February 17th, 1853

Born on February 17th, 1853

Age in days, weeks and months
Wow, over 62,000 days old!

Why not celebrate an alternative birthday? In 474 days, exactly on August 14th, 2025, people who were born on February 17th, 1853 will be 63,000 days old!

... in seconds, minutes and hours

What happened on February 17th?

February 17th, 2011

Arab Spring: Bahraini security forces killed four protesters in a pre-dawn raid at the Pearl Roundabout in Manama, while the "Day of Rage" took place in Libya with nationwide protests against Muammar Gaddafi's government.

February 17th, 1978

The Troubles: The Provisional Irish Republican Army carried out a bombing of a restaurant near Belfast, Northern Ireland, killing twelve people and injuring thirty others.

February 17th, 1974

A U.S. Army soldier stole a Bell UH-1 helicopter (pictured) and landed it on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C.

February 17th, 1964

Gabonese military officers overthrew President Léon M'ba, but French forces, honouring a 1960 treaty, forcibly reinstated him two days later.

February 17th, 1959

Vanguard 2 (model pictured), the first weather satellite, was launched to measure cloud cover distribution.

February 17th, 1944

World War II: The U.S. Navy began Operation Hailstone, a massive naval air and surface attack against the Japanese naval and air base at Chuuk Lagoon in the Caroline Islands.

February 17th, 1913

The Armory Show, the first large modern-art exhibition in the United States, opened at the 69th Regiment Armory in New York City.

February 17th, 1904

Italian composer Giacomo Puccini's Madama Butterfly premiered at La Scala in Milan to poor reviews, forcing him to revise the opera.

February 17th, 1894

Rudolf Diesel's first working diesel engine ran for one minute.

February 17th, 1859

Cochinchina campaign: French Navy forces captured the Citadel of Saigon, defended by 1,000 Vietnamese soldiers of the Nguyễn dynasty.

February 17th, 1838

Zulu impis massacred about 532 Voortrekkers, Khoekhoe, and Basuto near present-day Weenen, South Africa.

February 17th, 1815

The United States ratifies the Treaty of Ghent – signed in late 1814 – formally ending the War of 1812.

February 17th, 1621

Myles Standish was elected the first commander of the militia of Plymouth Colony.

February 17th, 2016

Military vehicles explode outside a Turkish Armed Forces barracks in Ankara, Turkey, killing at least 29 people and injuring 61 others.

February 17th, 2011

Arab Spring: In Bahrain, security forces launch a deadly pre-dawn raid on protesters in Pearl Roundabout in Manama; the day is locally known as Bloody Thursday.

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

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

62

Sarah Wollaston

British Liberal Democrat politician

*February 17th, 1962, Woking

41

Bao Chunlai

Chinese badminton player

*February 17th, 1983, Changsha

68

Lars Brygmann

Danish actor

*November 30th, 1955, Copenhagen

37

Megan Sweeney

American luger

*February 17th, 1987, Portland

61

Michael Jordan

American basketball player and businessman (born 1963)

*February 17th, 1963, Brooklyn

47

Wong Choong Hann

Badminton player

*February 17th, 1977, Kuala Lumpur

87

Rita Süssmuth

German politician

*February 17th, 1937, Wuppertal

24

Freja Ravn

Danish badminton player

*February 17th, 2000, Copenhagen

64

Misbun Sidek

Badminton player

*February 17th, 1960, Banting

40

Magnus Sahlberg

Badminton player

*February 17th, 1984, Gothenburg

96

Ásmundur Bjarnason

Icelandic sprinter

*February 17th, 1927, Húsavík †February 1st, 2024, Húsavík

26

Soh Wooi Yik

Malaysian badminton player

*February 17th, 1998, Kuala Lumpur

75

Arthur Kennedy

American actor (1914–1990)

*February 17th, 1914, Worcester †January 5th, 1990, Branford

95

Hal Holbrook

American actor (1925–2021)

*February 17th, 1925, Cleveland †January 23rd, 2021, Beverly Hills

81

Otto Stern

German-American physicist (1888–1969)

*February 17th, 1888, Żory †August 17th, 1969, Berkeley

69

Mo Yan

Chinese novelist and screenwriter

*February 17th, 1955, Gaomi

83

J.-H. Rosny aîné

Belgian writer

*February 17th, 1856, City of Brussels †February 11th, 1940, Paris

62

Lou Diamond Phillips

American film, television, and stage actor

*February 17th, 1962, Naval Base Subic Bay

69

Alan Bates

British actor

*February 17th, 1934, Allestree †December 27th, 2003, City of Westminster

43

Paris Hilton

American media personality and socialite

*February 17th, 1981, New York City

Same year
Born in 1853

37

Vincent van Gogh

Dutch painter (1853–1890)

*March 30th, 1853, Zundert †July 29th, 1890, Auberge Ravoux

91

Walter von Boetticher

German historian

*November 29th, 1853, Riga †July 3rd, 1945, Radebeul

48

Cecil Rhodes

British businessman, mining magnate and politician in South Africa (1853-1902)

*July 5th, 1853, Bishop's Stortford †March 26th, 1902, Muizenberg

75

André Messager

French opera composer and conductor (1853–1929)

*December 30th, 1853, Montluçon †February 24th, 1929, 17th arrondissement of Paris

66

Henning von Holtzendorff

German admiral (1853-1919)

*January 9th, 1853, Berlin †June 7th, 1919, Prenzlau

51

Hermann Wissmann

German explorer and administrator in Africa (1853–1905)

*September 4th, 1853, Frankfurt (Oder) †June 15th, 1905, Weißenbach bei Liezen

78

Wilhelm Ostwald

Baltic German chemist

*August 21st, 1853, Riga †April 4th, 1932, Großbothen

74

Georg Weidenbach

German architect

*October 1st, 1853, Dresden †September 30th, 1928, Leipzig

72

Eduardo Scarpetta

Italian actor and playwright (1853–1925)

*March 13th, 1853, Naples †November 29th, 1925, Naples

74

Hendrik Lorentz

Dutch physicist (1853–1928)

*July 18th, 1853, Arnhem †February 4th, 1928, Haarlem

42

José Martí

Cuban poet, philosopher and nationalist (1853-1895)

*January 28th, 1853, Havana †May 19th, 1895, Oriente Province

57

Chulalongkorn

King of Siam (1853-1910)

*September 20th, 1853, Grand Palace †October 23rd, 1910, Amphorn Sathan Residential Hall

73

Albrecht Kossel

German biochemist and pioneer in the study of genetics

*September 16th, 1853, Rostock †July 5th, 1927, Heidelberg

72

Heike Kamerlingh Onnes

Dutch physicist, Nobel prize winner (1853-1926)

*September 21st, 1853, Groningen †February 21st, 1926, Leiden

86

Wilhelm Dörpfeld

German architect and archaeologist (1853–1940)

*December 26th, 1853, Barmen †April 25th, 1940, Lefkada

78

René Bazin

French novelist

*December 26th, 1853, Angers †July 20th, 1932, 8th arrondissement of Paris

77

David Belasco

American theatrical producer, impresario, director and playwright (1853-1931)

*July 25th, 1853, San Francisco †May 14th, 1931, New York City

78

Antonio Salandra

Prime Minister of Italy (1853-1931)

*August 13th, 1853, Troia †December 9th, 1931, Rome

84

Jacob Wackernagel

Swiss linguist (1853-1938)

*December 11th, 1853, Basel †May 22nd, 1938, Basel

85

Hans Christian Gram

Danish scientist (1853-1938)

*September 13th, 1853, Copenhagen †November 14th, 1938, Copenhagen

Birthdays of famous people

Public holidays on February 17th

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

Date as a Roman numeral / digit

Leap year

No: With 365 days 1853 is a normal year and no leap year.

Calendar
February 1853