Notable Deaths on April 17

Q: Who died on April 17?

Notable people who died on April 17 include: Proclus, Donnán of Eigg, Xiao, Al-Walid II, Bernard of Italy.

Q: What is Barbara Bush known for?

Barbara Bush, American political matriarch and literacy advocate, First Lady of the United States (1989–1993), and Second Lady of the United States (1981–1989) (born 1925)

103 people 485 – 2022

April 17 has seen 103 notable figures pass away throughout recorded history — from 485 – 2022. Below are the most significant names who died on this date.

By thisDay.info Editorial Team · April 17 — Wikipedia

2018 — Barbara Bush

American political matriarch and literacy advocate, First Lady of the United States (1989–1993), and Second Lady of the United States (1981–1989) (born 1925)

Did you know

Barbara Bush was the first lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993, as the wife of George H

Did you know

Bush and Abigail Adams are the only two women to be the wife of one U.S

Did you know

At the time she became first lady, she was the second oldest woman to hold the position, behind only Anna Harrison, who never lived in the capital

Did you know

She was previously second lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989, when her husband was vice president under President Ronald Reagan, and founded the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy

Did you know

Bush, the 43rd president of the United States, and Jeb Bush, the 43rd governor of Florida

Proclus

Greek mathematician and philosopher (born 412)

Proclus Lycius, called Proclus the Successor, was a Greek Neoplatonist philosopher, one of the last major classical philosophers of late antiquity. He set forth one of the most elaborate and fully developed systems of…

485

Donnán of Eigg

Irish priest and saint

Saint Donnán of Eigg was a Gaelic priest, likely from Ireland, who attempted to introduce Christianity to the Picts of northwestern Scotland during the Early Middle Ages. Donnán is the patron saint of Eigg, the island…

617

Xiao

empress of the Sui dynasty

Empress Xiao, formally Empress Min, was an empress of the Chinese Sui dynasty. Her husband was Emperor Yang of Sui.

648

Al-Walid II

Umayyad caliph (born 706)

Al-Walid ibn Yazid ibn Abd al-Malik, commonly known as al-Walid II, was the eleventh Umayyad caliph, ruling from 743 until his assassination in 744. He succeeded his uncle, Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik.

744

Bernard of Italy

Frankish king (born 797)

Bernard was the King of Italy, from 810 to 817, within the Carolingian Empire. He was an illegitimate son and successor of King Pepin of Italy. He plotted against his uncle, Emperor Louis the Pious, when the latter's…

818

Benedict III

pope of the Catholic Church

Pope Benedict III was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 29 September 855 to his death on 17 April 858.

858

Manuel Komnenos

Byzantine military commander (born c. 1045)

Manuel Komnenos was a Byzantine aristocrat and military leader, the oldest son of John Komnenos and brother of the future emperor Alexios I Komnenos. A relative, by marriage, of Emperor Romanos IV Diogenes, he was…

1071

Harald III of Denmark (born 1041)

Harald Hen was King of Denmark from 1076 to 1080. Harald III was an illegitimate son of Danish king Sweyn II Estridsson, and contested the crown with some of his brothers. He was a peaceful ruler who initiated a number…

1080

Robert of Molesme

Christian saint and abbot (born 1027)

Robert of Molesme was an abbot, and a founder of the Cistercian Order. He is venerated as a Christian saint.

1111

Árni Þorláksson

Icelandic bishop (born 1237)

Árni Þorláksson was an Icelandic Roman Catholic clergyman, who became the tenth bishop of Iceland (1269–1298).

1298

Infanta Branca of Portugal

daughter of King Afonso III of Portugal (born 1259)

Blanche of Portugal, was an infanta and nun, the firstborn child of King Afonso III of Portugal and his second wife Beatrice of Castile. Named after her great-aunt Blanche of Castile, queen of France, Blanche was the…

1321

Robert de Vere

6th Earl of Oxford, English nobleman (born 1257)

Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford was the son and heir of Robert de Vere, 5th Earl of Oxford, by his wife Alice de Sanford.

1331

Constantine II

King of Armenia

Constantine II, , born Guy de Lusignan, was elected the first Latin King of Armenian Cilicia of the Poitiers-Lusignan dynasty, ruling from 1342 until his death in 1344.

1344

Marin Falier

Doge of Venice (born 1285)

Marino Faliero was the 55th Doge of Venice from 11 September 1354 to 15 April 1355, 2 days before his execution for attempting a coup d'etat.

1355

John IV

Duke of Brabant (born 1403)

John IV, Duke of Brabant was the son of Antoine of Burgundy, Duke of Brabant, Lothier and Limburg and his first wife Jeanne of Saint-Pol. He was the second Brabantian ruler from the House of Valois. He is best known for…

1427

George

Duke of Saxony (born 1471)

George the Bearded was Duke of Saxony from 1500 to 1539 and was known for his strong opposition to the Reformation. While the Ernestine line accepted Lutheranism, the Albertines, led by George, resisted religious…

1539

Joachim Camerarius

German scholar and translator (born 1500)

Joachim Camerarius, the Elder, was a German classical scholar. His critical abilities, his deep understanding of Greek and Latin, and his wide-ranging knowledge of the ancient world made him one of the foremost German…

1574

Antonio Bertali

Italian violinist and composer (born 1605)

Antonio Bertali was an Italian composer and violinist of the Baroque era.

1669

Kateri Tekakwitha

Mohawk-born Native American saint (born 1656)

Kateri Tekakwitha, given the name Tekakwitha (Tekaouïta, baptized as Catherine, known as Lily of the Mohawks and Protectress of Canada, also as Geneviève of New France/ Geneviève of Canada, was a Mohawk/Algonquin young…

1680

Juana Inés de la Cruz

Mexican poet and scholar (born 1651)

Juana Inés de Asbaje y Ramírez de Santillana, better known as Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, was a Hieronymite nun and a Novohispanic writer, philosopher, composer and poet of the Baroque period, nicknamed "The Tenth Muse",…

1695

Marie de Rabutin-Chantal

marquise de Sévigné, French author (born 1626)

Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de Sévigné, also widely known as Madame de Sévigné or Mme de Sévigné, was a French aristocrat, remembered for her letter-writing. Most of her letters, celebrated for their wit and…

1696

Joseph I

Holy Roman Emperor (born 1678)

Joseph I was Holy Roman Emperor and ruler of the Habsburg monarchy from 1705 until his death in 1711. He was the eldest son of Leopold I, Holy Roman Emperor from his third wife, Eleonor Magdalene of Neuburg. Joseph was…

1711

David Hollatz

Polish pastor and theologian (born 1648)

David Hollatz was a German Lutheran theologian.

1713

Johann Mattheson

German lexicographer and composer (born 1681)

Johann Mattheson was a German composer, critic, lexicographer and music theorist. His writings on the late Baroque and early Classical period were highly influential, specifically, "his biographical and theoretical…

1764

Benjamin Franklin

American inventor, publisher, and politician, 6th President of Pennsylvania (born 1706)

Benjamin Franklin was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and political philosopher. Among the most influential intellectuals of his time, Franklin was one of the…

1790

Richard Jupp

English surveyor and architect (born 1728)

Richard Jupp was an English architect particularly associated with buildings in and around London. He served for many years as surveyor to the British East India Company.

1799

Hannah Webster Foster

American journalist and author (born 1758)

Hannah Webster Foster was an American novelist.

1840

Samuel Morey

American engineer (born 1762)

Samuel Morey was an American inventor, who worked on early internal combustion engines and was a pioneer in steamships who accumulated a total of 20 patents.

1843

George Jennings

English engineer and plumber, invented the flush toilet (born 1810)

George Jennings was an English sanitary engineer and plumber who invented the first public flush toilets. These were first showcased at the Great Exhibition in 1851, and such was the popularity of his invention the…

1882

E. G. Squier

American archaeologist and journalist (born 1821)

Ephraim George Squier, usually cited as E. G. Squier, was an American archaeologist, history writer, painter and newspaper editor.

1888

Alexander Mackenzie

Scottish-Canadian politician, 2nd Prime Minister of Canada (born 1822)

Alexander Mackenzie was a Scottish-Canadian stonemason and politician who served as the second prime minister of Canada from 1873 to 1878.

1892

Svetozar Ćorović

Serbian novelist (born 1875)

Svetozar Ćorović was a Bosnian Serb writer. In his books, he often wrote of life in Herzegovina and, more specifically, the city of Mostar. His brother was Vladimir Ćorović, a distinguished Serbian historian who was…

1919

Manwel Dimech

Maltese journalist, author, and philosopher (born 1860)

Emmanuel Giovanni Salvatore Pietro Dimech, also known as Manwel Dimech was a Maltese socialist, philosopher, journalist, writer, poet and social revolutionary. Born in Valletta and brought up in extreme poverty and…

1921

Laurence Ginnell

Irish lawyer and politician (born 1852)

Laurence Ginnell was an Irish nationalist politician, lawyer and Member of Parliament (MP) of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland as member of the Irish Parliamentary Party for North…

1923

Alexander Golovin

Russian painter and stage designer (born 1863)

Aleksandr Yakovlevich Golovin was a Russian and Soviet decorator, painter, and stage designer. He designed productions for Sergei Diaghilev, Constantin Stanislavski, and Vsevolod Meyerhold.

1930

Kote Marjanishvili

Georgian director and playwright (born 1872)

Konstantine "Kote" Marjanishvili, also known by the Russified name Konstantin Aleksandrovich Mardzhanov, was a Georgian theater director regarded as an important contributor to the pre- and post-revolutionary evolution…

1933

Charles Ruijs de Beerenbrouck

Dutch lawyer and politician, 28th Prime Minister of the Netherlands (born 1873)

Charles Joseph Marie Ruijs de Beerenbrouck was a Dutch politician of the Roman Catholic State Party (RKSP). He served as Chairman of the Council of Ministers from 9 September 1918 until 4 August 1925 and from 10 August…

1936

Jean Baptiste Perrin

French-American physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1870)

Jean Baptiste Perrin was a French physicist who, in his studies of the Brownian motion of minute particles suspended in liquids, verified Albert Einstein's explanation of this phenomenon and thereby confirmed the atomic…

1942

J. T. Hearne

English cricketer and coach (born 1867)

John Thomas Hearne was a Middlesex and England medium-fast bowler. His aggregate of 3061 first-class wickets is the greatest for any bowler of medium pace or above, and his 257 wickets in 1896 is the tenth highest total…

1944

Dimitrios Psarros

Greek lieutenant, founded the National and Social Liberation (born 1893)

Dimitrios Psarros was a Greek army officer, founder and leader of the resistance group National and Social Liberation (EKKA), the third-most significant organization of the Greek Resistance movement after the National…

1944

Juan Bautista Sacasa

Nicaraguan medical doctor, politician and 20th President of Nicaragua (born 1874)

Juan Bautista Sacasa was the President of Nicaragua from 1 January 1933 to 9 June 1936. He was the eldest son of Roberto Sacasa and Ángela Sacasa Cuadra, the former's cousin twice removed. He was a relative of Benjamín…

1946

Kantarō Suzuki

Japanese admiral and politician, 42nd Prime Minister of Japan (born 1868)

Baron Kantarō Suzuki was a Japanese politician and admiral who served as prime minister of Japan from 7 April to 17 August 1945, during World War II. He was prime minister at the time of Japan's surrender on 15 August.

1948

Lucrețiu Pătrășcanu

Romanian lawyer and politician, Romanian Minister of Justice (born 1900)

Lucrețiu Pătrășcanu was a Romanian communist politician and leading member of the Communist Party of Romania (PCR), also noted for his activities as a lawyer, sociologist and economist. For a while, he was a professor…

1954

Eddie Cochran

American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1938)

Edward Ray Cochran was an American rock and roll musician. His songs, such as "Twenty Flight Rock", "Summertime Blues", "C'mon Everybody" and "Somethin' Else", captured teenage frustration and desire in the mid-1950s…

1960

Elda Anderson

American physicist and health researcher (born 1899)

Elda Emma Anderson was an American physicist and health researcher. During World War II, she worked on the Manhattan Project at Princeton University and the Los Alamos National Laboratory, where she prepared the first…

1961

Red Allen

American singer and trumpet player (born 1908)

Henry James "Red" Allen Jr. was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist whose playing has been described by Joachim-Ernst Berendt and others as the first to fully incorporate the innovations of Louis Armstrong.

1967

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

Indian philosopher and politician, 2nd President of India (born 1888)

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was an Indian academic, philosopher and statesman who served as the Vice President of India from 1952 to 1962 and President of India from 1962 to 1967. He was the ambassador of India to the…

1975

Henrik Dam

Danish biochemist and physiologist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1895)

Carl Peter Henrik Dam was a Danish biochemist and physiologist.

1976

William Conway

Irish cardinal (born 1913)

William John Conway was an Irish cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland from 1963 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1965. He was head of…

1977

Felix Pappalardi

American singer-songwriter, bass player, and producer (born 1939)

Felix Albert Pappalardi Jr. was an American music producer, songwriter, vocalist, and bassist. He is best known as the bassist and co-lead vocalist of the band Mountain, whose song "Mississippi Queen" peaked at number…

1983

Claude Provost

Canadian-American ice hockey player (born 1933)

Claude Joseph Antoine Provost was a Canadian professional ice hockey player.

1984

Marcel Dassault

French businessman, founded Dassault Aviation (born 1892)

Marcel Dassault was a French engineer and industrialist who spent his career in aircraft manufacturing. He was also involved in politics, serving intermittently over more than three decades in both houses of the French…

1986

Cecil Harmsworth King

English publisher (born 1901)

Cecil Harmsworth King was Chairman of Daily Mirror Newspapers, Sunday Pictorial Newspapers and the International Publishing Corporation (1963–1968) and a director at the Bank of England (1965–1968).

1987

Dick Shawn

American actor (born 1923)

Dick Shawn was an American actor and comedian. He played a wide variety of supporting roles and was a prolific character actor. During the 1960s, he played small roles in madcap comedies, usually portraying caricatures…

1987

Louise Nevelson

Ukrainian-American sculptor and educator (born 1900)

Louise Nevelson was an American sculptor known for her monumental, monochromatic, wooden wall pieces and outdoor sculptures. Born in Pereiaslav in the Poltava Governorate of the Russian Empire, she emigrated with her…

1988

Ralph Abernathy

American minister and activist (born 1936)

Ralph David Abernathy Sr. was an American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was ordained in the Baptist tradition in 1948. Being a leader of the civil rights movement, Abernathy was a close friend and…

1990

Turgut Özal

Turkish engineer and politician, 8th president of Turkey (born 1927)

Halil Turgut Özal was a Turkish politician, bureaucrat, engineer and statesman who served as the president of Turkey from 1989 to 1993. He previously served as the prime minister of Turkey from 1983 to 1989 as the…

1993

Gamal Hamdan

Egyptian scholar and geographer (born 1928)

Gamal Hamdan was an Egyptian geographer and scholar known for his work on Egypt's geography, history, and culture.

1993

Roger Wolcott Sperry

American psychologist and biologist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1913)

Roger Wolcott Sperry was an American neuropsychologist, neurobiologist, cognitive neuroscientist, and Nobel laureate who, together with David H. Hubel and Torsten Nils Wiesel, won the 1981 Nobel Prize in Medicine for…

1994

Frank E. Resnik

American sergeant and businessman (born 1928)

Frank E. Resnik was CEO (1984–1989) and Chairman (1989–1991) of Philip Morris USA.

1995

Piet Hein

Danish poet and mathematician (born 1905)

Piet Hein was a Danish polymath, often writing under the Old Norse pseudonym Kumbel, meaning "tombstone". His short poems, known as gruks or grooks, first started to appear in the daily newspaper Politiken shortly after…

1996

Chaim Herzog

Israeli general, lawyer, and politician, 6th President of Israel (born 1918)

Chaim Herzog was an Irish-Israeli politician, military officer, lawyer and author who served as President of Israel from 1983 to 1993. Born in Belfast and raised primarily in Dublin, the son of Ireland's Chief Rabbi…

1997

Linda McCartney

American photographer, activist, and musician (born 1941)

Linda Louise, Lady McCartney was an American photographer, musician, cookbook author, and activist. She was the keyboardist and harmony vocalist in the band Wings that also featured her husband, Paul McCartney of the…

1998

Robert Atkins

American physician and cardiologist, created the Atkins diet (born 1930)

Robert Coleman Atkins was an American physician and cardiologist, best known for the Atkins Diet, which requires close control of carbohydrate consumption and emphasizes protein and fat as the primary sources of dietary…

2003

H. B. Bailey

American race car driver (born 1936)

Herring Burl "H. B." Bailey was a NASCAR driver. He raced his No. 36 Pontiac part-time as an independent driver in the Grand National/Winston Cup series from 1962 to 1993, making 85 races over his career.

2003

John Paul Getty Jr.

American-English philanthropist (born 1932)

Sir John Paul Getty, known widely as John Paul Getty Jr., was a British-American businessman, philanthropist, and book collector. He was the third son of the American-born British oil tycoon J. Paul Getty (1892–1976),…

2003

Earl King

American blues singer, guitarist and songwriter (born 1934)

Earl Silas Johnson IV, known as Earl King, was an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter, most active in blues music. A composer of blues standards such as "Come On" and "Big Chief", he was an important figure in…

2003

Yiannis Latsis

Greek businessman (born 1910)

Ioannis "Yiannis" Latsis, also known as John Spyridon Latsis, was a Greek shipping multi-billionaire business magnate notable for his great wealth, influential friends, and charitable activities.

2003

Edmond Pidoux

Swiss author and poet (born 1908)

Edmond Pidoux was a Swiss author who wrote numerous poems, novels, and essays. He was particularly renowned for Biblical pieces such as L'histoire de Jonas. In 1982, he won the Prix du livre vaudois. He is a younger…

2004

Jean Bernard

French physician and haematologist (born 1907)

Jean Bernard was a French physician and haematologist. During his life, he served as president of the French Academy of Sciences and the French National Academy of Medicine. He was also the first president of the…

2006

Scott Brazil

American director and producer (born 1955)

Scott Brazil was an American television producer and director.

2006

Henderson Forsythe

American actor (born 1917)

Henderson Forsythe was an American actor. Forsythe was known for his role as Dr. David Stewart on the soap opera As the World Turns, a role he played for over 30 years (1960-1991), and for his work on the New York stage.

2006

Kitty Carlisle

American actress, singer, socialite and game show panelist (born 1910)

Kitty Carlisle Hart was an American stage and screen actress, opera singer, television personality and spokesperson for the arts. She was the leading lady in the Marx Brothers movie A Night at the Opera (1935) and was a…

2007

Aimé Césaire

Caribbean-French poet and politician (born 1913)

Aimé Fernand David Césaire was an Afro-Martiniquan French poet, author, and politician. He was one of the founders of the Négritude movement in Francophone literature and coined the word "négritude" in French. He…

2008

Danny Federici

American organist and accordion player (born 1950)

Daniel Paul Federici was an American musician, best known as a founding member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, where he was its organist, accordionist and glockenspiel player. Federici appeared on ten of…

2008

Eric Gross

Austrian-Australian pianist and composer (born 1926)

Eric Gross AM was an Austrian–Australian pianist, composer and teacher.

2011

Michael Sarrazin

Canadian actor (born 1940)

Michael Sarrazin was a French Canadian actor. His most notable film was They Shoot Horses, Don't They?.

2011

Robert Vickrey

American artist and author (born 1926)

Robert Remsen Vickrey was an American artist and author based in Massachusetts who specialized in the ancient medium of egg tempera. His paintings are surreal dreamlike visions of sunset shadows of bicycles, nuns in…

2011

Leila Berg

English journalist and author (born 1917)

Leila Berg was an English children's author, editor and play specialist. She was well known as a journalist and a writer on education and children's rights. Berg was a recipient of the Eleanor Farjeon Award.

2012

J. Quinn Brisben

American educator and politician (born 1934)

John Quinn Brisben was an American teacher, author, and political activist from Chicago, Illinois. Brisben was on the Socialist Party USA's presidential ticket twice. He was the party's vice-presidential nominee in 1976…

2012

Dimitris Mitropanos

Greek singer (born 1948)

Dimitris Mitropanos was a Greek singer. He was renowned for his mastery of laïkó, a Greek music style.

2012

Nityananda Mohapatra

Indian journalist, poet, and politician (born 1912)

Nityananda Mahapatra was an Indian Odia politician, poet and journalist.

2012

Jonathan V. Plaut

American rabbi and author (born 1942)

Jonathan V. Plaut was an American Reform rabbi and author. Plaut was the rabbi of Temple Beth Israel in Jackson, MI.

2012

Stanley Rogers Resor

American soldier, lawyer, and politician, 9th United States Secretary of the Army (born 1917)

Stanley Rogers Resor was an American lawyer, military officer, and government official.

2012

Carlos Graça

São Toméan politician, Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe (born 1931)

Carlos Alberto Monteiro Dias da Graça was a São Toméan politician who served as the country's sixth prime minister.

2013

Bi Kidude

Tanzanian Taarab singer (born ≈1910)

Fatuma binti Baraka, popularly known as Bi Kidude, was a Tanzanian taarab singer from Zanzibar. She has been called the "queen of taarab and Unyago music" and was inspired by earlier taarab singer Siti binti Saad.

2013

Yngve Moe

Norwegian bass player and songwriter (born 1957)

Yngve Moe was a Norwegian bass guitarist and founding member of the rock band Dance with a Stranger.

2013

V. S. Ramadevi

Indian politician, 13th Governor of Karnataka (born 1934)

V. S. Ramadevi was an Indian politician who was the first lady to become the 8th Governor of Karnataka and 9th Chief Election Commissioner of India from 26 November 1990 to 11 December 1990. She was the first woman to…

2013

Gabriel García Márquez

Colombian journalist and author, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1927)

Gabriel José García Márquez was a Colombian writer and journalist, known affectionately as Gabo or Gabito throughout Latin America. Considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th century, particularly in the…

2014

Bernat Klein

Serbian-Scottish fashion designer and painter (born 1922)

Bernat Klein CBE was a Serbian textile designer and painter. Based in Scotland, Klein supplied textiles to haute couture designers in the 1960s and 1970s, and later sold his own clothing collections.

2014

Wojciech Leśnikowski

Polish–American architect and academic (born 1938)

Wojciech Grzegorz Leśnikowski, was a Polish-American architect, writer and educator. He oversaw and participated in the design and construction of numerous large-scale architectural projects around the world.

2014

Karpal Singh

Malaysian lawyer and politician (born 1940)

Karpal Singh s/o Ram Singh Deo was an Indian Malaysian politician and lawyer. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of Bukit Gelugor in the state of Penang from 2004 to 2014. During that time, he was…

2014

Robert P. Griffin

American soldier, lawyer, and politician (born 1923)

Robert Paul Griffin was an American politician from the U.S. state of Michigan. A member of the Republican Party, he served in both chambers of the United States Congress as a Representative from 1957 to 1966 and a U.S.…

2015

Scotty Probasco

American businessman and philanthropist (born 1928)

Scott Livingston Probasco, Jr. was an American heir, businessman and philanthropist.

2015

Jeremiah J. Rodell

American general (born 1921)

Jeremiah J. Rodell was a brigadier general in the United States Air Force that served as Deputy Chief of Chaplains of the United States Air Force from 1978 to 1980.

2015

A. Alfred Taubman

American businessman and philanthropist (born 1924)

Adolph Alfred "Al" Taubman was an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist.

2015

Chyna

American wrestler (born 1969)

Chyna, also known as Joanie Laurer, was an American professional wrestler, fitness model, bodybuilder, actress, adult actress, and television personality.

2016

Doris Roberts

American actress (born 1925)

Doris May Roberts was an American actress and comedian whose career spanned seven decades of television and film. She received five Emmy Awards and a Screen Actors Guild award during her acting career, which began in…

2016

Carl Kasell

American radio personality (born 1934)

Carl Ray Kasell was an American radio personality. He was a newscaster for National Public Radio, and later was the official judge and scorekeeper of the weekly news quiz show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! until his…

2018

Alan García

Peruvian lawyer and politician, twice President of Peru (born 1949)

Alan Gabriel Ludwig García Pérez was a Peruvian politician who served as President of Peru for two non-consecutive terms, from 1985 to 1990 and from 2006 to 2011. He was the second leader of the American Popular…

2019

Gwen Marston

American quilter and writer (born 1936)

Gwendolyn Joy Marston was an American quilter, quilt teacher, lecturer, and author who championed a style of quilting she called "liberated quiltmaking". She encouraged modern quilt makers to break away from using…

2019

Radu Lupu

Romanian pianist (born 1945)

Radu Lupu was a Romanian pianist. He was widely recognized as one of the greatest pianists of his time.

2022

April 17 in the Blog

Ford Motor Company Founding — April 17, 1903

On April 17, 1903, Henry Ford founded the Ford Motor Company, revolutionizing the automotive industry with the introduction of the assembly line product...

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Notable deaths

Who died on April 17?

Barbara Bush — First Lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993

FeaturedBarbara Bush

Death year2018

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Deaths on this date103 (485 – 2022)

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2021

The funeral of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, takes place at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle. Wikipedia →

2014

NASA's Kepler space telescope confirms the discovery of the first Earth-size planet in the habitable zone of another star. Wikipedia →

2013

An explosion at a fertilizer plant in the city of West, Texas, kills 15 people and injures 160 others. Wikipedia →

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