GMT

January 17

1773 Captain James Cook becomes the first person to cross the Antarctic Circle.

1912 Robert Scott reaches the South Pole only a month after Roald Amundsen.

1939 The Reich issues an order forbidding Jews to practice as dentists, veterinarians and chemists.

1945 The Red army occupies Warsaw.

1985 A jury in New Jersey rules that terminally ill patients have the right to starve themselves.


Born on January 17

1706 Benjamin Franklin, statesman, diplomat, scientist and inventor who helped draft the Declaration of Independence and wrote Poor Richard's Almanac.

1899 Al Capone, U.S. mobster known as "Scarface Al" who ran most of Chicago and the surrounding area.

1922 Betty White, actress; created memorable characters in TV sitcoms from the 1950s into the 21st century (Life with Elizabeth, Mary Tyler Moore, The Golden Girls, Hot in Cleveland) and was a popular guest on TV game shows. At age 88 and a half she became the oldest person ever to host Saturday Night Live (2010).


JOTD

Two deaf people get married and during the first week of marriage, they find that they are unable to communicate in the bedroom with the lights out since they can't see each other signing, or read lips. After several nights of fumbling around and many misunderstandings, the wife figures out a solution. She writes a note to her husband: 'Honey, Why don't we agree on some simple signals? For instance, at night, if you want to have sex with me, reach over and squeeze my left breast one time. If you don't want to have sex, reach over and squeeze my right breast two times. The husband thinks this is a great idea. He writes back to his wife That if she wants to have sex with him, reach over and pull on his penis one time. If she doesn't want to have sex, pull on his penis two hundred and fifty times.