TODAY IN HISTORY

Thursday, May  17, 2012 AP Highlight in History:  On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that racially segregated public schools were inherently unequal.   AP Photo
On this date in: 1792 The New York Stock Exchange was founded by brokers meeting under a tree on what is now Wall Street. 1829 John Jay, American statesman and the first chief justice of the Supreme Court, died at age 83. 1875 The first Kentucky Derby was run; the winner was Aristides. 1940 The Nazis occupied Brussels, Belgium, during World War II. 1946 President Harry S. Truman seized control of the nation's railroads, delaying a threatened strike by engineers and trainmen. 1971 The musical "Godspell" opened off-Broadway. 1973 The Senate began hearings into the Watergate scandal. Sen. Sam Ervin, D-N.C. AP Photo 1980 Rioting that claimed 18 lives erupted in Miami's Liberty City neighborhood after an all-white jury in Tampa acquitted four former Miami police officers of fatally beating a black man. 1987 An Iraqi warplane attacked the U.S. Navy frigate Stark in the Persian Gulf, killing 37 American sailors. Iraq and the United States called the attack a mistake. 1992 Orchestra leader Lawrence Welk died at age 89. 1996 President Bill Clinton signed "Megan's Law," a measure requiring neighborhood notification when sex offenders move in. 1998 New York Yankees pitcher David Wells became the 13th player in modern major league baseball history to throw a perfect game in a 4-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins. 1999 Labor Party leader Ehud Barak unseated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israeli elections. 2000 Two former Ku Klux Klansmen were arrested on murder charges in the 1963 church bombing in Birmingham, Ala., that killed four black girls. 2004 Massachusetts became the first state to allow legal same-sex marriages. 2011 Actor and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger issued a statement confirming a Los Angeles Times report that he had fathered a child with a woman on his household staff more than a decade earlier.		Video Highlights of This Day in History Today's Birthdays: Boxing Hall of Famer Sugar Ray Leonard turns 56 years old today. AP Photo/Alex Brandon Name Profession Age Ben Nelson U.S. senator, D-Neb. 71 Taj Mahal Blues singer 70 Bill Bruford Rock musician (Yes, King Crimson) 63 Kathleen Sullivan TV personality 59 Bill Paxton Actor 57 Bob Saget Actor, comedian ("Full House") 56 Jim Nantz Sports announcer 53 Enya Singer 51 Craig Ferguson TV host ("The Late Late Show") 50 Page McConnell Rock musician (Phish) 49 Trent Reznor Rock singer, musician (Nine Inch Nails) 47 Hill Harper Actor ("CSI: NY") 46 Thom Filicia TV personality ("Queer Eye for the Straight Guy") 43 Jordan Knight Singer (New Kids on the Block) 42 Sendhil Ramamurthy Actor ("Heroes") 38 Matt Cassel Football player 30 Actress Nikki Reed turns 24 years old today. AP Photo/Chris Pizzello