Today is Tuesday, the 17th of February of 2026
February 17 is the 48th day of the year
317 days remain until the end of the year
30 days until spring begins
Sunrise at 6:56:30 am
and sunset will be at 5:52:09 pm.
We will have 10 hours and 55 minutes of daylight today
(even if it's raining!)
The solar transit will be at 12:24:19 pm.
Water temperature in San Francisco Bay today is 54.9°F.
The first low tide will be at 4:18 am at 2.15 feet
The first high tide of the day will be at 10:09 am at 6.04 feet
The next low tide will be later this afternoon at 4:51 pm at -0.48 feet
and the final high tide at Ocean Beach will be late tonight at 11:30 pm at 5.24 feet
Today is the first day of Ramadan and the Lunar New Year
The Moon is currently 0% visible
It's going from being a New Moon as of 4:01 this morning to now being a waxing gibbous moon
Today is....
Champion Crab Races Day
Spring Festival
International Pancake Day
Mardi Gras, Also known as Carnaval, Carnival, and Fat Tuesday
My Way Day
National Cabbage Day
National Café au Lait Day
National Indian Pudding Day
National Parent Teacher Association Founders' Day
National Public Science Day
Pączki (PONCH-key) Day,
Random Acts of Kindness Day
Who Shall I Be Day
World Human Spirit Day
Today is also....
Independence Day, celebrates the independence declaration of Kosovo in 2008, still partially recognized.
Revolution Day in Libya
On this day in Black History....
1870: Mississippi became the 9th state readmitted after the Civil War. Congress passed the resolution on the condition that Mississippi would never change its constitution to disenfranchise African-Americans.
1891: Albert Richardson patented an improved butter churn.
1963: The USS Jesse L. Brown was commissioned, named after the first African American naval aviator to see combat in the Korean War.
1968: Approximately 5,000 people gathered in Oakland for a "Free Huey" birthday rally for Huey P. Newton, boosting the profile of the Black Panther Party.
1982: Thelonious Monk, influential jazz pianist and composer, dies
1997: The Virginia House of Delegates voted to retire the state song, "Carry Me Back to Old Virginia," which glorified slavery.
2012: Trayvon Martin was killed in Sanford, Florida, an event that sparked national protests and conversations on racial justice.
If today is your birthday, Happy Birthday To You! You share this special day with...
1902: Marian Anderson, renowned contralto and civil rights figure who performed at the Lincoln Memorial in 1939.
1918: Rep. Charles A. Hayes, D-Illinois, who was born in Cairo, Illinois. In 1989, Hayes was re-elected to a fourth term in the House of Representatives. He was first elected Sept. 12, 1983.
1936: Jim Brown, NFL Hall of Famer, actor, and activist.
1938: Mary Frances Berry, activist, historian, and former chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
1942: Huey P. Newton, co-founder of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense.
1963: Michael Jordan, NBA legend.
1967: Ronnie DeVoe. He was the fifth member of New Edition, and was introduced to the group by his uncle, their former manager. DeVoe later became a founding member of rhythm and blues group Bell Biv DeVoe with two other New Edition members, Michael Bivins and Ricky Bell.
Also on this day in history....
1801 – United States presidential election: A tie in the Electoral College between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr is resolved when Jefferson is elected President of the United States and Burr Vice President by the United States House of Representatives.
1863 – A group of citizens of Geneva found an International Committee for Relief to the Wounded, which later became known as the International Committee of the Red Cross.
1913 – The Armory Show opens in New York City, displaying works of artists who are to become some of the most influential painters of the early 20th century.
1949 – Chaim Weizmann begins his term as the first President of Israel.
1959 – Project Vanguard: Vanguard 2: The first weather satellite is launched to measure cloud-cover distribution.
1964 – In Wesberry v. Sanders the Supreme Court of the United States rules that congressional districts have to be approximately equal in population.
1965 – Project Ranger: The Ranger 8 probe launches on its mission to photograph the Mare Tranquillitatis region of the Moon in preparation for the crewed Apollo missions. Mare Tranquillitatis or the "Sea of Tranquility" would become the site chosen for the Apollo 11 lunar landing.
1972 – Cumulative sales of the Volkswagen Beetle exceed those of the Ford Model T.
1974 – Robert K. Preston, a disgruntled U.S. Army private, buzzes the White House in a stolen helicopter.
1996 – In Philadelphia, world champion Garry Kasparov beats the Deep Blue supercomputer in a chess match.
2008 – Kosovo declares independence from Serbia.
2011 – Arab Spring: Libyan protests against Muammar Gaddafi's regime begin.
Birthdays today also include....
1653 – Arcangelo Corelli, Italian violinist and composer (died 1713)
1723 – Tobias Mayer, German astronomer and academic (died 1762)
1843 – Aaron Montgomery Ward, American businessman, founded Montgomery Ward (died 1913)
1923 – Buddy DeFranco, American clarinet player and bandleader (died 2014)
1924 – Margaret Truman, American singer and author, daughter of president Harry S Truman (died 2008)
1925 – Hal Holbrook, American actor and director (died 2021)
1925 - Carlos Paredes, Portuguese guitar master, born in Coimbra, Portugal (d. 2004)
1929 – Chaim Potok, American rabbi and author (died 2002)
1934 – Barry Humphries, Australian comedian, actor, and author (died 2023)
1936 – Jim Brown, American football player and actor (died 2023)
1937 – Mary Ann Mobley, American model and actress, Miss America 1959 (died 2014)
1940 – Vicente Fernández, Mexican singer-songwriter, actor, and producer (died 2021)
1940 – Gene Pitney, American singer-songwriter (died 2006)
1949 – Fred Frith, English guitarist and songwriter
1957 – Loreena McKennitt, Canadian singer-songwriter, accordion player, and pianist
1962 – Lou Diamond Phillips, American actor and director
1963 – Larry the Cable Guy, American comedian and voice actor
1972 - Billie Joe Armstrong, American singer and musician (Green Day - "Basket Case"; "American Idiot"), born in Oakland, California
1979 - Sarah Lee Guthrie, American folk dinger-songwriter, daughter of Arlo, and granddaughter of Woody, born in Massachusetts
1980 – Jason Ritter, American actor
1981 – Paris Hilton, American model, media personality, actress, singer, DJ, author and businesswoman
1991 – Ed Sheeran, English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
