1954 the united states supreme court hands down a unanimous decis 05 17
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1954 72 years ago Selected Events May 17 4 sources

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education, outlawing racial segregation in public schools because "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal" and therefore unconstitutional.

On May 17, in the year 1954, The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education, outlawing racial segregation in public schools because "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal" and therefore unconstitutional. This event is recorded as a Selected Events event in the history of May 17, one of 434 recorded events on this date across all of history.

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on questions of U.S. constitutional or federal law. It also has original jurisdiction over a narrow range of cases, specifically "all Cases affecting Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, and those in which a State shall be Party". In 1803, the court asserted itself the power of judicial review, the ability to invalidate a statute for violating a provision of the Constitution. It is also able to strike down presidential directives for violating either the Constitution or statutory law.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on May 17, 1954 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Selected Events event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 4 Wikipedia articles.
  • The event is associated with a specific geographical location (see map below).
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 15 May 2026.

On This Date in History 434

Type Year Date Event
Notable Deaths 2024 May 17 Bud Anderson, American World War II flying ace (born 1922)
Notable Deaths 2024 May 17 Sid Going, New Zealand rugby union footballer (born 1943)
Notable Deaths 2022 May 17 Vangelis, Greek musician, composer (born 1943)
Notable Deaths 2020 May 17 Lucky Peterson, American blues singer, keyboardist and guitarist (born 1964)
Notable Deaths 2019 May 17 Herman Wouk, American author (born 1915)
Notable Deaths 2017 May 17 Todor Veselinović, Serbian football player and manager (born 1930)
Notable Deaths 2015 May 17 Lionel Pickens, American rapper (born 1983)
Historical Events 2014 May 17 A military plane crash in northern Laos kills 17 people
Notable Deaths 2014 May 17 Gerald Edelman, American biologist and immunologist, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1929)
Notable Deaths 2014 May 17 C
Notable Deaths 2014 May 17 Douangchay Phichit, Laotian politician (born 1944)
Notable Deaths 2014 May 17 Thongbanh Sengaphone, Laotian politician (born 1953)
Selected Events 2014 May 17 A military plane crash killed 17 people and left one survivor in northern Laos
Notable Deaths 2013 May 17 Philippe Gaumont, French cyclist (born 1973)
Notable Deaths 2013 May 17 Peter Schulz, German politician, Mayor of Hamburg (born 1930)
Notable Deaths 2013 May 17 Ken Venturi, American golfer and sportscaster (born 1931)
Notable Deaths 2013 May 17 Jorge Rafael Videla, Argentine Commander in Chief and dictator (born 1925)
Notable Deaths 2012 May 17 Gideon Ezra, Israeli geographer and politician, Israeli Minister in the Prime Minister's Office (born 1937)
Notable Deaths 2012 May 17 Patrick Mafisango, Congolese-Rwandan footballer (born 1980)
Notable Deaths 2012 May 17 Donna Summer, American singer-songwriter (born 1948)
Notable Deaths 2011 May 17 Harmon Killebrew, American baseball player and sportscaster (born 1936)
Historical Events 2010 May 17 Pamir Airways Flight 112 crashes in Afghanistan's Shakardara District, killing 44
Notable Deaths 2010 May 17 Yvonne Loriod, French pianist, composer, and educator (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2010 May 17 Walasse Ting, Chinese-American painter and poet (born 1929)
Notable Deaths 2009 May 17 Mario Benedetti, Uruguayan journalist, author, and poet (born 1920)
Notable Deaths 2009 May 17 Jung Seung-hye, South Korean journalist and producer (born 1965)
Historical Events 2007 May 17 Trains from North and South Korea cross the 38th Parallel in a test-run agreed by both governments
Notable Deaths 2007 May 17 Lloyd Alexander, American soldier and author (born 1924)
Notable Deaths 2007 May 17 T
Historical Events 2006 May 17 The aircraft carrier USS Oriskany is sunk in the Gulf of Mexico as an artificial reef
Notable Deaths 2006 May 17 Cy Feuer, American director, producer, and composer (born 1911)
Notable Deaths 2005 May 17 Frank Gorshin, American actor (born 1934)
Historical Events 2004 May 17 The first legal same-sex marriages in the U
Notable Deaths 2004 May 17 Jørgen Nash, Danish poet and painter (born 1920)
Notable Deaths 2004 May 17 Tony Randall, American actor (born 1920)
Notable Deaths 2004 May 17 Ezzedine Salim, Iraqi politician (born 1943)
Selected Events 2004 May 17 Massachusetts became the first U
Notable Deaths 2002 May 17 László Kubala, Hungarian-Spanish footballer, coach, and manager (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2002 May 17 Aşık Mahzuni Şerif, Turkish poet and composer (born 1940)
Notable Deaths 2001 May 17 Jacques-Louis Lions, French mathematician (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2001 May 17 Frank G
Historical Events 2000 May 17 Arsenal and Galatasaray fans clash in the 2000 UEFA Cup Final riots in Copenhagen
Notable Deaths 2000 May 17 Donald Coggan, English archbishop (born 1909)
Selected Events 2000 May 17 Following the killing of two English football fans by Galatasaray supporters in the previous month, British and Turkish
Notable Deaths 1999 May 17 Bruce Fairbairn, Canadian trumpet player and producer (born 1949)
Notable Deaths 1999 May 17 Lembit Oll, Estonian chess Grandmaster (born 1966)
Historical Events 1997 May 17 Troops of Laurent-Désiré Kabila march into Kinshasa
Selected Events 1997 May 17 The First Congo War came to an end when Laurent-Désiré Kabila proclaimed himself president of Zaire, which was also rena
Notable Deaths 1996 May 17 Kevin Gilbert, American singer-songwriter and producer (born 1966)
Historical Events 1995 May 17 Shawn Nelson steals an M60 tank from the California Army National Guard Armory in San Diego and proceeds to go on a ramp

This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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