History of 17 January
- 1982 – William G. Bonin was convicted in Los Angeles, CA, of being the “freeway killer” who had murdered 14 young men and boys.
- 1987 – After a 29-year lapse, the Ford Thunderbird was presented with the Motor Trend Car of the Year Award. It was the first occurrence of a repeat winner of the award.
- 1994 – Figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was clubbed on the right leg by an assailant at Cobo Arena in Detroit, MI. Four men were later sentenced to prison for the attack, including Tonya Harding’s ex-husband.
- 1998 – The spacecraft Lunar Prospect was launched into orbit around the moon. The craft was crashed into the moon, in an effort to find water under the lunar surface, on July 31, 1999.
- 1999 – The 106th U.S. Congress opened. The first item on the agenda was the impeachment proceedings of U.S. President Bill Clinton. The trial was set to begin January 7, 1999.
- 1999 – Bob Newhart received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- 2004 – In the United Arab Emirates, construction began on the Burj Khalifa skyscraper. Upon completion it was the world’s largest building.
- 2005 – American Civil Rights Movement: Edgar Ray Killen is indicted for the 1964 murders of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner.
- 2005 – A train collision in Graniteville, South Carolina, United States, releases about 60 tons of chlorine gas.
- 2012 – Twenty-six people are killed and 63 wounded when a suicide bomber blows himself up at a police station in Damascus.
- 2017 – Five people are killed and six others injured in a mass shooting at Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport in Broward County, Florida.
- 2019 – Forty people are killed in a gold mine collapse in northern Afghanistan
Celebrating Birthday Today
- 1981 – Mike Jones, American rapper and actor
- 1981 – Rinko Kikuchi, Japanese actress and director
- 1981 – Jérémie Renier, Belgian-French actor
- 1981 – Asante Samuel, American football player
- 1982 – Camila Grey, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
- 1982 – Eddie Redmayne, English actor and model
- 1983 – Adam Burish, American ice hockey player
- 1984 – Kate McKinnon, American actress and comedian
- 1985 – Nathan McIver, Canadian ice hockey player
- 1985 – Inge Vermeulen, Brazilian-Dutch field hockey player (d. 2015)
- 1986 – Paul McShane, Irish footballer
- 1986 – Petter Northug, Norwegian skier
- 1987 – Bongani Khumalo, South African footballer
- 1987 – Ndamukong Suh, American football player
- 1989 – Andy Carroll, English footballer
- 1989 – Derrick Morgan, American football player
- 1994 – Lim Jae-beom, South Korean singer and actor