On This Day, Nov. 17: Nixon proclaims: 'I am not a crook'

Nov. 17 (UPI) — On this date in history:

In 1558, the Elizabethan Age begins when Britain’s Queen Elizabeth I ascended to the throne upon her half-sister, Queen Mary’s death.

In 1800, the U.S. Congress convened at the Capitol in Washington for the first time.

In 1869, the Suez Canal in Egypt was opened, linking the Red Sea and the Mediterranean.

A convention attendee inspects a gun on the floor of the exhibition hall at the 147th National Rifle Association Annual Meetings and Exhibits at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas on May 5, 2018. The NRA was founded November 17, 1871. File Photo by Sergio Flores/UPI

In 1871, the National Rifle Association was founded by a journalist and a lawyer with a mission to improve its members’ marksmanship skills through the organization of rifle clubs across the country.

In 1903, the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party splits into two factions: The Bolsheviks (Russian for “majority”), led by Vladimir Lenin, and the Mensheviks (Russian for “minority”), led by Julius Martov. The Bolsheviks would eventually morph into the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

About 1,000 Czech students march through central Prague on November 17, 1999, in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of Czechoslovakia's Velvet Revolution, which ended decades of communist rule. File Photo by Sean Gallup/UPI — About 1,000 Czech students march through central Prague on November 17, 1999, in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of Czechoslovakia’s Velvet Revolution, which ended decades of communist rule. File Photo by Sean Gallup/UPI

In 1968, NBC angered football fans across the United States when it pre-empted the final minute of an Oakland Raiders-New York Jets game to air children’s movie Heidi. Viewers jammed the phone lines at telephone companies, the network and local police to vent their frustrations.

In 1973, President Richard Nixon uttered the infamous words, “I am not a crook,” in response to reporters’ questions about the Watergate scandal.

On November 17, 1800, the U.S. Congress convened at the Capitol, pictured in 1981, in Washington for the first time. File Photo by Tim Clary/UPI

In 1989, Czechoslovakia’s Velvet Revolution began following the put down of a student demonstration by riot police. A larger uprising against the country’s communist government succeeded on Dec. 29, ending 41 years of Communist rule.

In 1993, by a vote of 234-200, the United States House of Representatives passed a resolution to establish the North American Free Trade Agreement.

A pro-Communist Moscovite holds Vladimir Lenin's portrait during a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the Soviet leader's death at Moscow's Red Square on January 21, 2001. On November 17, 1903, the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party splits into two factions: the Bolsheviks (Russian for "majority"), led by Lenin, and the Mensheviks (Russian for "minority"), led by Julius Martov. File Photo by Maxim Marmur/UPI — A pro-Communist Moscovite holds Vladimir Lenin’s portrait during a ceremony to mark the anniversary of the Soviet leader’s death at Moscow’s Red Square on January 21, 2001. On November 17, 1903, the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party splits into two factions: the Bolsheviks (Russian for “majority”), led by Lenin, and the Mensheviks (Russian for “minority”), led by Julius Martov. File Photo by Maxim Marmur/UPI

In 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved marketing of silicone gel-filled breast implants, ending a 14-year moratorium on them.

In 2023, citing a lack of confidence, the board of OpenAI — developer of the ChatGPT platform — removed CEO Sam Altman from his position. The company rehired him less than a week later.

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