Every yearOctober 17
Everything October 17 celebrates
8 national, international, and world observances are on the calendar for October 17 every year, and 2 more land on it in some years.
| # | Observance | Category | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | National Pasta DayLead | Food | |
| 02 | Wear Something Gaudy Day | Celebration | |
| 03 | Rakija Day | Celebration | |
| 04 | National Mulligan Day | Celebration | |
| 05 | International Sloth Day | Celebration |
| 06 | Bridge Day | Celebration | |
| 07 | Women in Military Service for America Memorial Anniversary | Celebration | |
| 08 | Adventure Day | Celebration |
These are set by a rule rather than a fixed date, so they only land on October 17 in some years.
Sweetest Day — 2026
Diwali — 2028
Born on October 17
Historic figures
- Pope John Paul I1912–1978Head of the Catholic Church in 1978
- Arthur Miller1915–2005American playwright and screenwriter
- Rita Hayworth1918–1987American actress, singer and dancer
- Henri de Saint-Simon1760–1825French early socialist theorist
- Georg Büchner1813–1837German-Swiss poet and playwright
- Montgomery Clift1920–1966American actor
- Zhao Ziyang1919–2005Chinese politician
- Marsha Hunt1917–2022American actress and singer
- George Wendt1948–2025American actor and comedian
- Syed Ahmad Khan1817–1898Indian philosopher and scholar
Celebrities & public figures
- Eminemb. 1972American rapper
- Kimi Räikkönenb. 1979Finnish race car driver
- Felicity Jonesb. 1983English actress
- Mae Jemisonb. 1956American physician
- Matthew Macfadyenb. 1974English actor
- Tarkanb. 1972German-Turkish singer
- André Villas-Boasb. 1977Portuguese footballer and manager
- Wyclef Jeanb. 1969Haitian-American rapper
- Mike Judgeb. 1962American animator
- Mark Gatissb. 1966English actor
Birth dates from Wikidata; names link to Wikipedia.
This page covers October 17 in any year. For one year in particular — the weekday, and which moveable observances landed on it — see October 17, 2026 and October 17, 2027.
Today Celebrates tracks daily national, international and world observances all year.