February 17
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Featured Event
Adam Nadel/AP Images
A human beats a machine
World chess champion Garry Kasparov triumphed over IBMâs Deep Blue computer on this day in 1996. The two were competing in a six-round tournament to determine whether a machine could defeat a human in chess. The answer was yesâKasparov had lost the first game of the tournament, a moment he described as âshatteringââbut Kasparov battled back for the overall win, scoring three victories and two draws. âI could figure out its priorities and adjust my play,â he later explained. âIt couldnât do the same to me.â [Read todayâs edition of Today in History > >]
Featured Biography
Featured Biography
© Jerry Coli/Dreamstime.com
Thereâs Michael, then thereâs all the rest of us.
Considered by many the greatest all-around player in the history of basketball, American Michael (âAirâ) Jordan, who was born this day in 1963, led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships (1991â93, 1996â98).
Famous Birthdays
More on February 17
Ethan Miller/Getty Images
2021
American radio personality and author Rush Limbaugh, who was known for his ultraconservative and often controversial views, died at age 70.
Mike Coppola/Getty Images
2014
EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, Inc.
2008
Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia, though a number of countries refused to recognize the new republic. [Test your knowledge of the countries of the world.]
Image: EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, Inc.
1996
An earthquake and an accompanying tsunami in Indonesia left 108 people dead, 423 injured, and 58 missing. [Sort fact from fiction in our natural disasters quiz.]
Allan Y. ScottâAP/Shutterstock.com
1992
Jeffrey Dahmer was sentenced to 15 consecutive life terms for a series of gruesome murders; he was later killed by a fellow prison inmate. [How much do you know about infamous serial killers?]
EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, Inc.
1979
China invaded Vietnam, following a series of anti-Chinese, pro-Soviet maneuvers by Chinaâs southern neighbor. The invasion was a response to Vietnamâs ongoing efforts to bolster its ties with the Soviet Union following the Vietnam War, and it resulted in a month-long war.
Camera Press/Globe Photos
1955
British Minister of Defense Harold Macmillan announced plans to develop and produce hydrogen bombs. [Take our weapons and warfare quiz.]
Bettmann/Getty Images
1913
The influential Armory Show opened in New York City, introducing the American public to artworks by Impressionists, Symbolists, Post-Impressionists, Fauves, and Cubists. [Sort fact from fiction in our artists and painters quiz.]
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.; A. Dupont, NY (dig. id. cph 3a40628)
1904
Giacomo Pucciniâs Madama Butterfly premiered at La Scala in Milan, and it became one the most frequently performed operas. [Test your knowledge of operas.]
Image: EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, Inc.
1897
The National Congress of Parents and Teachers, better known as the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), was founded in Washington, D.C., as the National Congress of Mothers.
U.S. Navy
1864
During the American Civil War, the Confederate Hunley became the first submarine to sink an enemy ship when it successfully attacked the USS Housatonic in the waters off Charleston, South Carolina. [Take our quiz about submarines, ships, and other watercraft.]
EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, Inc.
1843
The British annexed most of what is now Sindh province in Pakistan after winning the Battle of Miani.
© John ParrotâStocktrek Images/Getty Images
1801
Following a tie in the electoral college, the U.S. House of Representatives elected Thomas Jefferson president. [How much do you know about U.S. presidential elections?]