What happened on February 17 ?

197 - Clodius Albinus, Roman usurper (killed in battle)

364 - Jovian, Roman Emperor

1339 - Duke Otto of Austria (b. 1301)

1371 - Ivan Alexander of Bulgaria.

1596 - Friedrich Sylburg, German classical scholar (b. 1536)

1600 - Giordano Bruno, Italian philosopher (burned at the stake) (b. 1548)

1609 - Ferdinando I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany (b. 1549)

1624 - Juan de Mariana, Spanish historian (b. 1536)

1659 - Abel Servien, French diplomat (b. 1593)

1673 - Molière, French playwright (b. 1622)

1680 - Denzil Holles, 1st Baron Holles, English statesman and writer (b. 1599)

1680 - Jan Swammerdam, Dutch scientist (b. 1637)

1715 - Antoine Galland, French archaeologist (b. 1646)

1732 - Louis Marchand, French organist and harpsichordist (b. 1669)

1768 - Arthur Onslow, English politician (b. 1691)

1780 - Andreas Felix von Oefele, German historian and librarian (b. 1706)

1841 - Ferdinando Carulli, Italian guitarist

1854 - John Martin, English painter (b. 1789)

1856 - Heinrich Heine, German writer (b. 1797)

1883 - Napoleon Coste, French guitarist and composer (b. 1806)

1883 - Vasudeo Balwant Phadke, Indian revolutionary (b. 1845)

1909 - Geronimo, Apache leader (b. 1829)

1919 - Wilfrid Laurier, seventh Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1841)

1934 - King Albert I of Belgium (b. 1875)

1934 - Siegbert Tarrasch, German chess player (b. 1862)

1939 - Willy Hess, German violinist (b. 1859)

1943 - Armand J. Piron, American jazz violinist and composer (b. 1888)

1943 - Konstantin Bogaevsky, Russian painter (b. 1872)

1961 - Nita Naldi, American actress (b. 1897)

1962 - Bruno Walter, German conductor (b. 1876)

1970 - Shmuel Yosef Agnon, Israeli writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1888)

1970 - Alfred Newman, American film composer (b. 1901)

1977 - Janani Luwum, Ugandan Archbishop (shot) (b. 1922)

1982 - Thelonious Monk, American jazz pianist (b. 1917)

1982 - Lee Strasberg, Austrian-born actor (b. 1901)

1990 - Erik Rhodes, American actor (b. 1906)

1994 - Randy Shilts, American author and activist (AIDS) (b. 1951)

1998 - Ernst Jünger, German author (b. 1895)

2001 - Khalid Abdul Muhammed, American Nation of Islam spokesman (brain aneurysm) (b. 1948)

2004 - José López Portillo, President of Mexico (b. 1920)

2005 - Dan O'Herlihy, Irish actor (b. 1919)

2005 - Omar Sivori, Argentine football player (b. 1935)

2006 - Ray Barretto, Puerto Rican musician (congas) (b. 1929)