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January 17 is a particularly eclectic day. It's Benjamin Franklin Day, honorably acknowledging one of America's founding fathers. It’s also Cable Car Day, Customer Service Day, International We Are Not Broken Day, Popeye Day, and more.

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Interesting Facts of January 17th

  1. 1. The United Nations Security Council held its first meeting on January 17, 1946.
  2. 2. Comic strip character Popeye made his first appearance in Thimble Theatre on January 17, 1929.
  3. 3. It’s historically been an important day for US aviation with both the first balloon flight for mail delivery (1785) and first commercial jet trip (1959) happening on this date.
  4. 4. This day is annually celebrated as the birthday of Muhammad Ali, one of the most significant and celebrated sports figures of the 20th century, born on this day in 1942.
  5. 5. Famous inventor and physicist, James Watt, known for his improvements to the steam engine, was born on January 17 in 1736.