February 17

440 Saint Mesrob, teacher of the Armenian Church, died (born probably about 360 at Taron, Armenia).

661 Finan, bishop of Lindisfarne (an island in the North Sea), who sought to preserve Celtic customs against Roman influence, died.

1546 Martin Luther settled a quarrel in Eisleben among the princes of Mansfeld, even though he was ill and was to die the next day.

1557 Johannes Timan, Lutheran reformer of Bremen, died (b. before 1500, Amsterdam).

1816 Edward Hopper, hymnist, was born in New York City (d. 23 April 1888).

1820 Martin Luther Stoever, professor at the Lutheran Theological Seminary (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania) was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania (d. 22 July 1870).

1841 Alfred Plummer, Anglican theologian and church historian, was born at Heworth, Durhamshire, England (d. 1926).

1842 Karl Georg Stöckhardt, professor at Concordia Seminary (Saint Louis), was born (d. 9 January 1913, Saint Louis).

1851 David Alexander Day, Lutheran missionary and doctor in Liberia, was born (d. 17 December 1897).

1858 The Waldensians, ancient "Protestants" from the Italian Alps who survived through persecution for almost eight hundred years, were finally guaranteed civil and religious rights.

1869 Henry Adam Klein, missionary to Brazil and president of Concordia Theological Seminary (Springfield, Illinois), was born in Spring (Klein), Texas (d. 21 December 1935).

1888 Ronald A. Knox, Roman Catholic scholar, was born at Kibworth, England (d. 24 August 1957).

1889 Paul F. Koenig was born in Seward, Nebraska (d. 28 July 1986, Saint Louis). He graduated from Concordia Seminary (Saint Louis) in 1914 and served as a pastor in Saint Louis, Missouri. He was a member of the Missouri Synod's Board of Education from 1932 to 1939. He then became the president of the Western District. From 1946 to 1950 he was on the synodical Board of Directors, and from 1952 to 1959 he was on the Western District's Commission on Missions and Church Extension. He retired in 1967.

1889 William Ashley ("Billy") Sunday (1862–1935), Whitestockings (White Sox) baseball player-turned-evangelist, made his first appearance in Chicago as an evangelist.

1898 Frances E. Willard (b. 28 September 1839, Churchville, New York), American educator and temperance reformer, died.

1903 Joseph Parry (b. 21 May 1841, Merthyr Tydrfil, Wales), music scholar and composer, died.

1906 Paul S. Minear, American Congregational theologian, was born at Mount Pleasant, Iowa. He taught religion and New Testament studies at the Hawaii School of Religion, Garrett Biblical Institute, Andover-Newton Theological Seminary and Yale Divinity School (d. 22 February 2007).

1908 Erich Hugo Heintzen, professor at Concordia Theological Seminary (Springfield, Illinois), was born in New Orleans, Louisiana (d. 27 September 1971, Springfield, Illinois).

1923 August Crull, professor, hymnologist, hymn translator and author, died in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (b. 27 January 1845, Rostock).

1958 Pope Pius XII (1876–1958) declares Saint Clare of Assisi (1193–1253) the patron saint of television.

1965 Gotthilf Christian Barth, president of Concordia Theological Seminary (Springfield, Illinois), died at West Allis, Wisconsin (b. 12 May 1883, Sandusky, Wisconsin).