Historical Events on April 17.

1.  World Haemophilia Day 

2.  1899, 17th April: Kolkata got hydroelectric power.

3.  1941, 17th April: Yugoslavia surrendered to Germany during World War II.

4.  1946, 17th April: Syria gained independence from France.

5.  1952, 17th April: The first Lok Sabha came into existence.

6.  2003, 17th April: Formation of Indo-UK Parliamentary Forum after 55 years.

7.  2014, 17th April: NASA’s Kepler space telescope confirmed the discovery of the first Earth-size planet in the habitable zone of another star.

Famous Birthdays & Birth Anniversaries on April 17.

1.  1820: Alexander Joy Cartwright Jr., Known as the father of Baseball.

2.  1897: Nisargadatta Maharaj, a Hindu guru of nondualism.

3.  1912: Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, an Indian novelist and short story writer of Malayalam literature. 

4.  1916: Sirimavo Bandaranaike, a Sri Lankan stateswoman. She was the world’s first female prime minister.

5.  1941: Asaram Bapu, a controversial Indian godman, currently serving a life sentence for the rape of a minor.

6.  1961: Geet Siriram Sethi, an Indian professional player of English billiards.

7.  1966: Vikram, an Indian actor, and playback singer.

8.  1972: Muttiah Muralitharan, a Sri Lankan cricket coach, and former professional cricketer. 

Death Anniversaries of famous people on April 17.

1.  1790: Benjamin Franklin, an American researcher, and diplomat.

2.  1882: George Jennings, inventor of the flush toilet.

3.  1946: V. S. Srinivasa Sastri, an Indian politician, administrator, educator, orator, and Indian independence activist.

4.  1975: Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, the first vice president and the Second President of India.

5.  1997: Biju Patnaik, an Indian politician. He served twice as the Chief Minister of the State of Odisha.

6.  2004: Soundarya, an Indian actress.