85 years ago today
Attack on Pearl Harbor
On December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy launched a surprise aerial attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, killing 2,403 Americans, wounding 1,178 more, and destroying or damaging 19 naval vessels — including eight battleships — and 328 aircraft. The assault, which targeted the Pacific Fleet at anchor, was intended to neutralize American naval power and allow Japan to expand freely across Southeast Asia. Instead, it galvanized the American public and unified a nation that had been deeply divided over involvement in World War II. President Franklin D. Roosevelt called December 7 "a date which will live in infamy" and asked Congress for a declaration of war the following day. Germany and Italy declared war on the United States four days later, pulling the full weight of American industrial power into both the Pacific and European theaters.
Gian Lorenzo Bernini
Italian Sculptor & Architect
The dominant artist of the Roman Baroque, Bernini shaped the face of Rome with works including the Baldachin at St. Peter's Basilica, the Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona, and the colonnade of St. Peter's Square. His sculpture — especially Apollo and Daphne — transformed marble into movement with breathtaking virtuosity.
Noam Chomsky
American Linguist & Political Philosopher
One of the most cited scholars alive, Chomsky transformed modern linguistics with his theory of generative grammar and the concept of universal grammar, arguing that the capacity for language is hard-wired into the human brain. He has also been a prolific and controversial critic of U.S. foreign policy for over six decades.
Willa Cather
American Novelist
One of the great American novelists of the early 20th century, Cather chronicled the lives of pioneers on the Great Plains in novels like O Pioneers!, My Ántonia, and Death Comes for the Archbishop. Her spare, lyrical prose captured the landscape and human drama of the American frontier with lasting beauty.
Larry Bird
American Basketball Player & Coach
One of the greatest players in NBA history, Bird led the Boston Celtics to three NBA championships and won three consecutive MVP awards. His rivalry with Magic Johnson in the 1980s revitalized the NBA and set the stage for the modern era of professional basketball.
Johnny Bench
American Baseball Catcher
Widely considered the greatest catcher in baseball history, Bench anchored the Cincinnati Reds' "Big Red Machine" dynasty of the 1970s. He won two World Series, two NL MVP awards, and revolutionized the catching position with his one-handed technique.
Cicero Assassinated on Mark Antony's Orders
Marcus Tullius Cicero, Rome's greatest orator and statesman, is hunted down and killed near his villa at Formia on the orders of Mark Antony, whose power he had repeatedly attacked in his Philippics speeches. His head and hands were cut off and displayed on the Rostra in the Roman Forum.
Royal Opera House Opens at Covent Garden
The Theatre Royal, Covent Garden — the original building on the site of today's Royal Opera House — opens in London, hosting plays, opera, and ballet that would make it one of the great theatrical venues in world history.
Delaware Becomes the First State
Delaware ratifies the U.S. Constitution, becoming the first state in the newly formed republic and earning itself the nickname "The First State." The ratification by a small state helped build momentum for larger states to follow.
New York Philharmonic Gives Its First Concert
The New York Philharmonic performs its inaugural concert at the Apollo Rooms on Broadway, making it the oldest symphony orchestra in the United States and one of the oldest in the world.
Japan Attacks Pearl Harbor
Japanese carrier-based aircraft launch a devastating surprise attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, killing 2,403 Americans and destroying 19 ships. The U.S. declares war on Japan the following day.
Apollo 17 — The Last Moon Mission Launches
Apollo 17 launches from Kennedy Space Center, carrying the last humans to walk on the Moon. Crew member Harrison Schmitt, a geologist, becomes the 12th and final person to set foot on the lunar surface. The mission also produced the famous "Blue Marble" photograph of Earth.
First Execution by Lethal Injection
Charles Brooks Jr. is executed by lethal injection in Huntsville, Texas — the first use of this method in the United States, which would go on to replace electrocution and gas chambers as the primary means of capital punishment across the country.
Spitak Earthquake Devastates Armenia
A magnitude 6.8 earthquake strikes northwestern Armenia (then part of the Soviet Union), killing between 25,000 and 50,000 people and destroying the cities of Spitak and Leninakan. The Soviet government's delayed response and poor construction standards magnified the catastrophe.
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Start a conversation →Cicero
Roman Statesman, Orator & Philosopher
Perhaps Rome's greatest orator and one of the most influential prose writers in Latin, Cicero served as consul in 63 BC and composed speeches, philosophical treatises, and thousands of letters that remain foundational texts of Western civilization. He was executed for his opposition to Mark Antony.
Michel Ney
Marshal of France
Napoleon's finest field commander, nicknamed "the bravest of the brave," Ney led the rearguard of the catastrophic retreat from Moscow. After Waterloo he was tried for treason by the restored Bourbon monarchy and shot by firing squad. He reportedly refused a blindfold and gave the order to fire himself.
Robert Graves
English Poet & Novelist
A WWI survivor whose memoir Goodbye to All That remains one of the most powerful accounts of trench warfare, Graves went on to write historical novels — most notably I, Claudius — and volumes of poetry that made him one of the major British literary voices of the 20th century.
Chuck Yeager
American Test Pilot
The first person to break the sound barrier, Yeager flew the experimental Bell X-1 through Mach 1 on October 14, 1947. A WWII fighter ace who shot down 11 aircraft, he became the archetype of the fearless test pilot immortalized in Tom Wolfe's The Right Stuff.
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