American playwright whose dramas "Death of a Salesman" and "The Crucible" examine how societal pressures shape human behavior.
Detroit rapper who revolutionized hip-hop with rapid-fire lyrics on controversy-courting tracks like "Stan" and "My Name Is."
American physician and the first Black female astronaut. Spent a week in 1992 orbiting the Earth in the space shuttle Endeavor.
After David Letterman invites magicians Penn & Teller to surprise him on their next appearance on his "Late Night" show, they unleash hundreds of cockroaches from a top hat onto his desk. Not pleased, Letterman later conceded it made "great TV."
Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on October 17th
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