Famous people born on August 17th
August 17 gathers an unusually wide range of influential voices, from early American frontiersmen and Black nationalist leaders to Hollywood icons, Nobel-winning literature, and modern tech entrepreneurs. The date links cultural boundary-pushers with institution-builders, athletes, and political figures whose work shaped public life in very different ways. With 43 notable birthdays, it is a snapshot of creativity, leadership, and reinvention across centuries.
Notable highlights
- Mae West (1893) - A comedy and screen trailblazer who pushed censorship limits with unapologetic wit and self-made stardom.
- Marcus Garvey (1887) - A pivotal Black nationalist organizer whose UNIA movement helped popularize Pan-African pride and economic self-determination.
- Samuel Goldwyn (1882) - A founding-era film mogul whose producing legacy helped define Hollywoods studio system and prestige pictures.
- Robert De Niro (1943) - An actors-actor famed for transformative performances and long-running creative partnerships that reshaped modern cinema.
- V. S. Naipaul (1932) - Nobel Prize-winning novelist whose sharp, often controversial prose examined postcolonial identity and displacement.
- Larry Ellison (1944) - Oracle co-founder who helped make database software a backbone of enterprise computing.
- Sean Penn (1960) - A two-time Academy Award winner known for intense character work and a high-profile career spanning directing and activism.
- Thierry Henry (1977) - A prolific football forward celebrated for pace, finishing, and a defining era at Arsenal and for France.
- Alex Honnold (1985) - A climber whose free-solo feats brought unprecedented mainstream attention to the sport and its risks.
- Jonathan Franzen (1959) - A novelist associated with big-canvas contemporary realism, especially family and social critique in modern America.
On this day
- 1807 - Robert Fulton demonstrates his steamboat North River Steamboat (often called Clermont) on the Hudson River, signaling a transportation revolution.
- 1943 - The Quebec Conference opens, bringing Allied leaders together to coordinate strategy for World War II.
- 1960 - Gabon becomes independent from France.
- 1969 - The Woodstock Music and Art Fair concludes in New York, becoming a landmark event in popular music and counterculture.