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 May 17, 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.) On this date:

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 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 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-year-old 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. Boxing Hall of Famer Sugar Ray Leonard is 62. Actor-comedian Craig Ferguson is 56. Singer Jordan Knight is 48. Folk-rock singer/songwriter Passenger is 34. Actor Tahj Mowry is 32.

Thought for Today: “A burning purpose attracts others who are drawn along with it and help fulfill it.” — Margaret Bourke-White, American photojournalist (1904-1971).