April 17
1492 - A contract was signed by Christopher Columbus and a representative of Spain's King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, giving Columbus a commission to seek a westward ocean passage to Asia.
1521 - Martin Luther went before the Diet of Worms to face charges stemming from his religious writings.
1790 - Benjamin Franklin, U.S. diplomat, patriot and one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, died in Philadelphia at age 84.
1861 - Virginia seceded from the Union.
1895 - The Sino-Japanese War ended with the signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki.
1905 - The U.S. Supreme Court, in Lochner v. New York, struck down on a 5-4 vote, a New York state law limiting the number of hours that bakers could be made to work. (This ruling was effectively overturned in 1937 by the high court's West Coast Hotel Co. v. Parrish decision.)
1937 - Daffy Duck made his animated debut in Porky's Duck Hunt.
1961 - Supported by the U.S. government, 1,500 Cuban exiles attempted the unsuccessful Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba to topple the government of Fidel Castro.
1964 - Geraldine Mock became the first woman to fly solo around the world.
1964 - The Ford Motor Co. introduced the Mustang.
1969 - Sirhan Sirhan was convicted of the murder of Robert F. Kennedy.
1970 - The Apollo 13 astronauts safely returned to earth after their crippling accident in space en route to the moon.
1973 - FedEx, then known as Federal Express, began operations as 14 planes carrying 186 packages took off from Memphis International Airport bound for 25 U.S. cities.
1975 - Phnom Penh fell to the Khmer Rouge, ending the five-year Cambodian civil war.
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, up 17.58.
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.
1995 - A Los Angeles jury recommended that Lyle and Erik Menendez serve life in prison without parole for killing their wealthy parents.
2016 - Brazil’s lower house of Congress voted to impeach President Dilma Rousseff, who repeatedly argued that the push against her was a “coup.” (Rousseff was removed the following August.)
2016 - Pennsylvania became the 24th state to legalize a comprehensive medical marijuana program.
2020 - President Donald Trump urged supporters to “LIBERATE” three states led by Democratic governors, apparently encouraging protests against stay-at-home mandates aimed at stopping the coronavirus. Washington Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee accused Trump of “fomenting domestic rebellion and spreading lies.” Governors of both parties indicated that they would be cautious in returning to normal; some warned that they couldn’t do it without help from Washington to expand testing.
Birthdays
25 - Dee Dee Davis (actress)
26 - Paulie Litt (actor)
34 - Jacqueline MacInnes Wood (actress)
35 - Paula Lane (actress)
36 - Rooney Mara (actress)
40 - Charlie Hofheimer (actor)
41 - Nicholas D'Agosto (actor)
42 - Tate Ellington (actor)
43 - Lindsay Korman (actress/singer)
47 - Victoria Beckham (singer)
48 - Craig Anderson (country musician)
49 - Jennifer Garner (actress)
51 - Redman (rapper/actor)
54 - Liz Phair (singer)
54 - Kimberly Elise (actress)
54 - Henry Ian Cusick (actor)
54 - Leslie Bega (actress)
57 - Lela Rochon (actress)
59 - Joel Murray (actor)
60 - Boomer Esiason (football player/sportscaster)
62 - Sean Bean (actor)
69 - Clarke Peters (actor)
70 - Olivia Hussey (actress)
79 - David Bradley (actor)
=============================================
Today in Sports History - April 17
1860 - Tom Sayers, champion of England, and American John Heenan fight in a brutal 2 hour, 27 minute draw near Farnborough, England; police ultimately stop the fight, which is acknowledged as the first world title fight in boxing.
1869 - The Cincinnati Reds defeat the Cincinnati Amateurs 24-15 in what is considered the first professional baseball game.
1951 - Baseball Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle made his major league debut with the New York Yankees.
1967 - The U.S. Supreme Court barred Muhammad Ali's request to be blocked from induction into the U.S. Army.
1972 - Women were allowed to race in the Boston Marathon for the first time; Nina Kuscsik was the first officially recognized women's champion with a time of 3:10:26.
1983 - Nolan Ryan records his 3,500th career strikeout.
1987 - Julius Erving of the Philadelphia 76ers 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.
1999 - The following Huskers were selected in the 1999 NFL Draft: DE - Mike Rucker (2nd round, Carolina Panthers); FB - Joel Makovicka (4th round, Arizona Cardinals); OT - Jason Wiltz (4th round, New York Jets); LB - Jay Foreman (5th round, Buffalo Bills); LB - Chad Kelsay (7th round, Pittsburgh Steelers); K - Kris Brown (7th round, Pittsburgh Steelers); and TE - Sheldon Jackson (7th round, Buffalo Bills).
2001 - Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants hit his 500th career home run, becoming the 17th player in major league history to reach the milestone.
2010 - Ubaldo Jiminez threw the first no-hitter in franchise history for the Colorado Rockies in a 4-0 win over the Atlanta Braves.
1492 - A contract was signed by Christopher Columbus and a representative of Spain's King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, giving Columbus a commission to seek a westward ocean passage to Asia.
1521 - Martin Luther went before the Diet of Worms to face charges stemming from his religious writings.
1790 - Benjamin Franklin, U.S. diplomat, patriot and one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, died in Philadelphia at age 84.
1861 - Virginia seceded from the Union.
1895 - The Sino-Japanese War ended with the signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki.
1905 - The U.S. Supreme Court, in Lochner v. New York, struck down on a 5-4 vote, a New York state law limiting the number of hours that bakers could be made to work. (This ruling was effectively overturned in 1937 by the high court's West Coast Hotel Co. v. Parrish decision.)
1937 - Daffy Duck made his animated debut in Porky's Duck Hunt.
1961 - Supported by the U.S. government, 1,500 Cuban exiles attempted the unsuccessful Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba to topple the government of Fidel Castro.
1964 - Geraldine Mock became the first woman to fly solo around the world.
1964 - The Ford Motor Co. introduced the Mustang.
1969 - Sirhan Sirhan was convicted of the murder of Robert F. Kennedy.
1970 - The Apollo 13 astronauts safely returned to earth after their crippling accident in space en route to the moon.
1973 - FedEx, then known as Federal Express, began operations as 14 planes carrying 186 packages took off from Memphis International Airport bound for 25 U.S. cities.
1975 - Phnom Penh fell to the Khmer Rouge, ending the five-year Cambodian civil war.
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, up 17.58.
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.
1995 - A Los Angeles jury recommended that Lyle and Erik Menendez serve life in prison without parole for killing their wealthy parents.
2016 - Brazil’s lower house of Congress voted to impeach President Dilma Rousseff, who repeatedly argued that the push against her was a “coup.” (Rousseff was removed the following August.)
2016 - Pennsylvania became the 24th state to legalize a comprehensive medical marijuana program.
2020 - President Donald Trump urged supporters to “LIBERATE” three states led by Democratic governors, apparently encouraging protests against stay-at-home mandates aimed at stopping the coronavirus. Washington Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee accused Trump of “fomenting domestic rebellion and spreading lies.” Governors of both parties indicated that they would be cautious in returning to normal; some warned that they couldn’t do it without help from Washington to expand testing.
Birthdays
25 - Dee Dee Davis (actress)
26 - Paulie Litt (actor)
34 - Jacqueline MacInnes Wood (actress)
35 - Paula Lane (actress)
36 - Rooney Mara (actress)
40 - Charlie Hofheimer (actor)
41 - Nicholas D'Agosto (actor)
42 - Tate Ellington (actor)
43 - Lindsay Korman (actress/singer)
47 - Victoria Beckham (singer)
48 - Craig Anderson (country musician)
49 - Jennifer Garner (actress)
51 - Redman (rapper/actor)
54 - Liz Phair (singer)
54 - Kimberly Elise (actress)
54 - Henry Ian Cusick (actor)
54 - Leslie Bega (actress)
57 - Lela Rochon (actress)
59 - Joel Murray (actor)
60 - Boomer Esiason (football player/sportscaster)
62 - Sean Bean (actor)
69 - Clarke Peters (actor)
70 - Olivia Hussey (actress)
79 - David Bradley (actor)
=============================================
Today in Sports History - April 17
1860 - Tom Sayers, champion of England, and American John Heenan fight in a brutal 2 hour, 27 minute draw near Farnborough, England; police ultimately stop the fight, which is acknowledged as the first world title fight in boxing.
1869 - The Cincinnati Reds defeat the Cincinnati Amateurs 24-15 in what is considered the first professional baseball game.
1951 - Baseball Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle made his major league debut with the New York Yankees.
1967 - The U.S. Supreme Court barred Muhammad Ali's request to be blocked from induction into the U.S. Army.
1972 - Women were allowed to race in the Boston Marathon for the first time; Nina Kuscsik was the first officially recognized women's champion with a time of 3:10:26.
1983 - Nolan Ryan records his 3,500th career strikeout.
1987 - Julius Erving of the Philadelphia 76ers 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.
1999 - The following Huskers were selected in the 1999 NFL Draft: DE - Mike Rucker (2nd round, Carolina Panthers); FB - Joel Makovicka (4th round, Arizona Cardinals); OT - Jason Wiltz (4th round, New York Jets); LB - Jay Foreman (5th round, Buffalo Bills); LB - Chad Kelsay (7th round, Pittsburgh Steelers); K - Kris Brown (7th round, Pittsburgh Steelers); and TE - Sheldon Jackson (7th round, Buffalo Bills).
2001 - Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants hit his 500th career home run, becoming the 17th player in major league history to reach the milestone.
2010 - Ubaldo Jiminez threw the first no-hitter in franchise history for the Colorado Rockies in a 4-0 win over the Atlanta Braves.