Famous Birthdays
- Frankie LaRocka (Frank LaRocca), American session and touring drummer, and record producer (Spin Doctors), born in Manhattan, New York City (d. 2005)
- Kim Tyler, American actor (Kyle-Please Don't Eat Daisies), born in Hollywood, California
- Michael Sembello, American Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter, composer and producer ("Maniac"; "Flashdance"), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Riccardo Patrese, Italian racing driver (Grand Prix), born in Padua, Italy
Roddy Piper (1954-2015)
Canadian pro wrestler (WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight C'ship 1992; World Tag Team C'ship [Ric Flair] 2006), born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Famous Deaths
- Lucreţiu Pătrăşcanu, Romanian communist activist and sociologist, dies at 53
Died in 1954 1954 Highlights
About April 17, 1954
Day of the Week: Saturday
How Long Ago? 70 years and 11 days
Leap Year: No
Generation: Baby Boomer
Chinese Zodiac: Horse
Star Sign: Aries
Music Charts
- #1 Song: I See The Moon - Stargazers