January 17

• 1773 - Captain Cook's Resolution became the first ship to cross the Antarctic Circle.

• 1852 - The independence of the Transvaal Boers was recognized by Britain.

President Kruger

• 1893 - Hawaii's monarchy was overthrown when a group of businessmen and sugar planters forced Queen Liliuokalani to abdicate.

• 1912 - English explorer Robert Falcon Scott reached the South Pole. Norwegian Roald Amundsen had beaten him there by one month. Scott and his party died during the return trip.

• 1913 - All partner interests in 36 Golden Rule Stores were consolidated and incorporated in Utah into one company. The new corporation was the J.C. Penney Company.

• 1945 - Soviet and Polish forces liberated Warsaw during World War II.

• 1985 - Leonard Nimoy got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

• 1997 - Israel gave over 80% of Hebron to Palestinian rule, but held the remainder where several hundred Jewish settlers lived among 20,000 Palestinians. (H1 H2)

• The Israeli–Palestinian conflict in Hebron is the site of frequent problems. Hebron is home to 160,000 Palestinians and 500-800 Israeli settlers. The Israeli settlers live close to the city boundary and require a constant Israeli military presence.

• 2001 - The director of Palestinian TV, Hisham Miki, was killed at a restaurant when three masked gunmen walked up to his table and shot him more than 10 times.