in San Francisco, California.

1855 - Henry Bessemer receives the patent for for mass production of steel.

1871 - President Ulysses S. Grant suspends habeas corpus in during prosecutions against Ku Klux Klan.

1885 - Salaries for baseball players is set at $1,000-$2,000 for the season.

1888 - Thomas Edison submits his patent for the Optical Phonograph (the first movie).

1904 - The Bank of America opens its doors in San Francisco, California.

1920 - The Chicago Bears plays their first professional football game.

1931 - Al Capone sentenced to 11 years for income tax evasion, but was released in 7 years for good behavior.

1933 - Albert Einstein arrives in US as a refugee from Nazi Germany.

1934 - The radio comedy series The Aldrich Family premieres across the airwaves.

1956 - A 13 year old Bobby Fischer beats U.S. Chess Champion Donald Byrne in the "Game of the Century."

1957 - Jailhouse Rock, starring Elvis Presley, premiers.

1975 - National Space Tech Labs conducts the first Space Shuttle main engine test.

1978 - President Carter signs bill restoring the U.S. citizenship of Jefferson Davis.

1979 - U.S. Department of Education is created.

1986 - An immigration bill prohibits hiring of illegal aliens but offers amnesty to illegals who entered prior to 1982.

1988 - The Traveling Wilburys (Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, and Tom Petty) release Handle With Care.

1991 - Blue Man Group's performs for the first time in New York City.