1982 - CD's first released in Germany
1953 - The fist Narcotics Anonymous meeting is held in Southern California
1908 - Fantasmagorie: first animated cartoon
1907 - Pike Place Market in Seattle first opens
1807 - Fulton's North River Steamboat first runs
This Day In Business
2010 - Wired Magazine declares that the Web is Dead as a result of social networking, tablet computing, apps, rss feeds, and smart phones.
1969 - Final day of Woodstock Music Festival in New York, but bands continued to play next day.
1960 - Decolonization: West African country of Gabon: independence from France.
1933 - Lou Gehrig played his 1,308th consecutive game, surpassing shortstop Everett Scott.
August 17th Holiday
San Martin Day (Argentina) - Honors the anniversary of Jose de San Martin's death, who was the leader of Argentina's liberation from Chile and Peru.
Today's Birthday Trivia
He played the character Nick Van Owen in the 1997 film The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Who is he?
Today's Birthday Horoscope
Learn about people born on this day by reading the August 17 Birthday Horoscope.
Famous Birthdays iPhone App
Are you an iPhone user? Get the fun and free Famous Birthdays iPhone app.