January 17

Events

 * 1882 - Thomas A. Edison is issued a patent for an improvement to the telephone (No. 252,442)
 * 1882 - A telephone switchboard was issued a U.S. patent to Leroy Firman of Chicago, Illinois (No. 252,576)

Births

 * 1712 - John Stanley, English composer (d. 1786)
 * 1734 - François-Joseph Gossec, Belgian composer (d. 1829)
 * 1850 - Aleksandr Taneyev, Russian composer (d. 1918)
 * 1857 - Eugene Augustin Lauste, French inventor (d. 1935)
 * 1857 - Wilhelm Kienzl, Austrian composer (d. 1941)
 * 1905 - Peggy Gilbert, American jazz saxophonist and bandleader (d. 2007)
 * 1907 - Henk Badings, Dutch composer (d. 1987)
 * 1928 - Jean Barraqué, French composer (d. 1973)
 * 1933 - Dalida, French singer (d. 1987)
 * 1942 - Ulf Hoelscher, German violinist
 * 1943 - Chris Montez, American singer
 * 1944 - Françoise Hardy, French singer
 * 1948 - Jim Ladd, American freeform (radio format) Disc Jockey
 * 1948 - Anne Queffélec, French pianist
 * 1949 - Mick Taylor, British musician (The Rolling Stones)
 * 1952 - Ryuichi Sakamoto, Japanese musician
 * 1955 - Steve Earle, American musician
 * 1956 - Paul Young, English musician
 * 1959 - Susanna Hoffs, American musician
 * 1960 - John Crawford, American musician
 * 1963 - Kai Hansen, German singer and guitarist (Gamma Ray)
 * 1964 - Andy Rourke, English bass guitarist (The Smiths)
 * 1966 - Stephin Merritt, American singer and songwriter (The Magnetic Fields, The 6ths, The Gothic Archies)
 * 1966 - Shabba Ranks, Jamaican singer
 * 1967 - Richard Hawley, English singer and songwriter (Pulp, The Longpigs)
 * 1969 - Tijs Verwest, (DJ Tiësto) Dutch DJ
 * 1971 - Kid Rock, American singer
 * 1971 - Leonardo Ciampa, Italian-American musician
 * 1972 - Ken Hirai, Japanese singer and songwriter
 * 1974 - Vesko Kountchev, Bulgarian musician
 * 1975 - Tom Jenkinson, English musician (Squarepusher)
 * 1981 - Ray J, American R&B singer
 * 1983 - Julie Budet, French Electronic-Pop Musician
 * 1985 - Simone Simons, Dutch singer (Epica)
 * 1985 - Riyu Kosaka, Japanese singer BeForU
 * 1985 - Kang-In, South Korean singer (Super Junior)