At A Glance

17 February 2012 at a glance

Day of the week
17 February 2012 was a Friday.
UK Number One
The UK Number One single was “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye ft. Kimbra.
Top Film of 2012
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 2012 was The Avengers.
Star sign
The star sign for 17 February is Aquarius.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 17 February 2012 fell in the Year of the Dragon.
Birthstone
The birthstone for February is Amethyst.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 17 February 2012 was Waning Crescent.

On this day: 17 February

  • 1996 In Philadelphia, world champion Garry Kasparov beats the Deep Blue supercomputer in a chess match.
  • 1996 NASA's Discovery Program begins as the NEAR Shoemaker spacecraft lifts off on the first mission ever to orbit and land on an asteroid, 433 Eros.
  • 2008 Kosovo declares independence from Serbia.
  • 2011 Arab Spring: Libyan protests against Muammar Gaddafi's regime begin.
  • 2011 Arab Spring: In Bahrain, security forces launch a deadly pre-dawn raid on protesters in Pearl Roundabout in Manama; the day is locally known as Bloody Thursday.

Famous people born on 17 February

  • Case Keenum, American football player (born 1988)
  • Ed Sheeran, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (born 1991)
  • Michael Jordan, American basketball player, executive, and businessman (born 1963)
  • Jensen Huang, Taiwanese-American businessman, co-founded Nvidia (born 1963)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Choose your country: the charts, news and leaders change to match.

Events of 2012 in the United Kingdom

A selection from Wikipedia's '2012 in the United Kingdom'. Not a complete list.

  • 4 February – The Met Office issues a severe weather warning as heavy snow falls across much of the UK, disrupting road and air travel.
  • 6 February – Queen Elizabeth II celebrates her Diamond Jubilee, marking sixty years on the throne; only the second British monarch to do so.
  • 29 March – 2012 Bradford West by-election: Respect Party candidate George Galloway wins, taking the seat from the Labour Party with a majority of 10,140 votes.

Life in 2012

Prime Minister

David Cameron

Monarch

Elizabeth II

Pint of Beer

£3.05

Loaf of Bread

£1.35

Average House

£162,637

Weekly Wage

£723.00

Or

Browse by Year

About The Day You Were Born

Ever wondered what was happening in the world when you took your first breath? Our birthday lookup tool reveals the fascinating history of your special day.

About The Birthday Chronicle and where our data comes from →