TODAY IN HISTORY
TODAY IS THURSDAY, MAY 17, the 137th day of 2018. There are 228 days left in the year. TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT IN HISTORY: On this date in 1968, nine men and women, including brothers Daniel and Philip Berrigan, entered the Selective Service office in Catonsville, Md., seized several hundred draft files and burned them outside to protest the Vietnam War before being arrested. (The “Catonsville Nine,” as they came to be known, received federal prison sentences ranging from 24 to 42 months.)
In 1536, Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer declared the marriage of England’s King Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn invalid after she failed to produce a male heir; Boleyn, already condemned for high treason, was executed two days later.
In 1792, the New York Stock Exchange had its beginnings as a group of brokers met under a tree on Wall Street and signed the Buttonwood Agreement.
In 1875, the first Kentucky Derby was run; the winner was Aristides, ridden by Oliver Lewis.
In 1938, Congress passed the Second Vinson Act, providing for a strengthened U.S. Navy. The radio quiz show “Information, Please!” made its debut on the NBC Blue Network.
In 1948, the Soviet Union recognized the new state of Israel.
In 1954, a unanimous U.S. Supreme Court handed down its Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka decision which held that racially segregated public schools were inherently unequal, and therefore unconstitutional.
In 1973, a special committee convened by the U.S. Senate began its televised hearings into the Watergate scandal.
In 1978, women were included in the White House honor guard for the first time as President Jimmy Carter welcomed Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda.
In 1980, rioting that claimed 18 lives erupted in Miami’s Liberty City after an all-white jury in Tampa acquitted four former Miami police officers of fatally beating black insurance executive Arthur McDuffie.
In 1987, 37 American sailors were killed when an Iraqi warplane attacked the U.S. Navy frigate Stark in the Persian Gulf. (Iraq apologized for the attack, calling it a mistake, and paid more than $27 million in compensation.)
In 1996, President Bill Clinton signed a measure requiring neighborhood notification when sex offenders move in. (“Megan’s Law,” as it’s known, was named for Megan Kanka, a seven-yearold New Jersey girl who was raped and murdered in 1994.)
In 2004, Massachusetts became the first state to allow same-sex marriages.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Actor Peter Gerety is 78. Singer Taj Mahal is 76. Rock musician Bill Bruford is 69. Singermusician George Johnson (The Brothers Johnson) and TV personality Kathleen Sullivan are 65. Boxing Hall-of-Famer Sugar Ray Leonard and actor-comedian Bob Saget are 62. Sports announcer Jim Nantz is 59. Producer Simon Fuller (TV: “American Idol”) is 58. Singer Enya is 57. Actor-comedian Craig Ferguson is 56. Rock singer-musician Page McConnell is 55. Actor David Eigenberg is 54. Singermusician Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails), actress Paige Turco and rhythm-andblues musician O’Dell (Mint Condition) are 53. Actor Hill Harper is 52. TV personality/interior designer Thom Filicia is 49. Singer Jordan Knight and rhythmand-blues singer Darnell Van Rensalier (Shai) are 48. Actress Sasha Alexander and rock singer-musician Josh Homme are 45. Rock singer Andrea Corr (The Corrs) and actor Sendhil Ramamurthy are 44. Actress Rochelle Aytes and singer Kandi Burruss are 42. Actress Kat Foster is 40. Actress Ayda Field is 39. Actress Ginger Gonzaga is 35. Folk-rock singer/ songwriter Passenger is 34. Dancerchoreographer Derek Hough is 33. Actor Tahj Mowry is 32. Actress Nikki Reed is 30. Singer Kree Harrison (TV: “American Idol”) and actress Leven Rambin are 28. Actress Samantha Browne-Walters is 27. Actor Justin Martin is 24.