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.

August 17th


- Birth of Marcus Garvey, considered a prophet. (Rastafari movement)
- Christian Feast Day:
- Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Gabon from France in 1960.
- Independence Day, celebrates the proclamation of Indonesia's independence from Japan in 1945.
- Portunalia (Roman Empire)
- Prekmurje Union Day (Slovenia)

August 17th


- 2008 - Michael Phelps becomes the first person to win eight gold medals in one Olympic Games.
- 2005 - The first forced evacuation of settlers, as part of the Israel unilateral disengagement plan, starts.
- 2005 - Over 500 bombs are set off by terrorists at 300 locations in 63 out of the 64 districts of Bangladesh
- 2004 - The National Assembly of Serbia unanimously adopts new state symbols for Serbia: Boze Pravde becomes the new anthem and the coat of arms is adopted for the whole country.
- 1999 - A 7.4-magnitude earthquake strikes ?zmit, Turkey, killing more than 17,000 and injuring 44,000.
- 1998 - Monica Lewinsky scandal: US President Bill Clinton admits in taped testimony that he had an "improper physical relationship" with White House intern Monica Lewinsky. On the same day he admits before the nation that he "misled people" about the relationship.
- 1988 - Pakistani President Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq and U.S. Ambassador Arnold Raphel are killed in a plane crash.
- 1982 - The first Compact Discs (CDs) are released to the public in Germany.
- 1980 - Azaria Chamberlain disappears, probably taken by a dingo, leading to what was then the most publicised trial in Australian history.
- 1979 - Two Soviet Aeroflot jetliners collide in mid-air over Ukraine, killing 156
- 1978 - Double Eagle II becomes first balloon to cross the Atlantic Ocean when it lands in Miserey near Paris, 137 hours after leaving Presque Isle, Maine.
- 1970 - Venera Program: Venera 7 launched. It will later become the first spacecraft to successfully transmit data from the surface of another planet (Venus).
- 1969 - Category 5 Hurricane Camille hits the Mississippi coast, killing 248 people and causing $1.5 billion in damage.
- 1962 - East German border guards kill 18-year-old Peter Fechter as he attempts to cross the Berlin Wall into West Berlin becoming one of the first victims of the wall.
- 1960 - Decolonization: Gabon gains independence from France.
- 1959 - Quake Lake: Quake Lake is formed by the magnitude 7.5 1959 Yellowstone earthquake near Hebgen Lake in Montana.
- 1959 - Kind of Blue by Miles Davis, the much acclaimed and highly influential best selling jazz recording of all time, is released.
- 1953 - Addiction: First meeting of Narcotics Anonymous in Southern California.
- 1947 - The Radcliffe Line, the border between Union of India and Dominion of Pakistan is revealed.
- 1945 - Indonesian Declaration of Independence.
- 1943 - The U.S. Eighth Air Force suffers the loss of 60 bombers on the Schweinfurt-Regensburg mission.
- 1943 - World War II: The U.S. Seventh Army under General George S. Patton arrives in Messina, Italy, followed several hours later by the British 8th Army under Field Marshal Bernard L. Montgomery, thus completing the Allied conquest of Sicily.
- 1943 - World War II: First Québec Conference of Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and William Lyon Mackenzie King begins.
- 1942 - U.S. Marines raid the Japanese-held Pacific island of Makin (Butaritari).
- 1942 - World War II: The U.S. Eighth Air Force begins regular combat operations in Europe with an attack on the marshalling yards at Rouen-Sotteville.
- 1918 - Bolshevik revolutionary leader Moisei Uritsky is assassinated.
- 1915 - Jewish American Leo Frank is lynched for the alleged murder of a 13-year-old girl in Marietta, Georgia.
- 1914 - World War I: Battle of Stalluponen – The German army of General Hermann von François defeats the Russian force commanded by Pavel Rennenkampf near modern-day Nesterov, Russia.
- 1908 - Fantasmagorie, the first animated cartoon, realized by Émile Cohl, is shown in Paris.
- 1907 - Pike Place Market, the longest continuously-running public farmers market in the US, opened in Seattle.
- 1883 - The first public performance of the Dominican Republic's national anthem, Himno Nacional.
- 1864 - American Civil War: Battle of Gainesville – Confederate forces defeat Union troops near Gainesville, Florida.
- 1863 - American Civil War: In Charleston, South Carolina, Union batteries and ships bombard Confederate-held Fort Sumter.
- 1862 - Indian Wars: The Dakota War of 1862 begins in Minnesota as Lakota warriors attack white settlements along the Minnesota River.
- 1862 - American Civil War: Major General J.E.B. Stuart is assigned command of all the cavalry of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia.
- 1807 - Robert Fulton's first American steamboat leaves New York City for Albany, New York on the Hudson River, inaugurating the first commercial steamboat service in the world.
- 986 - A Byzantine army is destroyed in the pass of Trajan's Gate by the Bulgarians under the Comitopuli Samuel and Aron. The Byzantine emperor Basil II narrowly escaped.

August 17th


- 1996 - Ella Cruz, Filipina actress
- 1991 - Montana Fishburne, American pornographic actress
- 1991 - Qory Sandioriva, Indonesian beauty queen, Puteri Indonesia 2009
- 1990 - Colin Bates, American actor
- 1990 - Rachel Hurd-Wood, British actress
- 1989 - Frederick Lau, German actor
- 1988 - Brady Corbet, American actor
- 1988 - Erika Toda, Japanese actress
- 1988 - Nichole Cordova, Performer (Girlicious)
- 1986 - Rudy Gay, American basketball player
- 1986 - Tyrus Thomas, American basketball player
- 1986 - Bryton McClure, American actor & singer
- 1985 - Y? Aoi, Japanese actress
- 1984 - Dee Brown, American basketball player
- 1984 - Garrett Wolfe, American football player
- 1983 - Dustin Pedroia, American baseball player
- 1982 - Cheerleader Melissa, American professional wrestler
- 1982 - Phil Jagielka, English footballer
- 1982 - Mark Salling, American actor
- 1981 - Kristin Holt, American television personality
- 1980 - Keith Dabengwa, Zimbabwean cricketer
- 1980 - Jan Kromkamp, Dutch footballer
- 1980 - Lene Marlin, Norwegian singer
- 1979 - Antwaan Randle El, American football player
- 1979 - Marcus Patric, British actor
- 1978 - Karena Lam, Hong Kong actress
- 1978 - Vibeke Stene, Norwegian singer (Tristania)
- 1977 - Nathan Deakes, Australian race walker
- 1977 - William Gallas, French footballer
- 1977 - Thierry Henry, French footballer
- 1977 - Tarja Turunen, Finnish singer
- 1977 - Matthew Oakley, English footballer
- 1976 - Scott Halberstadt, American actor
- 1976 - Geertjan Lassche, Dutch reporter
- 1975 - Giuliana DePandi, Italian-born American television personality
- 1974 - Tony Hajjar, Lebanese musician (At the Drive-In, Sparta)
- 1974 - Nicola Kraus, American novelist
- 1972 - Habibul Bashar, Bangladeshi cricketer
- 1972 - Ken Ryker, American pornographic actor
- 1971 - Uhm Jung-hwa, South Korean singer and actress
- 1971 - Jorge Posada, Puerto Rican baseball player
- 1971 - Shaun Rehn, Australian Rules footballer
- 1970 - Jim Courier, American tennis player
- 1970 - Rupert Degas, English actor and voice artist
- 1970 - Øyvind Leonhardsen, Norwegian footballer
- 1969 - Christian Laettner, American basketball player
- 1969 - Donnie Wahlberg, American actor and singer (New Kids On The Block)
- 1969 - Kelvin Mercer, American rapper (De La Soul)
- 1968 - Ed McCaffrey, American football player
- 1968 - Helen McCrory, English actress
- 1967 - Kevin Max, American singer (dc talk)
- 1966 - Maysa Leak, American jazz singer
- 1966 - Rodney Mullen, American skateboarder
- 1966 - Don Sweeney, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1964 - Maria McKee, American singer
- 1964 - Colin James, Canadian musician
- 1963 - Jon Gruden, American football coach
- 1963 - S. Shankar, Indian film director
- 1962 - Gilby Clarke, American musician (Guns N' Roses)
- 1962 - John Marshall Jones, American actor
- 1962 - Buddy Landel, American professional wrestler
- 1960 - Stephan Eicher, Swiss singer
- 1960 - Sean Penn, American actor and director
- 1959 - Chika Sakamoto, Japanese voice actress and singer
- 1959 - Jonathan Franzen, American author
- 1959 - David Koresh, American cult leader (d. 1993)
- 1959 - Eric Schlosser, American author
- 1958 - Belinda Carlisle, American singer
- 1958 - Fred Goodwin British banker
- 1958 - Kirk Stevens, Canadian snooker player
- 1957 - Robin Cousins, British figure skater
- 1956 - Gail Berman, American film executive
- 1956 - Álvaro Pino, Spanish cyclist
- 1955 - Richard Hilton, American heir
- 1955 - Colin Moulding, English bass player, singer and songwriter (XTC)
- 1954 - Eric Johnson, American guitarist
- 1953 - Michael Malthouse, Premiership winning Australian football coach
- 1953 - Judith Regan, American book publisher
- 1953 - Kevin Rowland, English musician (Dexys Midnight Runners)
- 1952 - Nelson Piquet, Brazilian race car driver
- 1952 - Dr. Mario Theissen, German F1 team principal of BMW Sauber
- 1952 - Guillermo Vilas, Argentinian tennis player
- 1951 - Robert Joy, Canadian actor
- 1951 - Alan Minter, British boxer
- 1949 - Sib Hashian, American musician (Boston)
- 1949 - Norm Coleman, American politician
- 1948 - Rod MacDonald, American musician
- 1947 - Gary Talley, American musician (Box Tops)
- 1947 - Sylvia Nasar, German-born American economist and author
- 1946 - Martha Coolidge, American film director
- 1946 - Patrick Manning, 4th and 6th Prime Minister of Trinidad & Tobago
- 1944 - Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle Corporation, billionaire
- 1943 - Robert De Niro, American actor
- 1943 - Dave "Snaker" Ray, American musician (d. 2002)
- 1941 - Jean Pierre Lefebvre, French Canadian film director
- 1941 - Boog Powell, American baseball player
- 1940 - Eduardo Mignogna, Argentinian film director (d. 2006)
- 1939 - Luther Allison, American musician (d. 1997)
- 1939 - Anthony Valentine, British actor
- 1938 - Abu Bakar Bashir, Indonesian Muslim cleric
- 1938 - Theodoros Pangalos, Greek politician
- 1936 - Floyd Red Crow Westerman, Native American musician and actor (d. 2007)
- 1935 - Oleg Tabakov, Russian actor
- 1933 - Eugene F. Kranz, American NASA executive
- 1933 - Mark Dinning, American singer (d. 1986)
- 1932 - V. S. Naipaul, West Indian writer, Nobel Laureate
- 1930 - Glenn Corbett, American actor (d. 1993)
- 1930 - Ted Hughes, English poet (d. 1998)
- 1929 - Francis Gary Powers, American U-2 pilot (d. 1977)
- 1926 - Jiang Zemin, Chinese politician
- 1926 - George Melly, British singer (d. 2007)
- 1926 - Jean Poiret, French actor, director and screenwriter (d. 1992)
- 1922 - Roy Tattersall, England cricketer
- 1921 - Geoffrey Rudolph Elton, British historian (d. 1994)
- 1920 - Maureen O'Hara, Irish actress
- 1919 - Georgia Gibbs, American singer (d. 2006)
- 1914 - Franklin Delano Roosevelt Jr., son of Franklin Delano Roosevelt (d. 1988)
- 1913 - Rudy York, American baseball player (d. 1970)
- 1913 - Óscar Alfredo Gálvez, Argentine racing driver (d. 1989)
- 1913 - W. Mark Felt, American Watergate informant (d. 2008)
- 1911 - Mikhail Botvinnik, Russian chess player (d. 1995)
- 1911 - Martin Sandberger, German military officer (d. 2010)
- 1909 - Larry Clinton, American trumpeter and bandleader (d. 1985)
- 1904 - Leopold Nowak, Austrian musicologist (d. 1991)
- 1904 - Mary Cain, American newspaper editor and politician (d. 1984)
- 1896 - Leslie Groves, American military engineer (d. 1970)
- 1893 - Mae West, American actress (d. 1980)
- 1890 - Harry Hopkins, 8th United States Secretary of Commerce (d. 1946)
- 1890 - Stefan Bastyr, Polish aviator (d. 1920)
- 1888 - Monty Woolley, American actor (d. 1963)
- 1887 - Marcus Garvey, Jamaican-born Black rights activist (d. 1940)
- 1887 - Charles I of Austria (d. 1922)
- 1880 - Percy Sherwell, South African cricketer (d. 1948)
- 1878 - Reggie Duff, Australian cricketer (d. 1911)
- 1873 - John A. Sampson, American gynecologist (d. 1946)
- 1866 - Mir Mahboob Ali Khan, 6th Nizam of Hyderabad (d. 1911)
- 1866 - Julia Marlowe, English actress (d. 1950)
- 1863 - Gene Stratton-Porter, American author and naturalist (d. 1924)
- 1844 - Menelek II of Ethiopia (d. 1913)
- 1828 - Jules Bernard Luys, French neurologist (d. 1897)
- 1794 - Prince Alexander of Hohenlohe-Waldenburg-Schillingsfürst, German priest (d. 1849)
- 1786 - Davy Crockett, American frontiersman and soldier (d. 1836)
- 1786 - Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, mother of Queen Victoria (d. 1861)
- 1768 - Louis Charles Antoine Desaix, French general (d. 1800)
- 1753 - Josef Dobrovský, Czech linguist (d. 1828)
- 1686 - Nicola Porpora, Italian composer (d. 1768)
- 1629 - King John III of Poland (d. 1696)
- 1601 - Pierre de Fermat, French mathematician (d. 1665)
- 1578 - Francesco Albani, Italian painter (d. 1660)
- 1473 - Richard, Duke of York