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.

October 17th
- Christian Feast Day:

- Dessalines Day (Haiti)

- International Day for the Eradication of Poverty (International)

- Loyalty Day (Argentina)

- National Edge Day (Straight edge movement)


October 17th
- 2003 - The pinnacle is fitted on the roof of Taipei 101, a 101-floor skyscraper in Taipei, allowing it to surpass the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur by 56 metres (184 ft) and become the World's tallest highrise.

- 2000 - Train crash at Hatfield, north of London, leading to collapse of Railtrack.

- 1998 - At Jesse, in the Niger Delta, Nigeria, a petroleum pipeline explodes killing about 1200 villagers, some of whom are scavenging gasoline.

- 1989 - 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake (7.1 on the Richter scale) hits the San Francisco Bay Area and causes 57 deaths directly (and 6 indirectly).

- 1980 - As part of the Holy See – United Kingdom relations a British monarch makes the first state visit to the Vatican

- 1979 - Mother Teresa awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

- 1979 - The Department of Education Organization Act is signed into law creating the US Department of Education and US Department of Health and Human Services.

- 1977 - German Autumn: Four days after it is hijacked, Lufthansa Flight 181 lands in Mogadishu, Somalia, where a team of German GSG 9 commandos later rescues all remaining hostages on board.

- 1973 - OPEC starts an oil embargo against a number of western countries, considered to have helped Israel in its war against Syria.

- 1970 - Montreal, Quebec: Quebec Vice-Premier and Minister of Labour Pierre Laporte murdered by members of the FLQ terrorist group.

- 1968 - Black American athletes make a silent protest against racism at the Olympics

- 1966 - A fire at a building in New York, New York kills 12 firefighters, the New York City Fire Department's deadliest day until the September 11, 2001 attacks.

- 1966 - Botswana and Lesotho join the United Nations.

- 1965 - The 1964-1965 New York World's Fair closes after a two year run. More than 51 million people had attended the two-year event.

- 1964 - Prime Minister of Australia Robert Menzies opens the artificial Lake Burley Griffin in the middle of the capital Canberra.

- 1961 - Scores of Algerian protesters (some claim up to 400) are massacred by the Paris police at the instigation of Nazi collaborator Maurice Papon, then chief of the Prefecture of Police.

- 1956 - The first commercial nuclear power station is officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in Sellafield,in Cumbria, England.

- 1945 - A massive number of people, headed by CGT and Evita, gather in the Plaza de Mayo in Argentina to demand Juan Peron's release.

- 1943 - Burma Railway (Burma-Thailand Railway) is completed.

- 1941 - For the first time in World War II, a German submarine attacks an American ship.

- 1941 - German troops execute the male population of the villages Kerdyllia in Serres, Greece.

- 1933 - Albert Einstein, fleeing Nazi Germany, moves to the U.S..

- 1931 - Al Capone convicted of income tax evasion.

- 1917 - First British bombing of Germany in World War I.

- 1912 - Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia declare war on the Ottoman Empire, joining Montenegro in the First Balkan War.

- 1907 - Guglielmo Marconi's company begins the first commercial transatlantic wireless service between Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada and Clifden, Ireland.

- 1888 - Thomas Edison files a patent for the Optical Phonograph (the first movie).

- 1860 - First The Open Championship (referred to in North America as the British Open).

- 1814 - London Beer Flood occurs in London, killing nine.

- 1806 - Former leader of the Haitian Revolution, Emperor Jacques I of Haiti is assassinated after an oppressive rule.

- 1800 - Britain takes control of the Dutch colony of Curaçao.

- 1797 - Treaty of Campo Formio is signed between France and Austria

- 1781 - General Charles Cornwallis offers his surrender to the American revolutionists at Yorktown, Virginia.

- 1777 - American troops defeat the British in the Battle of Saratoga.

- 1771 - Premiere in Milan of the opera Ascanio in Alba, composed by Wolfgang Mozart, age 15.

- 1662 - Charles II of England sells Dunkirk to France for 40,000 pounds.

- 1660 - Nine Regicides, the men who signed the death warrant of Charles I, are hanged, drawn and quartered.

- 1610 - French king Louis XIII is crowned in Rheims.

- 1604 - Kepler's Star: German astronomer Johannes Kepler observes a supernova in the constellation Ophiuchus.

- 1456 - The University of Greifswald is established, making it the second oldest university in northern Europe (also for a period the oldest in Sweden, and Prussia)

- 1448 - Second Battle of Kosovo, where the mainly Hungarian army led by John Hunyadi is defeated by an Ottoman army led by Sultan Murad II.

- 1346 - Battle of Neville's Cross: King David II of Scotland is captured by Edward III of England near Durham, and imprisoned in the Tower of London for eleven years.

- 1091 - T8/F4 tornado strikes the heart of London.

- 539 - 539 BC – King Cyrus The Great of Persia marches into the city of Babylon, releasing the Jews from almost 70 years of exile and making the first Human Rights Declaration.


October 17th
- 1992 - Sam Concepcion, Filipino performer and actor

- 1990 - Paolo Campinoti, Italian footballer

- 1987 - Bea Alonzo, Filipina actress

- 1987 - Jaros?aw Fojut, Polish footballer

- 1985 - Baran Kosari, Iranian actress

- 1985 - Carlos González, Venezuelan baseball player

- 1984 - Jelle Klaasen, Dutch darts player

- 1984 - Chris Lowell, American actor

- 1984 - Randall Munroe, American cartoonist

- 1983 - Daniel Booko, American actor

- 1983 - Ivan Saenko, Russian football player

- 1983 - Mitch Talbot, American baseball player

- 1982 - Nick Riewoldt, Australian football player

- 1980 - Yekaterina Gamova, Russian volleyball player

- 1980 - Alessandro Piccolo, Italian racing driver

- 1979 - Marcela Bovio, Mexican singer and violinist (Stream of Passion)

- 1979 - Kimi Räikkönen, Finnish race car driver

- 1979 - Kostas Tsartsaris, Greek basketball player

- 1978 - Erin Karpluk, Canadian television actress

- 1977 - Dudu Aouate, Israeli footballer

- 1977 - Bryan Bertino, American film director and screenwriter

- 1976 - Sebastián Abreu, Uruguayan footballer

- 1975 - Francis Bouillon, American hockey player

- 1974 - Matthew Macfadyen, British actor

- 1974 - Ariel Levy, American feminist writer

- 1974 - Janne Puurtinen, Finnish keyboardist (HIM)

- 1974 - John Rocker, American baseball player

- 1973 - Andrea Tarozzi, Italian footballer

- 1972 - Eminem, American rapper

- 1972 - Tarkan, Turkish singer

- 1972 - Wyclef Jean, Haitian singer

- 1972 - Sharon Leal, American actress

- 1972 - Joe McEwing, American baseball player

- 1971 - Chris Kirkpatrick, American singer ('N Sync)

- 1970 - Anil Kumble, Indian cricketer

- 1970 - John Mabry, American baseball player

- 1970 - Blues Saraceno, American guitarist

- 1969 - Wood Harris, American actor

- 1969 - Ernie Els, South African golfer

- 1969 - Rick Mercer, Canadian comedian

- 1968 - Ziggy Marley, Jamaican musician

- 1967 - René Dif, Danish musician (Aqua)

- 1966 - Danny Ferry, American basketball player

- 1966 - Mark Gatiss, English actor and writer

- 1966 - Tommy Kendall, American race car driver and television personality

- 1965 - Aravinda de Silva, Sri Lankan cricketer

- 1963 - Sergio Goycochea, Argentine footballer

- 1963 - Norm MacDonald, Canadian comedian and actor

- 1962 - Mike Judge, American cartoonist, filmmaker and voice actor

- 1960 - Rob Marshall, American director

- 1960 - Guy Henry, English actor

- 1959 - Ron Drummond, American writer

- 1959 - Mark Peel, Australian historian and academic

- 1959 - Richard Roeper, American film critic

- 1959 - Russell Gilbert, Australian comedian

- 1958 - Alan Jackson, American singer and songwriter

- 1957 - Lawrence Bender, American film producer

- 1957 - Steve McMichael, American football player

- 1956 - Mae Jemison, American astronaut and physician

- 1956 - Patrick McCrory, American politician

- 1955 - Georgios Alogoskoufis, Greek politician

- 1954 - Carlos Buhler, American high altitude mountaineer

- 1951 - Roger Pontare, Swedish singer

- 1950 - Howard Rollins, American actor (d. 1996)

- 1950 - Philippe Barbarin, French cardinal

- 1948 - Margot Kidder, Canadian actress

- 1948 - George Wendt, American actor

- 1948 - Robert Jordan, American novelist (d. 2007)

- 1947 - Gene Green, American politician

- 1947 - Michael McKean, American actor

- 1946 - Sir Cameron Mackintosh, British stage producer

- 1946 - Adam Michnik, Polish activist

- 1946 - Bob Seagren, American athlete

- 1946 - Michael Hossack, American musician (The Doobie Brothers)

- 1946 - Drusilla Modjeska, Australian writer and editor

- 1942 - Steve Jones, American basketball player

- 1942 - Gary Puckett, American musician

- 1941 - Earl Thomas Conley, American singer

- 1941 - Jim Seals American singer (Seals and Crofts)

- 1940 - Peter Stringfellow, British nightclub owner

- 1940 - Jim Smith, English footballer and manager

- 1938 - Evel Knievel, American motorcycle daredevil (d. 2007)

- 1938 - Les Murray, Australian poet

- 1937 - Paxton Whitehead, English actor

- 1936 - Hiroo Kanamori, Japanese seismologist

- 1935 - Sydney Chapman, English politician and architect

- 1934 - Johnny Haynes, English footballer (d. 2005)

- 1933 - Jeanine Deckers, Belgian nun (d. 1985)

- 1933 - Bill Anders, American astronaut

- 1931 - Ernst Hinterberger, Austrian writer

- 1930 - Robert Atkins, American nutritionist (d. 2003)

- 1930 - Jimmy Breslin, American newspaper columnist and author

- 1926 - Julie Adams, American film actress

- 1926 - Beverly Garland, American actress (d. 2008)

- 1925 - Harry Carpenter, English sports commentator (d. 2010)

- 1924 - Don Coryell, American football head coach (d. 2010)

- 1923 - Charles McClendon, American football coach (d. 2001)

- 1923 - Barney Kessel, American musician (d. 2004)

- 1922 - Pierre Juneau, Canadian film and broadcast executive

- 1922 - Luiz Bonfá, Brazilian composer (d. 2001)

- 1921 - Tom Poston, American actor and comedian (d. 2007)

- 1921 - Maria Gorokhovskaya, Soviet gymnast (d. 2001)

- 1920 - Miguel Delibes, Spanish novelist (d. 2010)

- 1920 - Montgomery Clift, American actor (d. 1966)

- 1919 - Isaak Markovich Khalatnikov, Russian physicist

- 1918 - Rita Hayworth, American actress (d. 1987)

- 1918 - Ralph Wilson, American pro football team owner

- 1917 - Sumner Locke Elliott, Australian-born American novelist (d. 1991)

- 1917 - Marsha Hunt, American actress

- 1915 - Arthur Miller, American playwright (d. 2005)

- 1914 - Jerry Siegel, American cartoonist (d. 1996)

- 1912 - Pope John Paul I (d. 1978)

- 1912 - Jack Owens, The Cruising Crooner, American singer/songwriter (d. 1982)

- 1908 - Red Rolfe, American baseball player (d. 1969)

- 1906 - Paul Derringer, American baseball player (d. 1987)

- 1903 - Nathanael West, American writer (d. 1940)

- 1902 - Irene Ryan, American actress (d. 1973)

- 1900 - Jean Arthur, American actress (d. 1991)

- 1898 - Shinichi Suzuki, Japanese violin teacher (d. 1998)

- 1898 - Simon Vestdijk, Dutch writer (d. 1971)

- 1892 - Theodor Eicke, Nazi official (d. 1943)

- 1892 - Herbert Howells, English Composer (d. 1983)

- 1890 - Roy Kilner, English cricketer (d. 1928)

- 1886 - Spring Byington, American actress (d. 1971)

- 1865 - James Rudolph Garfield, American politician (d. 1950)

- 1864 - Elinor Glyn, British writer (d. 1943)

- 1853 - Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna of Russia (d. 1920)

- 1817 - Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, Hindustani intellectual (d. 1898)

- 1814 - Yakiv Holovatsky, Ukrainian writer and professor (d. 1888)

- 1813 - Georg Büchner, German playwright (d. 1837)

- 1811 - Albertus van Raalte, Dutch/American religious leader (d. 1876)

- 1760 - Henri de Saint-Simon, French economist and philosopher (d. 1825)

- 1719 - Jacques Cazotte, French writer (d. 1792)

- 1711 - Jupiter Hammon, American writer (d. 1806)

- 1688 - Domenico Zipoli, Italian composer (d. 1726)

- 1623 - Francis Turretin, Swiss theologian (d. 1687)

- 1582 - Johann Gerhard, German Lutheran leader (d. 1637)

- 1577 - Cristofano Allori, Italian painter (d. 1621)

- 1563 - Jodocus Hondius, Flemish cartographer (d. 1611)

- 1253 - Ivo of Kermartin, Patron saint of lawyers (d. 1303)

