On This Day
Monday · events, births, deaths, and who was alive.
October 17 2005
Born on This Day

Alan Jackson🇺🇸
Country singer · b. 1958
Days alive
17,167

Alfred Polgar🇦🇹
deceasedjournalist · 1873–1955
Days lived
29,773

Bertha Zillessen🇩🇪
deceasedGerman photographer and painter (1872-1936) · 1872–1936
Days lived
23,097

Bill Anders🇺🇸
deceasedentrepreneur · 1933–2024
Days lived
33,106

Buck Ewing🇺🇸
deceasedfilm director · 1859–1906
Days lived
17,169
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Burton🇫🇮
musician · b. 1974
Days alive
11,323

Carlos González🇻🇪
baseball player · b. 1985
Days alive
7,305

Charles Oliveira Da Silva🇧🇷
Mixed martial arts fighter · b. 1989
Days alive
5,844
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Chocolate Myers🇺🇸
NASCAR team principal; championship gasman · b. 1948
Days alive
20,819

Danny Ferry🇺🇸
basketball player · b. 1966
Days alive
14,245

Eminem🇺🇸
Rapper · b. 1972
Days alive
12,053

Falko Bindrich🇩🇪
German chess grandmaster · b. 1990
Days alive
5,479
Freimut Börngen🇩🇪
deceasedGerman astronomer (1930–2021) · 1930–2021
Days lived
33,118
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Hans Haas🇦🇹
deceasedAustrian weightlifter (1906-1973) · 1906–1973
Days lived
24,316
Herbert Böhme🇩🇪
deceasedGerman poet (1907–1971) · 1907–1971
Days lived
23,382
Iosif Bumagin
deceasedmilitary person · 1907–1945
Days lived
13,704
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Jacob Artist🇺🇸
actor · b. 1992
Days alive
4,748
Jana Thiel🇩🇪
deceasedGerman television presenter and journalist (1971-2016) · 1971–2016
Days lived
16,339

Jared Tallent🇦🇺
Australian race walker · b. 1984
Days alive
7,670

Jimmy Cricket🇬🇧
deceasedComedian · 1945–2026
Days lived
29,510

Josep Puig i Cadafalch🇪🇸
deceasedCatalan architect (1867-1957) · 1867–1956
Days lived
32,574
%2C%25201953.jpg%3Fwidth%3D330)
Julie Adams🇺🇸
deceasedactor · 1926–2019
Days lived
33,712

Karl-Hermann Flach🇩🇪
deceasedGerman journalist and politician (1929-1973) · 1929–1973
Days lived
16,018

Lars Hirschfeld🇨🇦
Canadian soccer player · b. 1978
Days alive
9,862

Mae Jemison🇺🇸
actor · b. 1956
Days alive
17,897

Mitch Talbot🇺🇸
film director · b. 1983
Days alive
8,036
Rita Hayworth🇺🇸
deceasedactor · 1918–1987
Days lived
25,046

Robert Kempner🇺🇸
deceasedGerman-American lawyer (1899–1993) · 1899–1993
Days lived
34,270
Salim Moizini🇫🇷
football player · b. 1985
Days alive
7,305

Seth Etherton🇺🇸
film director · b. 1976
Days alive
10,592

Soichi Fujita🇯🇵
film director · b. 1972
Days alive
12,053

Steve McMichael🇺🇸
deceasedAmerican football player and professional wrestler (1957–2025) · 1957–2025
Days lived
24,660

Vlada Urošević🇲🇰
Macedonian translator, university teacher and writer · b. 1934
Days alive
25,933

Wyclef Jean
Haitian rapper · b. 1969
Days alive
13,149
Died on This Day
Alberta Hunter🇺🇸
deceasedAmerican blues singer, songwriter, and nurse (1895-1984) · 1895–1984
Days lived
32,706
Angelika Werthmann🇦🇹
deceasedAustrian politician (1963-2019) · 1963–2019
Days lived
20,433
Anton Magnis
deceasedentrepreneur · 1862–1944
Days lived
30,111

August Landmesser
deceasedNotable Trials · 1910–1944
Days lived
12,565

Ba Jin🇨🇳
deceasedwriter · 1904–2005
Days lived
36,851

Bernhard Kellermann
deceasedYouTube personality · 1879–1951
Days lived
26,524
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Carmen Cartellieri🇦🇹
deceasedactor · 1891–1953
Days lived
22,756
Fred Scolari🇺🇸
deceasedbasketball player · 1922–2002
Days lived
29,450
Fritz Wittmann🇩🇪
deceasedGerman politician (1933-2018) · 1933–2018
Days lived
31,256

Giovanni Gronchi🇮🇹
deceasedpolitician · 1887–1978
Days lived
33,274

Gord Downie🇨🇦
deceasedSinger · 1964–2017
Days lived
19,612

Helmut Gollwitzer🇩🇪
deceasedGerman Protestant (Lutheran) theologian and author (1908–1993) · 1908–1993
Days lived
30,973
Hermann auf der Heide🇩🇪
deceasedGerman Olympian in field hockey · 1911–1984
Days lived
26,802

Hermann Vogel🇫🇷
deceasedFrench painter (1856-1918) · 1856–1918
Days lived
22,782
Imre Kozma🇭🇺
deceasedHungarian catholic priest, activist (1940–2024) · 1940–2024
Days lived
30,816
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Ingeborg Bachmann🇦🇹
deceasedYouTube personality · 1926–1973
Days lived
17,281

Jean Améry🇦🇹
deceasedwriter · 1912–1978
Days lived
24,092
Joey Bishop🇺🇸
deceasedAmerican entertainer (1918–2007) · 1918–2007
Days lived
32,763

Manfred Gerlach🇩🇪
deceasedpolitician · 1928–2011
Days lived
30,477
Masaru Emoto🇯🇵
deceasedJapanese writer · 1943–2014
Days lived
26,020

Natalia Goncharova🇫🇷
deceasedartist · 1881–1962
Days lived
29,690

Olaf Henriksen🇺🇸
deceasedDanish-American baseball player (1888-1962) · 1888–1962
Days lived
27,201

Paul Westermeier🇩🇪
deceasedGerman actor (1892–1972) · 1892–1972
Days lived
29,319

Santiago Ramón y Cajal🇪🇸
deceasedSpanish scientist (1852-1934) · 1852–1934
Days lived
30,118
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Shimon Bejarno🇮🇱
deceasedIsraeli politician (1910-1971) · 1910–1971
Days lived
22,299

Stanford R. Ovshinsky🇺🇸
deceasedentrepreneur · 1922–2012
Days lived
32,835
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Wieland Wagner🇩🇪
deceasedwriter · 1917–1966
Days lived
18,182
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
55,806
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Horst von der Goltz
German spy and actor · b. 1884
Days alive
44,484
Frank J. Skinner🇺🇸
American football player · b. 1891
Days alive
41,832
Lajos Perley
athlete · b. 1892
Days alive
41,495

Silas Simmons🇺🇸
deceasedAmerican baseball player (1895–2006) · 1895–2006
Days lived
40,557
George Polley🇺🇸
American urban climber · b. 1898
Days alive
39,370
Fee Plumley🇬🇧
artist · b. 1901
Days alive
38,275
Diane Pozefsky🇺🇸
American computer scientist · b. 1901
Days alive
38,275
Giovanny Ramos🇻🇪
Venezuelan athlete · b. 1901
Days alive
38,275
Shaherose Charania🇨🇦
entrepreneur · b. 1901
Days alive
38,275

Shrikrishna Raut
Marathi poet · b. 1901
Days alive
38,275
Keith Padgett🇬🇧
Falkland Islands politician · b. 1901
Days alive
38,275
David Segal🇺🇸
newspaper columnist · b. 1901
Days alive
38,275
Rebecca W. Keller🇺🇸
scientist · b. 1901
Days alive
38,275
Miguel Pérez de los Mozos🇪🇸
Ceo, economist · b. 1901
Days alive
38,275
Clifford Swann🇦🇺
Australian Paralympic lawn bowls player · b. 1901
Days alive
38,275
Eduardo Hernández Martínez🇸🇻
Salvadoran footballer · b. 1901
Days alive
38,275
%2520-%2520Alice%2520Herz-Sommer.jpg%3Fwidth%3D330)
Alice Herz-Sommer🇮🇱
deceasedmusician · 1903–2014
Days lived
40,267

Johannes Heesters🇦🇹
deceasedDutch actor, singer and entertainer (1903–2011) · 1903–2011
Days lived
39,466
Pete Briggs🇺🇸
American musician · b. 1904
Days alive
37,180
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
63,477
Lonesome George🇪🇨
deceasedPinta Island tortoise · 1910–2012
Days lived
37,430
Washoe🇺🇸
deceasedChimpanzee · 1965–2007
Days lived
15,399
Koko🇺🇸
deceasedWestern lowland gorilla · 1971–2018
Days lived
17,152
Alex🇺🇸
deceasedAfrican grey parrot · 1976–2007
Days lived
11,433
Kanzi🇺🇸
Bonobo · b. 1980
Days alive
9,120
Tilikum🇺🇸
deceasedOrca · 1981–2017
Days lived
12,796
Companies That Existed
Brands and companies already founded by this date.
Hermes🇫🇷
Luxury Goods · b. 1837
Days since founding
61,650
Procter & Gamble🇺🇸
Consumer Goods · b. 1837
Days since founding
61,347
Berkshire Hathaway🇺🇸
Conglomerate / Investments · b. 1839
Days since founding
60,920
HSBC🇬🇧
Banking · b. 1865
Days since founding
51,362
Tata Group🇮🇳
Conglomerate · b. 1868
Days since founding
50,328
Goldman Sachs🇺🇸
Investment Banking · b. 1869
Days since founding
49,962
Eli Lilly🇺🇸
Pharmaceuticals · b. 1876
Days since founding
47,406
Chevron🇺🇸
Oil & Gas · b. 1879
Days since founding
46,058
Already Published
Notable books already in print.
Meditations🇮🇹
Philosophy/Stoicism Book · b. 180
Days in print
666,857
Don Quixote🇪🇸
Satire/Adventure Book · b. 1605
Days in print
146,371
Pride and Prejudice🇬🇧
Romance/Satire Book · b. 1813
Days in print
70,389
Crime and Punishment🇷🇺
Psychological Fiction Book · b. 1866
Days in print
51,058
The Great Gatsby🇺🇸
Tragedy/Modernist Book · b. 1925
Days in print
29,410
Brave New World🇬🇧
Dystopian/Sci-Fi Book · b. 1932
Days in print
26,953
The Hobbit🇬🇧
Fantasy/Adventure Book · b. 1937
Days in print
24,863
The Little Prince🇫🇷
Novella/Fantasy Book · b. 1943
Days in print
22,840
Already Released
Films already out by this date.

Wuthering Heights
Drama film · b. 1939
Days since release
24,300
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12 Angry Men🇺🇸
Drama/Crime Film · b. 1957
Days since release
17,722
The Godfather🇺🇸
Crime/Drama Film · b. 1972
Days since release
12,260

Jaws🇺🇸
Thriller/Adventure Film · b. 1975
Days since release
11,077

Star Wars: A New Hope🇺🇸
Sci-Fi/Fantasy Film · b. 1977
Days since release
10,372

Mad Max
Film · b. 1979
Days since release
9,685

Alien🇺🇸
Sci-Fi/Horror Film · b. 1979
Days since release
9,642

The Shining
Film · b. 1980
Days since release
9,421