Today In History
Today is Tuesday, Dec. 7, the 341st day of 2021. There are 24 days left in the year.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT
› 1941: The Empire of Japan launched an air raid on the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii as well as targets in Malaya, Hong Kong, Guam, the Philippines and Wake Island; the United States declared war against Japan the next day.
ON THIS DATE
› 1787: Delaware became the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
› 1909: Chemist Leo H. Baekeland received a U.S. patent for Bakelite, the first synthetic plastic.
› 1917: During World War I, the United States declared war on Austria-Hungary.
› 1946: Fire broke out at the Winecoff Hotel in Atlanta; the blaze killed 119 people, including hotel founder W. Frank Winecoff.
› 1972: America’s last moon mission to date was launched as Apollo 17 blasted off from Cape Canaveral.
› 2001: Taliban forces abandoned their last bastion in Afghanistan, fleeing the southern city of Kandahar.
› 2004: Hamid Karzai was sworn in as Afghanistan’s
first popularly elected president.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS
Linguist and political philosopher Noam Chomsky is 93. Bluegrass singer Bobby Osborne is
90. Actor Ellen Burstyn is 89. Broadcast journalist Carole Simpson is 81. Baseball Hall of Famer Johnny Bench is
74. Actor-director-producer James Keach is
74. Country singer Gary Morris is 73. Singer-songwriter Tom Waits is 72. Sen. Susan M. Collins, R-Maine, is 69. Basketball Hall of Famer Larry Bird is 65. Actor Priscilla Barnes is 64. Former “Tonight Show” announcer Edd Hall is 63. Rock musician Tim Butler (The Psychedelic Furs) is
63. Actor Patrick Fabian is 57. Actor Jeffrey Wright is 56. Actor C. Thomas Howell is 55. Actor Kimberly Hebert Gregory (TV: “Kevin (Probably) Saves the World”) is 49. Producer-director Jason Winer is 49. Former NFL player Terrell Owens is 48. Rapper-producer Kon Artis is 47. Pop singer Nicole Appleton (All Saints) is 46. Latin singer Frankie J is 45. Actor Shiri Appleby is 43. Pop-rock singer/celebrity judge Sara Bareilles is 42. Actor Jennifer Carpenter is 42. Actor Jack Huston is 39. Singer Aaron Carter is 34.