Anniversaries 17 May

Birth

John Howe2

English Puritan theologian 1630–1705

Edward Jenner3

English physician, scientist and pioneer of vaccination 1749–1823

Robert Smith Surtees16

English writer 1805–1864

Ellen Clementine Howarth3

American writer 1827–1899

Erik Satie6

French composer and pianist 1866–1925

Henri Barbusse197

French novelist 1873–1935

Lillian Gilbreth4

American psychologist and industrial engineer 1878–1972

John Patrick1

American playwright and screenwriter 1905–1995

Julius Sumner Miller7

American physicist 1909–1987

Clark Kerr4

American academic 1911–2003

Sándor Végh1

Hungarian violinist 1912–1997

Archibald Cox3

American prosecutor 1912–2004

Hans Ruesch5

Swiss racing driver 1913–2007

Robin Maugham2

British novelist, playwright and travel writer 1916–1981

Harriet Van Horne2

American journalist 1920–1998

Idi Amin13

third president of Uganda 1925–2003

Michio Kushi9

Japanese educator 1926–2014

Jill Johnston2

American activist 1929–2010

Dennis Potter19

English television dramatist, screenwriter and journalist 1935–1994

Leslie Z. Benet2

American pharmaceutical scientist 1937

Gary Paulsen15

American writer and musher 1939

Alan Kay25

computer scientist 1940

Grace Zabriskie1

American actress 1941

Nicholas Wade14

British writer 1942

F. Paul Wilson4

novelist 1946

John A. McDougall5

American physician 1947

Esmeralda Santiago3

Puerto Rican writer and actor 1948

Steve Turner29

British writer 1949

Janez Drnovšek1

Slovenian politician 1950–2008

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev4

Kazakh politician 1953

Dave Sim22

Canadian cartoonist, creator of Cerebus 1956

Bob Saget4

American stand-up comedian, actor and television host 1956

Sugar Ray Leonard9

American boxer 1956

Susan Wiggs8

American writer 1958

Enya70

Irish singer, songwriter, and musician 1961

Achim Steiner2

German politician 1961

Craig Ferguson118

Scottish-born American television host, stand-up comedian, … 1962

Trent Reznor5

American musician 1965

Mohamed Nasheed20

Maldivian politician, 4th president of the Maldives 1967

Josh Homme64

American musician 1973

Grace Lin2

author and illustrator 1974

Mukta Barve3

Indian actress 1979

Lena Waithe2

American actress, producer, and screenwriter 1984

Libor Milian1

Musical artist 1985

Tessa Virtue15

Canadian ice dancer 1989

Ezinne Akudo1

Nigerian lawyer and pageant titleholder 1990

Death

Michel-Jean Sedaine2

French writer 1719–1797

John Jay20

American politician and a founding father of the United Sta… 1745–1829

Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord12

French diplomat 1754–1838

Eliakim Littell1

United States editor 1797–1870

Mathabar Singh Thapa2

Last Mukhtiyar and First Prime Minister of Nepal 1798–1845

William Croswell Doane4

American bishop 1832–1913

David Bone1

commodore and author (b. 1874, d. 1959) 1874–1959

Francesco Balilla Pratella3

Italian composer 1880–1955

Jeannette Piccard4

American balloonist, scientist, teacher and priest 1895–1981

Gunnar Myrdal26

Swedish economist 1898–1987

Fritz Roethlisberger4

American business theorist 1898–1974

Robert Maynard Hutchins38

philosopher and university president 1899–1977

Nicolás Gómez Dávila20

Colombian writer and philosopher 1913–1994

Herman Wouk12

Pulitzer Prize-winning American author whose novels include… 1915–2019

Mario Benedetti4

Uruguayan journalist, novelist, and poet 1920–2009

Richard Pipes46

American historian 1923–2018

Lloyd Alexander93

American children's writer 1924–2007

Jorge Rafael Videla8

Argentinian President 1925–2013

Eugen Weber1

American historian 1925–2007

Bobbejaan Schoepen3

musician, performer 1925–2010

Ken Venturi2

Professional golfer 1931–2013

Rhodri Morgan5

British politician 1939–2017

Billy Graham (wrestler)9

American professional wrestler, american football player, b… 1943–2023

Донна Саммер1

American singer and songwriter 1948–2012

Paul William Roberts1

Canadian writer 1950–2019