May 17th, 1840

Born on May 17th, 1840

Age in days, weeks and months
Wow, over 67,000 days old!

Why not celebrate an alternative birthday? In 814 days, exactly on July 21st, 2026, people who were born on May 17th, 1840 will be 68,000 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?

64

Wilhelm Steinitz

Austrian-American chess player

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

61

Bill Paxton

American actor and filmmaker (1955–2017)

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

35

Lyna bonasera

Belgian actress

*May 17th, 1988, West Los Angeles

67

Sugar Ray Leonard

American boxer

*May 17th, 1956, Wilmington

59

Erik Satie

French composer and pianist (1866-1925)

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

83

August Thyssen

German industrialist (1842-1926)

*May 17th, 1842, Eschweiler †April 4th, 1926, Landsberg Castle

61

Thomas Rachel

German politician (CDU)

*May 17th, 1962, Birkesdorf

73

Edward Jenner

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

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

75

Winfried Kretschmann

German politician

*May 17th, 1948, Spaichingen

72

Jean Gabin

French actor, recording artist (1904-1976)

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

34

Tessa Virtue

Canadian ice dancer

*May 17th, 1989, London

62

Henri Barbusse

French author (1873-1935)

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

89

Ruhollah Khomeini

Iranian politician and religious leader (1900–1989)

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

60

Václav Mára

Czech illustrator and engraver (1842-1902)

*May 17th, 1842, Prague †June 3rd, 1902, Vinohrady

90

John Patrick

American playwright and screenwriter (1905-1995)

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

74

Dennis Hopper

American actor and director (1936–2010)

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

62

Enya

Irish singer

*May 17th, 1961, Gweedore

65

Bob Saget

American actor and comedian (1956–2022)

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

87

Maureen O'Sullivan

Irish-American actress (1911-1998)

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

59

David Eigenberg

American actor

*May 17th, 1964, New York City

Same year
Born in 1840

53

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Russian composer (1840–1893)

*April 25th, 1840, Votkinsk †October 25th, 1893, Malaya Morskaya Street, 13

86

Claude Monet

French painter (1840–1926)

*November 14th, 1840, Paris †December 5th, 1926, Giverny

78

Augusta Lundin

Swedish fashion designer

*June 13th, 1840, Kristianstad †February 20th, 1919, Stockholm

62

Émile Zola

French journalist, playwright and poet (1840–1902)

*April 2nd, 1840, Paris †September 29th, 1902, Paris

87

Thomas Hardy

English novelist and poet (1840–1928)

*June 2nd, 1840, Dorchester †January 11th, 1928, Dorchester

77

Auguste Rodin

French sculptor (1840–1917)

*November 12th, 1840, Paris †November 17th, 1917, Meudon

53

Georg von der Gabelentz

German linguist (1840-1893)

*March 16th, 1840, Poschwitz †December 11th, 1893, Berlin

67

Gustav von Hüfner

German chemist

*May 13th, 1840, Bad Köstritz †March 14th, 1908, Tübingen

87

Henry Birks

Canadian businessman

*November 30th, 1840, Montreal †April 16th, 1928, Montreal

63

Murad V

Ottoman Sultan

*September 21st, 1840, Topkapı Palace †August 29th, 1904, Çırağan Palace

57

Alphonse Daudet

French novelist

*May 13th, 1840, Nîmes †December 16th, 1897, Paris

64

Ernst Abbe

German physicist

*January 23rd, 1840, Eisenach †January 14th, 1905, Jena

81

John Boyd Dunlop

Scottish inventor

*February 5th, 1840, Dreghorn †October 23rd, 1921, Dublin

88

Johann II, Prince of Liechtenstein

Prince of Liechtenstein (1840-1929)

*October 5th, 1840, Lednice Castle †February 11th, 1929, Valtice Castle

73

Arsène Arnaud Claretie

French writer, theatre administrator (1840-1913)

*December 3rd, 1840, Limoges †December 23rd, 1913, Paris

184

Gustave Ruiz

French composer

*March 6th, 1840, Nevers

81

Carl Menger

Founder of the Austrian School of economics

*February 23rd, 1840, Nowy Sącz †February 26th, 1921, Vienna

61

Edmond Audran

French composer

*April 12th, 1840, Lyon †August 17th, 1901, Tierceville

52

Henri Duveyrier

French explorer of the Sahara

*February 28th, 1840, Paris †April 25th, 1892, Sèvres

76

Hiram Stevens Maxim

American-born inventor (1840-1916)

*February 5th, 1840, Sangerville †November 24th, 1916, London

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

Yes: 1840 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
May 1840