Famous people born on February 17 — and what else happened that day
If your birthday is February 17, you share it with Michael Jordan, Ed Sheeran, Paris Hilton — and you were born under Aquarius, the sign of the original, independent, and years ahead of the curve.
Birthday basics for February 17
Aquarius ♒
Zodiac sign
Amethyst
Birthstone
Violet
Birth flower
48th
Day of the year
February 17 is the 48th day of the year, with 317 days still to come.
Famous people born on February 17
Michael Jordan — Six-time NBA champion and widely considered the greatest basketball player of all time (born 1963).
Ed Sheeran — English singer-songwriter behind "Shape of You" and "Thinking Out Loud" (born 1991).
Paris Hilton — American media personality, businesswoman, and DJ (born 1981).
Also sharing the day:
Joseph Gordon-Levitt (b. 1981) — American actor known for 500 Days of Summer, Inception, and 3rd Rock from the Sun.
Billie Joe Armstrong (b. 1972) — American singer and guitarist, frontman of Green Day.
Marc Anthony (b. 1968) — Puerto Rican-American salsa singer and three-time Grammy winner.
Lou Diamond Phillips (b. 1962) — American actor known for La Bamba and Young Guns.
Geronimo (b. 1829) — Apache leader who led resistance against U.S. and Mexican forces in the late 19th century.
February 17 in history
1972 — President Richard Nixon departed for his historic week-long visit to the People's Republic of China — the first by a sitting U.S. president.
1933 — The first issue of Newsweek magazine was published in New York.
2008 — Kosovo declared independence from Serbia.
1801 — The U.S. House of Representatives broke an electoral tie and elected Thomas Jefferson as the 3rd President of the United States.
1864 — The Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley sank the USS Housatonic off Charleston, becoming the first submarine to sink an enemy warship in combat.
1863 — The International Committee of the Red Cross was founded in Geneva, Switzerland.
1996 — World chess champion Garry Kasparov defeated IBM's Deep Blue computer 4–2 in Philadelphia.
1979 — China launched a punitive invasion of northern Vietnam, beginning the brief Sino-Vietnamese War.
February 17 birthday questions
What zodiac sign is February 17?
Anyone born on February 17 is a Aquarius — original, independent, and years ahead of the curve.
What is the birthstone for February 17?
The birthstone for a February 17 birthday is Amethyst, and the birth flower is the Violet.
Who is the most famous person born on February 17?
Michael Jordan is among the best known — Six-time NBA champion and widely considered the greatest basketball player of all time (born 1963).
What happened on February 17?
In 1972, President Richard Nixon departed for his historic week-long visit to the People's Republic of China — the first by a sitting U.S. president.
What day of the year is February 17?
February 17 is the 48th day of the year, with 317 days still to come.
Make their day unforgettable
Know someone born on February 17? See the full story of their exact birthday — the headlines, the #1 song, what things cost — and turn it into a personalized front-page newspaper they can keep.