August 17th, 1544

Born on August 17th, 1544

Age in days, weeks and months
Wow, over 176,000 days old!

Why not celebrate an alternative birthday? In 975 days, exactly on March 27th, 2029, people who were born on August 17th, 1544 will be 177,000 days old!

... in seconds, minutes and hours

What happened on August 17th?

August 17th, 2009

A hydroelectric turbine at the Sayano-Shushenskaya Dam in Russia catastrophically failed, flooding the turbine hall, killing 75 people and causing widespread power outages.

August 17th, 2008

Michael Phelps won his eighth gold medal of the Summer Olympics in Beijing, setting the record for the most gold medals won by an athlete at a single games.

August 17th, 1969

Hurricane Camille struck the Mississippi coast of the United States, killing 259 people and causing $1.42 billion in damage..

August 17th, 1959

American musician Miles Davis released Kind of Blue, which became one of the best-selling and most critically acclaimed jazz recordings of all time.

August 17th, 1950

Korean War: Forty-two American prisoners of war were massacred by the Korean People's Army on a hill above Waegwan, South Korea.

August 17th, 1945

Animal Farm, George Orwell's satirical allegory of Soviet totalitarianism, was first published.

August 17th, 1943

World War II: The Royal Air Force began a strategic bombing campaign against Nazi Germany's V-weapon programme by attacking the Peenemünde Army Research Center.

August 17th, 1916

World War I: Romania signed a secret treaty with the Entente Powers, agreeing to enter the war in return for promised territory in Austria-Hungary.

August 17th, 1915

A category 4 hurricane made landfall in Galveston, Texas, leaving at least 275 people dead and causing $50 million in damage.

August 17th, 1914

World War I: Ignoring orders to retreat, Hermann von François led a successful counterattack defending East Prussia at the Battle of Stallupönen and scored the first German victory in the Eastern Front.

August 17th, 1907

Pike Place Market (pictured), one of the oldest continuously operated public farmers' markets in the U.S. and a popular tourist attraction, opened in Seattle, Washington.

August 17th, 1676

Scanian War: Swedish forces defeated Danish troops at the Battle of Halmstad.

August 17th, 1424

Hundred Years' War: Allied English and Burgundian forces gained a strategically important victory at the bloody Battle of Verneuil in Normandy, France.

August 17th, 0986

Byzantine–Bulgarian wars: The Bulgarians defeated Byzantine forces at the battle of the Gates of Trajan near present-day Ihtiman, with Emperor Basil II barely escaping.

August 17th, 1876

The premiere of Götterdämmerung by Richard Wagner (pictured) closed the first Bayreuth Festival.

Birthdays
... of famous people, actors, celebrities and stars on August 17th

Same year
Born in 1544

59

William Gilbert

English physician, physicist and natural philosopher (1544-1603)

*May 24th, 1544, Colchester †November 30th, 1603, London

16

Francis II of France

King of France (1544-1560)

*January 19th, 1544, Fontainebleau †December 5th, 1560, Orléans

51

Torquato Tasso

Italian poet (1544–1595)

*March 11th, 1544, Sorrento †April 25th, 1595, Rome

34

Takenaka Shigeharu

Japanese samurai

*September 27th, 1544, Ōno district †July 6th, 1579, Miki Castle

63

César de Bus

French Roman Catholic priest and saint

*February 3rd, 1544, Cavaillon †April 15th, 1607, Avignon

62

Gillis van Coninxloo

Flemish painter (1544-1607)

*January 24th, 1544, Antwerp †January 4th, 1607, Amsterdam

58

Renata of Lorraine

Duchess consort of Bavaria

*April 20th, 1544, Nancy †May 22nd, 1602, Munich

32

Anna of Saxony

Dutch princess (1545-1577)

*December 23rd, 1544, Dresden †December 18th, 1577, Dresden

77

Diane de La Marck

*June 16th, 1544, Château-Thierry †April 30th, 1622

Birthdays of famous people

Public holidays on August 17th

Fixed holidays (Christian feast day) which are celebrated on August 17th.

Date as a Roman numeral / digit

Leap year

Yes: 1544 is a leap year, therefore has a 29th of February with an additional leap day and a total of 366 days (instead of the usual 365 days in a normal year).

Calendar
August 1544