Bootlegger’s Day
Bootlegger’s Day is an observance celebrated on January 17th to honor the ingenuity and daring spirit of the bootleggers who thrived during the Prohibition era in the United States. On this day in 1920, the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution went into effect, making the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages illegal—a period that lasted until the amendment’s repeal in 1933.
Popeye Day
Popeye Day celebrates the iconic comic strip and cartoon character Popeye the Sailor Man, who made his first appearance on January 17, 1929, in the comic strip Thimble Theatre by Elzie Crisler Segar. Popeye quickly became a beloved cultural figure, known for his rough-edged charm, love of spinach, and enduring rivalry with Bluto over the affections of Olive Oyl.
Cable Car Day
Cable Car Day is celebrated annually on January 17th to commemorate the invention and historic significance of cable cars in transportation. On this day in 1871, Andrew Smith Hallidie patented the first cable car system, which later transformed urban transit, especially in hilly cities like San Francisco.
Notable Events on January 17th in History
Historical Events
1377: Pope Gregory XI returned the Papacy to Rome from Avignon, effectively ending the Avignon Papacy.
1562: France officially recognized Protestantism with the Edict of Saint-Germain.
1773: Captain James Cook’s ship Resolution became the first to cross the Antarctic Circle.
1811: Mexican insurgents led by Miguel Hidalgo were defeated at the Battle of Calderón Bridge during Mexico’s War of Independence.
1893: The Hawaiian monarchy was overthrown, and Queen Liliʻuokalani was deposed, leading to the establishment of a provisional government in Hawaii.
1912: Captain Robert Falcon Scott reached the South Pole, only to discover that Roald Amundsen had beaten him there by 33 days.
1920: Prohibition began in the United States as the Volstead Act went into effect, enforcing the 18th Amendment.
1945: Soviet forces liberated the Polish city of Warsaw from Nazi control during World War II.
1961: President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivered his farewell address, warning against the influence of the “military-industrial complex.”
1991: Operation Desert Storm began as coalition forces launched an air attack against Iraq in response to its invasion of Kuwait.
1995: The Great Hanshin Earthquake struck near Kobe, Japan, killing over 6,400 people and causing widespread devastation.
Famous Birthdays
1706: Benjamin Franklin, American polymath, Founding Father, inventor, and diplomat.
1820: Anne Brontë, English novelist and poet (The Tenant of Wildfell Hall).
1863: David Lloyd George, British Prime Minister during World War I.
1899: Al Capone, infamous American gangster and bootlegger.
1922: Betty White, beloved American actress and comedian.
1942: Muhammad Ali, American professional boxer and activist.
1964: Michelle Obama, American attorney, author, and First Lady of the United States (2009–2017).
Notable Deaths
395: Theodosius I (Theodosius the Great), Roman Emperor who declared Christianity the official state religion of the Roman Empire (b. 347).
1468: Skanderbeg, Albanian nobleman and military commander who led the resistance against the Ottoman Empire (b. 1405).
1893: Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th President of the United States (b. 1822).
1961: Patrice Lumumba, Congolese independence leader and the first Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (assassinated) (b. 1925).
1984: Vassilis Tsitsanis, Greek composer and songwriter, influential in rebetiko music (b. 1915).
2002: Camilo José Cela, Spanish novelist, poet, and Nobel Prize laureate in literature (1989) (b. 1916).
2014: Hiroo Onoda, Japanese Imperial Army officer who continued fighting World War II until 1974, unaware it had ended (b. 1922).
2017: Eugene Cernan, American astronaut and the last person to walk on the Moon (Apollo 17 mission) (b. 1934).
2018: Bradford Dillman, American actor known for films like Compulsion and The Way We Were (b. 1930).
2021: Phil Spector, American record producer known for his “Wall of Sound” technique, convicted of murder (b. 1939).
2022: Yvette Mimieux, American actress famous for roles in films such as The Time Machine (b. 1942).
