January 17th, 1908

Born on January 17th, 1908

Age in days, weeks and months
Wow, over 42,000 days old!

Why not celebrate an alternative birthday? In 530 days, exactly on October 9th, 2025, people who were born on January 17th, 1908 will be 43,000 days old!

... in seconds, minutes and hours

What happened on January 17th?

January 17th, 1377

Gregory XI, the last Avignon pope, entered Rome after a four-month journey from Avignon, returning the papacy to its original city.

January 17th, 1999

In Little Saigon, California, a series of protests began when the owner of a video rental store displayed an image of Ho Chi Minh.

January 17th, 2010

The first spate of violence between Muslims and Christians began in Jos, Nigeria, and would end in more than 200 deaths.

January 17th, 2002

Mount Nyiragongo, a volcano in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, began an eruption that killed hundreds and left about 120,000 people homeless in the nearby town of Goma.

January 17th, 1998

The Drudge Report became the first news source to break the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal to the public.

January 17th, 1989

Patrick Purdy opened fire in an elementary school in Stockton, California, killing 5 and wounding 32 others.

January 17th, 1966

A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress collided with a KC-135 Stratotanker during aerial refueling over the Mediterranean Sea, dropping three hydrogen bombs on land near Palomares, Spain, and a fourth one into the sea.

January 17th, 1961

Three days before leaving office, U.S. president Dwight D. Eisenhower delivered a farewell speech to the nation, in which he warned about the dangers of the military–industrial complex.

January 17th, 1948

Indonesian National Revolution: The Renville Agreement between the Netherlands and Indonesian republicans was ratified, in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to resolve disputes arising from the Linggadjati Agreement of 1946.

January 17th, 1946

The United Nations Security Council, the organ of the United Nations charged with the maintenance of international peace and security, held its first meeting at Church House, Westminster.

January 17th, 1945

World War II: Australian troops advanced along the northern part of Bougainville Island (in present-day Papua New Guinea) and began fighting Japanese forces in the Battle of Tsimba Ridge.

January 17th, 1920

The Volstead Act went into effect, beginning the prohibition of alcohol in the United States.

January 17th, 1917

Denmark sold their portion of the Virgin Islands archipelago to the United States for US$25 million.

January 17th, 1912

Robert Falcon Scott's ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition reached the South Pole, only to find that Roald Amundsen's team had beaten them by 33 days.

January 17th, 1899

The United States took possession of Wake Island in the Pacific Ocean.

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

Born on January 17th, 1908

98

Edith Hultzsch

German painter (1908-2006)

*January 17th, 1908, Berlin †April 20th, 2006, Hochdahl

83

Heinz Marten

German singer

*January 17th, 1908, Schleswig †November 26th, 1991, Viersen

77

Ernst von Caemmerer

German jurist (1908-1985)

*January 17th, 1908, Berlin †June 23rd, 1985, Freiburg im Breisgau

77

Cus D'Amato

American boxing trainer (1908–1985)

*January 17th, 1908, The Bronx †November 4th, 1985, New York City

88

Freda Niemann

German theologian and docent (1908-1996)

*January 17th, 1908, Berlin †July 18th, 1996

81

Oliver O'Connor Barrett

British artist

*January 17th, 1908, Eltham †June 30th, 1989, Trawsfynydd

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

33

Qiu Zihan

Chinese badminton player

*January 17th, 1991, Xiamen

83

Jens Bratlie

13th Prime Minister of Norway

*January 17th, 1856, Nordre Land Municipality †September 15th, 1939, Oslo

66

Louis Armand

French engineer, inventor, administrator, and resistance fighter (1905-1971)

*January 17th, 1905, Cruseilles †August 30th, 1971, Villers-sur-Mer

86

Sonja Sutter

German actress

*January 17th, 1931, Freiburg im Breisgau †June 2nd, 2017, Baden

66

Eveline Peterson

Badminton player

*January 17th, 1877, Jalpaiguri †November 30th, 1943, Totnes

74

Muhammad Ali

American boxer, philanthropist, and activist (1942–2016)

*January 17th, 1942, Louisville †June 3rd, 2016, Scottsdale

36

Gabi Tóth

Hungarian singer

*January 17th, 1988, Tapolca

95

Elisabeth Gesche

German nurse and honorary consul

*January 17th, 1924, Funchal †May 27th, 2019

62

Jim Carrey

Canadian comedian and actor

*January 17th, 1962, Newmarket

42

Dwyane Wade

American former basketball player

*January 17th, 1982, Chicago

93

James Earl Jones

American actor

*January 17th, 1931, Arkabutla

47

Pernille Rosenkrantz-Theil

Danish politician

*January 17th, 1977, Zealand

47

Sverre Rotevatn

Norwegian Nordic combined skier

*January 17th, 1977, Lillehammer Municipality

99

Betty White

American actress and comedian (1922–2021)

*January 17th, 1922, Oak Park †December 31st, 2021, Brentwood

60

Michelle Obama

Lawyer and former First Lady of the United States

*January 17th, 1964, Chicago

80

Françoise Hardy

French singer and songwriter

*January 17th, 1944, 9th arrondissement of Paris

48

Al Capone

American gangster

*January 17th, 1899, Brooklyn †January 25th, 1947, Palm Island

81

Eartha Kitt

American singer (1927–2008)

*January 17th, 1927, North †December 25th, 2008, Weston

37

Jenny Wallwork

British badminton player

*January 17th, 1987, Bolton

33

Yao Xue

Chinese badminton player

*January 17th, 1991, Jingzhou

Same year
Born in 1908

78

Simone de Beauvoir

French philosopher, social theorist and activist (1908–1986)

*January 9th, 1908, Paris †April 14th, 1986, 14th arrondissement of Paris

64

Lyndon B. Johnson

President of the United States from 1963 to 1969

*August 27th, 1908, Stonewall †January 22nd, 1973, Stonewall

78

Arnaldo Momigliano

Italian historian of classical antiquity (1908–1987)

*September 5th, 1908, Caraglio †September 1st, 1987, London

88

Wolfram von Soden

German Assyriologist

*June 19th, 1908, Berlin †October 6th, 1996, Münster

97

Myron Waldman

American animator (1908-2006)

*April 23rd, 1908, Brooklyn †February 4th, 2006, Bethpage

100

Claude Lévi-Strauss

French anthropologist and ethnologist (1908–2009)

*November 28th, 1908, City of Brussels †October 30th, 2009, 16th arrondissement of Paris

66

Louis Jordan

American jazz, blues and rhythm and blues musician, songwriter and bandleader (1908–1975)

*July 8th, 1908, Arkansas †February 4th, 1975, Los Angeles

65

Salvador Allende

28th president of Chile (1908–1973)

*June 26th, 1908, Valparaíso †September 11th, 1973, Santiago

96

Simon Wiesenthal

Jewish Austrian Holocaust survivor and Nazi hunter

*December 31st, 1908, Buchach †September 20th, 2005, Vienna

52

Richard Wright

American writer (1908-1960)

*September 4th, 1908, Natchez †November 28th, 1960, Paris

83

Olivier Messiaen

French composer, organist and ornithologist (1908–1992)

*December 10th, 1908, Avignon †April 27th, 1992, Clichy

89

James Stewart

American actor (1908–1997)

*May 20th, 1908, Indiana †July 2nd, 1997, Beverly Hills

81

Bette Davis

American actress (1908–1989)

*April 5th, 1908, Lowell †October 6th, 1989, Neuilly-sur-Seine

76

Ethel Merman

American actress and singer (1908-1984)

*January 16th, 1908, Astoria †February 15th, 1984, Manhattan

97

John Mills

English actor (1908-2005)

*February 22nd, 1908, Felixstowe †April 23rd, 2005, Denham

91

Amintore Fanfani

Italian politician statesman (1908–1999)

*February 6th, 1908, Pieve Santo Stefano †November 20th, 1999, Rome

84

Robert Morley

British actor (1908–1992)

*May 26th, 1908, Semley †June 3rd, 1992, Reading

82

Robert Cummings

American actor (1910–1990)

*June 9th, 1908, Joplin †December 2nd, 1990, Woodland Hills

85

Raymond Scott

American composer, bandleader, pianist, record producer and inventor (1908-1994)

*September 10th, 1908, Brooklyn †February 8th, 1994, North Hills

82

Jill Esmond

British actress (1908–1990)

*January 26th, 1908, London †July 28th, 1990, Wimbledon

Birthdays of famous people

Public holidays on January 17th

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

Date as a Roman numeral / digit

Leap year

Yes: 1908 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
January 1908