On this day · Cancer

July 17 birthdays

291 notable historical figures were born on July 17, and 193 died on this day. Everyone born on July 17 is a Cancer.

21% of July 17 birthdays work in Arts & Music, more than any other field. More come from United States (60) than any other country.

Born on July 17

• (1935 to 2024. Canadian actor (1935–2024))
• Angela Merkel (born 1954. Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021)
• Camilla Parker Bowles (born 1947. Queen of the United Kingdom since 2022)
• James Cagney (1899 to 1986. American actor and dancer (1899–1986))
• Terence Tao (born 1975. Australian and American mathematician (born 1975))
• António Costa (born 1961. President of the European Council since 2024)
• Phyllis Diller (1917 to 2012. American comedian and actress (1917–2012))
• Ismail I (1487 to 1524. Shah of Safavid Iran from 1501 to 1524)
• Cory Doctorow (born 1971. Canadian-British writer (born 1971))
• Georges Lemaître (1894 to 1966. Belgian scientist and Catholic priest (1894–1966))
• Elbridge Gerry (1744 to 1814. Founding Father, U.S. vice president from 1813 to 1814)
• Xianfeng Emperor (1831 to 1861. Emperor of China from 1850 to 1861)
• Ivan Aivazovsky (1817 to 1900. Russian-Armenian marine painter (1817–1900))
• Vince Guaraldi (1928 to 1976. American jazz pianist (1928–1976))
• Crown Prince Alexander (born 1945. Former crown prince of Yugoslavia (born 1945))
• Tasoulas (born 1959. President of Greece since 2025)
• Darude (born 1975. Finnish DJ and composer)
• Letsie III (born 1963. King of Lesotho (1990–1995; since 1996))
• Kenan Evren (1917 to 2015. 7th President of Turkey from 1982 to 1989)
• Johnny Briceño (born 1960. Prime Minister of Belize since 2020)
• Isaac Watts (1674 to 1748. English hymnwriter and theologian (1674–1748))
• Adriana Farmiga (born 1974. American visual artist)
• Tokugawa Iemochi (1846 to 1866. Military ruler of Japan from 1858 to 1866)
• Hannah Szenes (1921 to 1944. Jewish poet and anti-Nazi fighter in World War II)
• Paul Delaroche (1797 to 1856. French painter (1797–1856))
• Mike Bickle (minister) (born 1955. Former American Evangelical Christian leader)
• Pierre Louis Maupertuis (1698 to 1759. French mathematician, philosopher and man of letters (1698–1759))
• Al-Wathiq (812 to 847. Abbasid caliph from 842 to 847)
• Julio Argentino Roca (1843 to 1914. 4th and 9th President of Argentina)
• Lyonel Feininger (1871 to 1956. German-American painter)
• Nureddin Pasha (1873 to 1932. Ottoman/Turkish general (1873–1932))
• Alexius Meinong (1853 to 1920. Austrian philosopher (1853–1920))
• Janet Stewart, Lady Fleming (1502 to 1562. Scottish governess (1502–1562))
• Mohammad Hasan Sharq (born 1925. Prime Minister of Afghanistan)
• Pierre André de Suffren (1729 to 1788. French naval officer (1729–1788))
• Borislav Slavov (born 1973. Music composer)
• Allan Hoover (1907 to 1993. American businessman (1907–1993))
• Arthur Rothstein (1915 to 1985. American photojournalist (1915–1985))
• Anthony Lee (1961 to 2000. American actor and playwright (1961–2000))
• Maria Salviati (1499 to 1543. Florentine noblewoman)
• Marina Karella (born 1940. Greek artist (born 1940))
• Carlos Manuel Arana Osorio (1918 to 2003. President of Guatemala (1918–2003))
• Nils Bohlin (1920 to 2001. Swedish inventor)
• Wendy Freedman (born 1957. Canadian-American astronomer)
• Adriaan Reland (1676 to 1718. Dutch scholar (1676–1718))
• Aida El-Kashef (born 1988. Egyptian actress)
• Mohammad Natsir (1908 to 1993. 5th prime minister of Indonesia from 1950 to 1951)
• David Hasselhoff (born 1952. American actor, singer, and television personality (born 1952))
• James Purdy (1914 to 2009. American novelist, short-story writer, poet, and playwright (1914-2009))
• Henriette Marie of the Palatinate (1626 to 1651. Princess of Bohemia and German noble (1626–1651))
• Trần Thái Tông (1218 to 1277. Emperor of Đại Việt (r. 1226–58); first of the Trần dynasty)
• Sunil Lanba (born 1957. Former chief of the Indian Navy (born 1957))
• Francisco Toledo (1940 to 2019. Mexican artist (1940–2019))
• Donald Tovey (1875 to 1940. British musicologist (1875–1940))
• Joseph Nanven Garba (1943 to 2002. Nigerian general, diplomat and politician (1943–2002))
• Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici (1933 to 2022. Maltese politician (1933–2022))
• Lady Evelyn Cobbold (1867 to 1963. British Muslim aristocrat)
• J. M. Andrews (1871 to 1956. Prime Minister of Northern Ireland from 1940 to 1943)
• Gavin McInnes (born 1970. Canadian far-right commentator)
• François de Montmorency, 2nd Duke of Montmorency (1530 to 1579. French soldier and diplomat (1530–1579))

Died on July 17

• Billie Holiday (1915 to 1959. American jazz singer (1915–1959))
• Nicholas II (1868 to 1918. Emperor of Russia from 1894 to 1917)
• Adam Smith (1723 to 1790. Scottish economist and philosopher (1723–1790))
• Alexandra Feodorovna (Alix of Hesse) (1872 to 1918. Empress of Russia from 1894 to 1917)
• Edward Heath (1916 to 2005. Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974)
• Edward the Elder (874 to 924. King of the Anglo-Saxons from 899 to 924)
• William James Sidis (1898 to 1944. American mathematician, polyglot, and child prodigy (1898–1944))
• Alexei Nikolaevich, Tsarevich of Russia (1904 to 1918. Heir to the Russian throne (1904–1918))
• Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna of Russia (1895 to 1918. Daughter of Tsar Nicholas II (1895–1918))
• Henri Poincaré (1854 to 1912. French mathematician, physicist and engineer (1854–1912))
• Charlotte Corday (1768 to 1793. French assassin (1768–1793))
• Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey (1764 to 1845. Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1830 to 1834)
• Jim Bridger (1804 to 1881. American explorer (1804–1881))
• Bartolomé de las Casas (1474 to 1566. Spanish clergyman and writer (1484–1566))
• Jadwiga of Poland (1374 to 1399. Queen of Poland from 1384 to 1399)
• James McNeill Whistler (1834 to 1903. American painter (1834–1903))
• Álvaro Obregón (1880 to 1928. President of Mexico from 1920 to 1924)
• Mickey Spillane (1918 to 2006. American crime novelist (1918–2006))
• Pope Leo IV (790 to 855. Head of the Catholic Church from 847 to 855)
• Giovanni Giolitti (1842 to 1928. Italian statesman (1842–1928))
• Szapolyai (1487 to 1540. King of Hungary from 1526 to 1540)
• Andrea Camilleri (1925 to 2019. Italian writer (1925–2019))
• Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani (1825 to 1913. Emir of Qatar from 1878 to 1913)
• Giuseppe Castiglione (Jesuit painter) (1688 to 1766. Jesuit missionary and court painter during the Qing dynasty)
• William Wesley Peters (1912 to 1991. American architect and engineer (1912–1991))
• Meir Amit (1921 to 2009. Israeli politician (1921–2009))
• Cudjoe Lewis (1835 to 1935. One of the last known survivors of the Atlantic slave trade (d. 1935))
• Riad Al Solh (1894 to 1951. Lebanese politician (1894–1951))
• George William Russell (1867 to 1935. Irish polymath (1867–1935))
• John Coltrane (1926 to 1967. American jazz saxophonist (1926–1967))

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