May 17
From Metapedia
[edit] Events
- 1792 - The New York Stock Exchange is formed.
- 1865 - The International Telegraph Union (the later International Telecommunication Union) is established.
- 1902 - Greek archaeologist Valerios Stais discovers the Antikythera mechanism, an ancient mechanical analog computer.
- 1933 - Vidkun Quisling and Johan Bernhard Hjort form Nasjonal Samling — the National Socialist party of Norway.
- 1940 - World War II: Germany occupies Brussels, Belgium.
- 1954 - The United States Supreme Court hands down the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas decision.
- 1970 - Thor Heyerdahl sets sail from Morocco on the papyrus boat Ra II to sail the Atlantic Ocean.
- 1973 - Watergate scandal: Hearings begin in the United States Senate and are televised.
- 1974 - Police in Los Angeles, California, raid the Symbionese Liberation Army's headquarters
- 1983 - Lebanon, Israel, and the United States sign an agreement on Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.
- 1995 - After 18 years as the mayor of Paris, Jacques Chirac takes office as President of France.
[edit] Births
- 1911 - Maureen O'Sullivan, Irish actress (d. 1998)
- 1936 - Dennis Hopper, American actor and director
- 1961 - Enya, Irish singer and songwriter
[edit] Deaths
- 1727 - Catherine I of Russia (b. 1684)
- 1829 - John Jay, first Chief Justice of the United States (b. 1745)
- 1886 - John Deere, American blacksmith and manufacturer (b. 1804)
- 1919 - Guido von List, Austrian occultist (b. 1848)
- 1992 - Lawrence Welk, American musician (b. 1903)
