Famous people born on June 17 — and what else happened that day
If your birthday is June 17, you share it with Igor Stravinsky, Barry Manilow, Venus Williams — and you were born under Gemini, the sign of the curious, quick-witted, and endlessly social.
Birthday basics for June 17
Gemini ♊
Zodiac sign
Pearl
Birthstone
Rose
Birth flower
168th
Day of the year
June 17 is the 168th day of the year (169th in leap years), with 197 days still to come.
Famous people born on June 17
Igor Stravinsky — Russian composer of The Rite of Spring (born 1882).
Barry Manilow — American singer-songwriter and pop icon (born 1943).
Venus Williams — American tennis champion with seven Grand Slam singles titles (born 1980).
Also sharing the day:
M. C. Escher (b. 1898) — Dutch artist famous for mind-bending prints of impossible staircases and tessellations.
Greg Kinnear (b. 1963) — American actor and Oscar nominee for As Good as It Gets.
Kendrick Lamar (b. 1987) — American rapper and the first hip-hop artist to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music.
June 17 in history
1885 — The Statue of Liberty arrived in New York Harbor aboard the French ship Isere.
1944 — Iceland declared its independence from Denmark and became a republic.
1972 — Five men were arrested at the Watergate complex, sparking the scandal that reshaped American politics.
1579 — Sir Francis Drake landed on the California coast and claimed it for England as Nova Albion.
1775 — Colonial troops inflicted heavy losses on the British at the Battle of Bunker Hill.
1901 — The College Board introduced its first standardized test, the forerunner of the SAT.
June 17 birthday questions
What zodiac sign is June 17?
Anyone born on June 17 is a Gemini — curious, quick-witted, and endlessly social.
What is the birthstone for June 17?
The birthstone for a June 17 birthday is Pearl, and the birth flower is the Rose.
Who is the most famous person born on June 17?
Igor Stravinsky is among the best known — Russian composer of The Rite of Spring (born 1882).
What happened on June 17?
In 1885, The Statue of Liberty arrived in New York Harbor aboard the French ship Isere.
What day of the year is June 17?
June 17 is the 168th day of the year (169th in leap years), with 197 days still to come.
Make their day unforgettable
Know someone born on June 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.