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.

January 17th
- Christian Feast Day:

- The opening ceremony of Patras Carnival, celebrated until Clean Monday. (Patras)


January 17th
- 2010 - 2010 Penang dragon boat accident occurs in Penang, Malaysia

- 2007 - The Doomsday Clock is set to five minutes to midnight in response to North Korea nuclear testing.

- 2002 - Mount Nyiragongo erupts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, displacing an estimated 400,000 people.

- 2001 - President Bill Clinton posthumously raises Meriwether Lewis' rank from Lieutenant to Captain.

- 1998 - Paula Jones accuses President Bill Clinton of sexual harassment.

- 1997 - A Delta 2 carrying a GPS2R satellite explodes 13 seconds after launch, dropping 250 tons of burning rocket remains around the launch pad.

- 1996 - The Czech Republic applies for membership of the European Union.

- 1995 - The Great Hanshin earthquake: A magnitude 7.3 earthquake hits near Kobe, Japan, causing extensive property damage and killing 6,434 people.

- 1994 - 1994 Northridge Earthquake: A magnitude 6.7 earthquake hits Northridge, California.

- 1991 - Gulf War: Operation Desert Storm begins early in the morning. Iraq fires 8 Scud missiles into Israel in an unsuccessful bid to provoke Israeli retaliation.

- 1991 - Harald V becomes King of Norway on the death of his father, Olav V.

- 1989 - Stockton massacre: Patrick Purdy opens fire with an assault rifle at the Cleveland Elementary School playground, killing five children and wounding 29 others and one teacher before taking his own life.

- 1983 - The tallest department store in the world, Hudson's, flagship store in downtown Detroit closes due to high cost of operating.

- 1982 - "Cold Sunday" in the United States would see temperatures fall to their lowest levels in over 100 years in numerous cities.

- 1977 - Convicted murderer Gary Gilmore is executed by a firing squad in Utah, ending a ten-year moratorium on Capital punishment in the United States.

- 1973 - Ferdinand Marcos becomes "President for Life" of the Philippines.

- 1966 - A B-52 bomber collides with a KC-135 Stratotanker over Spain, dropping three 70-kiloton nuclear bombs near the town of Palomares and another one into the sea in the Palomares incident.

- 1961 - President Dwight D. Eisenhower delivers a televised farewell address to the nation three days before leaving office, in which he warns against the accumulation of power by the "military-industrial complex".

- 1950 - The Great Brinks Robbery – 11 thieves steal more than $2 million from an armored car Company's offices in Boston, Massachusetts.

- 1949 - The Goldbergs, the first sitcom on American television, first airs.

- 1946 - The UN Security Council holds its first session.

- 1945 - Soviet forces capture the almost completely destroyed Polish city of Warsaw.

- 1945 - The Nazis begin the evacuation of the Auschwitz concentration camp as Soviet forces close in.

- 1945 - Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg disappears in Hungary while in Soviet custody.

- 1941 - Kuomintang forces under orders from Chiang Kai-Shek open fire at communist forces, resuming the Chinese Civil War after World War II.

- 1929 - Popeye the Sailor Man, a cartoon character created by Elzie Segar, first appears in the Thimble Theatre comic strip.

- 1917 - The United States pays Denmark $25 million for the Virgin Islands.

- 1913 - Raymond Poincaré is elected President of France.

- 1912 - Sir Robert Falcon Scott reaches the South Pole, one month after Roald Amundsen.

- 1904 - Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard receives its premiere performance at the Moscow Art Theatre.

- 1899 - The United States takes possession of Wake Island in the Pacific Ocean.

- 1893 - The Citizen's Committee of Public Safety, led by Lorrin A. Thurston, overthrows the government of Queen Liliuokalani of the Kingdom of Hawaii.

- 1885 - A British force defeats a large Dervish army at the Battle of Abu Klea in the Sudan.

- 1873 - A group of Modoc warriors defeat the United States Army in the First Battle of the Stronghold, a part of the Modoc War.

- 1852 - The United Kingdom recognizes the independence of the Boer colonies of the Transvaal.

- 1799 - Maltese patriot Dun Mikiel Xerri, along with a number of other patriots, is executed.

- 1781 - American Revolutionary War: Battle of Cowpens – Continental troops under Brigadier General Daniel Morgan defeat British forces under Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton at the battle in South Carolina.

- 1773 - Captain James Cook and his crew become the first Europeans to sail below the Antarctic Circle.

- 1648 - England's Long Parliament passes the Vote of No Addresses, breaking off negotiations with King Charles I and thereby setting the scene for the second phase of the English Civil War.

- 1608 - Emperor Susenyos of Ethiopia surprises an Oromo army at Ebenat; his army reportedly kills 12,000 Oromo at the cost of 400 men.

- 1605 - First publication of Don Quixote.

- 1595 - Henry IV of France declares war on Spain.

- 1562 - France recognizes the Huguenots under the Edict of Saint-Germain.

- 1524 - Beginning of Giovanni da Verrazzano's voyage to find a passage to China.

- 1377 - Pope Gregory XI moves the Papacy back to Rome from Avignon.

- 1287 - King Alfonso III of Aragon invades Minorca.

- -38 - Octavian marries Livia Drusilla.


January 17th
- 1989 - Hollie-Jay Bowes, English actress

- 1986 - Hale Appleman, American actor

- 1985 - Simone Simons, Dutch singer (Epica)

- 1985 - Riyu Kosaka, Japanese singer BeForU

- 1985 - Kang-In, South Korean singer, dancer, actor, MC, and DJ (Super Junior)

- 1984 - Calvin Harris, Scottish music producer and vocalist

- 1984 - Sophie Dee, Welsh pornographic actress

- 1983 - Álvaro Arbeloa, Spanish footballer

- 1983 - Johannes Herber, German basketball player

- 1983 - Andrea Lowell, American model

- 1983 - Rick Kelly, Australian racing driver

- 1982 - Dwyane Wade, American basketball player

- 1982 - Amanda Wilkinson, Canadian singer

- 1982 - Fany Hwang, Korean singer and actor

- 1981 - Warren Feeney, Northern Irish footballer

- 1981 - Scott Mechlowicz, American actor

- 1981 - Ray J, American R&B singer

- 1980 - Zooey Deschanel, American actress

- 1980 - Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Ukrainian ballroom dancer

- 1980 - Kimberly Spicer, American model

- 1980 - Gareth McLearnon, Northern Irish flautist

- 1979 - Oleg Lisogor, Ukranian swimmer

- 1978 - Pater Sparrow, Hungarian director/production designer

- 1977 - Kevin Fertig, American professional wrestler

- 1977 - Leigh Whannell, Australian screenwriter/actor

- 1975 - Tom Jenkinson, English musician (Squarepusher)

- 1975 - Freddy Rodriguez, Puerto Rican-American actor

- 1975 - Rami Yacoub, Swedish songwriter/producer

- 1974 - Danny Bhoy, Scottish comedian

- 1974 - Yang Chen, Chinese footballer

- 1974 - Marco Antonio Barrera, Mexican boxer

- 1974 - Derrick Mason, American football player

- 1974 - Vesko Kountchev, Bulgarian musician

- 1973 - Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Mexican footballer

- 1973 - Liz Ellis, Australian netball captain

- 1973 - Aaron Ward, Canadian ice hockey player

- 1972 - Ken Hirai, Japanese singer and songwriter

- 1972 - Benno Fürmann, German actor

- 1971 - Kid Rock, American singer

- 1971 - Richard Burns, English rally driver (d. 2005)

- 1971 - Youki Kudoh, Japanese actress

- 1971 - Sylvie Testud, French actress

- 1971 - Paolo Vaccari, Italian rugby player

- 1971 - Ann Wolfe, female boxer

- 1970 - Genndy Tartakovsky, Russian-born animator

- 1970 - James Wattana, Thai snooker player

- 1970 - Jeremy Roenick, American ice hockey player

- 1969 - Lukas Moodysson, Swedish film writer and director

- 1969 - Naveen Andrews, British actor

- 1969 - Tijs Verwest, (DJ Tiësto) Dutch DJ

- 1968 - Craig Strong, American actor & voice actor

- 1968 - Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer, Dutch writer

- 1968 - Svetlana Masterkova, Russian athlete

- 1967 - Richard Hawley, English singer, guitarist, and songwriter (Pulp, The Longpigs)

- 1967 - Filippo Raciti, Italian police officer (d. 2007)

- 1967 - Song Kang-ho, South Korean actor

- 1966 - Stephin Merritt, American singer and songwriter (The Magnetic Fields, The 6ths, The Gothic Archies)

- 1966 - Joshua Malina, American actor

- 1966 - Shabba Ranks, Jamaican singer

- 1965 - Sylvain Turgeon, Canadian ice hockey player

- 1965 - Nikos Nioplias, Greek footballer

- 1964 - Andy Rourke, English bass guitarist (The Smiths)

- 1964 - Michelle Obama, First Lady of the United States

- 1963 - Kai Hansen, German singer and guitarist (Gamma Ray)

- 1962 - Jim Carrey, Canadian actor and comedian

- 1962 - Sebastian Junger, American journalist and author

- 1961 - Brian Helgeland, American writer and film director

- 1961 - Maia Chiburdanidze, Russian women's Chess grandmaster

- 1960 - John Crawford, American musician

- 1960 - Chili Davis, Jamaican-born American baseball player

- 1960 - Chatchai Plengpanich, Thai actor

- 1959 - Susanna Hoffs, American musician

- 1959 - Momoe Yamaguchi, Japanese singer and actress

- 1958 - Valdas Kasparavi?ius, Lithuanian footballer

- 1957 - Keith Chegwin, English television presenter

- 1957 - Steve Harvey, American actor, comedian and radio personality

- 1957 - Ann Nocenti, American comic book writer

- 1957 - Michel Vaarten, Belgian cyclist

- 1956 - Paul Young, English musician

- 1955 - Steve Earle, American musician

- 1955 - Steve Javie, American professional basketball referee

- 1954 - Susan Kiefel, Australian lawyer and judge

- 1954 - Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., American lawyer and environmental activist, son of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy

- 1953 - Carlos Johnson, American blues musician

- 1953 - Jeff Berlin, American musician

- 1952 - Darrell Porter, American baseball player (d. 2002)

- 1952 - Larry Fortensky, American former husband of Elizabeth Taylor

- 1952 - Ryuichi Sakamoto, Japanese musician

- 1950 - Luis López Nieves, Latin American writer

- 1949 - Mick Taylor, British musician (The Rolling Stones)

- 1949 - Andy Kaufman, American comedian (d. 1984)

- 1948 - Davíð Oddsson, former Prime Minister of Iceland

- 1948 - Jim Ladd, American freeform (radio format) Disc Jockey

- 1948 - Anne Queffélec, French pianist

- 1946 - Michèle Deslauriers, Quebec actress

- 1945 - Javed Akhtar, Indian lyricist, poet and scriptwriter

- 1944 - Françoise Hardy, French singer

- 1943 - René Préval, President of Haiti

- 1943 - Geoffrey Deuel, American actor

- 1943 - Chris Montez, American singer

- 1942 - Muhammad Ali, American boxer

- 1942 - Ita Buttrose, Australian journalist and businesswoman

- 1942 - Ulf Hoelscher, German violinist

- 1942 - Nancy Parsons, American actress (d. 2001)

- 1941 - Dame Gillian Weir, New Zealand organist

- 1940 - Kipchoge Keino, Kenyan runner

- 1940 - Tabare Vazquez, President of Uruguay

- 1939 - Maury Povich, American talk show host

- 1937 - Alain Badiou, French philosopher

- 1935 - Ruth Ann Minner, Governor of Delaware

- 1933 - Dalida, French singer (d. 1987)

- 1933 - Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, French-born Pakistani diplomat (UN High Commissioner for Refugees) (d. 2003)

- 1933 - Shari Lewis, American ventriloquist (d. 1998)

- 1932 - Sheree North, American actress (d. 2005)

- 1931 - James Earl Jones, American actor

- 1931 - L. Douglas Wilder, American 66th Governor of Virginia

- 1931 - Don Zimmer, American baseball coach

- 1930 - Eddie LeBaron, American football player

- 1929 - Jacques Plante, Canadian ice hockey player (d. 1986)

- 1928 - Jean Barraqué, French composer (d. 1973)

- 1928 - Vidal Sassoon, English cosmetologist

- 1927 - Tom Dooley, American humanitarian (d. 1961)

- 1927 - Norman Kaye, Australian actor and musician (d. 2007)

- 1927 - E.W. Swackhamer, American television & film director (d. 1994)

- 1927 - Eartha Kitt, American actress and singer (d. 2008)

- 1926 - Newton N. Minow, American lawyer and statesman

- 1926 - Moira Shearer, Scottish actress (d. 2006)

- 1925 - Robert Cormier, American author, columnist and reporter (d. 2000)

- 1925 - Abdul Kardar, Pakistani cricketer (d. 1996)

- 1925 - Edgar Ray Killen, American convict, former preacher and K.K.K. member

- 1925 - Patricia Owens, Canadian actress (d. 2000)

- 1923 - Carol Raye, Australian actress

- 1922 - Luis Echeverría Álvarez, Mexican President of Mexico

- 1922 - Nicholas Katzenbach, American politician

- 1922 - Betty White, American actress

- 1921 - Antonio Prohías, Cuban cartoonist (d. 1998)

- 1918 - Keith Joseph, British politician (d. 1994)

- 1918 - George M. Leader, American politician

- 1917 - M. G. Ramachandran, Indian politician, actor (d. 1987)

- 1917 - Ramón Cardemil, Chilean huaso (d. 2007)

- 1916 - Peter Frelinghuysen, American politician

- 1914 - Irving Brecher, American Screenwriter (d. 2008)

- 1914 - William Stafford, American poet and essayist (d. 1993)

- 1914 - Anacleto Angelini, Chilean businessman (d. 2007)

- 1911 - George Joseph Stigler, American economist, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1991)

- 1908 - Cus D'Amato, American boxing manager (d. 1985)

- 1907 - Henk Badings, Dutch composer (d. 1987)

- 1905 - Guillermo Stábile, Argentine footballer (d. 1966)

- 1905 - Jan Zahradní?ek, Czech poet (d. 1960)

- 1905 - Peggy Gilbert, American jazz saxophonist and bandleader (d. 2007)

- 1905 - Ray Cunningham, American baseball player (d. 2005)

- 1903 - Jyoti Prasad Agarwala, Assamese poet, playwright, film maker (d. 1953)

- 1903 - Warren Hull, American actor (d. 1974)

- 1901 - Aron Gurwitsch, Lithuanian-born philosopher (d. 1973)

- 1899 - Al Capone, American gangster (d. 1947)

- 1899 - Nevil Shute, English author (d. 1960)

- 1897 - Marcel Petiot, French mass murderer (d. 1946)

- 1887 - Ola Raknes, Norwegian psychoanalyst and philologist (d. 1975)

- 1886 - Ronald Firbank, British novelist (d. 1926)

- 1886 - Glenn L. Martin, American aviation pioneer (d. 1955)

- 1883 - Sir Compton Mackenzie, Scottish novelist (d. 1972)

- 1882 - Noah Beery, Sr., American actor (d. 1946)

- 1881 - Antoni ?omnicki, Polish mathematician (d. 1941)

- 1881 - Harry Price, English psychic researcher and writer (d. 1948)

- 1880 - Mack Sennett, Canadian film director (d. 1960)

- 1877 - May Gibbs, Australian children's author (d. 1969)

- 1876 - Frank Hague, American politician (d. 1956)

- 1875 - Florencio Sánchez, Uruguayan dramatist (d. 1910)

- 1871 - David Earl Beatty British admiral (d. 1936)

- 1871 - Nicolae Iorga, Romanian writer (d. 1940)

- 1867 - Carl Laemmle, German-born film executive (d. 1939)

- 1865 - Charles Fergusson, Governor-General of New Zealand (d. 1951)

- 1863 - David Lloyd George, British Prime Minister (d. 1945)

- 1863 - Constantin Stanislavski, Russian theatre practitioner (d. 1938)

- 1860 - Douglas Hyde, Irish President of Ireland (d. 1949)

- 1858 - Tomás Carrasquilla, Colombian writer (d. 1940)

- 1857 - Eugene Augustin Lauste, French inventor (d. 1935)

- 1857 - Wilhelm Kienzl, Austrian composer (d. 1941)

- 1853 - Alva Belmont, American socialite (d. 1933)

- 1851 - A. B. Frost, American illustrator (d. 1928)

- 1850 - Aleksandr Taneyev, Russian composer (d. 1918)

- 1834 - August Weismann, German biologist (d. 1914)

- 1832 - Henry Martyn Baird, American educationalist (d. 1906)

- 1831 - Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska of Austria (d. 1903)

- 1828 - Eduard Remenyi, Hungarian violinist (d. 1898)

- 1828 - Lewis A. Grant, American Civil War general (d. 1918)

- 1820 - Anne Brontë, British author (d. 1849)

- 1814 - Mrs. Henry Wood, English novelist (d. 1887)

- 1798 - Auguste Comte, French sociologist (d. 1857)

- 1789 - August Neander, German theologian (d. 1850)

- 1761 - James Hall, Scottish geologist (d. 1832)

- 1734 - François-Joseph Gossec, Belgian composer (d. 1829)

- 1732 - King Stanislaw II August Poniatowski of Poland (d. 1798)

- 1719 - William Vernon, American merchant (d. 1806)

- 1712 - John Stanley, English composer (d. 1786)

- 1706 - Benjamin Franklin, American statesman and inventor (d. 1790)

- 1686 - Archibald Bower, Scottish historian (d. 1766)

- 1666 - Antonio Maria Valsalva, Italian anatomist (d. 1723)

- 1612 - Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron, English Civil War general (d. 1671)

- 1600 - Pedro Calderon de la Barca, Spanish playwright (d. 1681)

- 1560 - Gaspard Bauhin, Swiss botanist (d. 1624)

- 1504 - Pope Pius V (d. 1572)

- 1501 - Leonhart Fuchs, German physician and botanist (d. 1566)

- 1484 - George Spalatin, German reformer (d. 1545)

- 1463 - Friedrich III, Elector of Saxony (d. 1525)

