Today in History: February 9th

Today marks the 40th day of the year, with 325 days remaining. On this day in history, Halley's Comet passed closest to Earth in 1986, its first return since 1910. The House of Representatives elected John Quincy Adams as president in 1825, following a lack of majority in electoral votes. The Battle of Guadalcanal ended in an Allied victory over Japanese forces in 1943. Senator Joseph McCarthy accused the State Department of harboring Communists in 1950. The Beatles made their debut on American television in 1964, performing on "The Ed Sullivan Show." A devastating earthquake struck California's San Fernando Valley in 1971, claiming 65 lives. Soviet leader Yuri Andropov passed away in 1984, succeeded by Konstantin Chernenko. Alex Rodriguez admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs in 2009. The film "Parasite" won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2020, the first non-English language film to do so. The Senate proceeded with the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump in 2021, ultimately voting to acquit him on Feb. 13.