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Today is Sunday, May 17, the 137th day of 2009. There are 228 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On May 17, 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously struck down racially segregated public schools in its Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka decision.

On this date:

In 1792, the New York Stock Exchange had its origins as a group of brokers met under a tree on Wall Street.

In 1814, Norway's constitution was signed, providing for a limited monarchy.

In 1849, fire erupted in St. Louis, resulting in the loss of three lives, more than 400 buildings and some two dozen steamships.

In 1875, the first Kentucky Derby was run; the winner was Aristides.

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 1939, Britain's King George VI and Queen Elizabeth arrived in Quebec on the first visit to Canada by reigning British sovereigns.

In 1946, President Harry S. Truman seized control of the nation's railroads, delaying — but not preventing — a threatened strike by engineers and trainmen.

In 1973, the Senate began its televised hearings into the Watergate scandal.

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 and the U.S. called the attack a mistake.)

Ten years ago: The Supreme Court banned states from paying lower welfare benefits to newcomers as opposed to longtime residents. Labor Party leader Ehud Barak unseated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israeli elections. Makah Indians in Washington state harpooned a gray whale for the first time in 70 years.

Five years ago: Massachusetts became the first state to allow legal same-sex marriages. Abdel-Zahraa Othman, also known as Izzadine Saleem, head of the Iraqi Governing Council, was killed in a suicide car bombing in Baghdad. More than 100 people were killed in a prison fire in northern Honduras. Transsexuals were cleared to compete in the Olympics for the first time. Actor Tony Randall died in New York at age 84.

One year ago: Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., was flown to a Boston hospital after suffering a seizure at his Cape Cod home. (He was later diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor.) Nearing the end of his five-day Mideast trip, President George W. Bush held a rapid-fire series of diplomatic meetings at the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheik in Egypt. Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown ran away with the Preakness. (However, the horse's Triple Crown quest ended three weeks later when he finished last in the Belmont Stakes.)

Today's Birthdays: Actor-director Dennis Hopper is 73. Actor Peter Gerety is 69. Singer Taj Mahal is 67. Singer-songwriter Jesse Winchester is 65. Rock musician Bill Bruford is 60. Singer-musician George Johnson (The Brothers Johnson) is 56. TV personality Kathleen Sullivan is 56. Actor Bill Paxton is 54. Boxing Hall of Famer Sugar Ray Leonard is 53. Actor-comedian Bob Saget is 53. Sports announcer Jim Nantz is 50. Singer Enya is 48. Talk show host-actor Craig Ferguson is 47. Rock singer-musician Page McConnell is 46. Singer-musician Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) is 44. Actress Paige Turco is 44. R&B musician O'Dell (Mint Condition) is 44. Actor Hill Harper is 43. TV personality/interior designer Thom Filicia is 40. Singer Jordan Knight is 39. R&B singer Darnell Van Rensalier (Shai) is 39. Actress Sasha Alexander is 36. Rock singer-musician Josh Homme is 36. Rock singer Andrea Corr (The Corrs) is 35. Actor Sendhil Ramamurthy ( "Heroes") is 35. Actress Rochelle Aytes is 33. Singer Kandi Burruss is 33. Actress Kat Foster ("'Til Death") is 31. San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker is 27. Actor Tahj Mowry is 23. Actress Nikki Reed is 21. Actress Leven Rambin is 19. Actress Samantha Browne-Walters is 18. Actor Justin Martin is 15.

Thought for Today: "I always have a quotation for everything — it saves original thinking." — Dorothy L. Sayers, English author (1893-1957).