On this date in history:

In 1783, more than 6,000 British troops evacuated New York City after signing the peace treaty ending the Revolutionary War.

In 1947, film industry executives announced that 10 directors, producers and actors who refused to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee would be fired or suspended.

In 1952, Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap opened in London. It became the world's longest-running play.

In 1963, U.S. President John F. Kennedy, assassinated in Dallas three days earlier, was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

In 1970, renowned Japanese writer Yukio Mishima committed suicide after failing to win public support for his often extreme political beliefs.

In 1973, U.S. President Richard Nixon ordered the national highway speed limit cut from 70 mph to 55 mph to save lives and gasoline.

In 1986, U.S. President Ronald Reagan announced the resignation of national security adviser John Poindexter and the firing of Marine Lt. Col. Oliver North in the aftermath of the secret, illegal Iran arms sale.

In 1987, Chicago's first black mayor, Harold Washington, died in office of a heart attack at age 65.

In 1992, the Czechoslovakian Parliament voted to dissolve the country at the end of the year into separate Czech and Slovak states.

In 2001, hundreds of U.S. Marines arrived in Afghanistan near the southern city of Kandahar in the first major entry of U.S. ground troops in the country.

In 2003, a report by the United Nations and the World Health Organization said the infection and death rates of HIV/AIDS reached an all-time high.

In 2011, the United States launched an Atlas V rocket to look for life on Mars. Aboard was the rover Curiosity, which would explore the planet, searching for signs of life.

In 2012, military officials in Beijing announced the first successful landing of a Chinese fighter jet on the deck of the Chinese-built aircraft carrier, the Liaoning.

Copyright 2015 by United Press International