February 17

Today in History
• 1568 - Holy Roman Emperor agrees to pay tribute to the Sultan for peace
• 1598 - Boris Godunov chosen tsar of Russia
• 1691 - Thomas Neale granted British patent for American postal service
• 1772 - 1st partition of Poland-Russia and Prussia, joined later by Austria
• 1817 - Baltimore is the 1st U.S. city lit by gas
• 1864 - Confederate sub "HL Hunley" sinks Union ship "Housatonic"
• 1867 - 1st ship passes through Suez Canal
• 1876 - Sardines 1st canned by Julius Wolff-Eastport, Maine


Holidays - Traditional and Obscure
• Analog to Digital TV Day
• Brazil Carnival
• February 17th Revolution
• Kosovo Independence Day
• Libyan Revolution Day
• National Caregivers Day
• Random Act of Kindness Day
• World Human Spirit Day

Birthdays
• 1490 - Charles de Bourbon, officer/governor, Lombardy
• 1581 - Fausto Poli, Italian Catholic Cardinal. private secretary to Pope Urban
• 1718 - Matthew Tilghman, American Continental Congressman
• 1781 - René Laënnec, French physician who invented the stethoscope
• 1820 - Elzéar-Alexandre Taschereau, Catholic cardinal
• 1844 - Aaron Montgomery Ward, American retailer, founded mail-order business
• 1861 - Princess Helena, Duchess of Albany
• 1867 - William Cadbury, England, chocolate manufacturer, Cadbury