November 17 in Pop Culture Trivia

November 17 History, Trivia, and Fun Facts

November 17 History Highlights

  • 1869 – The Suez Canal opened.
  • On November 17, 1968, an NFL game between the Oakland Raiders and the New York Jets ended with a Raiders win, 43 to 32.
    That happened by 7:07 PM. The problem was, NBC has scheduled and RAN the movie Heidi at 7:00.
    There was still over a minute left to play, and the TV audience never got the chance to see two Raider Touchdowns in just 65 seconds. #heidigame #heidibowl
  • November 17, 1978, Boba Fett’s 1st appearance, Star Wars Holiday Special, TV. George Lucas hated the Star Wars Holiday Special so much he said, “If I had the time and a sledgehammer, I would track down every copy of that show and smash it.”
  • Disney’s The Little Mermaid was released on November 17, 1989.
  • November 17, 2006 – Playstation 3 released, Video Game Console
  • If you were born on November 17th,
    You were likely conceived the week of… February 24th (same year)

November 17 is…

Homemade Bread Day
International Students Day
National Baklava Day
National Take a Hike Day
National Unfriend day (Started in 2010 by Jimmy Kimmel)
World Peace Day

November 17 Birthday Quotes

“It seems to me that any sensible person must see that violence does not change the world and if it does, then only temporarily. “
– Martin Scorsese

“I am not a crook.”
-Richard Nixon

“A tree falls the way it leans. Be careful the way you lean.”
– Danny DeVito

“Acting is contained – you act for three months, then leave it – but writing is the act of creation. Writing is dangerous.”
– Sophie Marceau

“You have got to pay attention, you have got to study and you have to do your homework. You have to score higher than everybody else. Otherwise, there is always somebody there waiting to take your place.”
– Daisy Fuentes

November 17 Birthdays

1790 – August Möbius, German astronomer, created the Möbius strip (died in1868)
1866 – Voltairine de Cleyre, American Author/Feminist (died in 1912)
1925 – Rock Hudson, American actor (died in 1985)
1928 – Arman, French-American painter and sculptor (died in 2005)
1937 – Peter Cook, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter (died in 1995)
1938 – Gordon Lightfoot, Canadian Singer/Songwriter, and guitarist
1942 – Bob Gaudio, American Singer/Songwriter, keyboard player, and producer
1942 – Martin Scorsese, American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor
1943 – Lauren Hutton, American model, and actress
1944 – Gene Clark, American Singer/Songwriter, and musician (The Byrds, died in 1991)
1944 – Danny DeVito, American actor, director, and producer
1944 – Lorne Michaels, Canadian TV producer (Saturday Night Live)
1944 – Tom Seaver, American baseball player, and sportscaster
1951 – Stephen Root, American actor (News Radio)
1958 – Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, American actress and singer
1960 – RuPaul, American drag queen performer, actor, and singer
1966 – Jeff Buckley, American Singer/Songwriter, and guitarist (died in 1997)
1966 – Daisy Fuentes, Cuban-American model, and actress
1966 – Sophie Marceau, French actress, director, and screenwriter
1967 – Ronnie DeVoe, American singer, producer, and actor
1971 – David Ramsey, American actor (Arrow)
1978 – Rachel McAdams, Canadian actress
1978 – Zoë Bell, New Zealand actress, and stuntwoman

November 17 History

1558 – Queen Mary I of England died and was succeeded by her half-sister, The ‘Virgin Queen’ Elizabeth I of England.

1827 – The Delta Phi & Sigma Phi fraternities were founded at Union College in Schenectady, New York. Along with the Kappa Alpha Society and Sigma Phi Society, the trio was informally called the ‘Union Triad’.

1855 – David Livingstone became the first European to see Victoria Falls in what was now present-day Zambia-Zimbabwe.

1869 – Suez Canal (Egypt) opened, linking the Mediterranean & Red seas. It is 102 miles long.

1871 – National Rifle Association was organized (in New York City) by Army and Navy Journal editor William Conant Church and General George Wood Wingate.

1894 – Daily Racing Form was founded in Chicago, Illinois by Frank Brunell.

1894 – H. H. Holmes (Dr. Henry Howard Holmes), one of the first modern serial killers, is arrested in Boston, Massachusetts. He killed between 23 and 200 people.

1911 – Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated, it was/is the first black Greek-lettered organization founded at an American historically black college or university on the campus of Howard University in Washington, DC.

1947 – The Screen Actors Guild implemented an anti-Communist loyalty oath.

1952 – Archeologists reported finding a 2,000-year-old mosaic floor at Circum, Cyprus, that depicted a scene from Homer’s Iliad.

1958 – #1 Hit November 17, 1958 – November 30, 1958: The Kingston TrioTom Dooley

1962 – #1 Hit November 17, 1962 – December 21, 1962: The Four SeasonsBig Girls Don’t Cry

1968 – Heidi Game Scandal – NBC cut the AFL championship to show the children’s film Heidi and millions missed the Raiders beat the Jets, 43-32. The movie started at 7:00 PM. The game ended at 7:07.

1969 – SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks) discussions opened in Helsinki, Finland.

1970 – A patent (#3541541) was issued to Doug Engelbart for the computer mouse – an “X-Y Position Indicator for a Display System”.

1973 – In Orlando, Florida, President Richard Nixon told 400 Associated Press managing editors “I am not a crook.”

November 17, 1978 – Boba Fett’s 1st appearance, Star Wars Holiday Special, on ABC TV. It only aired once and was never officially released on DVD.

1979 – #1 Hit November 17, 1979 – November 23, 1979: CommodoresStill

1984 – #1 Hit November 17, 1984 – December 7, 1984: Wham!Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go

1992Dateline NBC aired a demonstration show General Motors trucks blowing upon impact, later it was revealed that NBC rigged the test.

2001The Justice League premiered on The Cartoon Network. The initial team included Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern (John Stewart), The Flash (Wally West), Martian Manhunter (J’onn J’ones), and Hawkgirl.

2004 – Kmart Corp. announced it was buying Sears, Roebuck, and Company for $11 billion USD and naming the newly merged company Sears Holdings Corporation.

November 17, 2006 – Playstation 3 released, Video Game Console

#1 Hit November 17, 2018 – December 7, 2018: Ariana Grande – Thank U, Next

Today’s Random Trivia and Shower Thoughts

Do not go around pointing out problems unless you have ideas for a solution. #advice

Of the 130 Mickey Mouse short films released from 1928-2013, the only one to have been directed by a woman was 2013’s Get a Horse! by Lauren MacMullan.

A group of Plumbers is called a Flush.

“Here is the solution to the American drug problem suggested a couple of years back by the wife of our President: ‘Just say no.'” – Kurt Vonnegut

A group of Hummingbirds is called a Charm.

US President #30 Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929) After Harding’s death, Coolidge’s father, a notary public, administered the oath of office to his son by the light of a kerosene lamp. When elected later, the oath of office was administered by Chief Justice William Howard Taft.

Rubies and sapphires are scientifically the same minerals. Rubies are the red variety and sapphires can encompass any other color, with blue being the most popular and common.

The Capital of the Czech Republic is Prague

TV Quotes… “You look mahvelous!” (Billy Crystal as Fernando) on “Saturday Night Live”

“It’s time the fat cats had a heart attack.” #songlyrics

Unused explosives placed on the top of the Pathfinder Dam in Wyoming in 1909 were finally removed by explosive experts in 1949.

Blues Traveler’s Hook is a pop song about the psychology of pop songs.

More Pop Culture History Resources