October 17

Events

456 – Battle of Placentia: Ricimer, supported by Majorian (comes domesticorum), defeats the Roman usurper Avitus near Piacenza (Northern Italy) .

1091 – London tornado of 1091: A tornado thought to be of strength T8/F4 strikes the heart of London.

1346 – Battle of Neville's Cross: King David II of Scotland is captured by the English near Durham, and imprisoned in the Tower of London for eleven years.

1448 – Second Battle of Kosovo, where the mainly Hungarian army led by John Hunyadi is defeated by an Ottoman army led by Sultan Murad II.

1456 – The University of Greifswald is established, making it the second oldest university in northern Europe (also for a period the oldest in Sweden, and Prussia).

1558 – Poczta Polska, the Polish postal service, is founded.

1604 – Kepler's Supernova: German astronomer Johannes Kepler observes a supernova in the constellation Ophiuchus.

1610 – French king Louis XIII is crowned in Reims Cathedral.

1660 – Nine regicides, the men who signed the death warrant of Charles I, are hanged, drawn and quartered.

1662 – Charles II of England sells Dunkirk to France for 40,000 pounds.

1771 – Premiere in Milan of the opera Ascanio in Alba, composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, age 15.

1777 – American Revolutionary War: British General John Burgoyne surrenders his army at Saratoga, New York.

1781 – American Revolutionary War: British General Charles, Earl Cornwallis surrenders at the Siege of Yorktown.

1800 – Britain takes control of the Dutch colony of Curaçao.

1806 – Former leader of the Haitian Revolution, Emperor Jacques I of Haiti is assassinated after an oppressive rule.

1814 – Eight people die in the London Beer Flood.

1827 – Bellini's third opera, Il pirata, is premiered at Teatro alla Scala di Milano

1860 – First The Open Championship (referred to in North America as the British Open).

1861 – Nineteen people are killed in the Cullin-la-ringo massacre, the deadliest massacre of Europeans by aborigines in Australian history.

1888 – Thomas Edison files a patent for the Optical Phonograph (the first movie).

1905 – The October Manifesto issued by Tsar Nicholas II of Russia (October 30th in the Gregorian calendar).

1907 – Guglielmo Marconi's company begins the first commercial transatlantic wireless service between Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada and Clifden, Ireland.

1912 – Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia declare war on the Ottoman Empire, joining Montenegro in the First Balkan War.

1917 – First British bombing of Germany in World War I.

1918 – Haitian rebels attack the barracks of the Gendarmerie of Haiti, igniting the Second Caco War

1919 – RCA is incorporated as the Radio Corporation of America.

1931 – Al Capone is convicted of income tax evasion.

1933 – Albert Einstein flees Nazi Germany and moves to the United States.

1940 – The body of Communist propagandist Willi Münzenberg found in South France, starting a never-resolved mystery.

1941 – World War II: a German submarine attacks an American ship for the first time in the war.

1941 – German troops execute the male population of the villages Kerdyllia in Serres, Greece.

1943 – The Burma Railway (Burma–Thailand Railway) is completed.

1943 – The Holocaust: Sobibór extermination camp is closed.

1945 – A massive number of people, headed by CGT, gather in the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires, Argentina to demand Juan Perón's release. It calls "el día de la lealtad peronista" (peronista loyalty day)

1945 – Archbishop Damaskinos of Athens becomes Prime Minister of Greece between the pull-out of the German occupation force in 1944 and the return of King Georgios II to Greece.

1956 – The first commercial nuclear power station is officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in Sellafield,in Cumbria, England.

1956 – Donald Byrne and Bobby Fischer play a famous chess game called The Game of the Century. Fischer beat Byrne and wins a Brilliancy prize.

1961 – Scores of Algerian protesters (some claim up to 400) are massacred by the Paris police at the instigation of former Nazi collaborator Maurice Papon, then chief of the Prefecture of Police.

1965 – The 1964–65 New York World's Fair closes after a two-year run. More than 51 million people had attended the event.

1966 – A fire at a building in New York City kills 12 firefighters, the fire department's deadliest day until the September 11, 2001 attacks.

1970 – Montreal: Quebec Vice-Premier and Minister of Labour Pierre Laporte was murdered by members of the FLQ terrorist group.

1973 – OPEC imposes an oil embargo against a number of Western countries, considered to have helped Israel in its war against Egypt and Syria.

1977 – German Autumn: Four days after it is hijacked, Lufthansa Flight 181 lands in Mogadishu, Somalia, where a team of German GSG 9 commandos later rescues all remaining hostages on board.

1979 – Mother Teresa is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

1979 – The Department of Education Organization Act is signed into law creating the US Department of Education and US Department of Health and Human Services.

1980 – As part of the Holy See–United Kingdom relations a British monarch makes the first state visit to the Vatican

1989 – The 6.9 Mw Loma Prieta earthquake shakes the San Francisco Bay Area and the Central Coast with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent). Sixty-three people were killed.

1989 – Peaceful Revolution: The East German Politburo votes to remove Erich Honecker from his role as General Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany.

1992 – Having gone to the wrong house for a Halloween party, Japanese exchange student Yoshihiro Hattori is shot and killed by the homeowner in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

1994 – Russian journalist Dmitry Kholodov is assassinated while investigating corruption in the armed forces.

2000 – Train crash at Hatfield, north of London, leading to collapse of Railtrack.

2001 – Israeli tourism minister Rehavam Ze'evi becomes the first Israeli minister to be assassinated in a terrorist attack.

2003 – The pinnacle is fitted on the roof of Taipei 101, a 101-floor skyscraper in Taipei, allowing it to surpass the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur by 56 metres (184 ft) and become the world's tallest highrise.

Births

503 – Lý Nam Đế, first emperor of Vietnam (d. 548)

1253 – Ivo of Kermartin, French priest and saint (d. 1303)

1493 – Bartolommeo Bandinelli, Italian sculptor (d. 1560)

1500 – Alonso de Orozco Mena, Spanish Roman Catholic priest (d. 1591)

1577 – Cristofano Allori, Italian painter (d. 1621)

1577 – Dmitry Pozharsky, Russian prince (d. 1642)

1582 – Johann Gerhard, German theologian and academic (d. 1637)

1587 – Nathan Field, English dramatist and actor (d. 1620)

1623 – Francis Turretin, Swiss-Italian minister, theologian, and academic (d. 1687)

1688 – Domenico Zipoli, Italian missionary and composer (d. 1726)

1711 – Jupiter Hammon, American poet (d. 1806)

1719 – Jacques Cazotte, French author and academic (d. 1792)

1720 – Maria Teresa Agnesi Pinottini, Italian harpsichord player and composer (d. 1795)

1725 – John Wilkes, English journalist and politician (d. 1797)

1729 – Pierre-Alexandre Monsigny, French composer and academic (d. 1817)

1760 – Claude Henri de Rouvroy, comte de Saint-Simon, French economist and philosopher (d. 1825)

1810 – Adolphe-Félix Cals, French painter (d. 1880)

1811 – Albertus van Raalte, Dutch-American pastor and educator (d. 1876)

1813 – Georg Büchner, German-Swiss poet and playwright (d. 1837)

1814 – Yakiv Holovatsky, Ukrainian historian, scholar, and poet (d. 1888)

1817 – Syed Ahmad Khan, Indian philosopher and scholar (d. 1898)

1845 – John J. Gardner, American politician (d. 1921)

1853 – Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia (d. 1920)

1859 – Childe Hassam, American painter and illustrator (d. 1935)

1864 – Elinor Glyn, English author, screenwriter, and producer (d. 1943)

1865 – James Rudolph Garfield, American lawyer and politician, 23rd United States Secretary of the Interior (d. 1950)

1881 – Maria Dulęba, Polish actress (d. 1959)

1886 – Spring Byington, American actress (d. 1971)

1890 – Roy Kilner, English cricketer (d. 1928)

1892 – Theodor Eicke, German SS general (d. 1943)

1892 – Herbert Howells, English organist, composer, and educator (d. 1983)

1898 – Shinichi Suzuki, Japanese violinist and educator (d. 1998)

1898 – Simon Vestdijk, Dutch author and poet (d. 1971)

1900 – Jean Arthur, American actress (d. 1991)

1902 – Irene Ryan, American actress (d. 1973)

1903 – Nathanael West, American author and screenwriter (d. 1940)

1906 – Paul Derringer, American baseball player (d. 1987)

1908 – Hjördis Petterson, Swedish actress (d. 1988)

1908 – Wally Prigg, Australian rugby league player (d. 1980)

1908 – Red Rolfe, American baseball player, coach, and manager (d. 1969)

1909 – Cozy Cole, American drummer (d. 1981)

1910 – Ester Wier, American author (d. 2000)

1912 – Pope John Paul I (d. 1978)

1912 – Theodore Marier, American composer and educator, founded the Boston Archdiocesan Choir School (d. 2001)

1912 – Jack Owens, American singer-songwriter and pianist (d. 1982)

1913 – Faik Türün, Turkish general (d. 2003)

1914 – Jerry Siegel, American author and illustrator (d. 1996)

1915 – Arthur Miller, American playwright and screenwriter (d. 2005)

1917 – Adele Stimmel Chase, American painter and sculptor (d. 2000)

1917 – Martin Donnelly, New Zealand cricketer (d. 1999)

1917 – Sumner Locke Elliott, Australian-American author and playwright (d. 1991)

1917 – Marsha Hunt, American actress and singer

1917 – Norman Leyden, American composer and conductor (d. 2014)

1918 – Rita Hayworth, American actress, singer and dancer (d. 1987)

1918 – Ralph Wilson, American businessman, founded the Buffalo Bills (d. 2014)

1919 – Isaak Markovich Khalatnikov, Ukrainian-Russian physicist and academic

1920 – Montgomery Clift, American actor (d. 1966)

1920 – Miguel Delibes, Spanish journalist and author (d. 2010)

1921 – George Mackay Brown, Scottish author, poet, and playwright (d. 1996)

1921 – Priscilla Buckley, American journalist and author (d. 2012)

1921 – Maria Gorokhovskaya, Russian-Israeli gymnast (d. 2001)

1921 – Tom Poston, American actor and comedian (d. 2007)

1922 – Luiz Bonfá, Brazilian guitarist and composer (d. 2001)

1922 – Pierre Juneau, Canadian broadcaster and politician, co-founded the Montreal World Film Festival (d. 2012)

1923 – Barney Kessel, American guitarist and composer (d. 2004)

1923 – Charles McClendon, American football player and coach (d. 2001)

1924 – Don Coryell, American football player and coach (d. 2010)

1924 – Anton Geiser, Croatian SS officer (d. 2012)

1925 – Harry Carpenter, English sportscaster (d. 2010)

1926 – Julie Adams, American actress

1926 – Beverly Garland, American actress (d. 2008)

1926 – Roberto Lippi, Italian race car driver (d. 2011)

1929 – Mário Wilson, Mozambican footballer and manager

1930 – Ismail Akbay, Turkish physicist and engineer (d. 2003)

1930 – Robert Atkins, American physician and cardiologist, created the Atkins diet (d. 2003)

1930 – Jimmy Breslin, American journalist and author

1931 – Ernst Hinterberger, Austrian author and playwright (d. 2012)

1933 – William Anders, Hong Kong-American general and astronaut

1933 – The Singing Nun, Belgian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and nun (d. 1985)

1934 – Alan Garner, English author and playwright

1934 – Johnny Haynes, English-Scottish footballer (d. 2005)

1934 – Rico Rodriguez, American trombonist (d. 2015)

1935 – Sydney Chapman, English architect and politician, Vice-Chamberlain of the Household (d. 2014)

1935 – Michael Eavis, English farmer, founded the Glastonbury Festival

1936 – Sathima Bea Benjamin, South African singer-songwriter (d. 2013)

1936 – Hiroo Kanamori, Japanese-American seismologist and academic

1937 – Paxton Whitehead, English actor

1938 – Evel Knievel, American motorcycle rider and stuntman (d. 2007)

1938 – Les Murray, Australian anthologist, poet, and critic

1939 – Oliver Rackham, English botanist and academic

1940 – Stephen Kovacevich, American pianist and conductor

1940 – Jim Smith, English footballer and manager

1940 – Peter Stringfellow, English businessman

1941 – Earl Thomas Conley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

1941 – Jim Seals, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and violinist

1942 – Steve Jones, American basketball player and sportscaster

1946 – Ronni Chasen, American publicist (d. 2010)

1946 – Michael Hossack, American drummer (d. 2012)

1946 – Cameron Mackintosh, English producer and manager

1946 – Adam Michnik, Polish journalist and historian

1946 – Drusilla Modjeska, English-Australian author and critic

1946 – Bob Seagren, American pole vaulter

1947 – Gene Green, American lawyer and politician

1947 – Michael McKean, American singer-songwriter, actor, and director

1947 – Robert Post, American educator and academic

1948 – Robert Jordan, American soldier and author (d. 2007)

1948 – Margot Kidder, Canadian-American actress

1948 – Michael Lynch, American sociologist and academic

1948 – George Wendt, American actor

1948 – Akira Kushida, Japanese singer

1949 – Owen Arthur, Barbadian economist and politician, 5th Prime Minister of Barbados

1950 – Philippe Barbarin, French cardinal

1950 – Howard Rollins, American actor (d. 1996)

1951 – Annie Borckink, Dutch speed skater

1951 – Roger Pontare, Swedish singer

1951 – Shari Ulrich, American-Canadian singer-songwriter and violinist

1953 – Joseph Bowie, American trombonist and bandleader

1954 – Carlos Buhler, American mountaineer

1955 – Georgios Alogoskoufis, Greek economist, academic, and politician, Greek Minister of Finance

1956 – Fran Cosmo, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

1956 – Mae Jemison, American physician, academic, and astronaut

1956 – Pat McCrory, American businessman and politician, 74th Governor of North Carolina

1957 – Lawrence Bender, American actor and producer

1957 – Steve McMichael, American football player, wrestler, and sportscaster

1957 – Vincent Van Patten, American tennis player and actor

1958 – Howard Alden, American guitarist

1958 – Alan Jackson, American singer-songwriter

1958 – Craig Murray, British diplomat

1959 – Ron Drummond, American author and scholar

1959 – Francisco Flores Pérez, Salvadorian politician, President of El Salvador (d. 2016)

1959 – Russell Gilbert, Australian comedian, actor, and screenwriter

1959 – Mark Peel, Australian historian and academic

1959 – Richard Roeper, American journalist and critic

1960 – Guy Henry, English actor

1960 – Rob Marshall, American director, producer, and choreographer

1960 – Bernie Nolan, Irish singer (d. 2013)

1960 – Philippe Sands, American lawyer and academic

1961 – David Means, American short story writer

1962 – Mike Judge, American animator, director, screenwriter, producer and actor

1963 – Sergio Goycochea, Argentinian footballer and journalist

1963 – Norm Macdonald, Canadian actor, comedian, producer, and screenwriter

1963 – Toby Young, English journalist and academic

1964 – Gregg Wallace, English television presenter

1965 – Aravinda de Silva, Sri Lankan cricketer

1966 – Shaun Edwards, English rugby player and coach

1966 – Danny Ferry, American basketball player and manager

1966 – Mark Gatiss, English actor, screenwriter, and author

1966 – Tommy Kendall, American race car driver and sportscaster

1967 – Simon Segars, English businessman

1967 – Nathalie Tauziat, French tennis player

1968 – Graeme Le Saux, English footballer and sportscaster

1968 – Ziggy Marley, Jamaican singer-songwriter, guitarist, and voice actor

1968 – David Robertson, Scottish footballer and manager

1969 – Ernie Els, South African golfer and sportscaster

1969 – Wyclef Jean, Haitian-American rapper, producer, and actor

1969 – Rick Mercer, Canadian comedian, actor, producer, and screenwriter

1970 – Anil Kumble, Indian cricketer

1970 – John Mabry, American baseball player, coach, and sportscaster

1970 – Blues Saraceno, American guitarist, songwriter, and producer

1971 – Chris Kirkpatrick, American singer-songwriter and dancer

1971 – Kim Ljung, Norwegian singer-songwriter and bass player

1972 – Eminem, American rapper, producer, and actor

1972 – Tarkan, German-Turkish singer

1972 – Joe McEwing, American baseball player, coach, and manager

1973 – Andrea Tarozzi, Italian footballer and coach

1974 – Ariel Levy, American journalist and author

1974 – Matthew Macfadyen, English actor

1974 – Janne Puurtinen, Finnish keyboard player

1974 – John Rocker, American baseball player

1974 – Dhondup Wangchen, Chinese director and producer

1975 – Francis Bouillon, American-Canadian ice hockey player

1975 – Vina Morales, Filipino actress and singer

1976 – Sebastián Abreu, Uruguayan footballer

1976 – Rena Inoue, Japanese-American figure skater

1976 – Nil Karaibrahimgil, Turkish singer-songwriter

1976 – Kevin Maher, English-Irish footballer and coach

1977 – Dudu Aouate, Israeli footballer

1977 – Alimi Ballard, American actor and producer

1977 – Bryan Bertino, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter

1977 – Ryan McGinley, American photographer

1977 – André Villas-Boas, Portuguese footballer and manager

1978 – Jerry Flannery, Irish rugby player and coach

1978 – Chuka Umunna, English lawyer and politician

1979 – Marcela Bovio, Mexican singer-songwriter and violinist

1979 – Alexandros Nikolaidis, Greek martial artist

1979 – Kimi Räikkönen, Finnish race car driver

1979 – Kostas Tsartsaris, Greek basketball player

1980 – Alessandro Piccolo, Italian race car driver

1980 – Mohammad Hafeez, Pakistani cricketer

1980 – Yekaterina Gamova, Russian volleyball player

1981 – Tsubasa Imai, Japanese singer, actor, and dancer

1982 – Nick Riewoldt, Australian footballer

1983 – Milica Brozovic, Serbian-Russian figure skater

1983 – Felicity Jones, English actress

1983 – Toshihiro Matsushita, Japanese footballer

1983 – Riki Miura, Japanese actor

1983 – Junichi Miyashita, Japanese swimmer

1983 – Ivan Saenko, Russian footballer

1983 – Mitch Talbot, American baseball player

1983 – Vitali Teleš, Estonian footballer

1984 – Jared Tallent, Australian race walker

1984 – Randall Munroe, American author and illustrator

1984 – Luke Rockhold, American mixed martial artist

1984 – Anja Eline Skybakmoen, Norwegian singer-songwriter and bandleader

1985 – Carlos González, Venezuelan baseball player

1985 – Max Irons, English actor

1985 – Collins John, Dutch footballer

1985 – Baran Kosari, Iranian actress

1985 – Tomokazu Nagira, Japanese footballer

1986 – Aija Brumermane, Latvian basketball player

1986 – Yannick Ponsero, French figure skater

1987 – Bea Alonzo, Filipino actress and singer

1987 – Jarosław Fojut, Polish footballer

1987 – Hideto Takahashi, Japanese footballer

1988 – Dami Im, Korean-Austalian singer-songwriter

1988 – Yuko Oshima, Japanese singer and actress

1989 – Oleksandr Isakov, Ukrainian swimmer

1990 – Paolo Campinoti, Italian footballer

1990 – Saki Kumagai, Japanese footballer

1990 – Patrick Lambie, South African rugby player

1990 – Arisa Murata, Japanese skier

1991 – Brenda Asnicar, Argentinian actress, singer, and dancer

2001 – Thomas Strudwick, British motorcycle road racer

Deaths

AD 33 – Agrippina the Elder, Roman wife of Germanicus (b. 14 BC)

532 – Pope Boniface II

866 – Al-Musta'in, Abbasid caliph (b. 836)

1271 – Steinvör Sighvatsdóttir, Icelandic aristocrat and poet

1346 – John Randolph, 3rd Earl of Moray

1346 – Maurice de Moravia, Earl of Strathearn

1456 – Nicolas Grenon, French composer (b. 1375)

1485 – John Scott of Scott's Hall, Warden of the Cinque Ports

1575 – Gaspar Cervantes de Gaeta, Spanish cardinal (b. 1511)

1586 – Philip Sidney, English courtier, poet, and general (b. 1554)

1587 – Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1541)

1616 – John Pitts, English priest and scholar (b. 1560)

1660 – Adrian Scrope, English colonel and politician (b. 1601)

1673 – Thomas Clifford, 1st Baron Clifford of Chudleigh, English politician, Lord High Treasurer of England (b. 1630)

1757 – René Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur, French entomologist and academic (b. 1683)

1776 – Pierre François le Courayer, French-English theologian and author (b. 1681)

1780 – William Cookworthy, English pharmacist and minister (b. 1705)

1786 – Johann Ludwig Aberli, Swiss painter and illustrator (b. 1723)

1806 – Jean-Jacques Dessalines, Haitian commander and politician, Governor-General of Haiti (b. 1758)

1836 – Orest Kiprensky, Russian painter (b. 1782)

1837 – Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Austrian pianist and composer (b. 1778)

1849 – Frédéric Chopin, Polish pianist and composer (b. 1810)

1868 – Laura Secord, Canadian war heroine (b. 1775)

1887 – Gustav Kirchhoff, German physicist and chemist (b. 1824)

1889 – Nikolay Chernyshevsky, Russian philosopher and critic (b. 1828)

1893 – Patrice de MacMahon, Duke of Magenta, French general and politician, 3rd President of France (b. 1808)

1910 – Julia Ward Howe, American poet and songwriter (b. 1819)

1918 – Malak Hifni Nasif, Egyptian poet and author (b. 1886)

1928 – Frank Dicksee, English painter and illustrator (b. 1853)

1931 – Alfons Maria Jakob, German neurologist and academic (b. 1884)

1937 – J. Bruce Ismay, English businessman (b. 1862)

1938 – Karl Kautsky, Czech-German journalist, philosopher, and theoretician (b. 1854)

1948 – Royal Cortissoz, American art critic (b. 1869)

1955 – Dimitrios Maximos, Greek banker and politician (b. 1873)

1956 – Anne Crawford, Israeli-English actress (b. 1920)

1958 – Paul Outerbridge, American photographer (b. 1896)

1958 – Charlie Townsend, English cricketer and lawyer (b. 1876)

1962 – Natalia Goncharova, Russian painter, costume designer, and set designer (b. 1882)

1963 – Jacques Hadamard, French mathematician and academic (b. 1865)

1965 – Bart King, American cricketer (b. 1873)

1966 – Sidney Hatch, American runner and soldier (b. 1883)

1966 – Wieland Wagner, German director and manager (b. 1917)

1967 – Puyi, Chinese emperor (b. 1906)

1970 – Pierre Laporte, Canadian journalist, lawyer, and politician (b. 1921)

1970 – Vola Vale, American actress (b. 1897)

1970 – Quincy Wright, American political scientist and academic (b. 1890)

1972 – Turk Broda, Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1914)

1972 – George, Crown Prince of Serbia (b. 1887)

1972 – Billy Williams, American singer (b. 1910)

1973 – Ingeborg Bachmann, Austrian author and poet (b. 1926)

1978 – George Clark, American racing driver (b. 1890)

1978 – Giovanni Gronchi, Italian educator, soldier, and politician, 3rd President of the Italian Republic (b. 1887)

1979 – S. J. Perelman, American humorist and screenwriter (b. 1904)

1979 – John Stuart, Scottish-English actor (b. 1898)

1981 – Kannadasan Indian author, poet, and songwriter (b. 1927)

1981 – Albert Cohen, Greek-Swiss civil servant and author (b. 1895)

1981 – Lina Tsaldari, Greek politician (b. 1887)

1983 – Raymond Aron, French sociologist, political scientist, and philosopher (b. 1905)

1987 – Abdul Malek Ukil, Bangladeshi lawyer and politician (b. 1925)

1991 – Tennessee Ernie Ford, American singer and actor (b. 1919)

1992 – Herman Johannes, Indonesian scientist, academic, and politician (b. 1912)

1992 – Orestis Laskos, Greek actor, director, and screenwriter (b. 1908)

1993 – Criss Oliva, American guitarist and songwriter (b. 1963)

1996 – Chris Acland, English musician & drummer of Lush (b. 1966)

1997 – Larry Jennings, American magician and author (b. 1933)

1998 – Joan Hickson, English actress (b. 1906)

1998 – Hakim Said, Pakistani scholar and politician, 20th Governor of Sindh (b. 1920)

1999 – Nicholas Metropolis, Greek-American mathematician and physicist (b. 1915)

2000 – Leo Nomellini, Italian-American football player and wrestler (b. 1924)

2000 – Joachim Nielsen, Norwegian singer-songwriter and poet (b. 1964)

2001 – Jay Livingston, American singer-songwriter (b. 1915)

2001 – Micheline Ostermeyer, French shot putter, discus thrower, and pianist (b. 1922)

2001 – Rehavam Ze'evi, Israeli historian, general, and politician, Tourism Minister of Israel (b. 1926)

2002 – Derek Bell, Irish harpist and composer (b. 1935)

2002 – Aileen Riggin, American swimmer and diver (b. 1906)

2004 – Uzi Hitman, Israeli singer-songwriter (b. 1952)

2005 – Ba Jin, Chinese author (b. 1904)

2006 – Daniel Emilfork, Chilean-French actor (b. 1924)

2006 – Christopher Glenn, American journalist (b. 1938)

2007 – Joey Bishop, American actor and talk show host (b. 1918)

2007 – Teresa Brewer, American singer (b. 1931)

2007 – Suzy Covey, American scholar and academic (b. 1939)

2008 – Urmas Ott, Estonian journalist and author (b. 1955)

2008 – Levi Stubbs, American singer (b. 1936)

2008 – Ben Weider, Canadian businessman, co-founded the International Federation of BodyBuilding & Fitness (b. 1923)

2009 – Norma Fox Mazer, American author and educator (b. 1931)

2009 – Vic Mizzy, American composer (b. 1916)

2011 – Carl Lindner, Jr., American businessman (b. 1919)

2012 – Milija Aleksic, English-South African footballer (b. 1951)

2012 – Émile Allais, French skier (b. 1912)

2012 – Henry Friedlander, German-American historian and author (b. 1930)

2012 – Stanford R. Ovshinsky, American scientist and businessman, co-founded Energy Conversion Devices (b. 1922)

2012 – Kōji Wakamatsu, Japanese director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1936)

2013 – Mother Antonia, American-Mexican nun and activist (b. 1926)

2013 – Terry Fogerty, English rugby player and coach (b. 1944)

2013 – Arthur Maxwell House, Canadian neurologist and politician, 10th Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland and Labrador (b. 1926)

2013 – Lou Scheimer, American animator, producer, and voice actor, co-founded the Filmation Company (b. 1928)

2013 – Rene Simpson, Canadian-American tennis player (b. 1966)

2014 – Edwards Barham, American farmer and politician (b. 1937)

2014 – Masaru Emoto, Japanese author and activist (b. 1943)

2014 – Tom Shaw, American bishop (b. 1945)

2014 – Berndt von Staden, German diplomat, German Ambassador to the United States (b. 1919)

2015 – Danièle Delorme, French actress and producer (b. 1926)

2015 – Howard Kendall, English footballer and manager (b. 1946)

2015 – Anne-Marie Lizin, Belgian lawyer and politician (b. 1949)

2015 – Tom Smith, American businessman and politician (b. 1947)

Holidays and observances

Christian feast day:

Andrew of Crete

Catervus

François-Isidore Gagelin (one of Vietnamese Martyrs)

Ignatius of Antioch

Marguerite Marie Alacoque (formerly)

Rule of Andrew

Richard Gwyn

October 17 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Dessalines Day (Haiti)

Digital Society Day (India)

Edge Day (International observance, Straight Edge Movement)

International Day for the Eradication of Poverty

Loyalty Day (Argentina)