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U.S. Marines storm Mogadishu, Somalia

Born on This Day

Kirk Douglas

1916 - 2020

Actor best known for his roles in classics "Spartacus," "Paths of Glory" and "The Bad and the Beautiful."

John Cassavetes

1929 - 1989

Actor and director known for his collaboration with wife Gena Rowlands in "Faces" and "A Woman Under the Influence."

Margaret Hamilton

1902 - 1985

Actress best known for her role as the Wicked Witch of the West in "The Wizard of Oz."

Kirk DouglasGetty Images

John CassavetesGetty Images

Margaret HamiltonGetty Images

1965

DEC9

"A Charlie Brown Christmas" airs for the first time. CBS executives, unhappy with the music, the pacing and Linus reading a Bible verse, almost refuse to air it. Good grief!

Timeline

Also on This Day in History

Discover more of the major events, famous births, notable deaths and everything else history-making that happened on December 9th

The Texan Army captures San Antonio

Inspired by the leadership of Benjamin Rush Milam, the newly created Texan Army takes possession of the city of San Antonio, an important victory for the Republic of Texas in its war for independence from Mexico. Milam was born in 1788 in Frankfort, Kentucky. He became a citizen and soldier of Mexico in 1824, when […]

“The Charge of the Light Brigade” by Alfred Lord Tennyson is published

On December 9, The Examiner prints Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem “The Charge of the Light Brigade,” which commemorates the courage of 600 British soldiers charging a heavily defended position during the Battle of Balaklava, in the Crimea, just six weeks earlier. Tennyson had been named poet laureate in 1850 by Queen Victoria. Tennyson was born […]

The Knights of Labor, America's first national labor union, founded

The group adopted secrecy practices of the Freemasons.

Jerusalem surrenders to British troops

On the morning of December 9, 1917, after Turkish troops move out of the region after only a single day s fighting, officials of the Holy City of Jerusalem offer the keys to the city to encroaching British troops. The British, led by General Edmund Allenby, who had arrived from the Western Front the previous […]

New York Giants beat Chicago Bears in “Sneakers Game”

On December 9, 1934, the New York Giants win the NFL championship by beating the Chicago Bears, 30-13, in the famous “Sneakers Game.” With the temperature at 9 degrees and the Polo Grounds field a sheet of ice, the Giants open the second half wearing basketball shoes and score 27 points in the final quarter […]

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John Birch Society founded

In Indianapolis, retired candy manufacturer Robert H.W. Welch, Jr., establishes the John Birch Society, a right-wing organization dedicated to fighting what it perceives to be the extensive infiltration of communism into American society. Welch named the society in honor of John Birch, considered by many to be the first American casualty in the struggle against […]

Paris peace talks break down

For the first time since the Paris peace talks began in May 1968, both sides refuse to set another meeting date for continuation of the negotiations. The refusal to continue came during the 138th session of the peace talks. U.S. delegate William Porter angered the communist negotiators by asking for a postponement of the next […]

Smallpox is officially declared eradicated

On December 9, 1979, a commission of scientists declare smallpox has been eradicated. The disease, which carries around a 30 percent chance of death for those who contract it, is the only infectious disease afflicting humans that has officially been eradicated. Something similar to smallpox had ravaged humanity for thousands of years, with the earliest […]

“Scarface,” starring Al Pacino, opens in theaters

The actor Al Pacino stars as a Cuban refugee who becomes a Miami crime boss in Scarface, which opens in theaters on December 9, 1983. In Scarface, Pacino played Tony Montana, who arrives in Florida from Cuba in 1980 and eventually becomes wealthy from his involvement in the booming cocaine business. Things fall apart when […]

Intifada begins on Gaza Strip

In the Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip, the first riots of the Palestinian intifada, or “shaking off” in Arabic, begin one day after an Israeli truck crashed into a station wagon carrying Palestinian workers in the Jabalya refugee district of Gaza, killing four and wounding 10. Gaza Palestinians saw the incident as a deliberate act of retaliation […]

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Lech Walesa elected president of Poland

In Poland, Lech Walesa, founder of the Solidarity trade union, wins a landslide election victory, becoming the first directly elected Polish leader. Walesa, born in 1943, was an electrician at the Lenin Shipyard in Gdansk when he was fired for union agitation in 1976. When protests broke out in the Gdansk shipyard over an increase […]

Separation of Charles and Diana announced

British Prime Minister John Major announces the formal separation of Charles, Prince of Wales and heir to the British throne, and his wife, Princess Diana. Major explained that the royal couple were separating “amicably.” The report came after several years of speculation by the tabloid press that the marriage was in peril, citing evidence that […]

World Anti-Doping Agency accuses Russia of widespread cheating at Olympics

On December 9, 2016, the World Anti-Doping Agency details a vast “institutional conspiracy” involving Russian officials and more than 1,000 athletes in systematic doping at major athletic competitions, including the Olympics. A second WADA report says the conspiracy involves the Russian Sports Ministry, national anti-doping agency and the FSB intelligence service and that the cheating and cover-ups […]

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