Today in History: February 9, Halley's Comet passes by Earth

"On Feb. 9,1986, Halley's Comet made its closest pass by Earth at 39 million miles in its first return to the solar system since 1910. (The comet's next appearance will be in 2061). Also on this date: In 1825, the House of Representatives elected John Quincy Adams president after no candidate received a majority of electoral votes. In 1943, the World War II Battle of Guadalcanal in the southwest Pacific ended with an Allied victory over Japanese forces."

"In 1950, in a speech to the Women's Republican Club in Wheeling, West Virginia, Republican Sen. Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin charged that the State Department was riddled with Communists. In 1964, the Beatles made their first live American television appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, broadcast from New York on CBS. The quartet played five songs, including She Loves You and I Want to Hold Your Hand, to a crowd of screaming teenagers in person and more than 70 million viewers across the country."

"In 1971, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake in California's San Fernando Valley claimed 65 lives. In 1984, Soviet leader Yuri Andropov, 69, died 15 months after succeeding Leonid Brezhnev; he was followed by Konstantin Chernenko (chehr-NYEN'-koh), who would only be in power for 13 months before his own death in office. In 2009, New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez admitted to taking performance-enhancing drugs, telling ESPN he'd used banned substances while with the Texas Rangers for three years."

Feb. 9 has seen notable events in astronomy, politics, war, culture, and sports. In 1986 Halley's Comet passed 39 million miles from Earth, its first return since 1910, with its next appearance due in 2061. In 1825 the House elected John Quincy Adams president after no candidate won an electoral majority. The Battle of Guadalcanal ended in Allied victory in 1943. In 1950 Senator Joseph McCarthy accused the State Department of being riddled with Communists. In 1964 the Beatles made their first live American TV appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. Other events include the 1971 San Fernando Valley earthquake, Alex Rodriguez's 2009 admission of using banned substances, and Parasite's 2020 Best Picture win.

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