Here's a look at things that have happened on this date in history.
In 1947, movie studio executives meeting in New York agreed to blacklist the “Hollywood Ten” who’d been cited for contempt of Congress the day before.
Here, the “Hollywood Ten” stand with their attorneys outside district court in Washington, D.C., Jan. 9, 1948. From left, front: Herbert Biberman, Attorney Martin Popper, Attorney Robert W. Kenny, Albert Maltz and Lester Cole. Second row, from left: Dalton Trumbo, John Howard Lawson, Alvah Bessie and Samuel Ornitz. Top row, from left: Ring Lardner Jr., Edward Dmytryk and Adrian Scott.
(AP Photo)
AP Photo
In 1963, the body of President John F. Kennedy was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery; his widow, Jacqueline, lighted an “eternal flame” at the gravesite.
Here, Honor Guards remove the U.S. flag from the coffin of Kennedy during funeral services.
(AP Photo)
AP Photo
In 2002, President George W. Bush signed legislation creating the Department of Homeland Security, and appointed Tom Ridge to be its head.
Bush makes remarks on Homeland Security at Oak Park High School in Kansas City, Mo., in this June 11, 2002 file photo.
(AP Photo/Ron Edmonds, File)
AP Photo/Ron Edmonds, File
In 2016, Fidel Castro, who led his rebels to victorious revolution in 1959, embraced Soviet-style communism and defied the power of 10 U.S. presidents during his half-century of rule in Cuba, died at age 90.
Flowers placed by members of Mexico’s communist party lay on an image of late Cuban President Fidel Castro, outside the Cuban embassy in Mexico City, late Saturday, Nov. 26, 2016. Castro, who led a rebel army to improbable victory in Cuba, embraced Soviet-style communism and defied the power of 10 U.S. presidents during his half century rule, died in Cuba on Friday at age 90.
(AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell
In 1940, the cartoon character Woody Woodpecker made his debut in the animated short “Knock Knock.”
Animated cartoon motion picture producer Walter Lantz sits with dolls inspired by some of his cartoon stars in his office in Hollywood, Los Angeles on August 20, 1948. He holds Woody Woodpecker and Oswald Rabbit. Alongside of him are Andy Panda and another Woody Woodpecker. The last named is also shown in the painting hanging on the wall. Lantz, a graduate of the Art Students League in New York City, began in the animated cartoon field in 1916.
(AP Photo/Don Brinn)
AP Photo/Don Brinn
In 1999, Elian Gonzalez, a 5-year-old Cuban boy, was rescued by a pair of sport fishermen off the coast of Florida, setting off an international custody battle.
Elian Gonzalez, a 5-year-old Cuban boy, is shown in this image from television as he is taken to an area hospital after being rescued off the Fort Lauderdale coastline, clinging to an inner-tube Thursday, Nov. 25, 1999, after a boat carrying 14 Cubans sank two days earlier in the Atlantic Ocean. Two other survivors were picked up at Key Biscayne.
(AP Photo/Photo courtesy of WSVN-TV)
AP Photo/Photo courtesy of WSVN-TV
Former NFL quarterback Michael Vick pleaded guilty to a Virginia dogfighting charge, receiving a three-year suspended sentence.
FILE – In this Jan. 1, 2017, file photo, former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick stands on the sidelines before an NFL football game between the Falcons and the New Orleans Saints in Atlanta. Vick’s second try for a football championship in Atlanta will come as a coach. Atlanta was announced on Wednesday, April 25, 2018, as the choice to join Orlando as franchises in the new Alliance of American Football that will begin play next February.The Atlanta Alliance has hired former NFL coach Brad Childress as its head coach. Vick, the former Falcons quarterback, will serve as Childress’ offensive coordinator.
(AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)
On Nov. 25, 1963, the body of President John F. Kennedy was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery; his widow, Jacqueline, lighted an “eternal flame” at the gravesite.
On this date:
In 1783, the British evacuated New York during the Revolutionary War.
In 1864, during the Civil War, Confederate agents set a series of arson fires in New York; the blazes were quickly extinguished.
In 1915, a new version of the Ku Klux Klan, targeting blacks, Jews, Catholics and immigrants, was founded by William Joseph Simmons.
In 1940, the cartoon character Woody Woodpecker made his debut in the animated short “Knock Knock.”
In 1947, movie studio executives meeting in New York agreed to blacklist the “Hollywood Ten” who’d been cited for contempt of Congress the day before.
In 1961, the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, USS Enterprise, was commissioned.
In 1986, the Iran-Contra affair erupted as President Ronald Reagan and Attorney General Edwin Meese revealed that profits from secret arms sales to Iran had been diverted to Nicaraguan rebels.
In 1987, Harold Washington, the first black mayor of Chicago, died in office at age 65.
In 1999, Elian Gonzalez, a 5-year-old Cuban boy, was rescued by a pair of sport fishermen off the coast of Florida, setting off an international custody battle.
In 2001, as the war in Afghanistan entered its eighth week, CIA officer Johnny “Mike” Spann was killed during a prison uprising in Mazar-e-Sharif, becoming America’s first combat casualty of the conflict.
In 2002, President George W. Bush signed legislation creating the Department of Homeland Security, and appointed Tom Ridge to be its head.
In 2016, Fidel Castro, who led his rebels to victorious revolution in 1959, embraced Soviet-style communism and defied the power of 10 U.S. presidents during his half-century of rule in Cuba, died at age 90.
Ten years ago: President-elect Barack Obama said economic recovery efforts would trump deficit concerns after he took office in January; at the same time, Obama pledged a “page-by-page, line-by-line” budget review to root out unneeded spending. Former NFL quarterback Michael Vick pleaded guilty to a Virginia dogfighting charge, receiving a three-year suspended sentence.
Five years ago: Pushing back against critics, President Barack Obama forcefully defended the temporary agreement to freeze Iran’s disputed nuclear program, declaring that the United States “cannot close the door on diplomacy.” Prosecutors closed their yearlong investigation into the shooting rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, that claimed the lives of 26 victims; their report said the motive of gunman Adam Lanza, who also killed his mother and himself, might never be known.
One year ago: On what was designated as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, President Emmanuel Macron launched an initiate to combat violence and harassment against women in France and change what he described as France’s sexist culture. A volcano on the Indonesian island of Bali rumbled to life, temporarily disrupting some international flights to the popular tourist destination. Veteran Hollywood actor Rance Howard, the father of director Ron Howard, died at the age of 89.
