On this day · Libra

October 17 birthdays

310 notable historical figures were born on October 17, and 171 died on this day. Everyone born on October 17 is a Libra.

17% of October 17 birthdays work in Literature, more than any other field. More come from United States (71) than any other country.

Born on October 17

• Kimi Räikkönen (born 1979. Finnish racing driver (born 1979))
• Eminem (born 1972. American rapper (born 1972))
• John Paul I (1912 to 1978. Head of the Catholic Church in 1978)
• Prabowo Subianto (born 1951. President of Indonesia since 2024)
• Mae Jemison (born 1956. American astronaut, doctor and engineer (born 1956))
• Rita Hayworth (1918 to 1987. American actress, dancer, pin-up girl (1918–1987))
• Robert Jordan (1948 to 2007. American fantasy writer (1948–2007))
• Syed Ahmad Khan (1817 to 1898. Indian reformer and social activist (1817–1898))
• Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia (1853 to 1920. Duchess of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha from 1893 to 1900)
• Tom Poston (1921 to 2007. American actor (1921–2007))
• William Anders (1933 to 2024. American astronaut and lunar explorer (1933–2024))
• Augustus III (1696 to 1763. Ruler of Poland–Lithuania from 1733 to 1763)
• Henri de Saint-Simon (1760 to 1825. French early socialist theorist (1760–1825))
• James Rudolph Garfield (1865 to 1950. American lawyer and politician (1865–1950))
• Isabel Díaz Ayuso (born 1978. Spanish politician (born 1978))
• Philippe Sands (born 1960. British/French lawyer, legal academic and author (born 1960))
• Arthur Miller (1915 to 2005. American playwright and essayist (1915–2005))
• Luiz Bonfá (1922 to 2001. Brazilian guitarist and composer (1922–2001))
• Cameron Mackintosh (born 1946. British theatre and musical producer (born 1946))
• Balthasar Charles Prince of Asturias (1629 to 1646. Prince of Asturias (1629–1646))
• Nathanael West (1903 to 1940. American novelist (1903–1940))
• Tarell Alvin McCraney (born 1980. American playwright)
• Georg Büchner (1813 to 1837. German dramatist (1813–1837))
• Alvin Straight (1920 to 1996. American man who became notable for traveling on a lawn mower)
• Lalita Lajmi (1932 to 2023. Indian painter (1932–2023))
• Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi (born 1974. Ooni of Ife since 2015)
• Michael Tolkin (born 1950. American screenwriter, novelist, and director (born 1950))
• Ameenah Gurib-Fakim (born 1959. Scientist and president of Mauritius)
• Ferenc Deák (politician) (1803 to 1876. Hungarian politician (1803–1876))
• Joan Prather (born 1950. American actress (born 1950))
• Herbert Howells (1892 to 1983. English composer, organist and teacher (1892–1983))
• Abram Ioffe (1880 to 1960. Soviet physicist (1880–1960))
• Miguel Ydígoras Fuentes (1895 to 1982. 32nd President of Guatemala (1958-63))
• Frederick William, Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1819 to 1904. Grand Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz from 1860 to 1904)
• Owen Arthur (1949 to 2020. Prime Minister of Barbados from 1994 to 2008)
• Les Murray (poet) (1938 to 2019. Australian poet and critic (1938–2019))
• Fructuoso Rivera (1784 to 1854. 1st President of Uruguay (1830–34))
• Der Scutt (1934 to 2010. American architect (1934–2010))
• William Smith O'Brien (1803 to 1864. Irish nationalist politician (1803–1864))
• Miguel Delibes (1920 to 2010. Spanish writer, journalist and novelist)
• Lucjan Żeligowski (1865 to 1947. Polish general (1865–1947))
• Montgomery Clift (1920 to 1966. American actor (1920–1966))
• Josep Puig i Cadafalch (1867 to 1956. Catalan architect (1867–1957))
• Francis Turretin (1623 to 1687. Genevan-Italian Reformed scholastic theologian (1623–1687))
• Hun Manith (born 1981. Cambodian general)
• Jeremy C. Stein (born 1960. American economist)
• Paul Bernays (1888 to 1977. Swiss mathematician (1888–1977))
• Camilla Martelli (1545 to 1590. Second wife of Cosimo I de' Medici (c. 1545–1590))
• Margot Kidder (1948 to 2018. Canadian and American actress and activist (1948–2018))
• Friedrich Hirzebruch (1927 to 2012. German mathematician (1927–2012))
• Juan Lavalle (1797 to 1841. Argentine military officer and politician (1797–1841))
• Isaak Khalatnikov (1919 to 2021. Russian physicist (1919–2021))
• Hazem El Beblawi (born 1936. Interim Prime Minister of Egypt from 2013 to 2014)
• Mak Dizdar (1917 to 1971. Bosnian poet (1917 – 1971))
• Cristofano Allori (1577 to 1621. Italian painter of the late Florentine Mannerist school (1577–1621))
• Domenico Zipoli (1688 to 1726. Italian composer (1688–1726))
• Norm Macdonald (1959 to 2021. Canadian comedian (1959–2021))
• Henri Giscard d'Estaing (born 1956. French businessman (born 1956))
• Lerone Bennett Jr. (1928 to 2018. American journalist and author (1928–2018))
• Yoshio Taniguchi (1937 to 2024. Japanese architect (1937–2024))

Died on October 17

• Frédéric Chopin (1810 to 1849. Polish composer and pianist (1810–1849))
• Puyi (1906 to 1967. Emperor of China (1908–1912) and of Manchukuo (1934–1945))
• Anna of Russia (1693 to 1740. Empress of Russia from 1730 to 1740)
• Jean-Jacques Dessalines (1758 to 1806. Haitian revolutionary and first ruler (1758–1806))
• Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1852 to 1934. Spanish neuroscientist (1852–1934))
• Philip Sidney (1554 to 1586. English poet, courtier, and diplomat (1554–1586))
• Gustav Kirchhoff (1824 to 1887. German physicist and mathematician (1824–1887))
• Ingeborg Bachmann (1926 to 1973. Austrian poet and author (1926–1973))
• Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778 to 1837. Austrian composer and pianist (1778–1837))
• Raymond Aron (1905 to 1983. French philosopher, sociologist, journalist and political scientist (1905–1983))
• Yaa Asantewaa (1832 to 1921. Ashanti queen mother and military leader)
• Al-Suyuti (1445 to 1505. Egyptian Islamic scholar (1445–1505))
• Boniface II (Head of the Catholic Church from 530 to 532)
• Kannadasan (1927 to 1981. Tamil poet and lyricist (1927–1981))
• Ali Reza Pahlavi (born 1922) (1922 to 1954. Iranian prince and brother of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi)
• Francesco I de' Medici (1541 to 1587. Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1574 to 1587)
• Lalon (1772 to 1890. Bengali spiritual leader and philosopher (1772–1890))
• Lionel of Antwerp (1338 to 1368. English prince and nobleman (1338–1368))
• María de las Mercedes (1880 to 1904. Princess of Asturias (1880–1904))
• Jacques Hadamard (1865 to 1963. French mathematician (1865–1963))
• Giovanni Gronchi (1887 to 1978. President of Italy from 1955 to 1962)
• Jean Améry (1912 to 1978. Austrian-born essayist)
• Rehavam Ze'evi (1926 to 2001. Israeli politician (1926–2001))
• Sarah Winnemucca (1844 to 1891. Northern Paiute author, activist, and educator (c. 1844 –1891))
• George, Crown Prince of Serbia (1887 to 1972. Crown Prince of Serbia)
• Seth Morgan (novelist) (1949 to 1990. American novelist (1949–1990))
• Jay Livingston (1915 to 2001. American songwriter (1915–2001))
• May Morris (1862 to 1938. English artisan and embroidery designer)
• May Ziadeh (1886 to 1941. Lebanese-Palestinian writer (1886–1941))
• Alberta Hunter (1895 to 1984. American jazz-blues singer-songwriter (1895–1984))

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