1933 - Newsweek magazine begins publication.
1913 - First minimum wage law in US takes effect (Oregon)
1904 - Giacomo Puccini's opera "Madame Butterfly" had its world premiere at La Scala in Milan, Italy.
1878 - First telephone exchange in San Francisco opens with 18 phones
1801 - Thomas Jefferson became the 3rd US President
This Day In Business
2011 - IBM's Watson computer beats Jeopardy's best contestants ever, Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter - and it wasn't even close.
1982 - Thelonious Monk, the founder of bebop and modern jazz, dies.
1870 - After the bloody U.S. civil war, Mississippi becomes 9th state re-admitted.
1998 - The USA Women's Ice Hockey team defeats Canada to win their first ever gold medal.
February 17th Holiday
Random Acts of Kindness Day - Celebrated by many to promote the value of kindness, also used for fundraisers and as an educational event.
Today's Birthday Trivia
He played the character Nick Van Owen in the 1997 film The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Who is he?
Today's Birthday Horoscope
Learn about people born on this day by reading the February 17 Birthday Horoscope.
Famous Birthdays iPhone App
Are you an iPhone user? Get the fun and free Famous Birthdays iPhone app.