On This Day in History - April 17th - Almanac

Today is Wednesday, April 17, the 108th day of 2024 with 258 to follow.

The moon is waxing. Morning stars are Mars, Saturn and Venus. Evening stars are Jupiter and Uranus.

Those born on this date are under the sign of Aries. They include American industrialist/financier J.P. Morgan in 1837; baseball Hall of Fame member Cap Anson in 1852; Danish author Karen Blixen, who wrote under the name Isak Dinesen, in 1885; actor William Holden in 1918; music promoter Don Kirshner in 1934; actor David Bradley in 1942 (age 82); musician Jan Hammer in 1948 (age 76); actor Olivia Hussey in 1951 (age 73); actor Clarke Peters in 1952 (age 72); author Nick Hornby in 1957 (age 67); actor Sean Bean in 1959 (age 65); actor Joel Murray in 1963 (age 61); musician Maynard James Keenan (Tool and Puscifer) in 1964 (age 60); actor Henry Ian Cusick in 1967 (age 57); singer Liz Phair in 1967 (age 57); filmmaker Adam McKay in 1968 (age 56); rapper Redman, born Reggie Noble, in 1970 (age 54); actor Jennifer Garner in 1972 (age 52); singer/model Victoria Beckham (Spice Girls) in 1974 (age 50); actor Luke Mitchell in 1985 (age 39); actor Rooney Mara in 1985 (age 39); actor Phoebe Dynevor in 1995 (age 29).

On this date in history:

In 1421, the sea broke the dikes at Dort, Holland, drowning an estimated 100,000 people.

In 1521, the Roman Catholic Church excommunicated Martin Luther after he refused to admit to charges of heresy.

In 1790, U.S. statesman, printer, scientist and writer Benjamin Franklin died in Philadelphia at age 84.

In 1912, the sister ship of the doomed RMS Titanic, the Olympic, radioed in that survivors of the ocean liner sinking were rescued and safely on board the RMS Carpathia.

In 1961, a force of anti-Castro rebels began the Bay of Pigs Invasion in an attempt to overthrow Cuba's new communist government.

In 1964, Jerrie Mock of Columbus, Ohio, became the first woman to complete a solo flight around the world.

In 1969, a jury found Sirhan B. Sirhan guilty of first-degree murder for the assassination of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy.

In 1970, with the world anxiously watching on television, Apollo 13, a U.S. lunar spacecraft that sustained a severe malfunction on its journey to the moon, safely returned to Earth.

In 1989, the Polish labor union Solidarity was granted legal status after nearly a decade of struggle and suppression -- clearing the way for the downfall of the country's Communist Party.

In 1993, a federal jury convicted two Los Angeles police officers and acquitted two others of violating the civil rights of Rodney King during his 1991 arrest and beating.

In 2004, the Israeli army confirmed it had killed Abdel Aziz Rantisi, Hamas co-founder and its leader in Gaza, in a missile strike. Two others also died with Rantisi, who had opposed any compromise with Israel.

In 2013, an explosion at a West, Texas, fertilizer plant killed 15 people, injured dozens and caused massive property damage in the community.

In 2018, former first lady Barbara Bush died at the age of 92 after refusing medical treatment for her failing health. Her husband, former President George H.W. Bush, died less than one year later.

In 2022, three companies connected to far-right radio host Alex Jones filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy amid lawsuits related to false claims about the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school shooting.

A thought for the day: "Music is the outlet to bigger and better business; that's what I'm excited about." -- American rapper Redman