November 17

Events

 * 1947 – American scientists John Bardeen and Walter Brattain observe the basic principles of the transistor, a key element for the electronics revolution of the 20th Century.

Births

 * 1816 –, Austrian composer (d. 1876)
 * 1938 –, Canadian singer
 * 1940 –, Irish folk music singer and banjo player (d. 1984)
 * 1944 –, American singer and songwriter (The Byrds) (d. 1991)
 * 1946 –, English rock musician (Jethro Tull)
 * 1962 –, Canadian singer (Les Colocs) (d. 2000)
 * 1965 –, Australian musician (The Go-Betweens) and composer
 * 1966 –, American guitarist (Guns N' Roses)
 * 1970 –, British guitarist (Cradle of Filth)
 * 1973 –, Swedish singer (Vintersorg)
 * 1980 –, American musician (Hanson)
 * 1981 –, English singer (Girls Aloud)
 * 1987 –, American singer

Deaths

 * 1648 – Thomas Ford, English composer
 * 1959 – Heitor Villa-Lobos, Brazilian composer (b. 1887)


 * 1979 – John Glascock, British bassist (Jethro Tull) (b. 1951)
 * 1982 – Eduard Tubin, Estonian composer (b. 1905)
 * 1995 – Alan Hull, English Rock Musician (Lindisfarne) (b. 1945)
 * 2003 – Arthur Conley, American singer (b. 1946)
 * 2003 – Don Gibson, American singer (b. 1928)
 * 2006 – Ruth Brown, American blues singer (b. 1928)
 * 2006 – Flo Sandon's, Italian singer (b. 1924)