So you want to have a drink but you aren't sure why? Here are some GREAT reasons to call your friends over and have a party.

April 17th


- Christian Feast day:
- Evacuation Day, celebrates the recognition of the independence of Syria from France in 1946.
- Flag Day (American Samoa)
- Women's Day (Gabon)
- World Hemophilia Day (International)

April 17th


- 1905 - The Supreme Court of the United States decides Lochner v. New York which holds that the "right to free contract" is implicit in the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution.
- 2006 - Sami Hammad, a Palestinian suicide bomber, detonates an explosive device in Tel Aviv, killing eleven people and injuring 70.
- 1986 - The Three Hundred and Thirty Five Years' War between the Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly ends.
- 1984 - Police Constable Yvonne Fletcher is killed by gunfire from the Libyan People's Bureau in London during a small demonstration outside the embassy. Ten others are wounded. The events lead to an 11-day siege of the building.
- 1982 - Patriation of the Canadian constitution in Ottawa by Proclamation of Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada.
- 1975 - The Cambodian Civil War ends. The Khmer Rouge captures the capital Phnom Penh and Cambodian government forces surrender.
- 1973 - German counter-terrorist unit GSG 9 founded.
- 1971 - The People's Republic of Bangladesh forms, under Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Mujibnagor.
- 1971 - Sierra Leone becomes a republic.
- 1970 - Apollo program: The ill-fated Apollo 13 spacecraft returns to Earth safely.
- 1969 - Sirhan Sirhan is convicted of assassinating Robert F. Kennedy.
- 1969 - Czechoslovakian Communist Party chairman Alexander Dub?ek is deposed.
- 1964 - The Ford Motor Company unveils the Ford Mustang at the New York World's Fair.
- 1964 - Jerrie Mock becomes the first woman to circumnavigate the world by air.
- 1964 - Shea Stadium opens.
- 1961 - Bay of Pigs Invasion: A group of CIA financed and trained Cuban refugees lands at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba with the aim of ousting Fidel Castro.
- 1949 - At midnight 26 Irish counties officially leave the British Commonwealth. A 21-gun salute on O'Connell Bridge, Dublin, ushers in the Republic of Ireland.
- 1946 - Syria obtains its Independence from the French occupation.
- 1945 - Brazilian forces liberate the town of Montese, Italy, from German Nazi forces.
- 1942 - French prisoner of war General Henri Giraud escapes from his castle prison in Festung Königstein.
- 1941 - World War II: The Kingdom of Yugoslavia surrenders to Germany.
- 1924 - Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios is formed by the merger of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures, and the Louis B. Mayer Company.
- 1907 - The Ellis Island immigration center processes 11,747 people, more than on any other day.
- 1895 - The Treaty of Shimonoseki between China and Japan is signed. This marks the end of the First Sino-Japanese War, and the defeated Qing Empire is forced to renounce its claims on Korea and to concede the southern portion of the Fengtien province, Taiwan and the Pescadores Islands to Japan.
- 1865 - Mary Surratt is arrested as a conspirator in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
- 1864 - American Civil War: The Battle of Plymouth begins – Confederate forces attack Plymouth, North Carolina.
- 1861 - American Civil War: Virginia secedes from the United States.
- 1797 - Sir Ralph Abercromby attacks San Juan, Puerto Rico in what would be one of the largest invasions of the Spanish territories in America.
- 1555 - After 18 months of siege, Siena surrenders to the Florentine-Imperial army. The Republic of Siena is incorporated into the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.
- 1524 - Giovanni da Verrazzano reaches New York harbor.
- 1521 - Martin Luther speaks to the assembly at the Diet of Worms, refusing to recant his teachings.
- 1492 - Spain and Christopher Columbus sign the Capitulations of Santa Fe for his voyage to Asia to acquire spices.
- 1397 - Geoffrey Chaucer tells the Canterbury Tales for the first time at the court of Richard II. Chaucer scholars have also identified this date (in 1387) the start of the book's pilgrimage to Canterbury.
- 69 - After the First Battle of Bedriacum, Vitellius becomes Roman Emperor.

April 17th


- 1996 - Dee Dee Davis, American actress
- 1995 - Paulie Litt, American actor
- 1990 - Jonathan Brown, Welsh footballer
- 1985 - Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, French tennis player
- 1984 - Jed Lowrie, American baseball player
- 1983 - Stanislav Chistov, Russian hockey player
- 1983 - Roberto Jimenez, Peruvian football player
- 1983 - Andrea Marcato, Italian rugby player
- 1982 - Lee Jun Ki, South Korean actor and model
- 1982 - Brad Boyes, Canadian hockey player
- 1981 - Wayne Lydon, American baseball player
- 1981 - Hanna Pakarinen, Finnish singer
- 1981 - Ryan Raburn, American baseball player
- 1980 - Curtis Woodhouse, English footballer/boxer
- 1980 - Lee Hyun-il, South Korean badminton player
- 1980 - Nicholas D'Agosto, American television and film actor
- 1979 - Eric Brewer, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1979 - Siddharth Narayan, Indian actor
- 1978 - Lindsay Hartley, American actress
- 1978 - Jason White, Scottish rugby player
- 1977 - Chad Hedrick, American speed skater
- 1977 - Sizzla, Jamaican dancehall artist
- 1977 - Phil Jamieson, Australian singer (Grinspoon)
- 1976 - Monet Mazur, American actress and musician
- 1976 - Alex Nesic, American actor
- 1976 - A?a Geislerová, Czech actress
- 1975 - Gabriel Soto, Mexican actor
- 1975 - Travis Roy, American hockey player
- 1974 - Victoria Beckham, English singer (Spice Girls)
- 1974 - Mikael Åkerfeldt, Swedish guitarist and singer (Opeth)
- 1973 - Brett Maher, Australian basketballer
- 1973 - Theo Ratliff, American basketball player
- 1973 - Kaih? Ry?ji, Japanese sumo wrestler
- 1972 - Gary Bennett, American baseball player
- 1972 - Tony Boselli, American football player
- 1972 - Jennifer Garner, American actress
- 1972 - Muttiah Muralitharan, Sri Lankan cricketer
- 1972 - Jarkko Wiss, Finnish Footballer
- 1972 - Terran Sandwith, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1972 - Claire Sweeney, English actress
- 1970 - Redman, American rapper
- 1968 - Prince Maurits of the Netherlands
- 1967 - Timothy Gibbs, American actor
- 1967 - Liz Phair, American musician/songwriter
- 1967 - Leslie Bega, American actress
- 1967 - Marquis Grissom, American baseball player
- 1967 - Henry Ian Cusick, Peruvian-born Scottish actor
- 1967 - Kimberly Elise, American actress
- 1966 - Vikram, Indian actor
- 1965 - William Mapother, American actor
- 1965 - Yoshiki Kuroda, Japanese urban planner
- 1964 - Maynard James Keenan, American singer (Tool and A Perfect Circle)
- 1964 - Ken Daneyko, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1964 - Lela Rochon, American actress
- 1963 - Joel Murray, American actor
- 1961 - Boomer Esiason, American football player and commentator
- 1961 - Frank J. Christensen, American labor leader
- 1959 - Sean Bean, English actor
- 1957 - Nick Hornby, English author
- 1957 - Susan Roman, Canadian voice actress
- 1955 - Pete Shelley, British musician
- 1954 - Riccardo Patrese, Italian race car driver
- 1954 - Rowdy Roddy Piper, Canadian professional wrestler
- 1954 - Michael Sembello, American musician
- 1954 - Lester Square, Canadian musician
- 1952 - Željko Ražnatovi?, Serbian warlord (d. 2000)
- 1951 - Olivia Hussey, Argentine-born actress
- 1951 - Börje Salming, Swedish ice hockey player
- 1950 - L. Scott Caldwell, American actress
- 1950 - Bruce McNall, American former NHL team owner
- 1948 - Jan Hammer, Czech composer
- 1947 - Linda Martin, Irish singer
- 1947 - Tsutomu Wakamatsu, Japanese baseball player
- 1942 - David Bradley, British actor
- 1942 - Kenas Aroi, Nauruan politician
- 1940 - John McCririck, English television horse racing pundit
- 1940 - Anja Silja, German soprano
- 1940 - Billy Fury, British singer (d. 1983)
- 1938 - Ben Barnes, American politician
- 1938 - Kerry Wendell Thornley, co-founder of Discordianism
- 1937 - Ferdinand Piëch, Austrian-German automotive engineer and executive
- 1934 - Don Kirshner, American composer
- 1930 - Chris Barber, British jazz band leader
- 1929 - James Last, German band leader
- 1929 - Peggy McKercher, 11th Chancellor of the University of Saskatchewan)
- 1928 - Cynthia Ozick, American writer
- 1926 - Gerry McNeil, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 2004)
- 1925 - Erich Göstl, German War Hero (d. 1990)
- 1923 - Lindsay Anderson, English film director (d. 1994)
- 1923 - Harry Reasoner, American journalist (d. 1991)
- 1923 - Solly Hemus, American baseball player
- 1919 - Gilles Lamontagne, French Canadian politician
- 1919 - Chavela Vargas, Costa Rican-Mexican singer
- 1918 - William Holden, American actor (d. 1981)
- 1917 - Bill Clements, American politician
- 1916 - Helenio Herrera, French footballer player and manager (d. 1997)
- 1915 - Joe Foss, United States Marine and politician (d. 2003)
- 1915 - Martin Clemens, Scottish guerilla fighter (d. 2009)
- 1915 - Sirimavo Bandaranaike, A Sri Lankan politician and the world's first female head of government (d. 2000)
- 1914 - George W. Davis, American art director (d. 1984)
- 1912 - Marta Eggerth, Hungarian-born actress and singer, naturalized citizen of the United States
- 1911 - Lester Rodney, American journalist (d. 2009)
- 1910 - Ivan Goff, Australian screenwriter (d. 1999)
- 1909 - Alain Poher, French politician (d. 1996)
- 1906 - Sidney R. Garfield, American physician (d. 1984)
- 1905 - Arthur Lake, American actor (d. 1987)
- 1903 - Gregor Piatigorsky, Russian cellist (d. 1976)
- 1903 - Morgan Taylor, American athlete (d. 1975)
- 1902 - Jaime Torres Bodet, Mexican politician (d. 1974)
- 1897 - Thornton Wilder, American dramatist (d. 1975)
- 1896 - Señor Wences, Spanish ventriloquist (d. 1999)
- 1891 - George Adamski, Polish-American author and ufologist (d. 1965)
- 1890 - Art Acord, American actor and rodeo rider (d. 1931)
- 1885 - Karen Blixen (Isak Dinesen), Danish author (d. 1962)
- 1884 - Leo Frank, American victim of lynching (d. 1915)
- 1882 - Artur Schnabel, Polish pianist (d. 1951)
- 1878 - Emil Fuchs, German-born American attorney and baseball owner (d. 1961)
- 1877 - Matsudaira Tsuneo, Japanese diplomat (d. 1949)
- 1866 - Ernest Starling, British physiologist (d. 1927)
- 1865 - Ursula Julia Ledochowska, Polish-Austrian Catholic saint (d. 1939)
- 1863 - Augustus Edward Hough Love, English mathematician (d. 1940)
- 1849 - William R. Day, American diplomat and Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (d. 1923)
- 1842 - Maurice Rouvier, French statesman (d. 1911)
- 1837 - J. P. Morgan, American financier (d. 1913)
- 1833 - Jean-Baptiste Accolay, Belgian composer (d. 1900)
- 1820 - Alexander Joy Cartwright, Inventor of the Modern Game of Baseball (d. 1892)
- 1816 - Thomas Hazlehurst, English Methodist chapel builder (d. 1876)
- 1814 - Josif Pan?i?, Serbian botanist (d. 1888)
- 1798 - Étienne Bobillier, French mathematician (d. 1840)
- 1794 - Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius, German botanist (d. 1868)
- 1750 - François de Neufchâteau, French statesman and intellectual figure (d. 1828)
- 1741 - Samuel Chase, Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (d. 1811)
- 1734 - Taksin, King of Thailand (d. 1782)
- 1710 - Henry Erskine, 10th Earl of Buchan, British Freemason (d. 1767)
- 1622 - Henry Vaughan, Welsh poet (d. 1695)
- 1620 - Marguerite Bourgeoys, founder of the Congregation of Notre Dame (d. 1700)
- 1598 - Giovanni Riccioli, Italian astronomer (d. 1671)
- 1586 - John Ford, English dramatist
- 1573 - Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria (d. 1651)
- 1278 - Michael IX Palaeologus, co-ruling Eastern Roman Emperor (d. 1320)