Copy of NYT article here:

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0517.html#article

Also of interest:

1792 The New York Stock Exchange was founded by brokers meeting under a tree located on what is now Wall Street.

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.

1999 Labor Party leader Ehud Barak unseated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israeli elections.

1999 Makah Indians in Washington state harpooned a gray whale for the first time in 70 years. And Happy Birthday to Enya and Taj Mahal!