1. On January 17, 1803, Ohio became the 17th state to join the Union. The state's name comes from the Ohio River, which in turn was named from the Seneca Indian word ohiˀyo', meaning "great river".

2. On January 17, 1861, one of the most infamous cases of piracy on the Great Lakes occurred off the coast of Ohio. The schooner J. W. Parsons was hijacked by a group of Canadian pirates led by Bill Johnston, who demanded a ransom of $10,000. The pirates were eventually captured and brought to trial, but Johnston became a folk hero in Canada.

3. On January 17, 1924, renowned aviator and Ohio native, Harriet Quimby became the first woman to fly solo across the Gulf of Mexico. She was also the first woman to earn a pilot's license in the United States and the first woman to fly across the English Channel.

4. On January 17, 1942, Ohio native and famous baseball player Al Rosen was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He played for the Cleveland Indians from 1948 to 1956 and was named the American League's Most Valuable Player in 1953.

5. On January 17, 1950, the Ohio Turnpike Authority was created to oversee the construction of the Ohio Turnpike. The 241-mile long highway runs from the Pennsylvania border near the city of Conneaut to the Indiana border near Toledo and is one of the busiest highways in the state.