At A Glance

17 May 2009 at a glance

Day of the week
17 May 2009 was a Sunday.
Billboard Hot 100 No. 1
The Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 was “Boom Boom Pow” by The Black Eyed Peas.
Top Film of 2009
The highest-grossing film worldwide released in 2009 was Avatar.
Bestselling Novel of 2009
“The Lost Symbol” by Dan Brown was No. 1 on Publishers Weekly's US fiction list for 2009.
Top-Rated TV Show
“American Idol” (FOX) was No. 1 in the Nielsen ratings for the 2009–10 season.
Star sign
The star sign for 17 May is Taurus.
Chinese zodiac
In the Chinese zodiac, 17 May 2009 fell in the Year of the Ox.
Birthstone
The birthstone for May is Emerald.
Moon phase
The moon phase on 17 May 2009 was Last Quarter.

On this day: 17 May

  • 1995 Shawn Nelson steals an M60 tank from the California Army National Guard Armory in San Diego and proceeds to go on a rampage.
  • 1997 Troops of Laurent-Désiré Kabila march into Kinshasa. Zaire is officially renamed Democratic Republic of the Congo.
  • 2004 The first legal same-sex marriages in the U.S. are performed in the state of Massachusetts.
  • 2006 The aircraft carrier USS Oriskany is sunk in the Gulf of Mexico as an artificial reef.
  • 2007 Trains from North and South Korea cross the 38th Parallel in a test-run agreed by both governments. This is the first time that trains have crossed the Demilitarized Zone since 1953.

Famous people born on May 17

  • Josh Homme, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (born 1973)
  • Bill Paxton, American actor and director (1955–2017)
  • Dennis Hopper, American actor and director (1936–2010)
  • Bob Saget, American comedian, actor, and television host (1956–2022)

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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

Events of 2009 in the United States

A selection from Wikipedia's '2009 in the United States'. Not a complete list.

  • January 15 – US Airways Flight 1549 loses power in both engines shortly after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport, forcing the pilot to ditch the aircraft in the Hudson River.
  • February 13 – Toon Disney and Jetix relaunched as Disney XD.
  • February 22 – The 81st Academy Awards, hosted by Hugh Jackman, are held at Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire wins eight awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.
More events of 2009 →Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Life in the US in 2009

President

Barack Obama

Gas (per gallon)

$2.35

Loaf of Bread

$1.50

Average House

$216,700

Weekly Wage

$700

Or

Browse by Year

The 1940s
1940194119421943194419451946194719481949
The 1950s
1950195119521953195419551956195719581959
The 1960s
1960196119621963196419651966196719681969
The 1970s
1970197119721973197419751976197719781979
The 1980s
1980198119821983198419851986198719881989
The 1990s
1990199119921993199419951996199719981999
The 2000s
2000200120022003200420052006200720082009
The 2010s
2010201120122013201420152016201720182019
The 2020s
20202021202220232024

Famous Faces Born in the 2000s

Well-known people born in the same decade as you, not on your birthday.

Inde Navarrette3 March 2001ActressView their day →Ben Shelton9 October 2002Tennis playerView their day →Kaia Gerber3 September 2001Model & actressView their day →Sadie Sink16 April 2002ActressView their day →Olivia Rodrigo20 February 2003Singer-songwriter & actressView their day →Coco Gauff13 March 2004Tennis playerView their day →Sombr5 July 2005Singer-songwriterView their day →Caitlin Clark22 January 2002Basketball playerView their day →

Sources: Wikidata and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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 →