On this day

December 17, 1969

Revisit the music, news, notable people, and historical moments connected to this date.

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Headlines from December 17, 1969

PRESIDENT BACKS SENATORS ON LAOS; White House Makes Clear It Endorsed in Advance Curb on Combat Units PRESIDENT BACKS SENATORS ON LAOS

By John W. Finneyspecial To the New York Times

Sen Scott repts Nixon has informed Cong Repubs that he backs prohibition on commitment of ground combat troops as consistent with Adm policy in SE Asia; White House press sec says Adm regards it as an 'endorsement' rather than a 'curbing' of Adm policy; Church comments; Sens Griffin and Allott charge press repts failed to emphasize bipartisan sponsorship and support of amendment; evolution of amendment in secret Sen debate detailed

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BOXER IS INDICTED WITH 2 GAMBLERS; Perjury Laid to De Paula -2 Fights Investigated De Paula and 2 Gamblers Indicted for Perjury Here Inquiry Centers On Possible Bribery in Fight With Foster Benvenuti's Loss to Tiger Is Also Under Investigation

By Richard Severo

De Paula and convicted gamblers J Napoli and J Calabro, both with reputed Mafia ties, indicted for perjory; 3 freed on bail; probe of De Paula-B Foster bout and N Benvenuti-D Tiger bout in '69, and Calabro link to Benvenuti revd

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U.S. INDICTS 55 IN NEWARK AS GAMBLING RACKETEERS; ONE A REPUTED MAFIA BOSS; 42 TAKEN IN RAIDS DeCavalcante Among Suspects -- Usury Also Charged Federal Jury Indicts 55 in Newark

By Richard Reevesspecial To the New York Times

NEWARK, Dec. 16 -- Fiftyfive persons, including Simone Rizzo DeCavalcante, a reputed Mafia chieftain known as Sam the Plumber, were indicted here today on Federal charges of conspiring to operate an interstate lottery -- or numbers racket -- grossing $20-million a year here and in Troy, N. Y.

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Music on My Birthday

Billboard 200

The Top 50 albums for the chart week of December 17, 1969, covering December 17, 1969.

  1. 1
    Album cover for Abbey Road by The Beatles

    Abbey Road

    The Beatles

    Last week
    1
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    10
  2. 2
    Album cover for Led Zeppelin II by Led Zeppelin

    Led Zeppelin II

    Led Zeppelin

    Last week
    2
    Peak
    2
    Weeks
    7
  3. 3
    Album cover for Tom Jones Live In Las Vegas by Tom Jones

    Tom Jones Live In Las Vegas

    Tom Jones

    Last week
    3
    Peak
    3
    Weeks
    6
  4. 4
    Album cover for Green River by Creedence Clearwater Revival

    Green River

    Creedence Clearwater Revival

    Last week
    4
    Peak
    1
    Weeks
    15
  5. 5
    Album cover for Let It Bleed by The Rolling Stones

    Let It Bleed

    The Rolling Stones

    Last week
    29
    Peak
    5
    Weeks
    3

Notable Births

Laurie Holden

1969Laurie Holden, American actress and model[โ€ ]

Heather Laurie Holden is an American-Canadian actress, producer, model, and human rights activist. She is best known for her portrayals as Marita Covarrubias in The X-Files (1996โ€“2002), Andrea Harrison in AMC's The Walking Dead, and Amanda Dumfries in The Mist (2007).

1969Inna Lasovskaya, Russian triple jumper[โ€ ]

Inna Alexandrovna Lasovskaya is a retired triple jumper from Russia. She won a gold medal at the 1994 European Athletics Indoor Championships, ahead of compatriot and world record holder Anna Biryukova. In 1996 she jumped past the 15-metre mark for the first time and won an Olympic silver medal. In 1997 she won the World Indoor Championships, and the same year in Valencia she jumped 15.09 metres, which remains her personal best.

Chuck Liddell

1969Chuck Liddell, American mixed martial artist and kick-boxer[โ€ ]

Charles David Liddell is an American former professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 1998 to 2018, Liddell is a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and is widely credited, along with fellow UFC fighter Randy Couture, with helping bring MMA into the mainstream of American sports and entertainment. Known as "The Iceman", Liddell achieved a 16โ€“7 MMA record in the UFC, and an overall MMA record of 21โ€“9, with 13 of his wins coming by way of knockout. He also achieved a 20-2 record in kickboxing, with 16 of his wins coming by way of knockout, and won two national amateur championships. He retired in late 2010, then came out of retirement for one bout in 2018, in a loss to rival Tito Ortiz. On July 10, 2009, Liddell was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.

Mick Quinn

1969Mick Quinn, English singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer[โ€ ]

Mick Quinn is an English musician and singer-songwriter. He is best known as founding member of English rock band Supergrass. He is a permanent member of fellow Oxford band Swervedriver.

Historical Events

Project Blue Book

1969Project Blue Book: The United States Air Force closes its study of UFOs.[โ€ ]

Project Blue Book was the code name for the systematic study of unidentified flying objects (UFOs) by the United States Air Force from March 1952 to its termination on December 17, 1969. The project, headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, was initially directed by Captain Edward J. Ruppelt and followed projects of a similar nature such as Project Sign established in 1947, and Project Grudge in 1949. Project Blue Book had two goals, namely, to determine if UFOs were a threat to national security, and to scientifically analyze UFO-related data.

Historical Context for December 17, 1969

In 1969, the world population was approximately 3,619,491,579 people[โ€ ]