December 8
1854 - Pope Pius IX proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.
1863 - President Abraham Lincoln issued his Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction for the South.
1886 - The American Federation of Labor was founded at a convention of union leaders in Columbus, Ohio.
1941 - The United States entered World War II as Congress declared war on Japan, a day after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.
1949 - Communist attacks forced the Chinese Nationalist government to flee to the island of Formosa (Taiwan).
1972 - A United Airlines Boeing 737 crashed while attempting to land at Chicago-Midway Airport, killing 43 of the 61 people on board, as well as two people on the ground; among the dead were Dorothy Hunt, wife of Watergate conspirator E. Howard Hunt, U.S. Rep. George W. Collins (D-Illinois) and CBS News correspondent Michele Clark.
1978 - Former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir died.
1980 - John Lennon, former member of the Beatles, was shot and killed in New York City by a deranged fan.
1987 - President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev signed the first treaty to reduce the nuclear arsenals of the two superpowers.
1991 - AIDS patient Kimberly Bergalis, who had contracted the disease from her dentist, died in Fort Pierce, Florida at age 23.
1993 - President Bill Clinton signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) into law.
1998 - Struggling to stave off impeachment, President Bill Clinton's defenders forcefully pleaded his case before the House Judiciary Committee.
1998 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that police cannot search people and their cars after merely ticketing them for routine traffic violations.
2008 - In a startling about-face, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed told the Guantanamo war crimes tribunal he would confess to masterminding the Sept. 11 attacks; four other men also abandoned their defenses.
2010 - President Barack Obama rejected claims that he had betrayed Democrats by cutting a deal with Republicans on Bush-era tax cuts and implored his party to back the compromise, arguing it could jump-start the economy.
2010 - Hackers rushed to the defense of WikiLeaks, launching attacks on MasterCard, Visa, Swedish prosecutors, a Swiss bank and others who had acted against the site and its founder, Julian Assange.
2013 - Hundreds of thousands of protesters poured into the streets of the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, toppling the statue of former Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin and blocking key government buildings in an escalating stand-off with the president on the future of the country.
2014 - The U.S. and NATO ceremonially ended their combat mission in Afghanistan, 13 years after the Sept. 11 terror attacks sparked their invasion of the country to topple the Taliban-led government.
Birthdays
24 - Teala Dunn (actress)
27 - AnnaSophia Robb (actress)
29 - Wallis Currie-Wood (actress)
34 - Kate Voegele (actress/singer)
34 - Enzo Amore (professional wrestler)
35 - Josh Donaldson (baseball player)
35 - Dwight Howard (basketball player)
36 - Sam Hunt (country singer)
38 - Nicki Minaj (rapper)
38 - Hannah Ware (actress)
38 - Chrisette Michele (singer)
39 - Philip Rivers (football player)
41 - Ingrid Michaelson (singer)
42 - Ian Somerhalder (actor)
44 - Dominic Monaghan (actor)
52 - Mike Mussina (baseball player)
54 - Matthew Laborteaux (actor)
54 - Sinead O'Connor (singer)
55 - David Harewood (actor)
56 - Teri Hatcher (actress)
57 - Wendell Pierce (actor)
58 - Marty Friedman (musician)
59 - Ann Coulter (political commentator)
63 - Phil Collen (musician)
67 - Kim Basinger (actress)
74 - John Rubinstein (actor)
77 - Mary Woronov (actress)
81 - Jerry Butler (singer)
==================================
Today in Sports History - December 8
1863 - Tom King of England defeated American John Heenan and became the first world heavyweight champion.
1942 - Georgia running back Frank Sinkwich wins the Heisman Trophy.
1948 - Southern Methodist running back Doak Walker wins the Heisman Trophy.
1953 - Notre Dame running back Johnny Lattner wins the Heisman Trophy.
1955 - Ohio State running back Howard Cassady wins the Heisman Trophy.
1956 - At the closing ceremonies of the Summer Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia, a tradition began of all the competitors intermingling with each other instead of staying separated by their countries.
1961 - Wilt Chamberlain scores 78 points in an NBA game.
1967 - The NHL's California Seals change their name to the Oakland Seals.
1973 - Penn State running back John Cappelletti wins the Heisman Trophy.
1977 - Texas running back Earl Campbell wins the Heisman Trophy.
1987 - Ron Hextall (Philadelphia Flyers) became the first goalie in NHL history to shoot and score a goal. His empty net goal made him only the second goalie to get credit for a goal in the NHL.
2000 - Mario Lemieux announced to the Pittsburgh Penguins that he planned to return to the National Hockey League (NHL) as a player at age 35. He would be the first modern owner-player in U.S. pro sports.
2003 - The Orlando Magic ended a 19-game losing streak with a 105-98 win over the Phoenix Suns.
2004 - In Michigan, five Indiana Pacers and seven fans were charged for various crimes related to a fight that broke out during a Pacers-Pistons game on November 19.
2007 - Florida quarterback Tim Tebow wins the Heisman Trophy.
2011 - The NBA and the players union reach an agreement to end the 161-day lockout, shortening the season by 16 games.
2018 - Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray wins the Heisman Trophy.
1854 - Pope Pius IX proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.
1863 - President Abraham Lincoln issued his Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction for the South.
1886 - The American Federation of Labor was founded at a convention of union leaders in Columbus, Ohio.
1941 - The United States entered World War II as Congress declared war on Japan, a day after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.
1949 - Communist attacks forced the Chinese Nationalist government to flee to the island of Formosa (Taiwan).
1972 - A United Airlines Boeing 737 crashed while attempting to land at Chicago-Midway Airport, killing 43 of the 61 people on board, as well as two people on the ground; among the dead were Dorothy Hunt, wife of Watergate conspirator E. Howard Hunt, U.S. Rep. George W. Collins (D-Illinois) and CBS News correspondent Michele Clark.
1978 - Former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir died.
1980 - John Lennon, former member of the Beatles, was shot and killed in New York City by a deranged fan.
1987 - President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev signed the first treaty to reduce the nuclear arsenals of the two superpowers.
1991 - AIDS patient Kimberly Bergalis, who had contracted the disease from her dentist, died in Fort Pierce, Florida at age 23.
1993 - President Bill Clinton signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) into law.
1998 - Struggling to stave off impeachment, President Bill Clinton's defenders forcefully pleaded his case before the House Judiciary Committee.
1998 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that police cannot search people and their cars after merely ticketing them for routine traffic violations.
2008 - In a startling about-face, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed told the Guantanamo war crimes tribunal he would confess to masterminding the Sept. 11 attacks; four other men also abandoned their defenses.
2010 - President Barack Obama rejected claims that he had betrayed Democrats by cutting a deal with Republicans on Bush-era tax cuts and implored his party to back the compromise, arguing it could jump-start the economy.
2010 - Hackers rushed to the defense of WikiLeaks, launching attacks on MasterCard, Visa, Swedish prosecutors, a Swiss bank and others who had acted against the site and its founder, Julian Assange.
2013 - Hundreds of thousands of protesters poured into the streets of the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, toppling the statue of former Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin and blocking key government buildings in an escalating stand-off with the president on the future of the country.
2014 - The U.S. and NATO ceremonially ended their combat mission in Afghanistan, 13 years after the Sept. 11 terror attacks sparked their invasion of the country to topple the Taliban-led government.
Birthdays
24 - Teala Dunn (actress)
27 - AnnaSophia Robb (actress)
29 - Wallis Currie-Wood (actress)
34 - Kate Voegele (actress/singer)
34 - Enzo Amore (professional wrestler)
35 - Josh Donaldson (baseball player)
35 - Dwight Howard (basketball player)
36 - Sam Hunt (country singer)
38 - Nicki Minaj (rapper)
38 - Hannah Ware (actress)
38 - Chrisette Michele (singer)
39 - Philip Rivers (football player)
41 - Ingrid Michaelson (singer)
42 - Ian Somerhalder (actor)
44 - Dominic Monaghan (actor)
52 - Mike Mussina (baseball player)
54 - Matthew Laborteaux (actor)
54 - Sinead O'Connor (singer)
55 - David Harewood (actor)
56 - Teri Hatcher (actress)
57 - Wendell Pierce (actor)
58 - Marty Friedman (musician)
59 - Ann Coulter (political commentator)
63 - Phil Collen (musician)
67 - Kim Basinger (actress)
74 - John Rubinstein (actor)
77 - Mary Woronov (actress)
81 - Jerry Butler (singer)
==================================
Today in Sports History - December 8
1863 - Tom King of England defeated American John Heenan and became the first world heavyweight champion.
1942 - Georgia running back Frank Sinkwich wins the Heisman Trophy.
1948 - Southern Methodist running back Doak Walker wins the Heisman Trophy.
1953 - Notre Dame running back Johnny Lattner wins the Heisman Trophy.
1955 - Ohio State running back Howard Cassady wins the Heisman Trophy.
1956 - At the closing ceremonies of the Summer Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia, a tradition began of all the competitors intermingling with each other instead of staying separated by their countries.
1961 - Wilt Chamberlain scores 78 points in an NBA game.
1967 - The NHL's California Seals change their name to the Oakland Seals.
1973 - Penn State running back John Cappelletti wins the Heisman Trophy.
1977 - Texas running back Earl Campbell wins the Heisman Trophy.
1987 - Ron Hextall (Philadelphia Flyers) became the first goalie in NHL history to shoot and score a goal. His empty net goal made him only the second goalie to get credit for a goal in the NHL.
2000 - Mario Lemieux announced to the Pittsburgh Penguins that he planned to return to the National Hockey League (NHL) as a player at age 35. He would be the first modern owner-player in U.S. pro sports.
2003 - The Orlando Magic ended a 19-game losing streak with a 105-98 win over the Phoenix Suns.
2004 - In Michigan, five Indiana Pacers and seven fans were charged for various crimes related to a fight that broke out during a Pacers-Pistons game on November 19.
2007 - Florida quarterback Tim Tebow wins the Heisman Trophy.
2011 - The NBA and the players union reach an agreement to end the 161-day lockout, shortening the season by 16 games.
2018 - Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray wins the Heisman Trophy.
