This Day in History for November 17 — Suez Canal Opens, and More

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history:

1869: The Suez Canal, linking the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea, opens in Egypt (more info)

1968: Viewers of the Raiders-Jets football game are prevented from watching its exciting finish when NBC switches its broadcast to the movie 'Heidi,' prompting changes to sports broadcasting in the U.S. (more info)

1969: Negotiators from the Soviet Union and the United States meet in Helsinki to begin SALT I negotiations aimed at limiting the number of strategic weapons on both sides (more info)

1973: In Orlando, Florida, President Richard Nixon tells 400 Associated Press managing editors, "I am not a crook" (more info)

1989: In Czechoslovakia, a student demonstration in Prague is quelled by riot police, sparking an uprising that eventually overthrows the communist government (more info)