January 17 birthdays

1877 MAY GIBBS Australian author

Gibbs was a children’s author, illustrator and cartoonist. She is best known for her gumnut babies and the book Snugglepot and Cuddlepie. In addition to her children’s books, May was an accomplished botanical artist.

1899 AL CAPONE American gangster

Capone gained notoriety during the Prohibition era as the co-founder and boss of the Chicago Outfit. His seven-year reign as a crime boss ended when he went to prison at the age of 33 after being charged with 22 counts of tax evasion.

1899 NEVILLE SHUTE English-Australian novelist

Shute was a novelist and aeronautical engineer who spent his later years in Australia. He used his full name, Neville Shute Norway, in his professional life and used the shortened form as a pen name. His published novels include On The Beach and A Town Like Alice.

1922 BETTY WHITE American actor

White was a pioneer of early television and enjoyed a career that spanned more than seven decades. She is best remembered for her role as Rose Nylund in The Golden Girls. White was the first woman in the US to produce a sitcom.

1942 MUHAMMAD ALI American boxer

Born Cassius Clay, Ali is considered by some to be the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. Aged 18, he won gold at the 1960 Olympics and turned professional later that year. He won the heavyweight title in a major upset against Sonny Liston in 1964.

1962 JIM CARREY Canadian-American actor

Carrey first came to notice after landing a recurring role in the sketch comedy television series In Living Colour. He broke out as a major film star in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask and Dumb and Dumber.

BETTY WHITE

1973 LIZ ELLIS

Australian netballer

Ellis was a member of the Australian national team from 1992 until 2007. She captained the team for the last four of those years. Ellis is the most capped international player for Australian.