Did you know
Thomas Haden Church also made his directorial debut with Rolling Kansas (2003).
Famous Birthdays on June 17
1960 — Thomas Haden Church
American actor
June 17 has 237 recorded notable births across history, from 801 to 2003. This focused page highlights 20 people with the strongest available profile context.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Famous Birthdays
237 source records
801 – 2003
Gemini
Today in history
Major events on June 17
See what else happened on this day in history.
- 2021 Juneteenth National Independence Day is signed into law by President Joe Biden, to become the first federal holiday established since Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983. Source
- 1839 In the Kingdom of Hawaii, Kamehameha III issues the edict of toleration which gives Roman Catholics the freedom to worship in the Hawaiian Islands. The Hawaii Catholic Church and the Cathedral of Our Lady of Peace are established as a result. Source
- 1985 Space Shuttle program: STS-51-G mission: Space Shuttle Discovery launches carrying Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the first Arab and first Muslim in space, as a payload specialist. Source
- 1665 Battle of Montes Claros: Portugal definitively secures independence from Spain in the last battle of the Portuguese Restoration War. Source
Did you know
Leander Paes holds a career Grand Slam in men's doubles and mixed doubles making him one of only three men in the Open era to achieve this distinction and won the rare men's/mixed double at the 1999 Wimbledon Championships.
Did you know
Michael Showalter first achieved recognition as a cast member on MTV's The State, which aired from 1993 to 1995.
Did you know
Nikita Kucherov has led the league in scoring three times, thus earning the Art Ross Trophy in 2019, 2024, and 2025, and was the runner-up for the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the league's goal-scoring leader in 2017.
Did you know
1 all-rounder in Twenty20 Internationals (T20I) for 150 weeks, including an all-time record of 120 consecutive weeks from 13 October 2011 to 30 January 2014.
More major people born on June 17
Notable people are ranked by substantive profile depth and public notability.
1973
Leander Paes
Indian tennis player
Leander Adrian Paes is an Indian former professional tennis player. He is regarded as one of the greatest doubles tennis players of all-time and holds the record for the most doubles wins in the Davis Cup.
1970
Michael Showalter
American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter
Michael Showalter is an American director, writer, and producer. He first achieved recognition as a cast member on MTV's The State, which aired from 1993 to 1995.
1993
Nikita Kucherov
Russian ice hockey player
Nikita Igorevich Kucherov is a Russian professional ice hockey player who is a right winger and alternate captain for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL).
1981
Shane Watson
Australian cricketer
Shane Robert Watson is an Australian cricket coach, commentator and former cricketer who played for and occasionally captained the Australian national cricket team between 2002 and 2016.
1947
Linda Chavez
American journalist and author
Linda Lou Chavez is an American author, commentator, and radio talk show host.
1691
Giovanni Paolo Panini
Italian painter and architect (died 1765)
Giovanni Paolo, also known as Gian Paolo Panini or Pannini, was an Italian Baroque painter and architect who worked in Rome and is primarily known as one of the vedutisti.
1928
Juan María Bordaberry
President of Uruguay (died 2011)
Juan María Bordaberry Arocena was an Uruguayan politician and cattle rancher who served as the 34th president of Uruguay from 1972 until his ouster in 1976.
1933
Harry Browne
American soldier and politician (died 2006)
Harry Edson Browne was an American writer, libertarian political activist, and investment advisor. He was the Libertarian Party's presidential nominee in the U.S.
1530
François de Montmorency
French nobleman (died 1579)
François de Montmorency, 2nd Duke of Montmorency was a French noble, governor, diplomat and soldier during the latter Italian Wars and the early French Wars of Religion.
1865
Susan La Flesche Picotte
Native American physician (died 1915)
Susan La Flesche Picotte was a Native American medical doctor and reformer and member of the Omaha tribe.
1898
Joe McKelvey
Executed Irish republican (died 1922)
Joseph McKelvey was an Irish Republican Army officer who was executed during the Irish Civil War without trial or court martial.
1898
Harry Patch
English soldier and firefighter (died 2009)
Henry John Patch, dubbed in his later years "the Last Fighting Tommy", was an English supercentenarian, briefly the oldest man in Europe, and the world's last surviving trench combat soldier of the First World War.
1943
Burt Rutan
American engineer and pilot
Elbert Leander "Burt" Rutan is an American retired aerospace engineer and entrepreneur noted for his originality in designing light, strong, unusual-looking, and energy-efficient air and space craft.
1970
Jason Hanson
American football player
Jason Douglas Hanson is an American former professional football player who was a placekicker with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) for 21 seasons.
1881
Tommy Burns
Canadian boxer and promoter (died 1955)
Tommy Burns was a Canadian professional boxer. He remains the only Canadian-born fighter to win the World Heavyweight Championship and is the shortest champion in the division's history.
1923
Arnold S. Relman
American physician and academic (died 2014)
Arnold Seymour Relman — known as Bud Relman to intimates — was an American internist and professor of medicine and social medicine.
1945
Tommy Franks
American general
Tommy Ray Franks is a retired United States Army general. His last army post was as the Commander of the United States Central Command, overseeing United States military operations in a 25-country region, including the…
1944
Chris Spedding
English singer-songwriter and guitarist
Christopher John Spedding is an English guitarist and record producer. In a career spanning more than 50 years, Spedding is best known for his studio session work.
1984
Michael Mathieu
Bahamian sprinter
Michael Walter Mathieu is a retired Bahamian sprinter hailing from Freeport, Grand Bahama who specialized in the 200 metres and 400 metres.