9th » World War I: the Battle of Rafa is fought near the Egyptian border with Palestine.
11th » The Kingsland Explosion called Kingsland munitions factory explosion occurs as a result of sabotage.
17th » The United States pays Denmark $25 million for the U.S. Virgin Islands known as Virgin Islands.
19th » Silvertown explosion: 73 are killed and 400 injured in an explosion in a munitions plant in London.
22nd » World War I: President of the United States named President Woodrow Wilson of the still-neutral United States calls for "peace without victory" in Europe.
28th » Municipally-owned streetcars take to the streets of San Francisco.
31st » World War I: Germany announces that its U-boats will U-boat Campaign (World War I) called resume unrestricted submarine warfare after a two-year hiatus.
Famous Birthdays on January in 1917
1st » Jule Gregory Charney, American meteorologist (d. 1981)
1st » Albert Mol, Dutch actor (d. 2004)
2nd » Vera Zorina, German-Norwegian actress and dancer (d. 2003)
3rd » Albert Mol, Dutch author and actor (d. 2002)
3rd » Roger Williams Straus, Jr., American publisher, co-founded Farrar, Straus and Giroux (d. 2004)
3rd » Vernon A. Walters, American military officer and diplomat, 17th United States Ambassador to the United Nations (d. 2002)
5th » Lucienne Day, English textile designer (d. 2010)
5th » Francis L. Kellogg, American diplomat (d. 2006)
5th » Wieland Wagner, German director (d. 1966)
5th » Jane Wyman, American actress (d. 2007)
6th » Koo Chen-fu, Taiwanese businessman and diplomat (d. 2005)