The United States takes possession of Wake Island in the Pacific Ocean.

Wake Island, also known as Wake Atoll, is a coral atoll in the Micronesia subregion of the Pacific Ocean. The atoll is composed of three islets – Wake, Wilkes, and Peale Islands – surrounding a lagoon encircled by a coral reef. The nearest inhabited island is Utirik Atoll in the Marshall Islands, located 592 miles to the southeast.

January 17 is the 17th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 348 days remain until the end of the year.