On This Day
Friday · events, births, deaths, and who was alive.
May 17 1968
Born on This Day
Ace Parker🇺🇸
deceasedfilm director · 1912–2013
Days lived
37,063
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Alan Kay🇺🇸
American computer scientist (born 1940) · b. 1940
Days alive
10,227
Anagarika Govinda🇸🇪
deceasedfounder of a Buddhist order (1898–1985) · 1898–1985
Days lived
31,653
Bernhard Brink🇩🇪
German schlager singer · b. 1952
Days alive
5,844
Bob Saget🇺🇸
deceasedStand-up comedian · 1956–2022
Days lived
23,978
Cool Papa Bell🇺🇸
deceasedfilm director · 1903–1991
Days lived
32,071
Cosma Shiva Hagen🇺🇸
German actress · b. 1981
Craig Ferguson🇺🇸
British actor · b. 1962
Days alive
2,192
Czesław Lang🇵🇱
athlete · b. 1955
Days alive
4,749
Daiki Hashioka
association football player · b. 1999
Daniel Odier🇨🇭
Swiss writer · b. 1945
Days alive
8,401
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Dennis Hopper🇺🇸
deceasedartist · 1936–2010
Days lived
27,040
Dietmar Schönherr🇦🇹
deceasedAustrian actor (1926-2014) · 1926–2014
Days lived
32,204
Eckart Muthesius🇩🇪
deceasedGerman architect (1904–1989) · 1904–1989
Days lived
31,148
Edwin Mills🇬🇧
deceasedathlete · 1878–1946
Days lived
25,015
Enya🇮🇪
singer · b. 1961
Days alive
2,557
Eugenia Maniokova🇷🇺
Russian female tennis player, winner of 1993 French Open (mixed doubles) · b. 1968
Days alive
0
Georg Zundel🇩🇪
deceasedchemist · 1931–2007
Days lived
27,692
Gertrude W. Hoffmann🇩🇪
deceasedcharacter actress (1871-1968) · 1871–1968
Days lived
35,335
Gilles Quénéhervé🇫🇷
athlete · b. 1966
Days alive
731
Giuseppe de Martino🇮🇹
Italian-French entrepreneur · b. 1967
Days alive
366
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Hannes Messemer🇩🇪
deceasedactor (1924-1991) · 1924–1991
Days lived
24,640
Hans Grade🇩🇪
deceasedentrepreneur · 1879–1946
Days lived
24,629
Hans-Georg von Friedeburg🇫🇷
deceasedmilitary person · 1895–1945
Days lived
18,268
Harry Ellis🇬🇧
English rugby union footballer · b. 1982
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Henri Barbusse🇫🇷
deceasedwriter · 1873–1935
Days lived
22,749
James Talarico🇺🇸
Politician · b. 1989
Jean Gabin🇫🇷
deceasedsinger · 1904–1976
Days lived
26,480
Josef Witt🇦🇹
deceasedmusician · 1901–1994
Days lived
33,832
Karl Mauss🇩🇪
deceasedmilitary person · 1898–1959
Days lived
22,182
Léon Marchand
swimmer · b. 2002
Lisa Fonssagrives🇸🇪
deceasedartist · 1911–1992
Days lived
29,483
Magda Schneider🇩🇪
deceasedGerman actress (1909–1996) · 1909–1996
Days lived
31,851
Matt Cassel🇺🇸
American football player, quarterback · b. 1982
Michel de Certeau🇫🇷
deceasedFrench Jesuit and scholar (1925–1986) · 1925–1986
Days lived
22,152
Ömer Özsoy
Turkish theologian (born 1963) · b. 1963
Days alive
1,827
Renate Krößner🇩🇪
deceasedGerman actress (1945-2020) · 1945–2020
Days lived
27,402
Ronald Wayne
Actor · b. 1934
Days alive
12,419
Rosalind Picard🇺🇸
American computer scientist · b. 1962
Days alive
2,192
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Sendhil Ramamurthy🇺🇸
actor · b. 1974
Toru Yoshida🇯🇵
Japanese association football player · b. 1965
Days alive
1,096
Wang Leehom🇺🇸
Taiwanese singer, songwriter, actor · b. 1976
William Mang🇦🇹
actor · b. 1954
Days alive
5,114
Wolfgang Müller-Wiener🇩🇪
deceasedarchitectural historian (1923–1991) · 1923–1991
Days lived
24,784
Died on This Day
Armin T. Wegner🇩🇪
deceasedGerman pacifist, writer and poet (1886–1978) · 1886–1978
Days lived
33,450
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Donna Summer🇺🇸
deceasedSinger · 1948–2012
Days lived
23,148
Earl M. Monson
deceasedMormon leader · 1932–2017
Days lived
30,976
Fritz Sennheiser🇩🇪
deceasedentrepreneur · 1912–2010
Days lived
35,802
Harmon Killebrew🇺🇸
deceasedProfessional baseball player (1936-2011) · 1936–2011
Days lived
27,350
Heinz Hartmann🇺🇸
deceasedAmerican Austrian-born psychiatrist and psychoanalyst (1894-1970) · 1894–1970
Days lived
27,587
Jorge Rafael Videla
deceasedNotable Trials · 1925–2013
Days lived
32,065
Josef Beran🇨🇿
deceasedCzech cardinal, professor and theologist (1888–1969) · 1888–1969
Days lived
29,358
Jürgen Marcus🇩🇪
deceasedGerman singer · 1948–2018
Days lived
25,547
Mario Benedetti
deceasedwriter · 1920–2009
Days lived
32,387
Mieczysław Nowak🇵🇱
deceasedPolish weightlifter (1936–2006) · 1936–2006
Days lived
25,348
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Raffaello Matarazzo🇮🇹
deceasedItalian filmmaker (1909–1966) · 1909–1966
Days lived
20,727
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Sid Going🇳🇿
deceasedNew Zealand rugby union footballer (1943-2024) · 1943–2024
Days lived
29,492
Steve Owen🇺🇸
deceasedAmerican football player and coach (1898-1964) · 1898–1964
Days lived
24,132
Tony Randall🇺🇸
deceasedAmerican actor (1920-2004) · 1920–2004
Days lived
30,762
Vangelis🇬🇷
deceasedGreek composer (1943–2022) · 1943–2022
Days lived
28,904
Werner Sellhorn🇩🇪
deceasedGerman journalist, literary editor and musicologist (1930–2009) · 1930–2009
Days lived
28,672
Who Was Alive
Notable people alive on this date, sorted by most days lived (top 20).
Sándor Farkas
Catholic priest, born 1853 · b. 1853
Days alive
42,139
Bertrand Russell🇬🇧
deceasedYouTube personality · 1872–1970
Days lived
35,688
Duke Adolf Friedrich of Mecklenburg-Schwerin🇩🇪
deceasedpolitician · 1873–1969
Days lived
34,997
Charles Foulkes🇬🇧
deceasedBritish general and field hockey player (1875–1969) · 1875–1969
Days lived
34,427
Henry Hallett Dale🇬🇧
deceasedEnglish pharmacologist, Nobel laureate · 1875–1968
Days lived
34,012
Gertrud von Le Fort🇩🇪
deceasedwriter · 1876–1971
Days lived
34,718
Natalie Clifford Barney🇺🇸
deceasedAmerican writer who hosted a literary salon at her home in Paris (1876-1972) · 1876–1972
Days lived
34,791
Lillian Moller Gilbreth🇺🇸
deceasedAmerican psychologist and industrial engineer (1878–1972) · 1878–1972
Days lived
34,190
E. M. Forster🇬🇧
deceasedEnglish novelist (1879-1970) · 1879–1970
Days lived
33,394
Margarete Bieber🇺🇸
deceasedGerman-American art historian (1879–1978) · 1879–1978
Days lived
36,003
Adolf Strauss🇩🇪
deceasedGerman Wehrmacht general (1879–1973) · 1879–1973
Days lived
34,163
Kenneth Edgeworth🇮🇪
deceasedIrish astronomer, economist and engineer (1880-1972) · 1880–1972
Days lived
33,829
Arthur Mallwitz🇩🇪
deceasedathlete · 1880–1968
Days lived
32,115
Helen Keller🇺🇸
deceasedYouTube personality · 1880–1968
Days lived
32,115
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Emma P. Carr🇺🇸
deceasedscientist · 1880–1972
Days lived
33,404
Paul Hausser🇩🇪
deceasedmilitary person · 1880–1972
Days lived
33,677
Fritz Achterberg🇩🇪
deceasedGerman actor (1880-1971) · 1880–1971
Days lived
33,215
Luis Miró Quesada de la Guerra🇵🇪
deceasedpolitician · 1880–1976
Days lived
34,807
Wang Zi-Ping🇨🇳
deceasedathlete · 1881–1973
Days lived
33,602
Vladimir Zelenin
deceasedscientist · 1881–1968
Days lived
32,067
Animals Alive
Notable animals alive on this date.
Harriet🇦🇺
deceasedGalápagos tortoise · 1830–2006
Days lived
64,138
Jonathan🇸🇭
Seychelles giant tortoise · b. 1832
Days alive
49,810
Lonesome George🇪🇨
deceasedPinta Island tortoise · 1910–2012
Days lived
37,430
Lin Wang🇹🇼
deceasedAsian elephant · 1917–2003
Days lived
31,467
Ham🇺🇸
deceasedChimpanzee · 1957–1983
Days lived
9,333
Shamu🇺🇸
deceasedOrca · 1962–1971
Days lived
3,521
Washoe🇺🇸
deceasedChimpanzee · 1965–2007
Days lived
15,399
Digit🇷🇼
deceasedMountain gorilla · 1967–1977
Days lived
4,017
Companies That Existed
Brands and companies already founded by this date.
Hermes🇫🇷
Luxury Goods · b. 1837
Days since founding
47,983
Procter & Gamble🇺🇸
Consumer Goods · b. 1837
Days since founding
47,680
Berkshire Hathaway🇺🇸
Conglomerate / Investments · b. 1839
Days since founding
47,253
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HSBC🇬🇧
Banking · b. 1865
Days since founding
37,695
Tata Group🇮🇳
Conglomerate · b. 1868
Days since founding
36,661
Goldman Sachs🇺🇸
Investment Banking · b. 1869
Days since founding
36,295
Eli Lilly🇺🇸
Pharmaceuticals · b. 1876
Days since founding
33,739
Chevron🇺🇸
Oil & Gas · b. 1879
Days since founding
32,391
Already Published
Notable books already in print.
Meditations🇮🇹
Philosophy/Stoicism Book · b. 180
Days in print
653,190
Don Quixote🇪🇸
Satire/Adventure Book · b. 1605
Days in print
132,704
Pride and Prejudice🇬🇧
Romance/Satire Book · b. 1813
Days in print
56,722
Crime and Punishment🇷🇺
Psychological Fiction Book · b. 1866
Days in print
37,391
The Great Gatsby🇺🇸
Tragedy/Modernist Book · b. 1925
Days in print
15,743
Brave New World🇬🇧
Dystopian/Sci-Fi Book · b. 1932
Days in print
13,286
The Hobbit🇬🇧
Fantasy/Adventure Book · b. 1937
Days in print
11,196
The Little Prince🇫🇷
Novella/Fantasy Book · b. 1943
Days in print
9,173
Already Released
Films already out by this date.
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