Posted November 17, 2020 by Jeffrey Totey This Day in Pop Culture

This Day in Pop Culture for November 17

1973: “I Am Not a Crook”

The Nixon years were a tough time for our country and through the whole Watergate scandal, President Richard Nixon rejected the notion that he was responsible for any wrongdoing. On this day in 1973, he made the infamous speech on television where he said, “People have got to know whether or not their President is a crook. Well, I’m not a crook. I’ve earned everything I’ve got.” In short order, more allegations were heaped on the president which he vowed to fight. However, one of the Watergate tapes proved that Nixon had been aware of the White House connection to Watergate and had plans to stifle the investigation. It became known as the “smoking gun tape.” On August 5, 1974, Nixon accepted blame for misleading the country. He resigned from office on August 9, 1974.

2017: ‘The Star’ Shines Brightly

Produced by Sony Pictures Animation, with a partnership from Walden Media, Affirm Firms and The Jim Henson Company, The Star, the first animated movie about the nativity story was released in theaters on this day in 2017. The script was originally developed after the success of another talking animal movie: Babe. The film featured the voice talents of Steven Yeun, Gina Rodriguez, Zachary Levi, Keegan-Michael Key, Kelly Clarkson, Patricia Heaton, Kristin Chenoweth, Tracy Morgan, Tyler Perry, and Oprah Winfrey. The film’s main song was sung by Mariah Carey.