2026 Indonesia Air Transport ATR 42 crash
Indonesia Air Transport ATR 42 crashed near Mount Bulusaraung in South Sulawesi, after losing contact en route to Makassar.
What happened on January 17
33 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 1377 to 2026.
Standout on January 17
2016
Barack Obama
President Barack Obama announces the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, an agreement intended to limit Iran's nuclear program.
About January 17
January 17 is the 17th day of the year. These facts are computed from the calendar, not copied from anywhere.
- Day of the year
- Day 17 of 365 (17 in leap years)348 days left in the year (349 in leap years)
- Falls on
- Saturday in 2026, Sunday in 2027, Monday in 2028, Wednesday in 2029, Thursday in 2030
- Week
- ISO week 3 of 2026 · Q1
- Zodiac sign
- ♑ Capricorn (December 22 – January 19)
- Season
- Winter in the north · Summer in the south
- January birthstone
- Garnetprotection, friendship and trust
- January birth flower
- Carnation / Snowdroplove, devotion and hope
- Next occurrence
- In 82 days
- Roman numerals
- XVII.Iday.month — see the Roman numeral date tool
Anniversaries in 2026
- 30thAllonzo Trier1996
- 30thCzech Republic1996
- 25thEnzo Fernández2001
- 10thBarack Obama2016
- 10thBlowfly (musician)2016
- 10thMelvin Day2016
- 10thSudhindra Thirtha (Kashi Math)2016
- 10thV. Rama Rao2016
January 17 through the years
- 10 years ago2016
- Barack Obama · V. Rama Rao · Sudhindra Thirtha (Kashi Math)
- 25 years ago2001
- Enzo Fernández
- 50 years ago1976
- Nothing recorded
- 100 years ago1926
- Nothing recorded
- 200 years ago1826
- Nothing recorded
Born on January 17 — ages this year
- 2005Peio Canalesturns 21
- 2003Robin Roefsturns 23
- 2002Samuel (singer)turns 24
- 2001Enzo Fernándezturns 25
- 2000Ayo Dosunmuturns 26
- 2000Kang Chan-heeturns 26
Historical events 33
A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
2023 Nyingchi avalanche
An avalanche strikes Nyingchi, Tibet, killing 28 people.
Search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 is announced to be suspended.
Barack Obama
President Barack Obama announces the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, an agreement intended to limit Iran's nuclear program.
Murder of Shahzad Luqman
Shahzad Luqman is murdered by members of Golden Dawn in Petralona, Athens, leading the creation of new measures to combat race-based attacks in Greece.
Lance Armstrong
Former cyclist Lance Armstrong confesses to his doping in an airing of Oprah's Next Chapter.
2010 Jos riots
The first spate of violence between Muslims and Christians began in Jos, Nigeria, and would end in more than 200 deaths.
British Airways Flight 38
British Airways Flight 38 crashes short of the runway at Heathrow Airport, injuring 47.
Doomsday Clock
The Doomsday Clock is set to five minutes to midnight in response to North Korea's nuclear testing.
Mount Nyiragongo
Mount Nyiragongo, a volcano in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, began an eruption that killed hundreds and left about 120,000 people homeless in the nearby town of Goma.
Little Saigon, Orange County
In Little Saigon, California, a series of protests began when the owner of a video rental store displayed an image of Ho Chi Minh.
Drudge Report
The Drudge Report became the first news source to break the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal to the public.
Clinton–Lewinsky scandal
Clinton–Lewinsky scandal: Matt Drudge breaks the story of the Bill Clinton–Monica Lewinsky affair on his Drudge Report website.
Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station: A Delta II carrying the GPS IIR-1 satellite explodes 13 seconds after launch, dropping 250 tons of burning rocket remains around the launch pad.
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic applies for membership in the European Union.
1995 Hanshin earthquake
The 6.9 Mw Great Hanshin earthquake shakes the southern Hyōgo Prefecture with a maximum Shindo of 7, leaving 5,502–6,434 people dead, and 251,301–310,000 displaced.
1994 Northridge earthquake
The 6.7 Mw Northridge earthquake shakes the Greater Los Angeles Area with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent), leaving 57 people dead and more than 8,700 injured.
Prime Minister of Japan
During a visit to South Korea, Japanese Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa apologizes for forcing Korean women into sexual slavery during World War II.
Harald V
Crown Prince Harald of Norway becomes King Harald V, following the death of his father, King Olav V.
Gulf War
Gulf War: Operation Desert Storm begins early in the morning as aircraft strike positions across Iraq, it is also the first major combat sortie for the F-117. LCDR Scott Speicher's F/A-18C Hornet from VFA-81 is shot down by a Mig-25 and is the first American casualty of the War. Iraq fires eight Scud missiles into Israel in an unsuccessful bid to provoke Israeli retaliation.
Stockton schoolyard shooting
Patrick Purdy opened fire in an elementary school in Stockton, California, killing 5 and wounding 32 others.
President of the Philippines
President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos lifts martial law eight years and five months after declaring it.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Three days before leaving office, U.S. president Dwight D. Eisenhower delivered a farewell speech to the nation, in which he warned about the dangers of the military–industrial complex.
Patrice Lumumba
Patrice Lumumba, a former prime minister of Congo-Léopoldville, was murdered in circumstances suggesting the support and complicity of the Belgian and US governments.
Indonesian National Revolution
Indonesian National Revolution: The Renville Agreement between the Netherlands and Indonesian republicans was ratified, in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to resolve disputes arising from the Linggadjati Agreement of 1946.
Raoul Wallenberg
Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, who had saved thousands of Jews from the Holocaust, was taken into Soviet custody during the Siege of Budapest and was never seen in public again.
World War II
World War II: Australian troops advanced along the northern part of Bougainville Island (in present-day Papua New Guinea) and began fighting Japanese forces in the Battle of Tsimba Ridge.
Volstead Act
The Volstead Act went into effect, beginning the prohibition of alcohol in the United States.
Robert Falcon Scott
Robert Falcon Scott's ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition reached the South Pole, only to find that Roald Amundsen's team had beaten them by 33 days.
Lorrin A. Thurston
Lorrin A. Thurston and the Citizens' Committee of Public Safety led the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom and the government of Queen Liliʻuokalani (pictured).
James Cook
On James Cook's second voyage, his vessel HMS Resolution became the first vessel to cross the Antarctic Circle.
Catherine de' Medici
Representatives of Catherine de' Medici, the regent of France, drew up the Edict of Saint-Germain, providing limited tolerance to the Protestant Huguenots.
Pope Gregory XI
Gregory XI, the last Avignon pope, entered Rome after a four-month journey from Avignon, returning the papacy to its original city.
Births 20
A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
Deaths 20
A notable person who died on this day.
Jules Feiffer
Jules Feiffer, American cartoonist, playwright, screenwriter, and educator (born 1929)
Didier Guillaume
Didier Guillaume, French politician, 25th Minister of State of Monaco (born 1959)
Punsalmaagiin Ochirbat
Punsalmaagiin Ochirbat, Mongolian politician, 1st President of Mongolia (born 1942)
Colo (gorilla)
Colo, American western lowland gorilla, first gorilla born in captivity and oldest recorded (born 1956)
V. Rama Rao
V. Rama Rao, Indian lawyer and politician, 12th Governor of Sikkim (born 1935)
Mohammed Burhanuddin
Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin, Indian spiritual leader, 52nd Da'i al-Mutlaq (born 1915)
Holidays & observances 8
A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
Beatification
Christian feast day: Blessed Angelo Paoli
Gamelbert of Michaelsbuch
Christian feast day: Blessed Gamelbert of Michaelsbuch
Mildgyth
Christian feast day: Mildgyth
Sulpicius the Pious
Christian feast day: Sulpitius the Pious
Our Lady of Pontmain
Christian feast day: Our Lady of Pontmain
Jenaro Sánchez Delgadillo
Christian feast day: Jenaro Sánchez Delgadillo (one of Saints of the Cristero War)
Anthony the Great
Christian feast day: Anthony the Great
Charles Gore
Christian feast day: Charles Gore (Church of England)
Spread across the centuries
- 14th century1
- 16th century1
- 18th century1
- 19th century1
- 20th century35
- 21st century34
Earliest: Pope Gregory XI (1377). Most recent: 2026 Indonesia Air Transport ATR 42 crash (2026).
What the categories mean, and how the standout is chosen
- Historical events
- A dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
- Births
- A notable person born on this day. Each links to a person page with their dates and story.
- Deaths
- A notable person who died on this day.
- Milestones
- A first, a founding or a turning point our editors flagged as a landmark moment.
- Holidays & observances
- A holiday, feast day, awareness day or national day observed every year on this date.
- Standout / notable
- Editor-written entries come first, then entries covered by the most Wikipedia language editions. For the standout tile we prefer an entry that has a picture.
Nearby and related
Questions about January 17
What day of the year is January 17?
January 17 is the 17th day of the year, with 348 days left after it.
What star sign is January 17?
January 17 falls under Capricorn (December 22 – January 19), a earth sign ruled by Saturn. The birthstone for the month is Garnet.
How many things happened on January 17?
We record 81 entries for January 17: 33 events · 20 births · 20 deaths · 8 observances. From 1377 to 2026.
Who was born on January 17?
Peio Canales (2005) is among the notable births on January 17. The births section lists the rest.
How often is the January 17 page updated?
The day is filled the first time anyone opens it and then re-checked for new entries about every 90 days. Computed facts such as the weekday and the anniversaries update every year.
Get a daily entry like January 17
One short email a day from this calendar. Kept for this site only.
Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.