17 May in history

5 events that happened on 17 May, from 1521 to 1973.

  1. 1521 CE 505 years ago

    Duke of Buckingham is executed for treason

    Edward Stafford, Duke of Buckingham, was beheaded on Tower Hill after a trial for allegedly plotting against Henry VIII. His fall showed how dangerous royal blood had become under the Tudors.

  2. ✦ Anniversary of the day

    1673 CE 353 years ago

    Jolliet and Marquette set out to explore the Mississippi

    Louis Jolliet and the Jesuit Jacques Marquette left St Ignace with five companions in two canoes. They travelled down the Mississippi as far as the Arkansas River, mapping it for France.

  3. 1792 CE 234 years ago

    Brokers sign the Buttonwood Agreement on Wall Street

    Twenty-four brokers agreed to trade securities among themselves at a fixed commission. Their pact, traditionally signed under a buttonwood tree, is the origin of the New York Stock Exchange.

    New York

  4. 1954 CE 72 years ago

    Supreme Court strikes down school segregation

    In Brown v. Board of Education the US Supreme Court ruled unanimously that racially segregated public schools were unconstitutional, overturning the 'separate but equal' doctrine in education.

  5. 1973 CE 53 years ago

    Senate Watergate hearings open on television

    The Senate committee began televised hearings into the Watergate break-in and cover-up. Testimony revealed the White House taping system, which led to Nixon's resignation in August 1974.

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