May 17 is the 137th day of the year (138th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 228 days remaining until the end of the year. This date is slightly more likely to fall on a Tuesday, Thursday or Sunday (58 in 400 years each) than on Friday or Saturday (57), and slightly less likely to occur on a Monday or Wednesday (56).
+1792 – The New York Stock Exchange is formed under the Buttonwood Agreement.
+1875 – Aristides wins the first Kentucky Derby.
+1939 – The Columbia Lions and the Princeton Tigers play in the United States' first televised sporting event, a collegiate baseball game in New York City.
+1973 – Watergate scandal: Televised hearings begin in the United States Senate.
+1974 – Police in Los Angeles raid the Symbionese Liberation Army's headquarters, killing six members, including Camilla Hall.
(Births)
+1955 – Bill Paxton, American actor and director (d. 2017)
+1956 – Sugar Ray Leonard, American boxer
+1956 – Annise Parker, American politician
+1956 – Bob Saget, American comedian, actor, and television host