April 17
1521 - Martin Luther went before the Diet of Worms to face charges stemming from his religious writings. (Luther was later declared an outlaw by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V).
1790 - Benjamin Franklin, American patriot, diplomat, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, died in Philadelphia.
1895 - The Sino-Japanese War ended with the signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki.
1937 - The cartoon character "Daffy Duck" made his debut in "Porky's Duck Hunt."
1961 - Some 1,500 CIA-trained Cuban exiles launched the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in an attempt to topple Fidel Castro, whose forces crushed the incursion by the third day.
1964 - Ford Motor Co. unveiled the Mustang at the New York World's Fair.
1964 - Geraldine Mock became the first woman to fly solo around the world.
1969 - Sirhan Sirhan was convicted for the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy.
1970 - Apollo 13 safely returned to Earth after suffering a near-disastrous explosion while en route to the moon.
1973 - Federal Express (now FedEx) began operations as 14 planes carrying 186 packages took off from Memphis International Airport, bound for 25 U.S. cities.
1975 - Cambodia’s five-year war ended as the capital Phnom Penh fell to the Khmer Rouge, which instituted brutal, radical policies that claimed an estimated 1.7 million lives until the regime was overthrown in 1979.
1986 - At London’s Heathrow Airport, a bomb was discovered in the bag of Anne-Marie Murphy, a pregnant Irishwoman about to board an El Al jetliner to Israel; she’d been tricked into carrying the bomb by her Jordanian fiance, Nezar Hindawi.
1991 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 3,000 for the first time, ending the day at 3,004.46.
1993 - A federal jury in Los Angeles convicted two former police officers of violating the civil rights of beaten motorist Rodney King; two other officers were acquitted.
2013 - Fifteen people were killed when a fertilizer plant exploded in West, Texas.
2018 - Barbara Bush, wife of President George H.W. Bush and mother to President George W. Bush, died in Houston at age 92.
2018 - A Southwest Airlines jet made an emergency landing in Philadelphia after the jet apparently blew an engine, got hit by debris and lost a window; a woman sitting near the window was pulled partially out of the plane and later died.
2018 - Americans were given an extra day to file their income taxes after key elements of the IRS website crashed on deadline day.
2022 - China announced it would launch three more astronauts to its newest space station after the latest crew returned following a six-month stay in orbit.
Birthdays
20 - Emily Feld (model)
25 - Andra Gogan (actress)
27 - Dee Dee Davis (actress)
28 - Phoebe Dynevor (actress)
28 - Paulie Litt (actor)
36 - Jacqueline MacInnes Wood (actress)
38 - Rooney Mara (actress)
42 - Charlie Hofheimer (actor)
43 - Nicholas D'Agosto (actor)
44 - Tate Ellington (actor)
45 - Lindsay Korman (actress/singer)
49 - Victoria Beckham (singer)
51 - Jennifer Garner (actress)
53 - Redman (rapper/actor)
56 - Liz Phair (singer)
56 - Kimberly Elise (actress)
56 - Henry Ian Cusick (actor)
56 - Leslie Bega (actress)
58 - William Mapother (actor)
59 - Lela Rochon (actor)
61 - Joel Murray (actor)
62 - Boomer Esiason (football player/sportscaster)
64 - Sean Bean (actor)
71 - Clarke Peters (actor)
72 - Olivia Hussey (actress)
81 - David Bradley (actor)
==============================
Today in Sports History - April 17
1860 - Champion of England Tom Sayers and American John Heenan fought a brutal 2 hour, 27 minute boxing draw near Farnborough, England; police stopped the fight in what many acknowledge as the first world title bout.
1869 - In the first recorded professional baseball game, the Cincinnati Reds defeat the Cincinnati Amateurs 24-15.
1892 - At Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, the first National League game to be played on Sunday took place. The Reds beat the Browns 5-1.
1967 - The U.S. Supreme Court barred Muhammad Ali's request to be blocked from induction into the U.S. Army.
1972 - The Boston Marathon allowed women to compete for the first time; Nina Kuscsik was the first officially recognized women’s champion, with a time of 3:10:26.
1976 - In the greatest comeback in National League history, the Philadelphia Phillies, after trailing the Chicago Cubs 12-1, come back to win 18-16 in 10 innings behind Mike Schmidt's four consecutive home runs.
1983 - Nolan Ryan records his 3,500th career strikeout.
1987 - Julius Erving becomes the third player in NBA history to score 30,000 career points.
1999 - The Cleveland Browns select Kentucky quarterback Tim Couch with the first pick in the NFL Draft.
2001 - Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants hit his 500th career home run.
2010 - Ubaldo Jiménez threw the first no-hitter in Colorado Rockies history. The Rockies beat the Braves 4-0.
2021 - San Jose Sharks forward Patrick Marleau ties Gordie Howe's NHL record for most regular season games played at 1,767.
1521 - Martin Luther went before the Diet of Worms to face charges stemming from his religious writings. (Luther was later declared an outlaw by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V).
1790 - Benjamin Franklin, American patriot, diplomat, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, died in Philadelphia.
1895 - The Sino-Japanese War ended with the signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki.
1937 - The cartoon character "Daffy Duck" made his debut in "Porky's Duck Hunt."
1961 - Some 1,500 CIA-trained Cuban exiles launched the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba in an attempt to topple Fidel Castro, whose forces crushed the incursion by the third day.
1964 - Ford Motor Co. unveiled the Mustang at the New York World's Fair.
1964 - Geraldine Mock became the first woman to fly solo around the world.
1969 - Sirhan Sirhan was convicted for the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy.
1970 - Apollo 13 safely returned to Earth after suffering a near-disastrous explosion while en route to the moon.
1973 - Federal Express (now FedEx) began operations as 14 planes carrying 186 packages took off from Memphis International Airport, bound for 25 U.S. cities.
1975 - Cambodia’s five-year war ended as the capital Phnom Penh fell to the Khmer Rouge, which instituted brutal, radical policies that claimed an estimated 1.7 million lives until the regime was overthrown in 1979.
1986 - At London’s Heathrow Airport, a bomb was discovered in the bag of Anne-Marie Murphy, a pregnant Irishwoman about to board an El Al jetliner to Israel; she’d been tricked into carrying the bomb by her Jordanian fiance, Nezar Hindawi.
1991 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 3,000 for the first time, ending the day at 3,004.46.
1993 - A federal jury in Los Angeles convicted two former police officers of violating the civil rights of beaten motorist Rodney King; two other officers were acquitted.
2013 - Fifteen people were killed when a fertilizer plant exploded in West, Texas.
2018 - Barbara Bush, wife of President George H.W. Bush and mother to President George W. Bush, died in Houston at age 92.
2018 - A Southwest Airlines jet made an emergency landing in Philadelphia after the jet apparently blew an engine, got hit by debris and lost a window; a woman sitting near the window was pulled partially out of the plane and later died.
2018 - Americans were given an extra day to file their income taxes after key elements of the IRS website crashed on deadline day.
2022 - China announced it would launch three more astronauts to its newest space station after the latest crew returned following a six-month stay in orbit.
Birthdays
20 - Emily Feld (model)
25 - Andra Gogan (actress)
27 - Dee Dee Davis (actress)
28 - Phoebe Dynevor (actress)
28 - Paulie Litt (actor)
36 - Jacqueline MacInnes Wood (actress)
38 - Rooney Mara (actress)
42 - Charlie Hofheimer (actor)
43 - Nicholas D'Agosto (actor)
44 - Tate Ellington (actor)
45 - Lindsay Korman (actress/singer)
49 - Victoria Beckham (singer)
51 - Jennifer Garner (actress)
53 - Redman (rapper/actor)
56 - Liz Phair (singer)
56 - Kimberly Elise (actress)
56 - Henry Ian Cusick (actor)
56 - Leslie Bega (actress)
58 - William Mapother (actor)
59 - Lela Rochon (actor)
61 - Joel Murray (actor)
62 - Boomer Esiason (football player/sportscaster)
64 - Sean Bean (actor)
71 - Clarke Peters (actor)
72 - Olivia Hussey (actress)
81 - David Bradley (actor)
==============================
Today in Sports History - April 17
1860 - Champion of England Tom Sayers and American John Heenan fought a brutal 2 hour, 27 minute boxing draw near Farnborough, England; police stopped the fight in what many acknowledge as the first world title bout.
1869 - In the first recorded professional baseball game, the Cincinnati Reds defeat the Cincinnati Amateurs 24-15.
1892 - At Sportsman's Park in St. Louis, the first National League game to be played on Sunday took place. The Reds beat the Browns 5-1.
1967 - The U.S. Supreme Court barred Muhammad Ali's request to be blocked from induction into the U.S. Army.
1972 - The Boston Marathon allowed women to compete for the first time; Nina Kuscsik was the first officially recognized women’s champion, with a time of 3:10:26.
1976 - In the greatest comeback in National League history, the Philadelphia Phillies, after trailing the Chicago Cubs 12-1, come back to win 18-16 in 10 innings behind Mike Schmidt's four consecutive home runs.
1983 - Nolan Ryan records his 3,500th career strikeout.
1987 - Julius Erving becomes the third player in NBA history to score 30,000 career points.
1999 - The Cleveland Browns select Kentucky quarterback Tim Couch with the first pick in the NFL Draft.
2001 - Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants hit his 500th career home run.
2010 - Ubaldo Jiménez threw the first no-hitter in Colorado Rockies history. The Rockies beat the Braves 4-0.
2021 - San Jose Sharks forward Patrick Marleau ties Gordie Howe's NHL record for most regular season games played at 1,767.
