In this series, I will look at random days of each month to inform readers about important events that occurred on that exact day in years prior.

For this “On This Day” we are taking a look at history on May 17.

1881: Frederick Douglass was appointed Recorder of Deeds for Washington, DC.

1973: The U.S. Senate Watergate Committee began its hearing.

2001: The U.S. Postal Service created a stamp based off of Charles M. Schulz’s Peanuts comic strip.