January 17

Pius V

Pope Pius V, OP (Italian: Pio V; 17 January 1504 – 1 May 1572), born Antonio Ghislieri (and from 1518 called Michele Ghislieri), was head of the Catholic Church and leader of the Papal States from 7 January 1566 to his death, in May 1572. He was an inquisitor and is venerated as a saint of the Catholic Church.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Bartolomeo Passarotti and workshop · Public domain

Pedro Calderón de la Barca

Pedro Calderón de la Barca y Henao (UK:, US:; Spanish:; 17 January 1600 – 25 May 1681) was a Spanish dramatist, poet, and writer. He is known as one of the most distinguished poets and writers of the Spanish Golden Age, especially for the many verse dramas he wrote for the theatre.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Unknown engraver. Cropped by User:Andrew Dalby · Public domain

Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin (January 17, 1706 – April 17, 1790) was an American polymath active as a physicist, philosopher, statesman and inventor who was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He was a drafter and signer of the Declaration of Independence, and the first postmaster general.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Joseph-Siffred Duplessis · Public domain

Stanisław August Poniatowski

Stanisław II August (born Stanisław Antoni Poniatowski; 17 January 1732 – 12 February 1798), known also by his regnal Latin name Stanislaus II Augustus, and as Stanisław August Poniatowski (Lithuanian: Stanislovas Augustas Poniatovskis), was King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania from 1764 to 1795, and the last…

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Marcello Bacciarelli · Public domain

Anne Brontë

Anne Brontë (commonly; 17 January 1820 – 28 May 1849) was an English novelist and poet. A member of the Brontë literary family, she was the younger sister of Charlotte, Emily, and Branwell.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Branwell Brontë · Public domain

David Lloyd George

David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945), was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Harris & Ewing · Public domain

Al Capone

Alphonse Gabriel Capone (kə-POHN; Italian:; January 17, 1899 – January 25, 1947), sometimes known by the nickname "Scarface", was an American gangster and businessman who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era as the co-founder and boss of the Chicago Outfit from 1925 to 1931.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Chicago Bureau (Federal Bureau of Investigation) - Wide World Photos. · Public domain

George Stigler

George Joseph Stigler (January 17, 1911 – December 1, 1991) was an American economist. He was the 1982 laureate in Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences and is considered a key leader of the Chicago school of economics.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Betty White

Betty Marion Ludden (née White; January 17, 1922 – December 31, 2021) was an American actress and comedian. A pioneer of early television with a career spanning almost seven decades, she was noted for her vast number of television appearances, acting in sitcoms, sketch comedy, and game shows.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Angela George at https://www.flickr.com/photos/sharongraphics/ · CC BY-SA 3.0

Eartha Kitt

Eartha Mae Kitt (née Keith; January 17, 1927 – December 25, 2008) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 recordings of "C'est si bon" and the Christmas novelty song "Santa Baby".

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Jyh-Lurn Chang @ Homo olympus · CC BY 2.0

James Earl Jones

James Earl Jones (January 17, 1931 – September 9, 2024) was an American actor. A pioneer for Black actors in the entertainment industry, he was acclaimed for his performances on stage and screen.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Kingkongphoto & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel · CC BY-SA 2.0

Dalida

Iolanda Cristina Gigliotti (Italian:; 17 January 1933 – 3 May 1987), professionally known as Dalida (French:, Italian:; Arabic: داليدا), was an Italian naturalized French singer and actress. Throughout her international career, Dalida sold more than 140 million records worldwide.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Unknown, press · Public domain

Theodosius I

Theodosius I (Latin: Theodosius, Ancient Greek: Θεοδόσιος Theodósios; 11 January 347 – 17 January 395), also known as Theodosius the Great, was Roman emperor from 379 to 395. He won two civil wars and was instrumental in establishing the Nicene Creed as the orthodox doctrine for Nicene Christianity.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Classical Numismatic Group · CC BY-SA 2.5

Skanderbeg

Gjergj Kastrioti (also known as Skanderbeg; c. 1405 – 17 January 1468) was an Albanian nobleman and military leader who led the League of Lezhë in the Ottoman-Albanian Wars until his death. Skanderbeg is considered to be a major figure of medieval Albanian history and today is the national hero of Albania.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Cristofano Dell'Altissimo · Public domain

John Ray

John Ray (29 November 1627 – 17 January 1705) was an English Christian naturalist and one of the earliest English parson-naturalists. Until 1670 he wrote his name as John Wray; from then on, he used 'Ray', after "having ascertained that such had been the practice of his family before him".

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: anonymous · Public domain

Tomaso Albinoni

Tomaso Giovanni Albinoni (8 June 1671 – 17 January 1751) was an Italian composer of the Baroque era. His output includes operas, concertos, sonatas for one to six instruments, sinfonias, and solo cantatas.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: anonymous · Public domain

Rutherford B. Hayes

Rutherford Birchard Hayes (October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was the 19th president of the United States, serving from 1877 to 1881. He served as Cincinnati's city solicitor from 1858 to 1861 and was known as a staunch abolitionist who defended refugee slaves in court proceedings.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Mathew Benjamin Brady · Public domain

Francis Galton

Sir Francis Galton (16 February 1822 – 17 January 1911) was an English polymath and the originator of eugenics during the Victorian era; his ideas later became the basis of behavioural genetics. Galton produced over 340 papers and books.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Eveleen Myers (née Tennant) · Public domain

Patrice Lumumba

Patrice Émery Lumumba ( pə-TREESS luu-MUUM-bə; born Isaïe Tasumbu Tawosa; 2 July 1925 – 17 January 1961) was a Congolese politician, independence leader and revolutionary who served as the first prime minister of the First Congolese Republic (modern day Democratic Republic of the Congo) from June until September 1960,…

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Harry Pot for Anefo ) · CC BY 4.0

Varlam Shalamov

Varlam Tikhonovich Shalamov (Russian: Варла́м Ти́хонович Шала́мов; 18 June 1907 – 17 January 1982), baptized as Varlaam, was a Russian writer, journalist, poet, and Gulag survivor.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: NKVD · Public domain

Olav V of Norway

Olav V (born Prince Alexander of Denmark; 2 July 1903 – 17 January 1991) was King of Norway from 1957 until his death in 1991. Olav was born on the royal Sandringham Estate in England, the only child of Prince Carl of Denmark and Princess Maud of Wales.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Unidentified photographer · Public domain

Clyde Tombaugh

Clyde William Tombaugh (February 4, 1906 – January 17, 1997) was an American astronomer and telescope maker, best known for discovering Pluto in 1930, marking the first detection of what would eventually be recognized as the Kuiper belt.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Unknown author · Public domain

Camilo José Cela

Camilo José Cela y Trulock, 1st Marquess of Iria Flavia (Spanish:; 11 May 1916 – 17 January 2002) was a Spanish novelist, poet, story writer and essayist associated with the Generation of '36 movement.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Unknown photographer · CC BY 4.0

Zhao Ziyang

Zhao Ziyang (17 October 1919 – 17 January 2005) was a Chinese politician. He served as the premier of China from 1980 to 1987, as vice chairman of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1981 to 1982, and as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party from 1987 to 1989.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Rob Bogaerts / Anefo · CC0