On this day in history - May 17

What Happened On This Day – May 17

• 1999 Ehud Barak becomes Prime Minister of Israel

  During his tenure, Barak attempted to revive the peace negotiations with the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). However, his efforts were unsuccessful.

• 1990 The WHO deletes homosexuality from its list of mental diseases

  Precisely 14 years later, the first same-sex marriages in the United States were performed as Massachusetts became the first state to legalize them.

• 1972 Germany ratifies the Treaty of Warsaw

  Chancellor Willy Brandt signed the treaty, by which Germany gives up any territorial claims and guarantees the Oder-Neisse line as the valid border to Poland.

• 1954 The U.S. Supreme Court declares racially segregated public schools unconstitutional

  Despite this landmark decision, de facto racial segregation was upheld for years in some areas of the United States.

• 1943 The Royal Air Force dambusters wreck three German dams

  The RAF squadron used revolutionary bouncing bombs to avoid the torpedo nets protecting the dams. The audacious air raid was depicted in a 1954 war film.