This Day in History: May 17

Here’s a brief look back in time for this day, May 17.

In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court decides in a landmark ruling that racial segregation in schools is unconstitutional in Brown v. Board of Education. The case stemmed from a girl named Linda Brown, who was denied admission to an elementary school in Topeka, KS, based on the color of her skin. This decision later helped segregationist policies to be repealed in later laws during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s.

In 1973, televised hearings of the Watergate scandal begins. Months of testimony was delivered by various parties, where thousands of viewers tuned in to watch the drama live. Nearly 70 individuals were charged, with most either convicted or pleading guilty. The spearhead of the scandal, 37th U.S. President Richard Nixon, resigned from his office over a year later in August 1974.