| 118801 | October 17 | Birth | 1918 – Rita Hayworth, American actress, singer, dancer, and producer (d. 1987) |
| 118802 | October 17 | Birth | 1918 – Ralph Wilson, American businessman, founded the Buffalo Bills (d. 2014) |
| 118803 | October 17 | Birth | 1919 – Isaak Markovich Khalatnikov, Ukrainian-Russian physicist and academic |
| 118804 | October 17 | Birth | 1920 – Montgomery Clift, American actor and screenwriter (d. 1966) |
| 118805 | October 17 | Birth | 1920 – Miguel Delibes, Spanish journalist and author (d. 2010) |
| 118806 | October 17 | Birth | 1921 – George Mackay Brown, Scottish author, poet, and playwright (d. 1996) |
| 118807 | October 17 | Birth | 1921 – Priscilla Buckley, American journalist and author (d. 2012) |
| 118808 | October 17 | Birth | 1921 – Maria Gorokhovskaya, Russian-Israeli gymnast (d. 2001) |
| 118809 | October 17 | Birth | 1921 – Tom Poston, American actor (d. 2007) |
| 118810 | October 17 | Birth | 1922 – Luiz Bonfá, Brazilian guitarist and composer (d. 2001) |
| 118811 | October 17 | Birth | 1922 – Pierre Juneau, Canadian broadcaster and politician, co-founded the Montreal World Film Festival (d. 2012) |
| 118812 | October 17 | Birth | 1923 – Barney Kessel, American guitarist and composer (d. 2004) |
| 118813 | October 17 | Birth | 1923 – Charles McClendon, American football player and coach (d. 2001) |
| 118814 | October 17 | Birth | 1924 – Don Coryell, American football player and coach (d. 2010) |
| 118815 | October 17 | Birth | 1924 – Anton Geiser, Croatian SS officer (d. 2012) |
| 118816 | October 17 | Birth | 1925 – Harry Carpenter, English sportscaster (d. 2010) |
| 118817 | October 17 | Birth | 1926 – Julie Adams, American actress |
| 118818 | October 17 | Birth | 1926 – Beverly Garland, American actress (d. 2008) |
| 118819 | October 17 | Birth | 1926 – Roberto Lippi, Italian race car driver (d. 2011) |
| 118820 | October 17 | Birth | 1929 – Mário Wilson, Mozambican footballer and manager |
| 118821 | October 17 | Birth | 1930 – Ismail Akbay, Turkish physicist and engineer (d. 2003) |
| 118822 | October 17 | Birth | 1930 – Robert Atkins, American physician and cardiologist, created the Atkins diet (d. 2003) |
| 118823 | October 17 | Birth | 1930 – Jimmy Breslin, American journalist and author |
| 118824 | October 17 | Birth | 1931 – Ernst Hinterberger, Austrian author and playwright (d. 2012) |
| 118825 | October 17 | Birth | 1933 – William Anders, Hong Kong-American general and astronaut |
| 118826 | October 17 | Birth | 1933 – The Singing Nun, Belgian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and nun (d. 1985) |
| 118827 | October 17 | Birth | 1934 – Alan Garner, English author and playwright |
| 118828 | October 17 | Birth | 1934 – Johnny Haynes, English-Scottish footballer (d. 2005) |
| 118829 | October 17 | Birth | 1934 – Rico Rodriguez, American trombonist (The Specials and Jools Holland's Rhythm and Blues Orchestra) |
| 118830 | October 17 | Birth | 1935 – Sydney Chapman, English architect and politician, Vice-Chamberlain of the Household (d. 2014) |