May 17th, 1781

Born on May 17th, 1781

Age in days, weeks and months
Wow, over 88,000 days old!

Why not celebrate an alternative birthday? In 275 days, exactly on January 18th, 2025, people who were born on May 17th, 1781 will be 89,000 days old!

... in seconds, minutes and hours

What happened on May 17th?

May 17th, 2004

Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage.

May 17th, 2000

Following the killing of two English football fans by Galatasaray supporters in the previous month, British and Turkish hooligans rioted on the day of the UEFA Cup Final in Copenhagen, Denmark.

May 17th, 1995

Six-year-old Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama selected by the 14th Dalai Lama, was kidnapped by the Chinese government, who advocated a proxy.

May 17th, 1987

An Iraqi jet aircraft fired two Exocet missiles at the American frigate USS Stark leaving 37 personnel of the warship dead and 21 others injured.

May 17th, 1974

The Troubles: The Ulster Volunteer Force detonated a series of car bombs in Dublin and Monaghan, Ireland, killing 34 people and injuring almost 300 more.

May 17th, 1954

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education, outlawing racial segregation in public schools because "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal" and therefore unconstitutional.

May 17th, 1947

After renegotiating a contract with the makers of her signature perfume Chanel No. 5, Coco Chanel (pictured) received a share of wartime profits from its sale, making her one of the richest women in the world.

May 17th, 1914

Under the Protocol of Corfu, the Principality of Albania officially recognized Northern Epirus as an autonomous self-governing region.

May 17th, 1902

The Antikythera mechanism, the oldest known surviving geared mechanism, was discovered among artifacts retrieved from a shipwreck off the Greek island of Antikythera.

May 17th, 1900

The first copies of the children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum were printed.

May 17th, 1865

The International Telecommunication Union, which standardizes and regulates international radio and telecommunications, was founded as the International Telegraph Union in Paris.

May 17th, 1863

American Civil War: at the Battle of Big Black River Bridge in Mississippi, Union forces under John McClernand defeated a Confederate rearguard, capturing around 1,700 men.

May 17th, 1590

Anne of Denmark (pictured) was crowned queen consort of Scotland in a ceremony at Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh.

May 17th, 1521

English nobleman Edward Stafford, whose father had been beheaded for rebelling against King Richard III, was himself executed for treason against King Henry VIII.

May 17th, 1395

An outnumbered Wallachian army repulsed invading Ottoman forces at the Battle of Rovine.

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

Same Day
Who's birthday is on May 17th?

35

Lyna bonasera

Belgian actress

*May 17th, 1988, West Los Angeles

61

Bill Paxton

American actor and filmmaker (1955–2017)

*May 17th, 1955, Fort Worth †February 25th, 2017, Los Angeles

73

Edward Jenner

English physician, scientist and pioneer of vaccination (1749–1823)

*May 17th, 1749, Berkeley †January 26th, 1823, Berkeley

67

Sugar Ray Leonard

American boxer

*May 17th, 1956, Wilmington

61

Thomas Rachel

German politician (CDU)

*May 17th, 1962, Birkesdorf

75

Winfried Kretschmann

German politician

*May 17th, 1948, Spaichingen

34

Tessa Virtue

Canadian ice dancer

*May 17th, 1989, London

59

Erik Satie

French composer and pianist (1866-1925)

*May 17th, 1866, Honfleur †July 1st, 1925, Paris

64

Wilhelm Steinitz

Austrian-American chess player

*May 17th, 1836, Prague †August 12th, 1900, New York City

72

Jean Gabin

French actor, recording artist (1904-1976)

*May 17th, 1904, 9th arrondissement of Paris †November 15th, 1976, Neuilly-sur-Seine

89

Ruhollah Khomeini

Iranian politician and religious leader (1900–1989)

*May 17th, 1900, Khomein †June 3rd, 1989, Tehran

62

Enya

Irish singer

*May 17th, 1961, Gweedore

74

Dennis Hopper

American actor and director (1936–2010)

*May 17th, 1936, Dodge City †May 29th, 2010, Venice

90

John Patrick

American playwright and screenwriter (1905-1995)

*May 17th, 1905, Louisville †November 7th, 1995, Delray Beach

62

Henri Barbusse

French author (1873-1935)

*May 17th, 1873, Asnières-sur-Seine †August 30th, 1935, Moscow

65

Bob Saget

American actor and comedian (1956–2022)

*May 17th, 1956, Philadelphia †January 9th, 2022, Orlando

59

David Eigenberg

American actor

*May 17th, 1964, New York City

87

Maureen O'Sullivan

Irish-American actress (1911-1998)

*May 17th, 1911, Boyle †June 23rd, 1998, Scottsdale

94

Bill Minor

American journalist

*May 17th, 1922, Hammond †March 28th, 2017, Ridgeland

61

Ferenc Krausz

Austrian-Hungarian laser physicist

*May 17th, 1962, Mór

Same year
Born in 1781

67

George Stephenson

English civil and mechanical engineer and the "Father of Railways" (1781-1848)

*June 9th, 1781, Wylam †August 12th, 1848, Tapton House

60

Karl Friedrich Schinkel

Prussian architect, city planner and painter (1781–1841)

*March 13th, 1781, Neuruppin †October 9th, 1841, Berlin

67

Bernard Bolzano

Bohemian mathematician and priest (*1781 – †1848)

*October 5th, 1781, Prague †December 18th, 1848, Prague

44

Thomas Stamford Raffles

British statesman who founded Singapore (1781-1826)

*July 6th, 1781, Jamaica †July 5th, 1826, London

63

Adolphe Marbot

French general

*March 22nd, 1781, Altillac †June 2nd, 1844, Altillac

86

David Brewster

British astronomer and mathematician (1781–1868)

*December 11th, 1781, Jedburgh †February 10th, 1868, Melrose

49

Ludwig Achim von Arnim

German poet and novelist

*January 26th, 1781, Palais Wrangel †January 21st, 1831, Wiepersdorf manor

87

Louis François Dauprat

French composer

*May 24th, 1781, Paris †July 16th, 1868, Paris

65

José María Calatrava y Peinado

Prime Minister of Spain and Minister of State

*February 26th, 1781, Mérida †January 16th, 1847, Madrid

42

Eugène de Beauharnais

French nobleman, statesman, and military commander (1781–1824)

*September 3rd, 1781, Paris †February 21st, 1824, Munich

75

Jean-Baptiste Métivier

French architect (1781-1853)

*April 1st, 1781, Rennes †January 1st, 1857, Munich

58

Siméon Denis Poisson

French mathematician, mechanician and physicist (1781–1840)

*June 21st, 1781, Pithiviers †April 25th, 1840, Sceaux

77

Valentín Gómez Farías

President of Mexico (1781-1858)

*February 14th, 1781, Guadalajara †July 5th, 1858, Mexico City

45

Johann Baptist von Spix

Biologist (1781-1826)

*January 9th, 1781, Höchstadt an der Aisch †March 13th, 1826, Munich

57

Adelbert von Chamisso

German poet and botanist (1781–1838)

*January 30th, 1781, Châlons-en-Champagne †August 21st, 1838, Berlin

85

George Bruce

Scottish-American inventor and businessman

*July 5th, 1781, Edinburgh †July 6th, 1866, New York City

84

Sir William Parker, 1st Baronet, of Shenstone

British Royal Navy admiral (1781-1866)

*December 1st, 1781, Almington †November 13th, 1866, Shenstone

65

Friedrich Schmalz

German farmer

*June 25th, 1781, Zeitz †May 23rd, 1847, Dresden

74

Joaquín Manuel Fernández Cruzado

Spanish painter (1781-1856)

*December 24th, 1781, Jerez de la Frontera †January 31st, 1856, Cádiz

55

Francisco Espoz y Mina

Spanish military commander

*June 17th, 1781, Idocin †December 24th, 1836, Barcelona

Birthdays of famous people

Public holidays on May 17th

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

Date as a Roman numeral / digit

Leap year

No: With 365 days 1781 is a normal year and no leap year.

Calendar
May 1781