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The Day That Will Live In Infamy
Today's Highlight in History:
- On Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese forces attacked American and British territories and possessions in the Pacific, including the home base of the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.
On this date:
- In 1787, Delaware became the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
- In 1796, electors chose John Adams to be the second president of the United States.
- In 1808, electors chose James Madison to be the fourth president of the United States.
- In 1836, Martin Van Buren was elected the eighth president of the United States.
- In 1946, fire broke out at the Winecoff Hotel in Atlanta; the blaze killed 119 people, including hotel founder W. Frank Winecoff.
- In 1972, America's last moon mission to date was launched as Apollo 17 blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla.
- In 1982, convicted murderer Charlie Brooks Jr. became the first U.S. prisoner to be executed by injection, at a prison in Huntsville, Texas.
- In 1983, in Madrid, Spain, an Aviaco DC-9 collided on a runway with an Iberia Air Lines Boeing 727 that was accelerating for takeoff, killing all 42 people aboard the DC-9 and 51 aboard the Iberia jet.
- In 1987, 43 people were killed after a gunman aboard a Pacific Southwest Airlines jetliner in California apparently opened fire on a fellow passenger, the two pilots and himself, causing the plane to crash.
- In 1988, a major earthquake in the Soviet Union devastated northern Armenia; official estimates put the death toll at 25,000.
Ten years ago:
- On the eve of historic hearings, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry Hyde said there was a "compelling case" for impeaching President Bill Clinton.
- Attorney General Janet Reno declined to seek an independent counsel investigation of President Clinton over 1996 campaign financing.
Five years ago:
- Allies of President Vladimir Putin won a sweeping victory in Russia's parliamentary elections.
- Zimbabwe withdrew from the Commonwealth of Britain and its former colonies, which had suspended it for alleged abuses of civil liberties.
One year ago:
- Congressional Democrats demanded a full Justice Department investigation into whether the CIA had obstructed justice by destroying videotapes documenting the harsh 2002 interrogations of two alleged terrorists.
- Two window washers fell 47 stories from a Manhattan skyscraper when their scaffolding failed; Edgar Moreno was killed, but his brother, Alcides, miraculously survived.
- Barry Bonds pleaded not guilty in San Francisco to charges he'd lied to federal investigators about using performance-enhancing drugs.
Today's Birthdays:
- Actor Eli Wallach is 93.
- Political philosopher Noam Chomsky is 80.
- Bluegrass singer Bobby Osborne is 77.
- Actress Ellen Burstyn is 76.
- Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., is 71.
- Broadcast journalist Carole Simpson is 68.
- Baseball Hall-of-Famer Johnny Bench is 61.
- Country singer Gary Morris is 60.
- Singer-songwriter Tom Waits is 59.
- Sen. Susan M. Collins, R-Maine, is 56.
- Actress Priscilla Barnes is 53.
- Basketball Hall-of-Famer Larry Bird is 52.
- Former "Tonight Show" announcer Edd Hall is 50.
- Rock musician Tim Butler (The Psychedelic Furs) is 50.
- Actor Jeffrey Wright is 43.
- Actor C. Thomas Howell is 42.
- Football player Terrell Owens is 35.
- Pop singer Nicole Appleton (All Saints) is 33.
- Country singer Sunny Sweeney is 32.
- Actress Shiri Appleby is 30.
- Pop-rock singer Sara Bareilles is 29.
- Singer Aaron Carter is 21.
Thought for Today:
"No nation ever had an army large enough to guarantee it against attack in time of peace or insure it victory in time of war."
President Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933).
"Let's all be careful out there!"
