By: HISTORY.com Editors

1958

John Birch Society founded

HISTORY.com Editors

Published: March 04, 2010

Last Updated: May 27, 2025

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.

Sound Smart: McCarthyism

Joseph McCarthy and his role in stoking fears of communism and its sympathizers during the 1950s.

Welch named the society in honor of John Birch, considered by many to be the first American casualty in the struggle against communism. In 1945, Birch, a Baptist missionary and U.S. Army intelligence specialist, was killed by Chinese communists in the northern province of Anhwei.

The John Birch Society, initially founded with only 11 members, had by the early 1960s grown to a membership of nearly 100,000 Americans and received annual private contributions of several million dollars. The society revived the spirit of McCarthyism, claiming in unsubstantiated accusations that a vast communist conspiracy existed within the U.S. government. Among others, the organization implicated President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren. However, after the debacle of Senator Joseph McCarthy’s public hearings in the early 1950s, America became more wary of radical anti-communism, and few of the society’s sensational charges were taken seriously by mainstream American society. The John Birch Society remains active today, and its members seek “to expose a semi-secret international cabal whose members sit in the highest places of influence and power worldwide.”

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

1835

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 […]

1:46m read read

1854

“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 […]

1:52m read read

1917

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 […]

1934

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 […]

2:04m read read

1971

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 […]

1:14m read read

1979

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 […]

1:48m read read

1983

“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 […]

2:34m read read

1987

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 […]

3:52m read read

1990

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 […]

2:14m read read

1992

U.S. Marines storm Mogadishu, Somalia

United States Marines arrive in Mogadishu, Somalia, to spearhead a multinational force aimed at restoring order in the conflict-ridden African country.

1:54m read read

A Somali (2nd R), who disagrees with the

1992

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 […]

1:52m read read

2016

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 […]

1:16m read read

Related Articles

Detail of a Soviet work poster entitled "We Smite the Lazy Workers," 1931. (Credit: Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

For 11 Years, the Soviet Union Had No Weekends

The experiment of a 'continuous week' was shift work, on a colossal scale. And it failed.

7th September 1945: View of one of the only structures left standing, one day after the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. The building, also known as the Genbaku Dome, is now the centerpiece of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park. (Photo by Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)

The Hiroshima Bombing Didn’t Just End WWII—It Kick-Started the Cold War

The colossal power of the atomic bomb drove the world’s two leading superpowers into a new confrontation.

How ‘Duck-and-Cover’ Drills Channeled America’s Cold War Anxiety

Amid an escalating arms race, civil defense drills offered comically simple strategies for surviving an atomic attack.

The first Soviet atomic bomb test, 1949. (Credit: Sovfoto/UIG via Getty Images)

8 Spies Who Leaked Atomic Bomb Intelligence to the Soviets

These eight men and women (among others) shared atomic secrets that enabled the Soviet Union to successfully detonate its first nuclear weapon by 1949.

See All Articles

About the author

HISTORY.com Editors

HISTORY.com works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. Articles with the “HISTORY.com Editors” byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including Amanda Onion, Missy Sullivan, Matt Mullen, Christian Zapata and Cristiana Lombardo.

Fact Check

We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate.

Citation Information

Article title: John Birch Society founded
Author: HISTORY.com Editors
Website Name: History
URL: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/december-9/john-birch-society-founded

Date Accessed: August 04, 2025
Publisher: A&E Television Networks
Last Updated: May 27, 2025
Original Published Date: March 04, 2010

History Every Day

Sign Up for "This Day in History"

Uncover fascinating moments from the past every day! Learn something new with key events in history, from the American Revolution to pop culture, crime and more.

By submitting your information, you agree to receive emails from HISTORY and A+E Global Media. You can opt out at any time. You must be 16 years or older and a resident of the United States.

More details: Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Contact Us