On this day...

1501 Cesare Borgia returns in triumph to Rome from the Romagna
1562 Edict of St. Germain recognizes the Huguenots in France
1584 Bohemia adopts the Gregorian calendar
1601 France gains Bresse, Bugey, Valromey & Gex in treaty with Spain
1718 Avalanche destroys every building in Leukerbad, Switzerland; kills 53
1746 Battle of Falkirk, Scotland-Edward I defeats & massacres Scots
1773 Captain James Cook becomes first to cross Antarctic Circle
1775 9 old women burnt as witches for causing bad harvests, Kalisk, Poland
1821 Mexico permits Moses Austin & 300 US families to settle in Texas
1852 British recognize independence of Transvaal (in South Africa)
1861 Flush toilet patented by Thomas Crapper
1871 First cable car patented, by Andrew S. Hallidie (begins service in 1873)
1874 Armed Democrats seize Texas government ending Radical Reconstruction
1885 British beat Mahdists at Battle of Abu Klea in the Sudan
1893 Queen Liliuokalani deposed, Kingdom of Hawaii becomes a republic
1899 US takes possession of Wake Island in Pacific
1905 Punchboards patented by Charles Brewer & C.G. Scannell, Chicago
1916 Professional Golfer Association (PGA) formed in New York NY
1917 US pays Denmark $25 million for the Virgin Islands
1928 First fully automatic photographic film developing machine patented
1929 Popeye makes first appearance, in comic strip "Thimble Theatre"
1943 Tin Can Drive Day
1945 "Liberation" of Warsaw by Soviet troops (end of Nazi occupation)
1946 United Nations Security Council holds its first meeting
1950 11 men rob Brink's office in Boston of $1.2M cash & $1.5M securities
1954 Jacques Cousteau's first network telecast airs on "Omnibus" (CBS)
1955 Submarine Nautilus begins first nuclear-powered test voyage
1962 ANASA civilian pilot Neil A. Armstrong takes X-15 to 40,690 m
1963 Joe Walker takes X-15 to altitude of 82 km
1966 USAF B-52 carrying 4 unarmed hydrogen bombs crashes on Spanish coast
1970 John M. Burgess installed as bishop of Protestant Episcopals (Massachusetts)
1971 Super Bowl V: Baltimore Colts-16, Dallas Cowboys-13
1973 New Philippine constitution names Marcos president for life
1984 Supreme Court rules (5-4) private use of home VCRs to tape TV programs for later viewing does not violate federal copyright laws
1986 Tim Witherspoon beats Tony Tubbs to regain WBA heavyweight title
1987 President Reagan signs secret order permitting covert sale of arms to Iran
1989 Al Arbour wins his 600th NHL game as coach
1989 Gunman opens fire in California schoolyard; 5 students slain, 30 wounded
1990 Dave Stewart signs record $3,500,000 per year Oak A's contract

Birthdays which occurred on January 17th:

1463 Frederick III, the Wise, elector of Saxony, protector of Luther
1501 Leonhard Fuchs, Germany, botanist (History of Plants)
1600 Pedro Calderon de la Barca, Spanish poet/dramatist
1612 Thomas Fairfax, Lord Fairfax, English Parliamentary general
1706 Benjamin Franklin, Boston, statesman/inventor
1732 Stanislaw II August Poniatowski, last king of Poland (1764-95)
1771 Charles Brockden Brown, father of American novel (Wieland)
1806 James Madison Randolph, (Jefferson's grandson) first born in White House
1818 Sir Antoine Dorion, (L) joint premier of Canada (1858, 1863-64)
1820 Anne Bronte, English novelist (Tenant of Wildfell Hall)
1880 Mack Sennett, movie creator (Keystone Kops)
1886 Glenn Luther Martin, aviator (Collier Trophy-1933)
1886 Ronald Firbank, London, novelist (The Flower Beneath the Foot)
1891 Marjorie Gateson, Brooklyn NY, actress (One Man's Family)
1896 Harry Reser, Ohio, orchestra leader (Sammy Kaye Show)
1899 Al Capone, gangster (Chicago bootlegging)
1899 Nevil Shute (Norway), London, novelist (On the Beach, Town Like Alice)
1899 Robert Maynard Hutchins, US, educator/civil libertarian
1903 Warren Hull, Gasport NY, actor (Strike it Rich, Who in the World)
1905 Franz Schmid, Germany, ascended northside of Matterhorn (1931)
1916 Joel Herron, Chicago IL, orchestra leader (Jaye P Morgan Show)
1922 Betty White, Oak Park, actress (Mary Tyler Moore Show, Golden Girls)
1925 Rock Hudson, Winnetka IL, actor (McMillian & Wife)
1926 Moira Shearer, Scotland, ballerina (Red Shoes)
1928 Vidal Sassoon, London, hair stylist/CEO (Vidal Sasson)
1930 Thomas P. Stafford, Oklahoma, astronaut (Gemini 6, Gemini 9, Apollo 10)
1931 James Earl Jones, Mississippi, actor
1933 Sheree North, Louisiana, actress (Mary Tyler Moore Show, Breakout, Madigan)
1934 Shari Lewis, Bronx NY, ventriloquist/puppeteer (Lamb Chop)
1938 Paul Revere, Harvard Nebraska, pianist (Paul Revere & Raiders)
1939 Maury Povich, news personality (Current Affair, Maury)
1942 Muhammad Ali [Cassius Clay], heavyweight champ boxer (1964-67, 74-78)
1942 Randy Boone, Fayetteville NC, actor (Cimarron Strip, Virginian)
1947 Todd Susman, St Louis MO, actor (Goodnight Beantown)
1948 Mick Taylor, rocker (Rolling Stones)
1949 Andy Kaufman, New York NY, comedian/actor (Latka-Taxi)
1949 Debbie Watson, La Mirada CA, actress (Karen, Tammy)
1956 Paul Young, rock vocalist/keyboardist (Every Time You Go Away)
1960 John Crawford, Palo Alto Ca, bass (Berlin-Take My Breath Away)
1961 Maia Chiburdanidze, Kutaisi, USSR, women's world chess champ
1962 Jim Carrey, Ontario Canada, actor (Living Color, Dumb and Dumber)
1962 Susanna Hoffs, actress/rocker (Bangles-Walk Like an Egyptian)

Deaths which occurred on January 17th:

1874 Chang & Eng Bunker, Siamese twins
1893 Rutherford B. Hayes, (US President) dies in Fremont OH, at 70
1910 Thomas Crapper, inventor (flush toilet)
1977 Gary Gilmore, executed in Utah (firing squad), first US execution since 1967
1980 Barbara Britton, actress (Pamela-Mr & Mrs North), dies at 59
1983 Doodles Weaver, actor/comedian, commits suicide at 71
1991 King Olav, of Norway
1992 Charlie Ventura, jazz tenor, dies at 75 of cancer