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National days, ongoing national weeks and months, and global observances for February 17, 2026. Plus historical events and birthdays.
These observances run for a full week; this calendar day falls inside the week.
These observances last the full month; this date is part of that month-long celebration.
Showing the first 12 on this date; there are more month-long observances. See the full months list for February.
Events that occurred on February 17 throughout history
The U.S. Patent Office issues patent no. 4,669X to Chester Stone of Middlebury, New Haven County, Connecticut for the invention of a washing machine. The record of the patent was destroyed in the 1836 Patent Office fire at the Blodget’s Hotel. However, 61 years after Stone invented the washing machine, his son Marvin would invent the revolutionary drinking straw.
Jean-Henry Dunant, Gustave Moynier, Théodore Maunoir, Guillaume-Henri Dufour and Louis Appia organize the humanitarian organization known as the International Red Cross
The Suez Canal officially opens and the first ship passes through, L’Aigle, the imperial yacht of French Empress Eugenie.
Newsweek publishes its first issue. Samuel T. Williamson served as the weekly periodical’s first editor-in-chief.
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame opens in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Human chess master, Garry Kasparov defeats IBM’s chess-playing computer, Deep Blue, 4 to 2.
On the grounds of the North Dakota Capitol, 8,962 people set a record by making simultaneous snow angels.
