17 APRIL
1497 Pedro de Valdivia Born April 17, 1497 d. 1553 Spanish conquistador and first Governor of Chile, founder of Santiago, Concepción, and Valdivia. He was killed during a campaign against the Araucanian Indians. Legend has it that the Araucanians captured and executed him by pouring molten gold down his throat to satisfy his thirst for treasures.
1788 Joseph Gilbert Totten (August 23, 1788 â April 22, 1864) fought in the War of 1812, served as Chief of Engineers and was regent of the Smithsonian Institution and cofounder of the National Academy of Sciences. In 1836, he was elected a member of the American Philosophical Society.
1809 Philip St. George Cooke (June 13, 1809 â March 20, 1895) was a career United States Army cavalry officer who served as a Union General in the American Civil War. He is noted for his authorship of an Army cavalry manual, and is sometimes called the “Father of the U.S. Cavalry.” His service in the Civil War was significant, but was eclipsed in prominence by the contributions made by his famous son in law, J.E.B. Stuart, to the Confederate States Army.
1915 Joseph Jacob Foss (April 17, 1915 â January 1, 2003) was a United States Marine Corps major and a leading Marine fighter ace in World War II. He received the Medal of Honor in recognition of his role in air combat during the Guadalcanal Campaign. In postwar years, he was an Air National Guard brigadier general, served as the 20th Governor of South Dakota (1955â1959), president of the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the first commissioner of the American Football League. He also was a television broadcaster.
1918 William Holden (born William Franklin Beedle Jr.; April 17, 1918 â November 12, 1981) was an American actor, one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1950s. Holden served as a second and then a first lieutenant in the United States Army Air Force during World War II, where he acted in training films for the First Motion Picture Unit, including Reconnaissance Pilot (1943).
1923 Harry Truman Reasoner (April 17, 1923 â August 6, 1991) was an American journalist for CBS and ABC News, known for his adroit use of language as a television commentator, and as a founder of the long running 60 Minutes program. He served in the Army during World War II.
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