The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( Spanish: Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico) is a archipelago located east of the Dominican Republic in the northeastern Caribbean. Puerto Rico, the smallest of the Greater Antilles, includes the main island of Puerto Rico and a number of smaller islands and keys, including the populated island-municipalities of Vieques and Culebra, as well as unpopulated Mona island, located halfway between the islands of Puerto Rico and Hispaniola. The nature of Puerto Rico's political relationship with the United States is the subject of ongoing debate on and off the island. Those who support maintaining the current formula insist that upon attaining this status, Puerto Rico entered into a voluntary association with the U.S. "in the nature of a compact", but opponents of the Commonwealth status, disagree: according to them, Puerto Rico is no more than an unincorporated organized territory of the U.S., subject to the plenary powers of the United States Congress. The Cerro Maravilla Incident is the name given by the Puerto Rican public and media to describe the events that occurred on July 25, 1978 at Cerro Maravilla, a mountain in Puerto Rico, wherein two young Puerto Rican pro-independence activists were killed in a police ambush. The event sparked a series of political controversies where, in the end, the police officers were found guilty of murder and several high-ranking local government officials were accused of planning and/or covering-up the incident. Originally declared a police intervention against terrorists, the Governor of Puerto Rico ordered the local Justice Department to launch various investigations, and asked the FBI and the US Justice Department to aid in such investigations, which concluded that there was no wrongdoing on the officer's part. However, after the local opposing political party launched its own inquiries, new evidence and witness testimonies uncovered gross negligence on the officers' part, as well as the possibility of a local and federal cover-up. Local trials were held, and 10 officers were convicted of various crimes. The incident and subsequent events have become one of the most controversial moments in Puerto Rico's political history. (more...) Featured content represents the best of what Wikipedia has to offer. The following Puerto Rico-related articles and lists have been designated as Featured (  ) by the community, as a result of many collaborative efforts of users and readers just like you. Selected anniversaries for January - January 1, 1775 - The Municipality of Caguas was founded.
- January 2, 1949 - Luis Muñoz Marín becomes the first democratically elected Governor of Puerto Rico
- January 2, 1965 - Roberto Sánchez Vilella becomes Governor of Puerto Rico
- January 2, 1969 - Luis A. Ferré becomes the first pro-statehood Governor of Puerto Rico
- January 2, 1973 - Rafael Hernández Colón begins the first of three non-consecutive terms as Governor of Puerto Rico
- January 2, 1977 - Carlos Romero Barceló becomes Governor of Puerto Rico
- January 2, 1977 - Carlos S. Quirós begins a days-long term as Mayor of San Juan
- January 2, 1993 - Pedro Rosselló becomes Governor of Puerto Rico
- January 2, 2001 - Sila Calderón becomes the first female Governor of Puerto Rico
- January 2, 2006 - Death of Raúl Dávila, actor, All My Children (b. 1931)
- January 9, 1963 - Death of Ernesto Ramos Antonini, co-founder of the Partido Popular Democrático de Puerto Rico (Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico) (b. 1898)
- January 10, 1967 - Birth of Trini Alvarado, actress
- January 10, 1973 - Birth of Félix 'Tito' Trinidad, middleweight boxing champion
- January 11, 1839 - Birth of Eugenio María de Hostos, educator and independence advocate (d. 1903)
- January 12, 1956 - Birth of Roberto Vigoreaux, television producer, actor, and politician
- January 15, 2009 - Death of Tommy Muñiz, comedian, dramatic actor, network owner and producer
- January 17, 1983 - Death of Luis Vigoreaux, radio and television show host, announcer, comedian and producer (b. 1929)
- January 19, 1957 - Birth of Kenneth McClintock, President of the Senate of Puerto Rico, London, England
- January 19, 1958 - Birth of José Aponte, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Puerto Rico, San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico
- January 19, 1974 - Death of Antonio Fernós-Isern, the first Puerto Rican cardiologist and the longest serving Resident Commissioner (b. 1895)
- January 19, 1985 - Death of Juan Antonio Corretjer, poet, journalist and independence political activist (b. 1908)
- January 21, 1895 - Birth of Concha Meléndez, educator, poet, and writer (d. 1983)
- January 22, 2002 - Death of Manuel Méndez Ballester, journalist, radio and television broadcaster, and teacher (b. 1909)
- January 24, 1880 - Death of José Gautier Benítez, considered Puerto Rico's best poet of the Romantic Era (b. 1848)
- January 27, 1975 - Birth of Ivan Calderón (boxer), professional boxer
- January 28, 2004 - Death of José Miguel Agrelot, Puerto Rican comedian, radio and television host and media icon known for his Don Cholito character (b. 1927)
- January 29, 1736 - The Municipality of Guayama was founded.
- ...that ninety-five members of Puerto Rico's famed 65th Infantry were court-martialed in what is considered the largest mass court-martial of the Korean War?
- ...that in 1919, Luisa Capetillo was the first woman to publicly wear pants in Puerto Rico and that she was sent to jail for it?
- ...that in 2003, José Miguel Agrelot's radio show, Alegre Despertar (Joyful Awakening), held the world record for the longest-running, still active radio show, running non-stop for 53 years?
Captain Humbert Roque "Rocky" Versace ( July 2, 1937– September 26, 1965) was a United States Army officer of Puerto Rican- Italian descent who was awarded the United States' highest military decoration — the Medal of Honor — for his heroic actions while a prisoner of war (POW) during the Vietnam War. While acting as intelligence advisor to South Vietnamese fighters, their unit was ambushed by opposing forces, and Versace provided sufficient covering fire for his unit to evacuate. However, he was wounded and taken prisoner deep in the jungle along with two other Americans. He tried to escape a total of four times, all unsuccessful. Versace insulted the Viet Cong and cited the Geneva Convention treaty during the indoctrination sessions, and was last seen singing "God Bless America" as he was taken away for execution. He was the first member of the U.S. Army to be awarded the Medal of Honor for actions performed in Southeast Asia while in captivity. (more...)
| “ | I am concerned that many young people in this Hemisphere seem to envision the United States as a nation intoxicated by power, addicted to warfare, controlled by a military-industrial complex, and determined to preserve the status quo, that we are against rapid economic and social growth... | ” | | —Luis A. Ferré, third elected Governor of Puerto Rico, 1971 National Governors Association Annual Meeting |
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