May 17 birthdays, facts & history
Everything about being born on May 17, from your sign and birth stone to who shares your birthday.
Zodiac sign
♉︎ Taurus
Apr 20 – May 20
Birth stone
Emerald
Birth flower
Lily of the valley
How common
#163 of 366
by US birth counts
Famous May 17 birthdays
Erik Satie · French composer and pianist1866
Henri Barbusse · French author1873
Alfonso XIII · King of Spain from 1886 to 19311886
Odd Hassel · Norwegian physical chemist and Nobel Laureate1897
Jean Gabin · French actor and singer1904
Maureen O'Sullivan · Irish-American actress1911
Ronald Wayne · American engineer and co-founder of Apple Inc.1934
Dennis Hopper · American actor and film director1936
Alan Kay · American computer scientist1940
Janez Drnovšek · Slovenian politician1950
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev · President of Kazakhstan since 20191953
Bill Paxton · American actor and filmmaker1955
Bob Saget · American stand-up comedian1956
Sugar Ray Leonard · American boxer1956
Enya · Irish singer1961
Trent Reznor · American musician1965
Queen Máxima of the Netherlands · queen consort of the Netherlands1971
Sasha Alexander · American actress1973
Vjosa Osmani · President of Kosovo1982
Nikki Reed · American actress1988
On this day in history
1863American Civil War: At the Battle of Big Black River Bridge in Mississippi, Union forces under John A. McClernand defeated a Confederate rearguard and captured around 1,700 men.
1995Six-year-old Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, the 11th Panchen Lama selected by the 14th Dalai Lama, was kidnapped by the Chinese government, who advocated a proxy.
1997The First Congo War came to an end when Laurent-Désiré Kabila proclaimed himself president of Zaire, which was also renamed the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
2004Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage.
1967Six-Day War: President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt demands dismantling of the peace-keeping UN Emergency Force in Egypt.
1973Watergate scandal: Televised hearings begin in the United States Senate.
1977Nolan Bushnell opens the first Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre (later renamed Chuck E. Cheese) in San Jose, California.
1983Lebanon, Israel, and the United States sign an agreement on Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.
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