May 17 in History

Significant events that happened on this day.

Today

Historical Events

2010

A man in Staten Island discovered that his cat was secretly taking the bus to a local fish and chips shop

The cat, named Macavity, had been regularly boarding the bus near his home and riding it to the shop where he would beg for scraps. The driver knew hi...

2004

Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage

Major

Following a ruling by the state's highest court, same-sex couples began obtaining marriage licenses at 12:01 AM. Julie and Hillary Goodridge, lead pla...

1990

The World Health Organization removed homosexuality from its list of mental illnesses

Major

After decades of activism and evolving scientific understanding, the WHO officially declassified homosexuality as a mental disorder. This decision cam...

1983

The first AIDS-related discrimination lawsuit was filed in the United States

Dr. Joseph Sonnabend filed suit after being evicted from his medical office for treating AIDS patients. The landlord claimed the building's other tena...

1973

The Senate Watergate Committee began televised hearings on the Watergate scandal

Major

These hearings captivated the American public as they uncovered the extent of the Nixon administration's illegal activities. Over 85% of Americans wat...

1970

Thor Heyerdahl and his crew set sail on the Ra II, a boat made entirely of papyrus reeds, to prove ancient Egyptians could have crossed the Atlantic

After the Ra I sank just short of Barbados the previous year, Heyerdahl built an improved version. The Ra II successfully crossed the Atlantic in 57 d...

1969

The Soviet spacecraft Venera 6 sent back atmospheric data while descending through Venus's atmosphere before being crushed by pressure

Venera 6 transmitted data for 51 minutes as it descended, revealing that Venus's atmosphere was 97% carbon dioxide. The probe was designed to withstan...

1954

The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional

Major

This landmark decision overturned the 'separate but equal' doctrine established in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896). Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote the unan...

1940

The first McDonald's restaurant opened in San Bernardino, California

Brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald opened their first restaurant, though it wasn't yet the fast-food empire we know today. The original menu featur...

1902

Greek archaeologist Valerios Stais discovered the Antikythera mechanism while examining artifacts from an ancient shipwreck

Initially dismissed as a simple astrolabe, this device turned out to be a 2,000-year-old analog computer used to predict astronomical positions. It co...

1900

British forces relieved the town of Mafeking after a 217-day siege during the Second Boer War

The relief sparked wild celebrations across Britain, with crowds dancing in the streets and the word 'mafficking' entering the English language to des...

1875

The first Kentucky Derby was held at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky

Aristides, a chestnut colt, won the inaugural race in front of an estimated 10,000 spectators. The winning time was 2:37.75 for the mile-and-a-half ra...

1814

Norway officially adopted its constitution and declared independence from Denmark

The Constitution of Norway was signed at Eidsvoll, establishing Norway as an independent kingdom. Though Norway soon entered a union with Sweden, the...

1792

Twenty-four merchants founded the New York Stock Exchange under a buttonwood tree on Wall Street

The Buttonwood Agreement established rules for trading securities among the brokers, including a commission structure. The outdoor trading continued u...

1749

Edward Jenner, the pioneer of the smallpox vaccine, was born in Berkeley, England

Jenner would go on to develop the world's first vaccine, using cowpox to create immunity to smallpox. His work laid the foundation for immunology and...

Fun Facts from May 17