Famous people born on July 17 — and what else happened that day
If your birthday is July 17, you share it with James Cagney, Donald Sutherland, Angela Merkel — and you were born under Cancer, the sign of the caring, intuitive, and fiercely protective of loved ones.
Birthday basics for July 17
Cancer ♋
Zodiac sign
Ruby
Birthstone
Larkspur
Birth flower
198th
Day of the year
July 17 is the 198th day of the year (199th in leap years), with 167 days still to come.
Famous people born on July 17
James Cagney — American actor and song-and-dance man of classic Hollywood (born 1899).
Donald Sutherland — Canadian actor with a six-decade film career (born 1935).
Angela Merkel — German chemist and first female Chancellor of Germany (born 1954).
Also sharing the day:
Phyllis Diller (b. 1917) — Pioneering American stand-up comedian famous for her wild hair and self-deprecating wit.
David Hasselhoff (b. 1952) — American actor and singer who starred in Knight Rider and Baywatch.
Luke Bryan (b. 1976) — American country music superstar and longtime American Idol judge.
July 17 in history
1938 — Douglas "Wrong Way" Corrigan took off from Brooklyn for California and famously landed in Ireland instead.
1955 — Disneyland opened its gates in Anaheim, California.
1975 — An American Apollo and a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft docked together in orbit for the first time.
1821 — Spain formally transferred Florida to the United States in a ceremony at Pensacola.
1902 — Willis Carrier designed the first modern air-conditioning system.
1976 — The Summer Olympics opened in Montreal, where 14-year-old Nadia Comaneci would soon make gymnastics history.
July 17 birthday questions
What zodiac sign is July 17?
Anyone born on July 17 is a Cancer — caring, intuitive, and fiercely protective of loved ones.
What is the birthstone for July 17?
The birthstone for a July 17 birthday is Ruby, and the birth flower is the Larkspur.
Who is the most famous person born on July 17?
James Cagney is among the best known — American actor and song-and-dance man of classic Hollywood (born 1899).
What happened on July 17?
In 1938, Douglas "Wrong Way" Corrigan took off from Brooklyn for California and famously landed in Ireland instead.
What day of the year is July 17?
July 17 is the 198th day of the year (199th in leap years), with 167 days still to come.
Make their day unforgettable
Know someone born on July 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.