On this day in 1968, the crew and captain of the U.S.
intelligence gathering ship Pueblo were released after
11 months imprisonment by the  government of North
Korea. The ship, and its 83-man crew, was seized by
North Korean warships on January 23, 1968 and
charged with intruding into North Korean waters.

Lt. Cmdr. Lloyd Bucher, commanding officer of the USS
Pueblo, confesses to espionage at a press conference in Pyongyang, North Korea, in 1968, with crew members
looking on.

USS Pueblo today is a Pyongyang, North Korea museum
piece. It was never decommissioned and is the only U.S.
naval vessel in captivity.

    
(September 1, 1927 – January 28, 2004)

It’s a Wonderful Life is considered to be one of the greatest films
of all time and among the best Christmas films. It was nominated
for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and has been recognized by the American Film Institute as one of the 100 best American films ever made.

It was No. 11 on the American Film Institute‘s 1998 greatest movie
list, No. 20 on its 2007 greatest movie list, and No. 1 on its list of
the most inspirational American films of all time.

Capra revealed that it was his favorite among the films he directed
and that he screened it for his family every Christmas season. It
was one of Stewart’s favorite films.           
(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

      

Frank Russell Capra (1897 – 1991)

It’s a Wonderful Life Cast Photo.

The actor Al Pacino stars as a Cuban refugee who becomes a
Miami crime boss in Scarface, which opened in theaters on
December 9, 1983.

Alfredo James Pacino turned 83 April 25th.

On December 4, 1991, Islamic militants in Lebanon released
kidnapped American journalist Terry Anderson after 2,454
days in captivity.

As chief Middle East correspondent for the Associated Press,
Anderson covered the long-running civil war in Lebanon,1975- 
1990. On March 16, 1985, he was kidnapped on a west Beirut 
street while leaving a tennis court.

American hostage Terry Anderson photographed by his
captors in Lebanon on Oct. 21, 1988.

Anderson being welcomed home to Lorain, Ohio on June
21, 1992.

Terry Anderson turned 76 on October 27th.

The landmark film "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" was released on
this day in history, June 11, 1982.

With Steven Spielberg (below) as its director, the enduring
science-fiction film stars Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore,
Robert McNaughton and Dee Wallace.