Today is the 137th day of 2015 and the 59th day of spring.
TODAY'S HISTORY: In 1792, 24 brokers and merchants signed the Buttonwood Agreement, forming what would become the New York Stock Exchange.
In 1954, the Supreme Court, in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, ruled unanimously that segregation in public schools is unconstitutional.
In 1973, televised Senate hearings began in the Watergate scandal.
In 2004, Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriages.
TODAY'S BIRTHDAYS: Horace Elgin Dodge (1868-1920), automobile manufacturer; Dennis Hopper (1936-2010), actor; Bill Paxton (1955- ), actor; Sugar Ray Leonard (1956- ), boxer; Bob Saget (1956- ), actor/comedian; Jim Nantz (1959- ), sportscaster; Enya (1961- ), singer-songwriter; Craig Ferguson (1962- ), comedian/TV personality; Trent Reznor (1965- ), singer-songwriter/musician; Josh Homme (1973- ), singer-songwriter/musician; Tony Parker (1982- ), basketball player; Matt Ryan (1985- ), football player.
TODAY'S FACT: Of the five securities traded on the precursor to the New York Stock Exchange in 1792, three were government bonds and two were bank stocks.
TODAY'S SPORTS: In 1970, Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves collected his 3,000th hit, becoming the first player with 3,000 hits and 500 home runs.
TODAY'S QUOTE: "Failure is not a disgrace. It's just a pitch that you missed, and you'd better get ready for the next one ... My son and I are Americans, we prepare for glory by failing until we don't." -- Craig Ferguson, "American on Purpose: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot"
TODAY'S NUMBER: 911 -- length (in feet) of the USS Oriskany, an aircraft carrier that was decommissioned in 1976 and intentionally sunk on this day in 2006 to create an artificial reef off the coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico.
TODAY'S MOON: Between last quarter moon (May 11) and new moon (May 17).