On This Day — December 17

Humphry Davy

1778 – 1829

Jan Evangelista Purkyně

1787 – 1869

Mary Cartwright

1900 – 1998

Adam Jarubas

b. 1974

Alain Prochiantz

b. 1948

Brian Fitzpatrick

b. 1973

Bruno Racine

b. 1951

Dale Folwell

b. 1958

Dmitry Borisovich Kabalevsky

1904 – 1986

Emma Terho

b. 1981

Ernest Lavisse

1842 – 1922

Félix Bolaños

b. 1975

Henri Padé

1863 – 1953

Hu Shih

1891 – 1962

Igor Girkin

b. 1970

Jacek Cichocki

b. 1971

Jacqueline Wilson

b. 1945

Jaime Lerner

1937 – 2021

John Kerr

1824 – 1907

Joseph Henry

1797 – 1878

Joseph Verner Reed, Jr.

1937 – 2016

Josiane Serre

1922 – 2004

Jules-Auguste Béclard

1817 – 1887

Kenneth E. Iverson

1920 – 2004

Kenneth Frazier

b. 1954

Klaus Kinkel

1936 – 2019

Mykola Azarov

b. 1947

Oksana Fedorova

b. 1977

Robert A. Dahl

1915 – 2014

Roland de Vaux

1903 – 1971

Sophus Lie

1842 – 1899

Tomáš Špidlík

1919 – 2010

Willard Libby

1908 – 1980

William Lyon Mackenzie King

1874 – 1950

Wim Schermerhorn

1894 – 1977

Afrânio Peixoto

1876 – 1947

Alexander Emanuel Agassiz

1835 – 1910

Alexander Wassilko von Serecki

1827 – 1893

Alfred North

1900 – 1981

Alicia Lourteig

1913 – 2003

Alla Zahaikevych

b. 1966

Amos Nourse

1794 – 1877

Ana Olivera

b. 1953

Anders Björner

b. 1947

Andrew Dalgleish

b. 1975

Andrew M. Bruckner

b. 1932

André Jean René Lacrampe

1941 – 2015

Arthur E. Kennelly

1861 – 1939

Azuma Konno

1947 – 2013

Bernard Lonergan

1904 – 1984

Bessora

b. 1968

Bima Arya Sugiarto

b. 1972

Carlo Maria Croce

b. 1944

Chad "Corntassel" Smith

b. 1950

Charles L. Weltner

1927 – 1992

Chelsea Manning

b. 1987

Christian Piquemal

b. 1940

Christine A. Varney

b. 1955

Christoph Süß

b. 1967

Christophe Hondelatte

b. 1962

Christopher A. Wray

b. 1966

Chuba Wilberforce Okadigbo

1941 – 2003

Claudia Kemfert

b. 1968

Count Christoffer Parsberg

1632 – 1671

Craig Kielburger

b. 1982

Danielle K. Citron

b. 1968

Dariusz Piontkowski

b. 1964

David Kherdian

b. 1931

Dick Swaab

b. 1944

Donald Payne Jr.

1958 – 2024

Edvard Magnus Rodhe

1878 – 1954

Elaheh Koulaei

b. 1956

Elsi Katainen

b. 1966

Elżbieta Witek

b. 1957

Emily Jane Fox

b. 1988

Erwin Piscator

1893 – 1966

Es'kia Mphahlele

1919 – 2008

Ettore Tito

1859 – 1941

Francesc Xavier Hernàndez Cardona

b. 1954

Francisco Serrano, 1st Duke of la Torre

1810 – 1885

Frank Plumley

1844 – 1924

François Gény

1861 – 1959

Frederick Tom Brooks

1882 – 1952

Fritz Stein

1879 – 1961

Galen D. Stucky

b. 1936

George Edward Post

1838 – 1909

George Shevelov

1908 – 2002

Giovanni Mercati

1866 – 1957

Grigorije (Durić)

b. 1967

Gyula Márfi

b. 1943

Heinrich Scholz

1884 – 1956

Heinrich von Wild

1833 – 1902

Henri Gadeau de Kerville

1858 – 1940

Henry Harrison

1867 – 1954

Herzi Halevi

b. 1967

Huseingulu Bagirov

b. 1955

Igor Corman

b. 1969

Ioan A. Bassarabescu

1870 – 1952

Iosif Kheifits

1905 – 1995

Irving Petlin

1934 – 2018

István Kapitány

b. 1961

Italo José Dejter

b. 1939

James L. McGaugh

b. 1931

Jaroslav Pelikan

1923 – 2006

Jaroslav Satoranský

b. 1939

Jean-Baptiste Girard

1765 – 1850

Jeremy Commons

b. 1933

John I. Jenkins

b. 1953

John Kennedy Toole

1937 – 1969

John M. Quinn

b. 1945

Josep Comas i Solà

1868 – 1937

Juan de Dios Román

1942 – 2020

Jüri Talvet

b. 1945

Karekin I

1867 – 1952

Karol Bohdanowicz

1864 – 1947

Katina Paxinou

1900 – 1973

Kazys Grinius

1866 – 1950

Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu

b. 1948

Kenneth Onwuka Dike

1917 – 1983

Khanyi Dhlomo

b. 1974

Kriangsak Chamanan

1917 – 2003

Kristiina Ojuland

b. 1966

Lado Gurgenidze

b. 1970

Lazar Minor

1855 – 1942

Leonid Bronevoy

1928 – 2017

Lisa Herzog

b. 1983

Lord George Hamilton

1845 – 1927

Lucijan Marija Škerjanc

1900 – 1973

Luigi Lugiato

b. 1944

Léo Bureau-Blouin

b. 1991

Manny Pacquiao

b. 1978

Marie Arena

b. 1966

Mark Gooding

b. 1974

Mark Lythgoe

b. 1962

Mary Kenneth Keller

1913 – 1985

Matthew Canavan

b. 1980

Max von Hausen

1846 – 1922

Michel-Joseph Maunoury

1847 – 1923

Michele Tafoya

b. 1964

Mieczysław Gębarowicz

1893 – 1984

Mohammad Hidayatullah

1905 – 1992

Muhammadu Buhari

1942 – 2025

Nancy-Ann DeParle

b. 1956

Nelson Horatio Darton

1865 – 1948

Nikolay Kolesov

b. 1956

Nikolay Strazhesko

1876 – 1952

Ophélie Meunier

b. 1987

Otto Schott

1851 – 1935

Patrick Ollier

b. 1944

Paval Utslyupin

b. 1976

Peter F. Neronha

b. 1963

Philip Kan Gotanda

b. 1951

Philippe Saurel

b. 1957

Phillip Aspinall

b. 1959

Pierre-Paul Émile Roux

1853 – 1933

Pope Francis

1936 – 2025

R. A. F. Penrose Jr.

1863 – 1931

Rania Antonopoulos

b. 1960

Raymond Dingledine

b. 1948

Robert Behrend

1856 – 1926

Rostislav Khugayev

b. 1951

Sherrilyn Ifill

b. 1962

Sofia Fölster

b. 1991

Theodor Steltzer

1885 – 1967

Thomas Chandler Haliburton

1796 – 1865

Thomas Schmidheiny

b. 1945

Tom Stanton

b. 1960

Toshio Yamauchi

b. 1946

Vasily Popov

1745 – 1822

Volodymyr Areshonkov

b. 1957

Vyacheslav Ganelin

b. 1944

William Allen Miller

1817 – 1870

William McChesney Martin

1906 – 1998

Yochai Ben-Nun

1924 – 1994

Yoriyasu Arima

1884 – 1957

Yuko Arimori

b. 1966

Zakhar Bron

b. 1947

Émile Faguet

1847 – 1916

Abdelkarim Harouni

b. 1960

Abraham Lesieur Desaulniers

1822 – 1883

Abubakar Sani Bello

b. 1967

Abubakar Shehu-Abubakar

b. 1977

Adolfo Canepa

b. 1940

Agum Gumelar

b. 1945

Ahmad Riza Patria

b. 1969

Alastair Norris

b. 1950

Albert King

b. 1959

Albert Taylor Goodwyn

1842 – 1931

Albin Gutman

b. 1947

Alexander Alexeyevich Svechin

1826 – 1896

Alexander Beliavsky

b. 1953

Alexander Neumeister

b. 1941

Alexander Samoylovich

1880 – 1938

Alfréd Radok

1914 – 1976

Allan V. Cox

1926 – 1987

Amerigo Petrucci

1922 – 1983

Ammar Bouhouche

b. 1938

Andreas Schaerer

b. 1976

Andrew Simpson

1976 – 2013

Andrzej Zaorski

1942 – 2021

Johannes Nicolaus Brønsted

1879 – 1947

Jürgen Moser

1928 – 1999

Aleksei Pogorelov

1919 – 2002

Bernardus Johannes Alfrink

1900 – 1987

Charles Greeley Abbot

1872 – 1973

Charles Virolleaud

1879 – 1968

Donald Kingdon

1883 – 1961

Dorothy B. Porter

1905 – 1995

Frank Aydelotte

1880 – 1956

Friedrich Gottlieb Welcker

1784 – 1868

Hermann Wilhelm Vogel

1834 – 1898

Ichiki Kitokurō

1867 – 1944

Janet Rowley

1925 – 2013

John Anton Blatnik

1911 – 1991

John Rhys

1840 – 1915

John Trevor Stuart

1929 – 2023

Lincoln Moses

1921 – 2006

Mary Verghese

1925 – 1986

María Jesús San Segundo

1958 – 2010

Maurice Duverger

1917 – 2014

Osamu Hayaishi

1920 – 2015

Paul Arène

1843 – 1896

Reginald Victor Jones

1911 – 1997

Robert Richard Anstice

1813 – 1853

Sir Farquhar Buzzard, 1st Baronet

1871 – 1945

Spiru Haret

1851 – 1912

William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin

1824 – 1907

Alexander Meiklejohn

1872 – 1964

Alexey Gorgidze

1907 – 1992

Amleto Giovanni Cicognani

1883 – 1973

Anthony Salvin

1799 – 1881

Antonio Carlo Napoleone Gallenga

1810 – 1895

Arno J. Mayer

1926 – 2023

Artur da Costa e Silva

1899 – 1969

Beatriz Sarlo

1942 – 2024

Benjamin A. Gilman

1922 – 2016

Benny Napoleon

1955 – 2020

Charles F. Scott

1864 – 1944

Charles Lyon-Caen

1843 – 1935

Christian Colbjørnsen

1749 – 1814

Christian Grobet

1941 – 2023

Clemens von Delbrück

1856 – 1921

Cora Brown

1914 – 1972

Daniel Inouye

1924 – 2012

Dimitrie Călugăreanu

1868 – 1937

Dorothy L. Sayers

1893 – 1957

Dorothy McKibbin

1897 – 1985

Edward Robbins

1758 – 1837

Elizabeth Garrett Anderson

1836 – 1917

Ernest Woodford Birch

1857 – 1929

Ernst Johann von Biron

1690 – 1772

Florence Hedges

1878 – 1956

Fred Chaney, Sr.

1914 – 2001

Friedrich August von Staegemann

1763 – 1840

George N. Craig

1909 – 1992

Gheorghe Vlădescu-Răcoasa

1895 – 1989

Gregory VIII

1100 – 1187

Grigor Artsruni

1845 – 1892

Gustav Heinrich Tammann

1861 – 1938

Günther Anders

1902 – 1992

Hanna Walz

1918 – 1997

Hans Hunziker

1878 – 1941

Hastings Ismay, 1st Baron Ismay

1887 – 1965

Haïm Vidal Séphiha

1923 – 2019

Henri Schneider

1840 – 1898

Isaac Israel Hayes

1832 – 1881

Ivan Ivanov

1862 – 1939

Ivan Vekić

1938 – 2014

Johan E. Mellbye

1866 – 1954

Johan Erik Rydqvist

1800 – 1877

Josef Frings

1887 – 1978

José Luis Abellán García-González

1933 – 2023

José Pablo Feinmann

1943 – 2021

Jurjen Ferdinand Koksma

1904 – 1964

Kevin Mahogany

1958 – 2017

Kim Jong-il

1941 – 2011

Kuntoro Mangkusubroto

1947 – 2023

Lawrence Alexander Hardie

1933 – 2013

Leopold, Count von Thun und Hohenstein

1811 – 1888

Leslie Probyn

1862 – 1938

Liu Dalin

1932 – 2022

Lorraine Monk

1922 – 2020

Luigi Premazzi

1814 – 1891

Luis Félix López

1932 – 2008

Manuel Gomes da Costa

1863 – 1929

Marguerite Yourcenar

1903 – 1987

Mehmet Shehu

1913 – 1981

Meletius Smotrytsky

1577 – 1633

Mikhail Kapustin

1847 – 1919

Olav Bergersen

1880 – 1973

Oliver Ernest Goonetilleke

1892 – 1978

Otar Iosseliani

1934 – 2023

Palladiusz

1827 – 1898

Patrick T. Caffery

1932 – 2013

Pierre Louis Roederer

1754 – 1835

Rikizō Hirano

1898 – 1981

S. Stanhope Orris

1838 – 1905

Sergey Sheremetev

1844 – 1918

Spencer MacCallum

1931 – 2020

Thomas Grenville

1755 – 1846

Thomas Neale

1641 – 1699

Victor Francis Hess

1883 – 1964

Vladimir Gajdarov

1893 – 1976

Wendell H. Furry

1907 – 1984

A. G. Leonard

1865 – 1932

Abdelwahab Bouhdiba

1932 – 2020

Abebe Aregai

1903 – 1960

Adolfo Díaz-Ambrona Moreno

1908 – 1971

Adriaan Jozef Heymans

1839 – 1921

Albert Wedemeyer

1897 – 1989

Aleksandr Kastalsky

1856 – 1926

Aleksandr Volodin

1919 – 2001

Allen Liska

1940 – 1998

Alma S. Woolley

1931 – 2005

Amandus Augustus Abendroth

1767 – 1842

Amélie Mummendey

1944 – 2018

Antonio Francesco Sanvitale

1660 – 1714

Antão de Almada, 7.º conde de Avranches

1573 – 1644

Arkady Raikin

1911 – 1987

Arthur Farre

1811 – 1887

Arthur von Rosthorn

1862 – 1945

Arturo Schaerer

1907 – 1979

Auguste Dupont

1827 – 1890

Aytsemnik Urartu

1899 – 1974

Baden Pattinson

1899 – 1978

Baudilio Palma

1880 – 1930

Benjamin F. Koons

1844 – 1903

Bernard Spilsbury

1877 – 1947

Boris Cheranovsky

1896 – 1960

Carl Diem

1882 – 1962

Carl Heinrich 'Bipontinus' Schultz

1805 – 1867

Charles Cyrus Kearns

1869 – 1931

Charles Edwin Wilbour

1833 – 1896

Charles Heber Dickerman

1843 – 1915

Charles Jenkinson, 1st Earl of Liverpool

1727 – 1808

Charles L. Faust

1879 – 1928

Charles Lawrence, 1st Baron Lawrence of Kingsgate

1855 – 1927

Christos Tsigiridis

1877 – 1947

Colin Spedding

1925 – 2012

Conradin Zschokke

1842 – 1918

Courtenay Bennett

1855 – 1937

Da Chen

1962 – 2019

Dan O'Bannon

1946 – 2009

Dana Andrews

1909 – 1992

David Stanley Smith

1877 – 1949

Dieter Grau

1913 – 2014

Donald Brook

1927 – 2018

Duncan Liddel

1561 – 1613

Débria Brown

1936 – 2001

Désirée Clary

1777 – 1860

Edward Rowny

1917 – 2017

Edward William Archibald

1872 – 1945

Edwin Binney

1886 – 1934

Effie Hegermann Lindencrone

1860 – 1945

Eglantyne Jebbs

1876 – 1928

Einar Billing

1871 – 1939

Eleonore of Austria

1653 – 1697

Eligio Esquivel Méndez

1903 – 1964

Eloy Fernández Clemente

1942 – 2022

Elíseo Arango Ramos

1900 – 1977

Eric Defoort

1943 – 2016

Eric Montross

1971 – 2023

Esteban Abada

1896 – 1954

Evangelinos Apostolides Sophokles

1807 – 1883

Felipe Molas López

1901 – 1954

Ferdinand Gonseth

1890 – 1975

Francis Eugene Worley

1908 – 1974

Francis Manners, 6th Earl of Rutland

1578 – 1632

Francis Xavier Krautbauer

1828 – 1885

Franz Dahlem

1892 – 1981

Frederic McLaughlin

1877 – 1944

Frederick Hugh Sherston Roberts

1872 – 1899

Fredrik Meltzer

1779 – 1855

Friedrich Christian I, Elector of Saxony

1722 – 1763

Galt MacDermot

1928 – 2018

Georg Bogislaus Stael von Holstein

1685 – 1763

Georg von Wyß

1816 – 1893

George Gibb

1850 – 1925

George Gillespie

1613 – 1648

George Peek

1873 – 1943

George W. McClusky

1861 – 1912

Gerald Graham

1831 – 1899

Gilbert DiNello

1935 – 1996

Giovanni Fabbroni

1752 – 1822

Giovanni Intra

1968 – 2002

Gotthard Johann von Knorring

1744 – 1825

Grace Banker

1892 – 1960

Grace Cuthbert-Browne

1900 – 1988

Guillermo Cano Isaza

1925 – 1986

Hambardzum Galstyan

1955 – 1994

Hank Luisetti

1916 – 2002

Harry A. Smith

1869 – 1928

Heinz Brücher

1915 – 1991

Helen Blaxland

1907 – 1989

Henry D. McHenry

1826 – 1890

Henry Fitzroy

1807 – 1859

Henry Grainger

1848 – 1923

Henry Ruffner

1790 – 1861

Henry Washington Hilliard

1808 – 1892

Henryk Kuna

1879 – 1945