What happened on October 17 ?

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

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

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

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

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

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

1711 - Jupiter Hammon, American writer

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

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

1817 - Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, a famous Indian Muslim intellectual of the 19th Century (d. 1898)

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

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

1886 - Spring Byington, American actress (died 1971)

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

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

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

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

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

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

1912 - Pope John Paul I (d. 1978)

1914 - Jerry Siegel, American cartoonist, co-creator of Superman (d. 1998)

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

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

1919 - Isaak Markovich Khalatnikov, Russian physicist

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

1921 - Tom Poston, American actor and comedian

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

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

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

1930 - Jimmy Breslin, American writer

1936 - Hiroo Kanamori, Japanese seismologist

1938 - Evel Knievel, American daredevil

1940 - Peter Stringfellow, British nightclub owner

1941 - Earl Thomas Conley, American country music singer

1942 - Gary Puckett, American musician

1946 - Sir Cameron Mackintosh, British stage producer and director

1946 - Adam Michnik, Polish activist

1946 - Bob Seagren, American athlete and actor

1947 - Gene Green, American politician

1947 - Michael McKean, American actor and comedian

1948 - Margot Kidder, Canadian actress

1948 - George Wendt, American actor

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

1956 - Mae Jemison, astronaut

1957 - Steve McMichael, American football player and professional wrestler

1958 - Alan Jackson, American singer and songwriter

1959 - Ron Drummond, American writer, editor, and independent scholar

1962 - Mike Judge, Ecuadoran-born cartoonist and writer

1963 - Norm MacDonald, Canadian comedian and actor

1965 - Aravinda de Silva, Sri Lankan cricketer

1966 - Mark Gatiss, English actor

1968 - Ziggy Marley, Jamaican musician

1969 - Ernie Els, South African golfer

1970 - Anil Kumble, Indian cricketer

1971 - Chris Kirkpatrick, American singer

1972 - Eminem, American rapper

1972 - Wyclef Jean, Haitian-born singer

1974 - John Rocker, baseball player

1977 - Nicole Cabell, American soprano

1979 - Kimi Räikkönen, Finnish race car driver