On This Day November 17th

 OTD

November 17th is the three hundredth twenty-first day of the year, and there are 44 days remaining until the end of the year.

 

Events

1558 – Elizabethan era begins: Queen Mary I of England dies and is succeeded by her half-sister Elizabeth I of England.

1603 – English explorer, writer, and courtier Sir Walter Raleigh goes on trial for treason.

1800 – The United States Congress holds its first session in Washington, D.C.

1820 – Captain Nathaniel Palmer becomes the first American to see Antarctica. (The Palmer Peninsula is later named after him.)

1858 – Modified Julian Day zero.

1894 – H. H. Holmes, one of the first modern serial killers, is arrested in Boston, Massachusetts.

1947—American scientists John Bardeen and Walter Houser Brattain observe the basic principles of the transistor, an essential element in the electronics revolution of the 20th century.

1968 – Viewers of the Raiders–Jets football game in the eastern United States are denied the opportunity to watch its exciting finish when NBC broadcasts Heidi instead, prompting changes to sports broadcasting in the U.S.

1973 – Watergate scandal: In Orlando, Florida, U.S. President Richard Nixon tells 400 Associated Press managing editors, "I am not a crook."

 

 

Birthdays

1503 – Bronzino, Italian painter (d. 1572)

1755 – Louis XVIII, king of France (d. 1824)

1878 – Grace Abbott, American social worker (d. 1939)

1899 – Douglas Shearer, Canadian-American engineer (d. 1971)

1906 – Soichiro Honda, Japanese engineer and businessman, co-founded the Honda Motor Company (d. 1991)

1916 – Shelby Foote, American historian and author (d. 2005)

1933 – Orlando Peña, Cuban-American baseball player and scout

1942 – Martin Scorsese, American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor

1967 – Tab Benoit, American singer-songwriter and guitarist

1989 – Seth Lugo, American baseball player

 

Holiday Highlight

  National Hiking Day

Hiking wasn't always a popular activity. Before brands like Subaru, Jeep, and Patagonia popularized it, walking was often seen as something for the impoverished or vagrants. During the Victorian era, writers like Thoreau inspired a reconnection with nature, prompting landscape architects like Frederick Law Olmsted to design parks with walking trails. This helped elevate walking to an activity associated with education and leisure.

John Muir later championed the idea that hiking should be accessible to all Americans and advocated for the preservation of natural areas. In 1890, he played a key role in establishing the National Park System, leading to the creation of Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks.

Before Muir, the Appalachian Mountain Club was founded in 1876 to protect and develop trails along the Appalachian mountain range.

Whether jogging in Central Park or preparing to hike the Pacific Crest Trail, every step honors a long history of explorers and trailblazers.

 

Holidays And Observance

Do Dah Day (Pasadena)  

Electronic Greeting Card Day

Homemade Bread Day

International Happy Gose Day

International Students Day

National Baklava Day

National Black Cat Day

National Farm Joke Day

National Take a Hike Day

National Unfriend Day

Petroleum Day

The Little Mermaid Day

World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims  

World Prematurity Awareness Day     

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