Explore 1917 historical events from 2000–2009.
Nikolay Gennadiyevich Basov was a Soviet physicist and educator. For his fundamental work in the field of quantum electronics that led to the development of laser and maser, Basov …
Nikolay Basov, Russian physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1922)
Louis Jean Rosier Jr., professionally known as Jean-Louis Rosier was the son of Louis Rosier. Together they won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1950, of which all except for 2 laps were…
Jean-Louis Rosier, French race car driver (born 1925)
John Bright Russell was an American country music singer, songwriter, and comedian best known for his song "Act Naturally", which was made famous by Buck Owens, who recorded it in …
Johnny Russell, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1940)
Mordecai Richler was a Canadian writer from Montreal, Quebec. He is best known for his novels set in Montreal's Jewish community; including The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (195…
Mordecai Richler, Canadian author and screenwriter (born 1931)
Fred Neil was an American folk singer-songwriter active in the 1960s and early 1970s. He is mainly known through other people's recordings of his material, particularly "Everybody'…
Fred Neil, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1936)
John Dempsey O'Shea was a New Zealand independent filmmaker; he was a director, producer, writer and actor. He produced the only three feature films that were made in New Zealand …
John O'Shea, New Zealand director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1920)
Hermanus "Herman" Brood was a Dutch musician, painter, actor and poet. As a musician he achieved artistic and commercial success in the 1970s and 1980s, and was called "the greate…
Herman Brood, Dutch musician and painter (born 1946)
Fred Marcellino was an American illustrator and later an author of children's books who was very influential in the book industry. Publisher Nan Talese said that Marcellino could "…
Fred Marcellino, American author and illustrator (born 1939)
Coomarasamy Balasingham was a leading Ceylon Tamil civil servant.
C. Balasingham, Sri Lankan lawyer and civil servant (born 1917)
Terry Ray Gordy Sr. was an American professional wrestler. Gordy appeared in the United States with professional wrestling promotions such as Mid-South Wrestling, Georgia Champions…
Terry Gordy, American professional wrestler (born 1961)
Maurice De Bevere, better known as Morris, was a Belgian comics artist, illustrator, and the creator of Lucky Luke, a best-selling comic series about a gunslinger in the American W…
Morris, Belgian cartoonist (born 1923)
Katharine Meyer Graham was an American newspaper publisher. She led her family's newspaper, The Washington Post, from 1963 to 1991. Graham presided over the paper as it reported on…
Katharine Graham, American publisher (born 1917)
Margarita Mimi Baez Fariña was an American singer-songwriter and activist, the youngest of three daughters of mother Joan Chandos Bridge and Mexican-American physicist Albert Baez.…
Mimi Fariña, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1945)
Indro Alessandro Raffaello Schizogene Montanelli was an Italian journalist, historian, and writer.
Indro Montanelli, Italian journalist and historian (born 1909)
Eudora Alice Welty was an American short-story writer, novelist, and photographer who wrote about the American South. Her novel The Optimist's Daughter won the Pulitzer Prize in 19…
Eudora Welty, American novelist and short story writer (born 1909)
Georges Dor was a Canadian author, composer, playwright, singer, poet, translator, and theatrical producer and director.
Georges Dor, Canadian author, playwright, and composer (born 1931)
Rex Theodore Barber Sr. was a World War II fighter pilot from the United States. He is best known as a member of Operation Vengeance, the top secret mission to intercept the aircra…
Rex T. Barber, American colonel and pilot (born 1917)
Peter von Zahn was a German author, film maker, and journalist.
Peter von Zahn, German journalist and author (born 1913)
Rhonda Ann Sing was a Canadian professional wrestler. After training with Mildred Burke, she wrestled in All Japan Women's Pro-Wrestling under the ring name Monster Ripper. In 1987…
Rhonda Sing, Canadian wrestler (born 1961)
Leon Russell Wilkeson was an American musician. He was the bassist of the southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1972 until his death in 2001.
Leon Wilkeson, American bass player and songwriter (born 1952)
Ahmed Sofa was a Bangladeshi writer, thinker, novelist, poet, philosopher and public intellectual. Sofa is considered by many, including National Professor Abdur Razzaq and Salimul…
Ahmed Sofa, Bangladeshi poet, author, and critic (born 1943)
Edward Gierek was a Polish communist politician who served as the de facto leader of the Polish People's Republic between 1970 and 1980. Gierek replaced Władysław Gomułka as the Fi…
Edward Gierek, Polish soldier and politician (born 1913)
Herwart Holland-Moritz, known as Wau Holland, was a German computer security activist and journalist who in 1981 cofounded the Chaos Computer Club (CCC), one of the world's oldest …
Wau Holland, German computer scientist, co-founded Chaos Computer Club (born 1951)
Anton Schwarzkopf was a German engineer who founded Schwarzkopf Industries GmbH, a German manufacturer of roller coasters and other amusement rides that were sold to amusement park…
Anton Schwarzkopf, German engineer (born 1924)