February 17

 Holidays and Observances

2016 Daily Holidays that fall on February 17, include:

• Champion Crab Races Day 
• Digital Learning Day - February 17, 2016
• My Way Day 
• National Indian Pudding Day 
• National PTA Founders Day 
• Random Acts of Kindness Day 
• World Human Spirit Day

2016 Weekly Holidays that include February 17, are:

• Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Week - February 13-19
• International Flirting Week - February 14-20
• Lent - Begins on Ash Wednesday - February 10, 2016 - March 24, 2016
• Love a Mensch Week - February 14-20, 2016
• Make Mine Chocolate - (Campaign kicks off annually on Feb 15, and ends on Easter which is March 27, 2016)
• National Cardiac Rehabilitation Week - February 14-20, 2016 - Second Week of February
• NCCDP Alzheimer's & Dementia Staff Education Week - February 14-21
• Random Acts of Kindness Week - February 14-20, 2016

2016 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! 2016 Dates are January 5 - February 28, 2016
• Chinese New Year Festival and Parade - January 30 - February 21, 2016 (San Francisco, CA)
• Yukon Quest - Starts February 6, 2016 - February 20, 2016 (approx) This is a 1,000 mile International Sled Dog Race from Whitehorse, Yukon to Anchorage, Alaska. (Race is typically 10-14 days long)

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!