1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday[1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). [edit] Events of 1917 [edit] January - January 1 – The University of Oregon defeats The University of Pennsylvania 14–0 in college football's 3rd Annual Rose Bowl.
- January 2 – The Royal Bank of Canada takes over Quebec Bank.
- January 11 – German saboteurs set off the Kingsland Explosion at Kingsland, NJ (now Lyndhurst, NJ), one of the events leading to U.S. involvement in World War I.
- January 13 – World War I: The Battle of Wadi occurs between Allied British and Ottoman Empire forces, during the Mesopotamian campaign in modern-day Iraq.
- January 19 – Silvertown explosion: A blast at a munitions factory in London kills 73 and injures over 400. The resulting fire causes over £2,000,000 worth of damage.
- January 22 – World War I: President Woodrow Wilson calls for "peace without victory" in Europe.
- January 25
- The Danish West Indies is sold to the United States for $25 million.
- An anti-prostitution drive in San Francisco attracts huge crowds to public meetings. At one meeting attended by 7,000 people, 20,000 are kept out for lack of room. In a conference with Rev. Paul Smith, an outspoken foe of prostitution, 300 prostitutes make a plea for toleration, explaining they had been forced into the practice by poverty. When Smith asks if they will take other work at $8 to $10 a week, the ladies laugh derisively, which loses them public sympathy. The police close about 200 houses of prostitution shortly thereafter. [1]
- January 26 – The sea defences at the English village of Hallsands are breached, leading to all but one of the houses becoming uninhabitable.
- January 28 – The United States ends its search for Pancho Villa.
- January 30 – Pershing's troops in Mexico begin withdrawing back to the United States. They reach Columbus, Ohio February 5.
- January 31 – World War I: Germany announces its U-boats will engage in unrestricted submarine warfare.
[edit] February  President Woodrow Wilson of the United States announces to Congress the breaking of diplomatic relations with Germany - July 1
- July 6
- July 12 – The Phelps Dodge Corporation deports over 1,000 suspected IWW members from Bisbee, Arizona.
- July 16–17 – Russian troops mutiny, abandon the Austrian front, and retreat to the Ukraine; hundreds are shot by their commanding officers during the retreat.
- July 16–18 – Serious clashes in St. Petersburg in July Days; Lenin escapes to Finland; Trotsky is arrested.
- July 17 – King George V of the United Kingdom issues a proclamation, stating that thenceforth the male line descendants of the British Royal Family will bear the surname Windsor, vice the Germanic bloodline of House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, which is an offshoot of the historic (800+ years) House of Wettin.
- July 20 – Finland declares complete independence.
- July 20 – The Corfu Declaration, which enabled the establishment of the post-war Kingdom of Yugoslavia, is signed by the Yugoslav Committee and the Kingdom of Serbia.
- July 20 (July 7, O.S.) – Alexander Kerensky becomes premier of the Russian Provisional Government, replacing Prince Georgy Lvov.
- July 20–28 – World War I: Austrian and German forces repulse the Russian advance into Galicia.
- July 25 – Sir Thomas Whyte introduces the first income tax in Canada as a "temporary" measure (lowest bracket is 4% and highest is 25%).
- July 28 – The Silent Protest is organized by the NAACP in New York to protest the East St. Louis Riot of July 2, as well as lynchings in Texas and Tennessee.
- July 31 – World War I: The Battle of Passchendaele: Allied offensive operations commence in Flanders.
[edit] August [edit] October [edit] November - November 2 – Zionism: The Balfour Declaration proclaims British support for the "establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people" with the clear understanding "that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities".
- November 6 – World War I: Battle of Passchendaele: After 3 months of fierce fighting, Canadian forces take Passchendaele in Belgium.
- Militants from Trotsky's committee join with trusty Bolshevik soldiers to seize government buildings and pounce on members of the provisional government.
- November 7
- November 15 – In the United States, a "Night of Terror" results in the death of several influential suffragettes.
- November 15 – Finland takes a step towards full sovereignty, ending the personal union with Russia.
- November 17 – The People's Dispensary for Sick Animals is founded in the United Kingdom.
- November 20
- World War I – Battle of Cambrai: British forces make early progress in an attack on German positions but are soon beaten back.
- The Ukraine is declared a republic.
- November 22 – In Montreal, Canada, the National Hockey Association breaks up.
- November 23 – The Bolsheviks release the full text of the previously secret Sykes-Picot Agreement in Izvestia and Pravda; it is subsequently printed in the Manchester Guardian on November 26.
- November 24 – In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 9 members of the Milwaukee Police Department are killed by a bomb, the most fatal single event in U.S. police history until the September 11, 2001 attacks.
- November 26 – The National Hockey League is formed as a replacement for the recently disbanded National Hockey Association.
- November 28 – The Bolsheviks offer peace terms to the Germans.
- November 29 – Don Cossacks declare the Don Republic, which lasts two weeks.
[edit] December [edit] Undated [edit] Ongoing [edit] Births [edit] January–February - January 2 – Vera Zorina, German dancer and actress (d. 2003)
- January 3 – Roger W. Straus, Jr., American publisher (d. 2004)
- January 5 – Jane Wyman, American actress, philanthropist, and first wife of Ronald Reagan (Falcon Crest) (d. 2007)
- January 5 – Adolfo Consolini, Italian discus thrower (d. 1969)
- January 5 – Francis L. Kellogg, U.S. diplomat and prominent socialite (d. 2006)
- January 6 – Koo Chen-fu, Nationalist Chinese negotiator (d. 2005)
- January 10 – Jerry Wexler, American record producer (d. 2008)
- January 12
- January 16 – Carl Karcher, American founder of the Carl's Jr. hamburger chain (d. 2008)
- January 17 – M. G. Ramachandran, Tamil Nadu chief minister and actor. (d. 1987)
- January 19
- January 24 – Ernest Borgnine, American actor (McHale's Navy)
- January 25 – Ilya Prigogine, Russian-born physicist and chemist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (d. 2003)
- January 26 – William Verity Jr., American politician (d. 2007)
- February 1 – James Harry Lacey, a.k.a Squadron Leader James "Ginger" Lacey DFM & Bar, the top scoring RAF fighter pilot during the Battle of Britain (d. 1989)
- February 2 – Đỗ Mười, Vietnamese leader
- February 4
- February 6 – Zsa Zsa Gabor, Hungarian-born actress
- February 11
- February 12 – Dom DiMaggio, American baseball player (d. 2009)
- February 14 – Herbert A. Hauptman, American mathematician, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
- February 17 – Joseph Conombo, Prime Minister of Upper Volta (d. 2008)
- February 18 – Tuulikki Pietilä, Finnish artist (d. 2009)
- February 19 – Carson McCullers, American author (d. 1967)
- February 25
- February 27 – John Connally, Governor of Texas (d. 1993)
- February 28 – Fidel Sánchez Hernández, President of El Salvador (d. 2003)
- February 28 – Ernesto Alonso, Mexican actor, director, cinematographer, and producer (d. 2007)
[edit] March–April - March 1
- March 2
- March 3 – Sameera Moussa, Egyptian nuclear scientist (d. 1952)
- March 4 – Clyde McCullough, American baseball catcher (d. 1982)
- March 5 – Raymond P. Shafer, Governor of Pennsylvania (d. 2006)
- March 12 – Googie Withers, British actress
- March 14 – John McCallum, Australian actor
- March 16 – Samael Aun Weor, Columbian writer (d. 1977)
- March 19 – Dinu Lipatti, Romanian pianist (d. 1950)
- March 20 – Vera Lynn, English actress and singer
- March 24 – John Kendrew, British molecular biologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (d. 1997)
- March 26 – Rufus Thomas, American singer (d. 2001)
- March 27 – Cyrus Vance, American politician (d. 2002)
- April 1 – Sydney Newman, Canadian-born television producer (d. 1997)
- April 2 – Dabbs Greer, American actor (d. 2007)
- April 5 – Robert Bloch, American writer (d. 1994)
- April 7 – R.G. Armstrong, American actor
- April 10 – Robert B. Woodward, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1979)
- April 12 – Helen Forrest, American jazz singer (d. 1999)
- April 13 – Robert O. Anderson, American businessman, founder of Atlantic Richfield Oil Co. (d. 2007)
- April 14 – Marvin Miller, American baseball executive
- April 17 – Bill Clements, Governor of Texas
- April 22 – Yvette Chauviré, French ballerina
- April 25 – Ella Fitzgerald, American jazz singer (d. 1996)
- April 26 – Virgil Trucks, American baseball player
- April 29 – Celeste Holm, American actress
- April 30 – Bea Wain, American singer
[edit] May–June - May 1 – Fyodor Khitruk, Russian animator
- May 3 – Kiro Gligorov, President of the Republic of Macedonia
- May 8 – John Anderson, Jr., American politician
- May 12 – Frank Clair, Canadian football coach (d. 2005)
- May 14 – Lou Harrison, American composer (d. 2003)
- May 16 – George Gaynes, Finnish-born actor
- May 20 – Bergur Sigurbjörnsson, Icelandic politician (d. 2005)
- May 21 – Raymond Burr, Canadian actor (Perry Mason) (d. 1993)
- May 22 – Georg Tintner, Austrian conductor (d. 1999)
- May 25 – Theodore Hesburgh, American priest and educator
- May 28
- May 29 – John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the United States (d. 1963)
- June 1 – William S. Knowles, American chemist, Nobel Prize laureate
- June 7 – Gwendolyn Brooks, African American writer (d. 2000)
- June 7 – Dean Martin, American actor and singer (d. 1995)
- June 10
- June 14 – Lise Nørgaard, Danish journalist and writer
- June 15
- June 16
- June 30 – Lena Horne, African-American singer
[edit] July–August - July 1 – Humphry Osmond, British psychiatrist (d. 2004)
- July 4 – Manolete, Spanish bullfighter (d. 1947)
- July 7
- July 10
- July 16 – William Woodson, American voice actor
- July 17
- July 18 – Henri Salvador, French singer (d. 2008)
- July 19 – William Scranton, American politician
- August 11 – Dik Browne, American cartoonist (Hagar the Horrible) (d. 1989)
- August 14 – Marty Glickman, American sports announcer (d. 2001)
- August 15
- August 18 – Caspar Weinberger, United States Secretary of Defense (d. 2006)
- August 22 – John Lee Hooker, African-American musician (d. 2001)
- August 25 – Mel Ferrer, Cuban-American actor, film director and film producer (d. 2008)
- August 28 – Jack Kirby, American comic book artist (d. 1994)
- August 29 – Isabel Sanford, African-American actress (The Jeffersons) (d. 2004)
- August 30 – Denis Healey, British author and politician
[edit] September–October - September 6 – Philipp von Boeselager, German Wehrmacht officer, failed assassin of Adolf Hitler (d. 2008)
- September 7
- September 10 – Miguel Serrano, Chilean diplomat, explorer, and journalist (d. 2009)
- September 11
- September 13 – Robert Ward, American composer (d. 1994)
- September 15 – Shanul Haq Haqqee, Pakistani poet, author, lexicographer (d. 2005)
- September 20 – Red Auerbach, American basketball coach and official (d. 2006)
- September 25 – Johnny Sain, American baseball player (d. 2006)
- September 27 – Louis Auchincloss, American novelist
- October 2 – Christian de Duve, English-born biologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
- October 7 – June Allyson, American actress (d. 2006)
- October 8
- October 10 – Thelonious Monk, American jazz pianist (d. 1982)
- October 13 – George Virl Osmond, Osmond family patriarch (d. 2007)
- October 15 – Jan Miner, American actress (d. 2004)
- October 15 – Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., American historian and political commentator (d. 2007)
- October 21 – Dizzy Gillespie, African-American musician (d. 1993)
- October 22 – Joan Fontaine, British-born actress
- October 30 – Maurice Trintignant, French race car driver (d. 2005)
[edit] November–December - November 11 – Madeleine Damerment, French World War II heroine (d. 1944)
- November 12 – Jo Stafford, American traditional pop singer (d. 2008)
- November 18 – Pedro Infante, Mexican actor and singer (d. 1957)
- November 19 – Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister of India (d. 1984)
- November 20 – Robert Byrd, U.S. senator from West Virginia and President pro tempore of the United States Senate
- November 22 – Andrew Huxley, English scientist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
- December 6
- December 9 – James Rainwater, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1986)
- December 10 – Sultan Yahya Petra, King of Malaysia (d. 1979)
- December 16 – Arthur C. Clarke, British/Sri Lankan science-fiction author (2001: A Space Odyssey) (d. 2008)
- December 20 – David Bohm, American-born physicist, philosopher, and neuropsychologist (d. 1992)
- December 21 – Heinrich Böll, German writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1985)
- December 22 – Gene Rayburn, American television personality (Match Game) (d. 1999)
- December 27 – Onni Palaste, Finnish writer (d. 2009)
- December 28 – Ellis Clarke, President of Trinidad and Tobago
- December 29 – Ramanand Sagar, Indian film director (d. 2005)
- December 30 – Seymour Melman, American industrial engineer (d. 2004)
[edit] Deaths [edit] January–June - January 2 – Edward Burnett Tylor, English anthropologist (b. 1832)
- January 4 – Frederick Selous, British explorer (b. 1851)
- January 10 – William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody, American frontiersman (b. 1846)
- January 16 – George Dewey, U.S. admiral (b. 1837)
- February 5 – Jaber II Al-Sabah, Emir of Kuwait (b. 1860)
- February 10 – John William Waterhouse, Italian-born artist (b. 1849)
- February 21 – Fred Mace, American actor (b. 1878)
- March 5 – Manuel de Arriaga, first president of Portugal (b. 1840)
- March 8 – Ferdinand von Zeppelin, German inventor (b. 1838)
- March 17 – Franz Brentano, German philosopher and psychologist (b. 1838)
- March 31 – Emil Adolf von Behring, German winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1854)
- April 1 – Scott Joplin, African-American musician and composer (b. 1867–1868)
- April 13 – Diamond Jim Brady, American businessman (b. 1856)
- April 14 – L. L. Zamenhof, Polish creator of Esperanto (b. 1859)
- May 7 – Albert Ball, British World War I Fighter Ace, VC recipient (b. 1896)
- May 17 – Charles Anthoni Johnson Brooke, ruler of Sarawak (b. 1829)
- May 20 – Philipp von Ferrary, Italian stamp collector (b. 1850)
- May 24 – Les Darcy, Australian boxer (b. 1895)
- May 29 – Kate Harrington (b. 1831)
- May 25 – Maksim Bahdanovič, Belarusian poet (b. 1891)
- June 26 – John Dunville, British Army officer (b. 1896)
- June 30 – Antonio de La Gandara, French painter (b. 1861)
[edit] July–December - July 2 – Herbert Beerbohm Tree, British actor (b. 1852)
- July 8 – Tom Thomson, Canadian painter (b. 1877)
- July 12 – Donald Cunnell, British World War I Fighter Ace (b. 1893)
- July 16 – Philipp Scharwenka, Polish-German composer (b. 1847)
- July 27 – Emil Kocher, Swiss medical researcher, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1841)
- July 31
- August 3 – Stephane Javelle, French astronomer (b. 1864)
- August 13 – Eduard Buchner, German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1860)
- August 20 – Adolf von Baeyer, German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1835)
- August 30 – Alan Leo, British astrologer (b. 1860)
- September 9 – Madge Syers, British figure skater (b. 1881)
- September 11 – Georges Guynemer, French World War I Fighter Ace (b.1894)
- September 15 – Kurt Wolff, German World War I Fighter Ace (b. 1895)
- September 23 – Werner Voss, German World War I Fighter Ace (b.1897)
- September 27 – Edgar Degas, French painter (b. 1834)
- October 13 – Florence La Badie, Canadian actress (b. 1888)
- October 15 – Mata Hari, Dutch dancer and spy (executed) (b. 1876)
- October 23 – Eugène Grasset, Swiss artist (b. 1845)
- October 27 – Arthur Rhys Davids, British World War I Fighter Ace (b. 1897)
- October 28 – Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein (b. 1831)
- November 8 – Colin Blythe, English cricketer (b. 1879)
- November 11 – Queen Liliuokalani of Hawai'i (b. 1838)
- November 15 – Émile Durkheim, French sociologist (b. 1858)
- November 17 – Neil James Archibald Primrose, MP (killed in action) (b. 1882)
- November 17 – Auguste Rodin, French sculptor (b. 1840)
- December 8 – Mendele Moykher Sforim, Russian Yiddish and Hebrew writer (b. 1836)
- December 10 – Mackenzie Bowell, Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1823)
- December 12 – Andrew Taylor Still, American father of osteopathy (b. 1828)
- December 19 – Richard Maybery, British World War I Fighter Ace (b. 1895)
- December 22 – Frances Xavier Cabrini, First American canonized as a saint (b. 1850)
- December 28 – Alfred Edwin McKay, Canadian World War I Fighter Ace (b. 1892)
[edit] Nobel Prizes - ^ "Calendar in year 1917 (Russia)" (Julian calendar), webpage: Julian-1917 (Romania used Julian in 1919, when Russia adopted Gregorian).
- ^ L'Osservatore Romano, Weekly Edition in English, 12/19 August 1998, page 9
- ^ Seton-Watson, Christopher. 1967. Italy from Liberalism to Fascism: 1870 to 1925. London: Methuen & Co. Ltd. Pp. 468–9
[edit] External links |
