About the day » Wednesday December 17, 1879Calender converter

• Albert Masselink, Overisel, MI
• Adriana Catharina Denissen, Essen-Hondsberg (B)
• Adriaan Jobse, Westkapelle († 1955)
• Antje Waker, Twisk, Noord-Holland, Nederland († 1914)
• Adriana VOS, Well, Gelderland, Nederland († 1969)
• Anna Nieland, Nieuw Scheemda († 1976)
• ANNA JOSEPHINA JACOBA MARIA VROEMEN, Horst († 1961)
• Aaltje Lammes, Katwoude († 1949)
• Adriana van Trigt, 's-Gravenzande († 1934)
• Hampers, Utrecht, Utrecht, Nederland

• * Gijsbert Baars (74), Rhenen, Utrecht, NL
• Albertien Harms Kors (85), Anloo,Drenthe,Nederland
• Abram Groenendijk (20), Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland, Nederland
• Angenietje Feersma (74), Zwolle
• Hendrikus Pitt (63), Deventer
• Andreas Beres (77), Seligenstadt, Hessen, Deutschland
• Adrianus Elias (66), Amersfoort, Utrecht, Nederland
• Anna (Maria) Barbara VANDER MEULEN (71), Diest,Provincie Vlaams-Brabant,Flanders,Belgi
• Alida Albers (36), Nijmegen
• Adriana ROELEVELD (24), Scheveningen, gemeente 's-Gravenhage (Z-H)

• 1866 » Kazys Grinius, Lithuanian physician and politician, 3rd President of Lithuania († 1950)
• 1873 » Ford Madox Ford, English novelist, poet, and critic († 1939)
• 1874 » William Lyon Mackenzie King, Canadian economist and politician, 10th Prime Minister of Canada († 1950)
• 1881 » Aubrey Faulkner, South African-English cricketer and coach († 1930)
• 1884 » Alison Uttley, English children's book writer († 1976)
• 1887 » Josef Lada, Czech painter and illustrator († 1957)
• 1890 » Prince Joachim of Prussia († 1920)
• 1892 » Sam Barry, American basketball player and coach († 1950)
• 1893 » Charles C. Banks, English captain and pilot († 1971)
• 1893 » Erwin Piscator, German director and producer († 1966)

• 1830 » Simón Bolívar, Venezuelan general and politician, 2nd President of Venezuela (b. 1783)
• 1833 » Kaspar Hauser, German feral child (b. 1812)
• 1847 » Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma (b. 1791)
• 1857 » Francis Beaufort, Irish hydrographer and officer in the Royal Navy (b. 1774)
• 1904 » William Shiels, Irish-Australian politician, 16th Premier of Victoria (b. 1848)
• 1907 » William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin, Irish-Scottish physicist and engineer (b. 1824)
• 1909 » Leopold II of Belgium (b. 1835)
• 1917 » Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, English physician and activist (b. 1836)
• 1927 » Rajendra Lahiri, Indian activist (b. 1892)
• 1928 » Frank Rinehart, American photographer (b. 1861)

• Koning Willem III (Huis van Oranje-Nassau) was from 1849 till 1890 sovereign of the Netherlands (also known as Koninkrijk der Nederlanden)
• In The Netherlands , there was from November 3, 1877 to August 20, 1879 the cabinet Kappeijne van de Coppello, with Mr. J. Kappeijne van de Coppello (liberaal) as prime minister.
• In The Netherlands , there was from August 20, 1879 to April 23, 1883 the cabinet Van Lijnden van Sandenburg, with Mr. C.Th. baron Van Lijnden van Sandenburg (conservatief-AR) as prime minister.
• The Netherlands had about 4.0 million citizens.
• January 13 » In Mozart Gardens Brooklyn Ada Anderson completed a great feat of pedestrianism - 2700 quarter miles in 2700 quarter hours, earning her $8000.
• February 8 » Sandford Fleming first proposes adoption of Universal Standard Time at a meeting of the Royal Canadian Institute.
• March 11 » Shō Tai formally abdicated his position of King of Ryūkyū, under orders from Tokyo, ending the Ryukyu Kingdom.
• May 14 » The first group of 463 Indian indentured laborers arrives in Fiji aboard the Leonidas.
• October 21 » Thomas Edison applies for a patent for his design for an incandescent light bulb.
• October 22 » Using a filament of carbonized thread, Thomas Edison tests the first practical electric incandescent light bulb (it lasts 13​⁄₂ hours before burning out).

The temperature on December 17, 1879 was about -7.0 °C. The air pressure was 1 kgf/m² and came mainly from the north-northwest. The airpressure was 78 cm mercury. The atmospheric humidity was 92%.