Benjamin Franklin, born on January 17, 1706, not only was a world-renowned statesman, inventor, and scientist, but also was fascinated by agriculture. To demonstrate the value of gypsum as fertilizer, he applied it to a field in a pattern that spelled out, “This land has been plastered.” Sure enough, clover in the fertilized area exhibited more vigorous growth.
Daily Calendar for Saturday, January 17, 2026
Daily Calendar
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Saturday, January 17, 2026
Born
- Benjamin Franklin (U.S. statesman and polymath; born in Boston, Massachusetts) –
- James Madison Randolph (grandson of Thomas Jefferson; first baby born in the White House) –
- Anne Brontë (novelist) –
- Al Capone (gangster) –
- Betty White (Actress; born in Oak Park, Illinois) –
- Eartha Kitt (American singer ) –
- James Earl Jones (actor) –
- Shari Lewis (actress and puppeteer, best know for Lamb Chop) –
- Maury Povich (talk show host) –
- Muhammad Ali (boxer) –
- Mick Taylor (musician) –
- Andy Kaufman (comedian & actor) –
- Steve Harvey (actor and television host) –
- Jim Carrey (actor) –
- Michelle Obama (U.S. First Lady) –
Died
- Thomas Lincoln (father of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln) –
- John Baker (Canada’s last ex-slave) –
- Chang and Eng Bunker (Siamese twins) –
- Rutherford B. Hayes (19th U.S. president) –
- Norman Kay (dubbed the Babe Ruth of bridge”“) –
- Camilo Jose Cela (won the 1989 Nobel Prize in Literature for works such as The Family of Pascual Duarte) –
- Harvey Matusow (former aide to Sen. McCarthy who was imprisoned for lying before the House of Un-American Activities) –
- Gertrude Janeway (the last widow of a Union veteran from the Civil War) –
- Noble Willingham (actor) –
- Virginia Mayo (actress) –
- Art Buchwald (humorist) –
- Bobby Fischer (champion chess player) –
- Johnny Otis (musician; known as the godfather of R&B) –
Events
- Andrew S. Hallidie received a patent for a cable car system –
- Meeting held to form the Professional Golfers Association –
- The first Volkswagen Beetle arrived in the United States from Germany –
- President Dwight Eisenhower delivered his farewell address on television –
- Simon and Garfunkel released their album, Sounds of Silence –
- Gary Gilmore was the first person legally executed in the U.S. after the death penalty was reinstated –
- British Telecom announced the retirement of Britain’s red telephone boxes –
- 6.7 earthquake occurred in Northridge, California –
Weather
- St. Elmo’s fire occurred in the Connecticut River Valley –
- Seventeen degrees below zero F, Millsboro, Delaware –
- Boulder, Colorado, had wind gusts up to 135 mph –
- Washington, D.C., had a temperature of -5 degrees F –
- Chicago, Illinois, had a temperature of -23 degrees F –
- Snow and hail fell in Los Angeles and Malibu, California –
- St. John’s, Newfoundland, recorded new record for most snow in one day with 30 inches (76.2 centimeter) –