In a ceremony in the Capitol Rotunda on October 17, 2007, The Dalai Lama, the spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhists, received the Congressional Gold Medal for his work with peace and human rights. At a congressional ceremony, President Bush awarded the medal. China, which considers the exiled monk to be a Tibetan separatist, objected to the accolade. At the ceremony, the Dalai Lama also replied to the criticism, stressing that he does not regard autonomy for Tibet as a stepping-stone toward eventual independence.

For Barça supporters, October 16 will always remain a special date. Leo Messi made his FC Barcelona debut on this day in 2004. A lot had been written about the dazzling young Argentinian on the B team, but no one could have anticipated that the 17-year-old replacement would go on to become the greatest footballer to ever grace the game. From his debut goal against Albacete to the one he scored the other day against Villarreal, we've seen it all, from hat-tricks against Real Madrid to his incredible header in the Champions League Final in Rome.

Anil 'Jumbo' Kumble, an unconventional spinner who didn't turn the ball much, was probably India's greatest match-winner of all time. Kumble, who was tall and slender in stature, was not your typical spinner. He didn't conjure lateral magic from the surface like Shane Warne, nor did he create ripples around the batsman like Muralitharan, the crafty old fox. No one knew that a legend was born on 17th October 1970.

Eminem is a Grammy Award-winning American rapper, record producer, and actor who is widely regarded as one of the most controversial and best-selling musicians of all time. Eminem was born Marshall Bruce Mathers III in Missouri in 1972 and had a difficult upbringing. He dropped out of school in the ninth grade and did odd jobs before breaking out as a rapper in early 1999 with the release of The Slim Shady LP. Eminem received two Grammy Awards and four MTV Video Music Awards for the album, which reached multi-platinum. Eminem released The Marshall Mathers LP in 2000, which became the fastest-selling album in rap history.

J.K. Rowling at the age of 27 married her first husband Jorge Arantes, a portuguese T.V. journalist. They first met in a bar and discovered that both of them shared interest in Jane Austen and got married on October 16th in the year 1992. Both of them even have a daughter named Jessica Isabel Rowling Arantes but was later named as Jessica Milford after thier separation.

A cyclone in the year 1942, hit Bay of Bengal and killed 40,000 people south of Calcutta, in south. The speed of wind during that cyclone was recorded to be 225km/h. This cyclone was one of the deadliest cyclones till now that reported so many fatalities.

In October 1952, first test match between India and Pakistan took place in Delhi. The match was of 5 series out of which the first test was Pakistan's ever first test and India won that series with 2-1 with two tests being drawn.

In 2003, Eunuchs in MP declared the formation of their own political party, ‘Jeeti Jitai Politics.' Shweta, another eunuch and the president of the District Kinnar (Transgender) Association in Uttar Pradesh, stood as an independent candidate in the Lok Sabha elections in 2004 from the Ballia Parliamentary seat. Previously, Gorakhpur residents chose Asha Devi, a eunuch, as Mayor. Madhu Bai Kinnar, an independent candidate, was elected mayor of Raigarh, Chhattisgarh, in January 2015.

The last queen of France, known for her words, "Let them eat cake", was executed in 1793 at the age of 37. She was born an archduchess of Austria and was the pnultimate child and the youngest daughter of Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Francis I.

Hema Malini, an Indian actress, politician, director, and producer, was born on October 16, 1948. She is best known for her roles in Hindi movies. Malini made her acting debut in 1963's Idhu Sathiyam, a Tamil movie. Malini made her acting debut in Sapno Ka Saudagar in 1968. She later appeared in a large number of Hindi films, frequently in the lead opposite Dharmendra, whom she later married in 1980. Malini was first marketed as the "Dream Girl," and she starred in a movie with that name in 1977. She is one of the most prominent leading actresses in Hindi cinema, known for playing both comedic and dramatic roles.

On October 17, the Master Blaster overtook Brian Lara's record to become the Tests' top run-scorer. Tendulkar scored 11,953 runs in the second Test against Australia in Mohali, with old buddy Sourav Ganguly — who was playing his farewell series — at the non-end. striker's He got the milestone a few minutes after tea by stealing three fast runs from Peter Siddle. Tendulkar accomplished the feat in 152 Tests and 247 innings at an average of 54.03. Lara has completed 131 tests.