October 17: On This Day

Events, births, deaths, holidays and observances for October 17.

Events 62

690 – Empress Wu Zetian establishes the Zhou Dynasty of China.
1091 – London tornado of 1091: A tornado thought to be of strength T8/F4 strikes the heart of London.
1346 – The English capture King David II of Scotland at Neville's Cross and imprison him for eleven years.
1448 – An Ottoman army defeats a Hungarian army at the Second Battle of Kosovo.
1456 – The University of Greifswald is established as the second oldest university in northern Europe.
1534 – Anti-Catholic posters appear in Paris and other cities supporting Huldrych Zwingli's position on the Mass.
1558 – Poczta Polska, the Polish postal service, is founded.
1604 – Kepler's Supernova is observed in the constellation of Ophiuchus.
1610 – French king Louis XIII is crowned in Reims Cathedral.
1660 – The nine regicides who signed the death warrant of Charles I of England are hanged, drawn and quartered.
1662 – Charles II of England sells Dunkirk to Louis XIV of France for 40,000 pounds.
1713 – Great Northern War: Russia defeats Sweden in the Battle of Kostianvirta in Pälkäne.
1771 – Premiere in Milan of the opera Ascanio in Alba, composed by Mozart at age 15.
1777 – American Revolutionary War: British General John Burgoyne surrenders his army at Saratoga, New York.
1781 – American Revolutionary War: British General Charles, Earl Cornwallis surrenders at the Siege of Yorktown.
1797 – Treaty of Campo Formio is signed between France and Austria, ending the War of the First Coalition.
1800 – War of the Second Coalition: Britain takes control of the Dutch colony of Curaçao.
1806 – Former leader of the Haitian Revolution, Emperor Jacques I, is assassinated after an oppressive rule.
1811 – The silver deposits of Agua Amarga are discovered in Chile becoming in the following years instrumental for the Patriots to finance the Chilean War of Independence.
1814 – Eight people die in the London Beer Flood.
1850 – Riots start, which lead to a massacre in Aleppo.
1860 – First The Open Championship (referred to in North America as the British Open).
1861 – Aboriginal Australians kill nineteen Europeans in the Cullin-la-ringo massacre.
1907 – Marconi begins the first commercial transatlantic wireless service.
1912 – Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia declare war on the Ottoman Empire, joining Montenegro in the First Balkan War.
1919 – Leeds United F.C. founded at Salem Chapel, Holbeck after the winding up of Leeds City F.C. for making illegal payments to players during World War I
1931 – Al Capone is convicted of income tax evasion.
1933 – Albert Einstein flees Nazi Germany and moves to the United States.
1940 – The body of Communist propagandist Willi Münzenberg is found in South France, starting a never-resolved mystery.
1941 – World War II: The USS Kearny becomes the first U.S. Navy vessel to be torpedoed by a U-boat.
1943 – The Burma Railway (Burma–Thailand Railway) is completed.
1943 – Nazi Holocaust in Poland: Sobibór extermination camp is closed.
1945 – A large demonstration in Buenos Aires, Argentina, demands Juan Perón's release.
1952 – Indonesian Army elements surrounded the Merdeka Palace demanding President Sukarno disband the Provisional People's Representative Council.
1956 – The first commercial nuclear power station is officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in Sellafield, England.
1961 – Directed by their chief Maurice Papon, Paris police massacre scores of Algerian protesters.
1961 – The first attempt of the apartheid analogy by Ahmad Shukeiri.
1965 – The 1964–65 New York World's Fair closes after two years and more than 51 million attendees.
1966 – The 23rd Street Fire in New York City kills 12 firefighters.
1969 – The Caravaggio painting Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence is stolen from the Oratory of Saint Lawrence in Palermo.
1970 – FLQ terrorists murder Quebec Vice-Premier and Minister of Labour Pierre Laporte.
1973 – OPEC imposes an oil embargo against countries they deem to have helped Israel in the Yom Kippur War.
1975 – 'Salem's Lot, an American vampire novel by Stephen King, is published.
1977 – The hijacked Lufthansa Flight 181 lands in Mogadishu. The remaining hostages are later rescued.
1979 – Mother Teresa is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
1979 – The Department of Education Organization Act creates the U.S. Department of Education.
1980 – As part of the Holy See–United Kingdom relations a British monarch makes the first state visit to the Vatican.
1988 – Uganda Airlines Flight 775 crashes at Rome–Fiumicino International Airport, in Rome, Italy, killing 33 people.
1989 – The 6.9 .mw-parser-output .tooltip-dotted{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}Mw Loma Prieta earthquake shakes the San Francisco Bay Area and the Central Coast, killing 63.
1989 – The East German Politburo votes to remove Erich Honecker from his role as General Secretary.
1991 – Rudrapur bombings by Sikh separatists, who explode two bombs, during a Ramlila Hindu celebration in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand, killing 41 people.
1992 – Having gone to the wrong house, Japanese student Yoshihiro Hattori is killed by the homeowner in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
1994 – Russian journalist Dmitry Kholodov is assassinated while investigating corruption in the armed forces.
2000 – The Hatfield rail crash leads to the collapse of Railtrack.
2001 – Israeli tourism minister Rehavam Ze'evi is assassinated by Hamdi Quran, a member of the PFLP, thus becoming the highest-ranking Israeli to be killed by a Palestinian.
2004 – A fire that lasted over 15 hours destroyed almost one third of the East Tower of the Parque Central Urban Complex in Caracas, Venezuela.
2017 – Syrian civil war: The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) capture the last foothold of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Raqqa, marking the end of the Battle of Raqqa.
2018 – The recreational use of cannabis is legalized in Canada.
2018 – A mass shooting and bombing at Kerch Polytechnic College in Crimea kills 21 people including the attacker and injures 70 others.
2019 – Drug dealers in Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico force the government to back down on an arrest.
2019 – The 17 October Revolution starts in Lebanon.
2023 – An explosion at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza kills hundreds of Palestinians during the Gaza war.

Births 380

503 – Lý Nam Đế, first emperor of Vietnam (died 548)
1253 – Ivo of Kermartin, French priest and saint (died 1303)
1493 – Bartolommeo Bandinelli, Italian sculptor (died 1560)
1500 – Alonso de Orozco Mena, Spanish Roman Catholic priest (died 1591)
1538 – Irene di Spilimbergo, Italian Renaissance poet and painter (died 1559)
1577 – Cristofano Allori, Italian painter (died 1621)
1577 – Dmitry Pozharsky, Russian prince (died 1642)
1582 – Johann Gerhard, German theologian and academic (died 1637)
1587 – Nathan Field, English dramatist and actor (died 1620)
1623 – Francis Turretin, Swiss-Italian minister, theologian, and academic (died 1687)
1629 – Balthasar Charles, Prince of Asturias (died 1646)
1688 – Domenico Zipoli, Italian missionary and composer (died 1726)
1711 – Jupiter Hammon, American poet (died 1806)
1719 – Jacques Cazotte, French author and academic (died 1792)
1720 – Maria Teresa Agnesi Pinottini, Italian harpsichord player and composer (died 1795)
1725 – John Wilkes, English journalist and politician (died 1797)
1729 – Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny, French composer and academic (died 1817)
1735 – Franz Xaver Feuchtmayer the Younger, German Baroque artist (died 1803)
1759 – Andrey Voronikhin, Russian architect and painter (died 1814)
1760 – Claude Henri de Rouvroy, comte de Saint-Simon, French economist and philosopher (died 1825)
1768 – Sophie von Dönhoff, morganatic spouse by bigamy to King Frederick William II of Prussia (died 1838)
1779 – Louis Charles, French prince of the blood (died 1808)
1779 – José Andrés Pacheco de Melo, Argentine statesman and priest (died approx. 1820)
1780 – Richard Mentor Johnson, American politician, ninth Vice President of the United States (died 1850)
1781 – Johann Friedrich Meckel, German anatomist (died 1833)
1784 – Fructuoso Rivera, first president of Uruguay (died 1854)
1785 – Christen Smith, Norwegian scientist (died 1816)
1792 – John Bowring, English polyglot and governor of Hong Kong (died 1826)
1797 – Juan Lavalle, Argentine politician (died 1841)
1803 – Ferenc Deák, Hungarian politician (died 1876)
1810 – Adolphe-Félix Cals, French painter (died 1880)
1811 – Albertus van Raalte, Dutch-American pastor and educator (died 1876)
1813 – Georg Büchner, German-Swiss poet and playwright (died 1837)
1814 – Yakiv Holovatsky, Ukrainian historian, scholar, and poet (died 1888)
1817 – Syed Ahmad Khan, Indian philosopher and scholar (died 1898)
1821 – Alexander Gardner, Scottish photographer (died 1882)
1828 – Aureliano Maestre de San Juan, Spanish scientist (died 1890)
1833 – José E. Días, Paraguayan general (died 1867)
1835 – Louis-Léon Cugnot, French sculptor (died 1894)
1835 – Paul Haenlein, German mechanical engineer (died 1905)
1840 – André Gill, French caricaturist (died 1885)
1844 – Gustave Schlumberger, French historian (died 1929)
1845 – John J. Gardner, American politician (died 1921)
1853 – Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia (died 1920)
1859 – Childe Hassam, American painter and illustrator (died 1935)
1860 – Henry Campbell Black, founder of Black's Law Dictionary (died 1927)
1864 – Elinor Glyn, English author, screenwriter, and producer (died 1943)
1865 – James Rudolph Garfield, American lawyer and politician, 23rd United States Secretary of the Interior (died 1950)
1867 – Josep Puig i Cadafalch, Catalan architect who designed the Casa Martí (died 1956)
1869 – Bhaskarbuwa Bakhale, Hindustani classical vocalist
1871 – Segundo de Chomón, Spanish cinematographer, director, and screenwriter (died 1929)
1876 – Hippolyte Aucouturier, French road cyclist (died 1944)
1878 – Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart, Spanish politician and 17th Duke of Alba (died 1953)
1880 – Jesús Reyes Ferreira, Mexican artist and art collector (died 1977)
1881 – Maria Dulęba, Polish actress (died 1959)
1882 – Haritina Korotkevich, Russian war heroine (died 1904)
1883 – Alexander Neill, Scottish educator (died 1973)
1883 – Thaddeus Shideler, American hurdler (died 1966)
1886 – Spring Byington, American actress (died 1971)
1889 – Mikha'il Na'ima, Lebanese author (died 1988)
1890 – Roy Kilner, English cricketer (died 1928)
1892 – Theodor Eicke, German SS general (died 1943)
1892 – Herbert Howells, English organist, composer, and educator (died 1983)
1893 – Raffaele Bendandi, Italian clockmaker and seismologist (died 1979)
1894 – Prince René, Italian Prince of Denmark (died 1962)
1894 – Pablo de Rokha, Chilean poet (died 1968)
1895 – Miguel Ydígoras Fuentes, President of Guatemala (1958–1963) (died 1982)
1895 – Doris Humphrey, American dancer and choreographer (died 1958)
1896 – Roman Petrovich, Russian prince (died 1978)
1898 – Shinichi Suzuki, Japanese violinist and educator (died 1998)
1898 – Eileen Sedgwick, American actress (died 1991)
1898 – Simon Vestdijk, Dutch author and poet (died 1971)
1900 – C. C. van Asch van Wijck, Dutch artist and sculptor (died 1932)
1900 – Jean Arthur, American actress (died 1991)
1900 – Yvor Winters, American critic and poet (died 1968)
1901 – Emma Gamboa Alvarado, Costa Rican educator (died 1973)
1902 – Irene Ryan, American actress (died 1973)
1903 – Andrei Grechko, Soviet general (died 1976)
1903 – Nathanael West, American author and screenwriter (died 1940)
1905 – Leopoldo Benites, Ecuadorian diplomat 28th president of the United Nations General Assembly (died 1996)
1906 – Paul Derringer, American baseball player (died 1987)
1906 – Andrey Tikhonov, Soviet mathematician (died 1993)
1907 – John Marley, American actor (died 1984)
1908 – Kenji Miyamoto, Japanese politician (died 2007)
1908 – Hjördis Petterson, Swedish actress (died 1988)
1908 – Wally Prigg, Australian rugby league player (died 1980)
1908 – Red Rolfe, American baseball player, coach, and manager (died 1969)
1909 – Cozy Cole, American drummer (died 1981)
1909 – Leopoldo Panero, Spanish poet (died 1962)
1909 – Joaquín Satrústegui, Spanish lawyer and politician (died 1992)
1910 – Marina Núñez del Prado, Bolivian sculptor (died 1995)
1910 – Ester Wier, American author (died 2000)
1912 – Pope John Paul I (died 1978)
1912 – Theodore Marier, American composer and educator, founded the Boston Archdiocesan Choir School (died 2001)
1912 – Jack Owens, American singer-songwriter and pianist (died 1982)
1913 – Robert Lowery, American actor (died 1971)
1913 – Marian Marsh, Trinidadian-American actress and environmentalist (died 2006)
1913 – Faik Türün, Turkish general (died 2003)
1914 – Jerry Siegel, American author and illustrator (died 1996)
1915 – Arthur Miller, American playwright and screenwriter (died 2005)
1916 – José López Rega, Argentinean politician (died 1989)
1917 – Alfred Benlloch Llorach, Spanish inventor (died 2013)
1917 – Martin Donnelly, New Zealand cricketer (died 1999)
1917 – Marsha Hunt, American actress and singer (died 2022)
1917 – Aimo Koivunen, Finnish soldier and corporal (died 1989)
1917 – Norman Leyden, American composer and conductor (died 2014)
1917 – Sumner Locke Elliott, Australian-American author and playwright (died 1991)
1917 – Adele Stimmel Chase, American painter and sculptor (died 2000)
1918 – Rita Hayworth, American actress, singer and dancer (died 1987)
1918 – Luis Alberto Solari, Uruguayan artist (died 1993)
1918 – Ralph Wilson, American businessman, founded the Buffalo Bills (died 2014)
1919 – Isaak Khalatnikov, Ukrainian-Russian theoretical physicist and academic (died 2021)
1919 – Violet Milstead, Canadian World War II aviator and bush pilot (died 2014)
1919 – Zhao Ziyang, Chinese politician (died 2005)
1920 – Montgomery Clift, American actor (died 1966)
1920 – Miguel Delibes, Spanish journalist and author (died 2010)
1920 – Zully Moreno, Argentine actress (died 1999)
1921 – Priscilla Buckley, American journalist and author (died 2012)
1921 – Maria Gorokhovskaya, Russian-Israeli gymnast (died 2001)
1921 – George Mackay Brown, Scottish author, poet, and playwright (died 1996)
1921 – Tom Poston, American actor and comedian (died 2007)
1922 – Luiz Bonfá, Brazilian guitarist and composer (died 2001)
1922 – Pierre Juneau, Canadian broadcaster and politician, co-founded the Montreal World Film Festival (died 2012)
1923 – Barney Kessel, American guitarist and composer (died 2004)
1923 – Charles McClendon, American football player and coach (died 2001)
1924 – Don Coryell, American football player and coach (died 2010)
1924 – Anton Geiser, Croatian SS officer (died 2012)
1924 – Giacomo Mari, Italian footballer (died 1991)
1924 – Rolando Panerai, Italian baritone (died 2019)
1925 – Harry Carpenter, English sportscaster (died 2010)
1926 – Julie Adams, American actress (died 2019)
1926 – Beverly Garland, American actress (died 2008)
1926 – Roberto Lippi, Italian race car driver (died 2011)
1928 – Santiago Stevenson, Panamanian singer and minister (died 2007)
1928 – Alejandro Végh Villegas, Uruguayan politician (died 2017)
1929 – Mário Wilson, Mozambican footballer and manager (died 2016)
1930 – Ismail Akbay, Turkish physicist and engineer (died 2003)
1930 – Robert Atkins, American physician and cardiologist, created the Atkins diet (died 2003)
1931 – José Alencar, Brazilian businessman and politician (died 2011)
1932 – Paul Anderson, American weightlifter (died 1994)
1931 – Ernst Hinterberger, Austrian author and playwright (died 2012)
1931 – Anatoly Pristavkin, Russian writer (died 2008)
1933 – William Anders, Hong Kong-American general and astronaut (died 2024)
1933 – The Singing Nun, Belgian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and nun (died 1985)
1934 – Alan Garner, English author and playwright
1934 – Johnny Haynes, English-Scottish footballer (died 2005)
1934 – Rico Rodriguez, Jamaican trombonist (died 2015)
1935 – Sydney Chapman, English architect and politician, Vice-Chamberlain of the Household (died 2014)
1935 – Michael Eavis, English farmer, founded the Glastonbury Festival
1935 – Carlos Pairetti, Argentine racing driver (died 2022)
1936 – Sathima Bea Benjamin, South African singer-songwriter (died 2013)
1936 – Hiroo Kanamori, Japanese-American seismologist and academic
1936 – Santiago Navarro, Spanish basketball player (died 1993)
1936 – Bert Nievera, Filipino-American singer (died 2018)
1937 – José María Álvarez del Manzano, Spanish politician
1937 – Aida Navarro, Venezuelan mezzo-soprano
1937 – Renato Prada Oropeza, Bolivian-Mexican scientist (died 2011)
1937 – Paxton Whitehead, English actor (died 2023)
1938 – António Calvário, Portuguese singer and artist
1938 – Evel Knievel, American motorcycle rider and stuntman (died 2007)
1938 – Les Murray, Australian anthologist, poet, and critic (died 2019)
1939 – Oliver Rackham, English botanist and academic (died 2015)
1940 – Stephen Kovacevich, American pianist and conductor
1940 – Jim Smith, English footballer and manager (died 2019)
1940 – Peter Stringfellow, English businessman (died 2018)
1941 – Earl Thomas Conley, American country singer-songwriter and guitarist (died 2019)
1941 – Paul Ellison, American musician
1941 – Jim Seals, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and violinist (died 2022)
1942 – Steve Jones, American basketball player and sportscaster (died 2017)
1942 – Gary Puckett, American pop singer-songwriter and guitarist
1943 – Ignacio Rupérez, Spanish diplomat and journalist (died 2015)
1944 – Ángel Cristo, Spanish circus performer (died 2010)
1946 – Ronni Chasen, American publicist (died 2010)
1946 – Michael Hossack, American drummer (died 2012)
1946 – Manuel "Flaco" Ibáñez, Mexican actor and comedian
1946 – Akira Kushida, Japanese vocalist
1946 – Cameron Mackintosh, English producer and manager
1946 – Adam Michnik, Polish journalist and historian
1946 – Julio Miranda, Argentine politician (died 2021)
1946 – Drusilla Modjeska, English-Australian author and critic
1946 – Daniela Payssé, Uruguayan politician (died 2018)
1946 – José Perramón, Spanish handball player
1946 – Jaime Ravinet, Chilean politician
1946 – Bob Seagren, American pole vaulter
1946 – Rüdiger Wittig, German geobotanist and ecologist
1947 – Omar Azziman, adviser to the King of Morocco
1947 – Gene Green, American lawyer and politician
1947 – Michael McKean, American singer-songwriter, actor, and director
1947 – Robert Post, American educator and academic
1948 – Osvaldo Castro, Chilean footballer
1948 – Robert Jordan, American soldier and author (died 2007)
1948 – Margot Kidder, Canadian-American actress (died 2018)
1948 – George Wendt, American actor and comedian (died 2025)
1949 – Owen Arthur, Barbadian economist and politician, 5th Prime Minister of Barbados (died 2020)
1949 – Bill Hudson, American musician and actor
1950 – Philippe Barbarin, French cardinal
1950 – Sandra Reemer, Indo-Dutch singer (died 2017)
1950 – Howard Rollins, American actor (died 1996)
1951 – Dirk Beheydt, Belgian footballer
1951 – Annie Borckink, Dutch speed skater
1951 – Roger Pontare, Swedish singer
1951 – Shari Ulrich, American-Canadian singer-songwriter and violinist
1953 – Joseph Bowie, American trombonist and bandleader
1953 – Domenico Penzo, Italian footballer
1954 – Carlos Buhler, American mountaineer
1955 – Georgios Alogoskoufis, Greek economist, academic, and politician, Greek Minister of Finance
1955 – Mike Bratz, American basketball player
1956 – Fran Cosmo, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1956 – Mae Jemison, American physician, academic, and astronaut
1956 – Pat McCrory, American businessman and politician, 74th Governor of North Carolina
1956 – Ken Morrow, American ice hockey player and executive
1956 – Stephen Palumbi, American academic and author
1957 – Eleftheria Arvanitaki, Greek folk singer
1957 – Nelson Barrera, Mexican baseball player (died 2002)
1957 – Lawrence Bender, American actor and producer
1957 – Antonio Galdo, Italian journalist
1957 – Steve McMichael, American football player, wrestler, and sportscaster (died 2025)
1957 – Pino Palladino, Welsh bassist
1957 – Vincent Van Patten, American tennis player and actor
1958 – Howard Alden, American guitarist
1958 – Alan Jackson, American singer-songwriter
1958 – Sandra Mozarowsky, Spanish actress (died 1977)
1958 – Craig Murray, British diplomat
1959 – Mustafa Aberchán, Spanish politician
1959 – Ron Drummond, American author and scholar
1959 – Francisco Flores Pérez, Salvadorian politician, President of El Salvador (died 2016)
1959 – Russell Gilbert, Australian comedian, actor, and screenwriter
1959 – Eugenio Hernández Flores, Mexican politician
1959 – Norm Macdonald, Canadian actor, comedian, producer, and screenwriter (died 2021)
1959 – Mark Peel, Australian historian and academic
1959 – Richard Roeper, American journalist and critic
1960 – Guy Henry, English actor
1960 – Rob Marshall, American director, producer, and choreographer
1960 – Bernie Nolan, Irish singer (died 2013)
1960 – Philippe Sands, American lawyer and academic
1961 – David Means, American short story writer
1962 – Glenn Braggs, American baseball player
1962 – Jay Humphries, American basketball player
1962 – Mike Judge, American animator, director, screenwriter, producer and actor
1963 – Sergio Goycochea, Argentinian footballer and journalist
1963 – Toby Young, English journalist and academic
1964 – Margarita Liborio Arrazola, Mexican politician
1964 – Gregg Wallace, English television presenter
1965 – Aravinda de Silva, Sri Lankan cricketer
1965 – Rhys Muldoon, Australian actor
1966 – Shaun Edwards, English rugby player and coach
1966 – Danny Ferry, American basketball player and manager
1966 – Mark Gatiss, English actor, screenwriter and novelist
1966 – Tommy Kendall, American race car driver and sportscaster
1967 – René Dif, Danish musician
1967 – Pedro González Vera, Chilean footballer
1967 – Simon Segars, English businessman
1967 – Nathalie Tauziat, French tennis player
1968 – Alejandra Ávalos, Mexican artist
1968 – Graeme Le Saux, English footballer and sportscaster
1968 – Ziggy Marley, Jamaican singer-songwriter, guitarist, and voice actor
1968 – David Robertson, Scottish footballer and manager
1969 – Ernie Els, South African golfer and sportscaster
1969 – Jesús Ángel García, Spanish racewalker
1969 – Wood Harris, American actor
1969 – Wyclef Jean, Haitian-American rapper, producer, and actor
1969 – Rick Mercer, Canadian comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter
1970 – Anil Kumble, Indian cricketer
1970 – John Mabry, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster
1970 – J. C. MacKenzie, Canadian actor
1971 – Chris Kirkpatrick, American singer-songwriter and dancer
1971 – Kim Ljung, Norwegian singer-songwriter and bass player
1971 – Martin Heinrich, American politician
1971 – Derrick Plourde, American drummer (died 2005)
1971 – Blues Saraceno, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer
1972 – Eminem, American rapper, producer, and actor
1972 – Sharon Leal, American actress
1972 – Musashi, Japanese karateka and kickboxer
1972 – Tarkan, German-Turkish singer
1973 – Rubén Garcés, Panamanian basketball player
1973 – Andrea Tarozzi, Italian footballer and coach
1973 – Bhagwant Mann, Indian Politician
1974 – Ariel Levy, American journalist and author
1974 – Matthew Macfadyen, English actor
1974 – Obdulio Ávila Mayo, Mexican politician
1974 – Bárbara Paz, Brazilian actress
1974 – Janne Puurtinen, Finnish keyboard player
1974 – John Rocker, American baseball player
1974 – Darío Sala, Argentine footballer
1974 – Gabriel Silberstein, Chilean tennis player
1974 – Dhondup Wangchen, Chinese director and producer
1975 – Jericó Abramo Masso, Mexican politician
1975 – Francis Bouillon, American-Canadian ice hockey player
1975 – Vina Morales, Filipino actress and singer
1976 – Sebastián Abreu, Uruguayan footballer
1976 – Seth Etherton, American baseball player
1976 – Carlos Loret de Mola, Mexican journalist
1976 – Kevin Maher, English-Irish footballer and coach
1977 – Dudu Aouate, Israeli footballer
1977 – Alimi Ballard, American actor and producer
1977 – Bryan Bertino, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
1977 – Walter Calderón, Ecuadorian footballer
1977 – Marko Antonio Cortés Mendoza, Mexican politician
1977 – Ryan McGinley, American photographer
1977 – André Villas-Boas, Portuguese footballer and manager
1978 – Jerry Flannery, Irish rugby player and coach
1978 – Pablo Iglesias Turrión, Spanish politician
1978 – Erin Karpluk, Canadian actress
1978 – Chuka Umunna, English lawyer and politician
1979 – Marcela Bovio, Mexican singer-songwriter and violinist
1979 – Alexandros Nikolaidis, Greek martial artist (died 2022)
1979 – Kimi Räikkönen, Finnish race car driver
1979 – Kostas Tsartsaris, Greek basketball player
1980 – Yekaterina Gamova, Russian volleyball player
1980 – Mohammad Hafeez, Pakistani cricketer
1980 – Isaac Mina, Ecuadorian footballer
1980 – Angel Parker, American actress
1980 – Alessandro Piccolo, Italian race car driver
1980 – Justin Shenkarow, American actor
1981 – Horacio Cervantes, Mexican footballer
1981 – Kurumi Enomoto, Japanese singer-songwriter
1981 – Holly Holm, American mixed martial artist
1981 – Tsubasa Imai, Japanese singer, actor, and dancer
1981 – Ben Rothwell, American mixed-martial artist
1982 – Rubén Ramírez, Argentine footballer
1982 – Nick Riewoldt, Australian footballer
1982 – Marion Rolland, French skier
1983 – Michelle Ang, New Zealand actress
1983 – Milica Brozovic, Serbian-Russian figure skater
1983 – Felicity Jones, English actress
1983 – Toshihiro Matsushita, Japanese footballer
1983 – Riki Miura, Japanese actor
1983 – Junichi Miyashita, Japanese swimmer
1983 – Ivan Saenko, Russian footballer
1983 – Mitch Talbot, American baseball player
1983 – Vitali Teleš, Estonian footballer
1984 – Sami Lepistö, Finnish ice hockey player
1984 – Chris Lowell, American actor
1984 – Giovanni Marchese, Italian footballer
1984 – Randall Munroe, American author and illustrator
1984 – Luke Rockhold, American mixed martial artist
1984 – Anja Eline Skybakmoen, Norwegian singer-songwriter and bandleader
1984 – Gottfrid Svartholm, Swedish computer specialist
1984 – Jared Tallent, Australian race walker
1985 – Carlos González, Venezuelan baseball player
1985 – Max Irons, English-Irish actor
1985 – Collins John, Dutch footballer
1985 – Tomokazu Nagira, Japanese footballer
1986 – Alexandre Bonnet, French footballer
1986 – Antoni Bou, Spanish motorcyclist
1986 – Aija Brumermane, Latvian basketball player
1986 – Constant Djakpa, Ivorian footballer
1986 – Yannick Ponsero, French figure skater
1986 – Nicolás Richotti, Argentine basketball player
1987 – Bea Alonzo, Filipino actress and singer
1987 – Jarosław Fojut, Polish footballer
1987 – Elliot Grandin, French footballer
1987 – Hideto Takahashi, Japanese footballer
1988 – Sergiy Gladyr, Ukrainian basketball player
1988 – Tori Matsuzaka, Japanese actor and model
1988 – Marina Salas, Spanish actress
1989 – Débora García, Spanish footballer
1989 – Oleksandr Isakov, Ukrainian swimmer
1989 – Sophie Luck, Australian actress
1989 – Charles Oliveira, Brazilian mixed martial artist
1989 – David Timor, Spanish footballer
1990 – Paolo Campinoti, Italian footballer
1990 – Maica García Godoy, Spanish water polo player
1990 – Ronald González Tabilo, Chilean footballer
1990 – Saki Kumagai, Japanese footballer
1990 – Patrick Lambie, South African rugby player
1991 – Brenda Asnicar, Argentine actress
1992 – Jacob Artist, American actor, singer, and dancer
1992 – Sam Concepcion, Filipino musician and dancer
1992 – Anthony Gill, American basketball player
1992 – Keerthy Suresh, Indian actress
1993 – Kenneth Omeruo, Nigerian footballer
1993 – Vincent Poirier, French basketball player
1995 – Jamal Adams, American football player
1995 – Ha-seong Kim, South Korean baseball player
1996 – Jake DeBrusk, Canadian ice hockey player
1997 – Robert Williams III, American basketball player
2001 – Thomas Strudwick, British motorcycle road racer
2002 – Matthew Knies, American professional ice hockey player
2002 – Lily, Australian-South Korean singer

Deaths 118

AD 33 – Agrippina the Elder, Roman wife of Germanicus (born 14 BC)
532 – Pope Boniface II
866 – Al-Musta'in, Abbasid caliph (born 836)
1271 – Steinvör Sighvatsdóttir, Icelandic aristocrat and poet
1277 – Beatrice of Falkenburg, German queen consort (born c. 1254)
1346 – John Randolph, 3rd Earl of Moray
1346 – Maurice de Moravia, Earl of Strathearn
1456 – Nicolas Grenon, French composer (born 1375)
1485 – John Scott of Scott's Hall, Warden of the Cinque Ports
1528 – Hernando Alonso, Spanish conquistador, first Jew executed in the New World
1552 – Andreas Osiander, German Protestant theologian (born 1498)
1575 – Gaspar Cervantes de Gaeta, Spanish cardinal (born 1511)
1586 – Philip Sidney, English courtier, poet, and general (born 1554)
1587 – Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (born 1541)
1616 – John Pitts, English priest and scholar (born 1560)
1660 – Adrian Scrope, English colonel and politician (born 1601)
1673 – Thomas Clifford, 1st Baron Clifford of Chudleigh, English politician, Lord High Treasurer of England (born 1630)
1690 – Margaret Mary Alacoque, French mystic (born 1647)
1696 – Geoffrey Shakerley (1619–1696), English politician (born 1619)
1757 – René Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur, French entomologist and academic (born 1683)
1776 – Pierre François le Courayer, French-English theologian and author (born 1681)
1780 – William Cookworthy, English pharmacist and minister (born 1705)
1781 – Edward Hawke, 1st Baron Hawke, English admiral (born 1705)
1786 – Johann Ludwig Aberli, Swiss painter and illustrator (born 1723)
1806 – Jean-Jacques Dessalines, Haitian commander and politician, Governor-General of Haiti (born 1758)
1836 – Orest Kiprensky, Russian painter (born 1782)
1837 – Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Austrian pianist and composer (born 1778)
1849 – Frédéric Chopin, Polish pianist and composer (born 1810)
1868 – Laura Secord, Canadian war heroine (born 1775)
1887 – Gustav Kirchhoff, German physicist and chemist (born 1824)
1889 – Nikolay Chernyshevsky, Russian philosopher and critic (born 1828)
1893 – Patrice de MacMahon, Duke of Magenta, French general and politician, 3rd President of France (born 1808)
1910 – Julia Ward Howe, American poet and songwriter (born 1819)
1910 - Kurd Lasswitz, author and physician (born 1848)
1918 – Malak Hifni Nasif, Egyptian poet and author (born 1886)
1920 – Michael Fitzgerald (Irish republican) died on Hunger Strike (born 1881)
1928 – Frank Dicksee, English painter and illustrator (born 1853)
1931 – Alfons Maria Jakob, German neurologist and academic (born 1884)
1937 – J. Bruce Ismay, English businessman (born 1862)
1938 – Karl Kautsky, Czech-German journalist, philosopher, and theoretician (born 1854)
1948 – Royal Cortissoz, American art critic (born 1869)
1955 – Dimitrios Maximos, Greek banker and politician (born 1873)
1956 – Anne Crawford, Israeli-English actress (born 1920)
1957 – Wilhelmina Hay Abbott, Scottish suffragist and feminist (born 1884)
1958 – Paul Outerbridge, American photographer (born 1896)
1958 – Charlie Townsend, English cricketer and lawyer (born 1876)
1962 – Natalia Goncharova, Russian painter, costume designer, and set designer (born 1882)
1963 – Jacques Hadamard, French mathematician and academic (born 1865)
1965 – Bart King, American cricketer (born 1873)
1966 – Sidney Hatch, American runner and soldier (born 1883)
1966 – Wieland Wagner, German director and manager (born 1917)
1967 – Puyi, Chinese emperor (born 1906)
1970 – Pierre Laporte, Canadian journalist, lawyer, and politician (born 1921)
1970 – Vola Vale, American actress (born 1897)
1970 – Quincy Wright, American political scientist and academic (born 1890)
1972 – Turk Broda, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (born 1914)
1972 – George, Crown Prince of Serbia (born 1887)
1973 – Ingeborg Bachmann, Austrian author and poet (born 1926)
1978 – George Clark, American race car driver (born 1890)
1978 – Giovanni Gronchi, Italian educator, soldier, and politician, 3rd President of the Italian Republic (born 1887)
1979 – S. J. Perelman, American humorist and screenwriter (born 1904)
1979 – John Stuart, Scottish-English actor (born 1898)
1979 – Eugenio Mendoza, Venezuelan business tycoon (born 1909)
1981 – Kannadasan Indian author, poet, and songwriter (born 1927)
1981 – Albert Cohen, Greek-Swiss civil servant and author (born 1895)
1981 – Lina Tsaldari, Greek politician (born 1887)
1983 – Raymond Aron, French sociologist, political scientist, and philosopher (born 1905)
1987 – Abdul Malek Ukil, Bangladeshi lawyer and politician (born 1925)
1991 – Tennessee Ernie Ford, American singer and actor (born 1919)
1992 – Herman Johannes, Indonesian scientist, academic, and politician (born 1912)
1992 – Orestis Laskos, Greek actor, director, and screenwriter (born 1908)
1993 – Criss Oliva, American guitarist and songwriter (born 1963)
1996 – Chris Acland, English musician and drummer of Lush (born 1966)
1997 – Larry Jennings, American magician and author (born 1933)
1998 – Joan Hickson, English actress (born 1906)
1998 – Hakim Said, Pakistani scholar and politician, 20th Governor of Sindh (born 1920)
1999 – Nicholas Metropolis, Greek-American mathematician and physicist (born 1915)
2000 – Leo Nomellini, Italian-American football player and wrestler (born 1924)
2000 – Joachim Nielsen, Norwegian singer-songwriter and poet (born 1964)
2001 – Jay Livingston, American singer-songwriter (born 1915)
2001 – Micheline Ostermeyer, French shot putter, discus thrower, and pianist (born 1922)
2001 – Rehavam Ze'evi, Israeli historian, general, and politician, Tourism Minister of Israel (born 1926)
2002 – Derek Bell, Irish harpist and composer (born 1935)
2004 – Uzi Hitman, Israeli singer-songwriter (born 1952)
2006 – Daniel Emilfork, Chilean-French actor (born 1924)
2006 – Christopher Glenn, American journalist (born 1938)
2007 – Joey Bishop, American actor and talk show host (born 1918)
2007 – Teresa Brewer, American singer (born 1931)
2007 – Suzy Covey, American scholar and academic (born 1939)
2008 – Urmas Ott, Estonian journalist and author (born 1955)
2008 – Levi Stubbs, American singer (born 1936)
2008 – Ben Weider, Canadian businessman, co-founded the International Federation of BodyBuilding & Fitness (born 1923)
2009 – Norma Fox Mazer, American author and educator (born 1931)
2009 – Vic Mizzy, American composer (born 1916)
2011 – Carl Lindner, Jr., American businessman (born 1919)
2012 – Milija Aleksic, English-South African footballer (born 1951)
2012 – Émile Allais, French skier (born 1912)
2012 – Henry Friedlander, German-American historian and author (born 1930)
2012 – Stanford R. Ovshinsky, American scientist and businessman, co-founded Energy Conversion Devices (born 1922)
2012 – Kōji Wakamatsu, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1936)
2013 – Mother Antonia, American-Mexican nun and activist (born 1926)
2013 – Terry Fogerty, English rugby player and coach (born 1944)
2013 – Arthur Maxwell House, Canadian neurologist and politician, 10th Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador (born 1926)
2013 – Lou Scheimer, American animator, producer, and voice actor, co-founded the Filmation Company (born 1928)
2013 – Rene Simpson, Canadian-American tennis player (born 1966)
2014 – Edwards Barham, American farmer and politician (born 1937)
2014 – Masaru Emoto, Japanese author and activist (born 1943)
2014 – Tom Shaw, American bishop (born 1945)
2014 – Berndt von Staden, German diplomat, German Ambassador to the United States (born 1919)
2015 – Danièle Delorme, French actress and producer (born 1926)
2015 – Howard Kendall, English footballer and manager (born 1946)
2015 – Anne-Marie Lizin, Belgian lawyer and politician (born 1949)
2015 – Tom Smith, American businessman and politician (born 1947)
2017 – Gord Downie, Canadian musician (born 1964)
2019 – Elijah Cummings, American politician and civil rights advocate (born 1951)
2024 – Mitzi Gaynor, American actress, singer, and dancer (born 1931)
2024 – Toshiyuki Nishida, Japanese actor (born 1947)
2024 – Andrew Schally, Polish-American endocrinologist (born 1926)

Holidays and observances 20

Christian feast day: Andrew of Crete Anstrudis Catervus Ethelred and Ethelberht Florentius of Orange François-Isidore Gagelin (one of Vietnamese Martyrs) Hosea Ignatius of Antioch John the Short (John Colobus) Marguerite Marie Alacoque (pre-1969 calendar, Visitadines) Nothhelm Rule of Andrew Richard Gwyn Victor of Capua October 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Andrew of Crete
Anstrudis
Catervus
Ethelred and Ethelberht
Florentius of Orange
François-Isidore Gagelin (one of Vietnamese Martyrs)
Hosea
Ignatius of Antioch
John the Short (John Colobus)
Marguerite Marie Alacoque (pre-1969 calendar, Visitadines)
Nothhelm
Rule of Andrew
Richard Gwyn
Victor of Capua
October 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
Loyalty Day (Argentina)
National Police Day (Thailand)
National Heroes Day (Somaliland)