Son of an oil tycoon saves Washington’s birthplace
On February 17, 1929, the nation learned that John D. Rockefeller Jr. had purchased 267 acres of the old Wakefield estate—the land where George Washington was born. He bought it in trust so the Wakefield National Memorial Association could restore the birthplace in time for Washington’s 1932 bicentennial. Within two years, Rockefeller and the Association had assembled nearly 400 acres and turned the land over to the federal government, clearing the way for the George Washington Birthplace National Monument.
Because the original house had been lost to a 1779 fire, a Memorial House was built to reflect the Tidewater world of Washington’s youth. It opened in 1932, joined later by the great white Rockefeller Barn. And just beyond it, outlined in crushed oyster shell, lie the foundations uncovered in 1936—the enduring footprint of the real birthplace, preserved because a handful of people refused to let it fade.
Broadside: $20 Reward! for Thief or Goods! or $30 for both, February 17, 1875
Construction of the President’s inauguration stand on February 17, 1925 Coolidge would deliver his inaugural address from here a few weeks later.
Image via LOC, no known restrictions
A drawing of the destruction of the USS Housatonic by a torpedo from the Confederate H.L. Hunley submarine on February 17, 1864 in Charleston Harbor.
Image via LOC, no known restrictions
On February 17, 1621, Myles Standish was elected military commander of the Plymouth Colony.
Image via NYPL Digital Collections, no known restrictions
Men posed with dogsled teams and skis (and snowshoes) in ice field, Saint Michael, Alaska, February 17, 1909
Image via Wikimedia Commons, no known restrictions
On today’s date February 17, 1924, Mary Margaret Truman Daniel was born in Independence, Missouri. She went by her middle name, Margaret and was a singer, actress and writer. Margaret wrote over 30 books including a critically acclaimed biography of her father, President Harry S. Truman.
Photo: Painting of Margaret Truman by Greta Kempton [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Photograph of President Truman throwing a switch during a demonstration of military hardware at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. February 17, 1951
Photo via Wikimedia Commons, public domain
On February 17, 1801, Thomas Jefferson was elected as 3rd President of the United States after a contingent election was held. Aaron Burr, also a presidential candidate, became Vice President.
Image of Jefferson c. 1800 via Wikimedia Commons, public domain
A portrait of Major General D. B. Birney and staff Brandy Station, Va., February 17, 1864. “On Wednesday, October 19th, the press of Philadelphia announced the sad event in the following language, which is quoted to show the estimation in which he was held in his adopted city. The editor of the North American and United States Gazette wrote as follows during the night of Birney’s death: “DEATH OF GENERAL DAVID B. BIRNEY. We regret to announce the death, last evening, at his residence in this city, of malarious fever, of the intrepid Major-general David B. Birney, the veteran commander of the Tenth Army Corps of the United States. His career in this war was one fraught with honor to himself and his country, and there will be a voice of sincere mourning for him wherever there is a patriotic heart in this republic. He was the son of the celebrated James G. Birney, the well-known candidate of the Liberty party for the Presidency of the United States. His father was originally a Southern planter and a large slaveholder, but, becoming convinced of the wrongfulness of slavery, he freed his slaves, and removed to a Northern State….. “The volunteer officers of this war have produced no nobler specimen of the soldier than Major-general David B. Birney. His name is identified with nearly every battle in which the Army of the Potomac has been engaged. His modesty long caused him to be overslaughed in the command of a corps, which he had fairly won, but at length he reached his true position, and commanded the Tenth Army Corps in all the late operations on the James river. He passed through a thousand perils from bullet and shell to fall a victim at last to the malaria which has swept away so many of our gallant men. In him Philadelphia loses a son of whom she has reason to feel proud. He leaves a widow and family.” From: Life of David Bell Birney, major-general United States volunteers by Oliver Wilson Davis, published in 1867 https://archive.org/details/lifedavidbellbirney00davirich/page/280/mode/1up Source says not in copyright
Image via Library of Congress, no known restrictions https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2013647581/
On February 17, 1909, Geronimo died of pneumonia at Fort Sill in Oklahoma.
Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain
Pilots aboard a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier receive last minute instructions before taking off to attack industrial, and military installations in Tokyo
2/17/1945
A George Washington monument in Milwaukee from 1885 by American artist Richard Henry Park. Richard Henry Park was born on February 17, 1838, in Hebron, Connecticut.
Image: Washington Monument at Milwaukee’s Court of Honor from Kenneth C. Zirkel via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Launch of the rocket carrying Vanguard 2, the first successful weather satellite, on February 17, 1959. The satellite is still orbiting the earth and is expected to do so for another 235 years or more.
Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain
Recording of the instrumental portion of Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys began on February 17, 1966.
Image of the Beach Boys in the 1960s via Wikimedia Commons, public domain
Aaron Montgomery Ward was born on February 17, 1843 (or 1844; sources disagree). As a traveling salesman of dry goods Ward heard many complaints from rural customers who wanted the variety of products available to city-dwellers. His solution was an extensive catalog, direct mail ordering, and rapid shipping.
Image via Wikimedia Commons, public domain in the US.
White House Police – in their new uniforms – 2/17/1923
Michael Jeffrey Jordan was born on February 17, 1963, at Cumberland Hospital in Brooklyn, New York — a humble beginning for an athlete who would redefine excellence around the world. A six‑time NBA champion and five‑time MVP, Jordan’s competitive fire reshaped the sport, but his legacy extends far beyond the hardwood. His philanthropic efforts have generated well over $150 million in support: nearly $7 million raised through his Celebrity Invitational golf tournament, more than $5 million donated to Make‑A‑Wish before his record‑setting $10 million birthday gift, over $27 million committed to Novant Health to build and expand family clinics across North Carolina, and a historic $100 million pledge to advance racial equality, social justice, and educational opportunity. His story is not only written in championships, but in clinics opened, families supported, and communities strengthened.
