April 17

Today in History
• 1421 - Dikes at Dort Holland breaks, 100,000 drown
• 1492 - Christopher Columbus signs contract with Spain to find Indies
• 1524 - Giovanni Verrazano, a Florentine navigator, discovers New York Bay
• 1534 - Sir Thomas More confined in the Tower of London
• 1555 - Siena surrenders to Spanish troops
• 1629 - 1st commercial fishery established
• 1758 - Francis Williams, 1st U.S. black college graduate, publishes poems
• 1817 - 1st U.S. school for deaf (Hartford, Conn)


Holidays - Traditional and Obscure
• 2A Day
• Go Fly a Kite Day
• Landing of the 33 Patriots Day
• Laylat al-Qadr
• Orthodox Easter Monday
• Syria Independence Day
• World Circus Day
• Yom HaShoah

Birthdays
• 1278 - Michael IX Palaeologus, co-ruling Byzantine Emperor (1295-1320)
• 1573 - Maximilian I, duke/ruler of Bayern, Catholic League
• 1620 - Marguerite Bourgeoys, French founder of the Congregation of Notre Dame
• 1676 - Frederik I, van Hessen Kassel, King of Sweden, 1720-51
• 1710 - Henry Erskine, 10th Earl of Buchan, British Freemason
• 1734 - Taksin, King of Siam (1767-82)
• 1741 - Samuel Chase, judge, signed Declaration of Independence
• 1837 - J. P. Morgan, U.S. banker/CEO, US Steel