February 17

 Holidays and Observances

2018 Daily Holidays that fall on February 17, include:

• Champion Crab Races Day
• My Way Day 
• National Caregivers Day - February 17, 2018
• National Indian Pudding Day 
• National PTA Founders Day 
• Random Acts of Kindness Day 
• World Human Spirit Day 
• World Pangolin Day - February 17, 2018 (Third Saturday in February)
• World Whale Day - February 17, 2018 (Third Saturday in February)

2018 Weekly Holidays that include February 17, are:

• Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia Staff Education Week - February 14-21
• American Association For the Advancement of Science Week - February 15-19, 2018
• Celebration of Love Week - February 11-17, 2018 (Second Full Week in February)
• Children of Alcoholics Week - February 11-17, 2018 (Second Full Week in February)
• Great Backyard Bird Count - February 16-19, 2018
• International Flirting Week - February 11-17, 2018
• International Friendship Week - February 11-17, 2018
• Jell-O Week - February 11-17, 2018 (Second Full Week of February)
• Lent - Begins on Ash Wednesday - February 14, 2018 - March 29, 2018
• Love a Mensch Week - February 12-18, 2018
• Love Teaching Week - February 14-21, 2018
• Make Mine Chocolate - (Campaign kicks off annually on Feb 15, and ends on Easter which is April 1, 2018)
• National Cardiac Rehabilitation Week - February 11-17, 2018 - Second Week of February
• National Condom Week - February 14-21
• National Date Week (Fruit) - February 16-25, 2018
• National Green Week - February 12-18, 2018
• National Salute to Veteran Patients - February 11-17, 2018 (Week of February 14 - Valentine's Day)
• National Secondhand Wardrobe Week - February 11-17, 2018 (Second Full Week in February)
• NCCDP Alzheimer's & Dementia Staff Education Week - February 14-21
• Random Acts of Kindness Week - February 11-17, 2018
• Take Your Family to School Week - February 11-17, 2018

2018 Monthly Holidays that include February 17, are:

There are too many monthly holidays to include here, so please check out our February Holidays page to see all of the holidays that are celebrated the entire month of February.

NOTE:

1. A page on each holiday will be coming soon and linked above.
2. If a date is a movable holiday, that is different every year, I'll include the year as well as the date rule above. Otherwise, the holiday falls on the same date each year.

World Festivals and Events

• Harbin Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival - Starts annually on January 5, and typically runs for a month or more, in Harbin, China and is the largest ice and snow festival in the world! 
• Chinese New Year Festival and Parade - February 10, 2018 - March 4, 2018 (San Francisco, CA)
• Winter Olympics XXIII - February 9 - 25, 2018 (Held in PyeongChang, China)
• Simplot Games - February 15-17, 2018 - Held at Idaho State University's Holt Arena, it is one of the Nation's premier high school indoor track and field events.
• Losar - February 16-18, 2018 - The Tibetan New Year, a three day festival that mixes sacred and secular practices that include prayers, ceremonies, hanging prayer flags, as well as sacred and folk dancing and partying. The first day is the most important. (Buddhist)

Astrological Sign

The Astrological Sign for February 17 is an Aquarius.

Birth Flower of the Month

The Birth Flower(s) for the Month for February are:

• Violet - symbolizes faithfulness, loyalty, humility, wisdom, and hope
  
• Primrose - Modesty, distinction, and virtue
  
  

Birthstone

The Birthstone for February is Amethyst.

Famous Birthdays

• 1864 – Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson, Australian poet (Waltzing Matilda, The Man from Snowy River) (d. 1941)
• 1925 – Hal Holbrook, American actor (All the President's Men, Mark Twain)
• 1954 – Rene Russo, American actress
• 1962 – Lou Diamond Phillips, American actor
• 1963 – Michael Jordan, American basketball player
• 1972 - Billie Joe Armstrong, singer/musician (Green Day)

Famous Deaths

• 1909 – Geronimo, Apache leader (b. 1829)
• 2013 - Mindy McCready - Country singer

Famous Weddings and Divorces

• 1906 - 26th US President Theodore Roosevelt's daughter Alice marries in the White House

Quote of the Day

Banjo Paterson, an Australian poet was born on this day in 1864.  His poem, The Man from Snowy River was made into a movie.  Above is his poem recited to scenes from the movie - the most amazing horse scenes! Having lived in Australia for four years growing up, I loved this movie and it's sequel.

Recipe of the Day or a
Healthy Diet Habit Tip of the Day

The Holidays and Observances Recipe of the Day for February 17, is a Broccoli Salad Recipe from Kerry, of Healthy Diet Habits.

This Day in History

• 1801 – An electoral tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr is resolved when Jefferson is elected President of the US and Burr Vice President by the United States House of Representatives.
• 1897 - National Organization of Mothers forms (Parent Teacher Association)
• 1911 - 1st hydroplane flight to & from a ship (Glenn Curtiss, San Diego)
• 1933 – The Blaine Act ends Prohibition in the United States
• 1933 - 1st issue of "Newsweek" magazine published
• 1936 - The world's first superhero, The Phantom, makes his first appearance in comics. (by Lee Falk)
• 1957 - Suez Canal reopens
• 1958 - Comic strip "BC" debuts
• 1959 – The first weather satellite is launched to measure cloud-cover distribution.
• 1972 - Sales of the Volkswagen Beetle model exceed those of Ford Model-T
• 1974 - Robert K. Preston, a disgruntled U.S. Army private, buzzes the White House with a stolen helicopter
• 1980 – Mount Everest, 1st Winter Ascent by Krzysztof Wielicki and Leszek Cichy.

This Day in Music

• 1965 - Tennessee Waltz is declared the state's official song.
• 1967 - The Beatles release Penny Lane & Strawberry Fields
• 1970 - Joni Mitchell's final concert at Royal Albert Hall
• 1976 - Eagles, Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) is released
• 1987 - Bon Jovi's Livin' On a Prayer hits #1
• 2007 - Norah Jones's album Not Too Late hits #1
  

Bon Jovi's Livin' on a Prayer - Unplugged

This Day in Sports

• 1924 - Johnny Weissmuller sets 100-yard freestyle record (52.4 seconds)
• 1941 - Joe Louis KOs Gus Dorazio in 2 for heavyweight boxing title
• 1943 - NY Yankee Joe DiMaggio, enlists into the US army
• 1962 - Wilt Chamberlain of NBA Phila Warriors scores 67 points vs St Louis
• 1991 - US male Figure Skating championship won by Todd Eldredge
• 1998 - USA Women's Ice Hockey Team beats Canada and wins the first Olympic Gold medal

Word of the Day from Wiktionary

Wishing You a Great Day Today!