At present is Tuesday, Feb. 17, the forty eighth day of 2026. There are 317 days left within the 12 months.
At present in historical past:
On Feb. 17, 2013, Danica Patrick received the Daytona 500 pole, turning into the primary lady to safe the highest spot for any Dash Cup race.
Additionally on this date:
In 1801, the U.S. Home of Representatives broke an electoral tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, electing Jefferson president; Burr grew to become vice chairman.
In 1863, 5 appointees of the Public Welfare Society of Geneva introduced the formation of an “Worldwide Committee for the Reduction of Wounded Combatants,” which might later be renamed the Worldwide Committee of the Purple Cross.
In 1864, through the Civil Struggle, the Union ship USS Housatonic was rammed and sank in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, by the Accomplice hand-cranked submarine HL Hunley, within the first naval assault of its sort; the Hunley additionally sank.
In 1897, the Nationwide Congress of Moms, the forerunner of the Nationwide Dad or mum Trainer Affiliation, convened its first assembly in Washington with over 2,000 attendees.
In 1964, the U.S. Supreme Court docket, in Wesberry v. Sanders, dominated that congressional districts inside every state should be roughly equal in inhabitants.
In 1992, serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer was sentenced to life imprisonment after being discovered responsible of 15 counts of first-degree homicide.
In 1995, Colin Ferguson was convicted of six counts of homicide within the December 1993 Lengthy Island Rail Street shootings; he was later sentenced to 315 years in jail.
In 2008, Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia.
In 2014, Jimmy Fallon made his debut as host of NBC’s “Tonight Present,” taking on from Jay Leno.
At present’s Birthdays:
- Actor Brenda Fricker is 81.
- Actor Rene Russo is 72.
- Actor Richard Karn is 70.
- Olympic swimming gold medalist and tv commentator Rowdy Gaines is 67.
- Actor Lou Diamond Phillips is 64.
- Basketball Corridor of Famer Michael Jordan is 63.
- Movie director Michael Bay is 61.
- Hockey Corridor of Famer Luc Robitaille is 60.
- Olympic snowboarding gold medalist Tommy Moe is 56.
- Actor Denise Richards is 55.
- Musician Billie Joe Armstrong (Inexperienced Day) is 54.
- Actor Jerry O’Connell is 52.
- Actor Jason Ritter is 46.
- Media character Paris Hilton is 45.
- Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt is 45.
- Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran is 35.
- Actor Jeremy Allen White is 35.
- Tennis participant Madison Keys is 31.
- Actor Sasha Pieterse is 30.