This day in history

[December 07, 2010]  (AP)  Today is Tuesday, Dec. 7, the 341st day of 2010. There are 24 days left in the year.

Today's highlight in history:

On Dec. 7, 1941, Imperial Japanese warplanes attacked the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, as well as other American and British bases in the Pacific; the raids prompted the United States to enter World War II.

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 1909, chemist Leo H. Baekeland received a U.S. patent for Bakelite (BAY'-kuh-lyt), the first synthetic plastic.

In 1946, fire broke out at the Winecoff (WYN'-kahf) Hotel in Atlanta; the blaze killed 119 people, including hotel founder W. Frank Winecoff.

In 1970, cartoonist Rube Goldberg, known for drawing wacky, convoluted contraptions meant to perform simple tasks, died in New York at age 87.

In 1972, America's last moon mission to date was launched as Apollo 17 blasted off from Cape Canaveral.

In 1985, retired Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart died in Hanover, N.H. at age 70.

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.

Ten years ago: Al Gore's lawyer, David Boies, pleaded with the Florida Supreme Court to order vote recounts and revive Gore's presidential campaign. Republican attorneys called George W. Bush the certified, rightful victor.

Five years ago: Federal air marshals shot and killed an airline passenger, Rigoberto Alpizar, at Miami International Airport after he claimed to have a bomb. (Alpizar, who suffered from bipolar disorder, had no bomb.)

One year ago: The Obama administration took a major step toward imposing the first federal limits on pollution from cars, power plants and factories the same day an international conference on climate change opened in Copenhagen, Denmark. Manager Whitey Herzog and umpire Doug Harvey were elected to the baseball Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee.

Today's birthdays: Actor Eli Wallach is 95. Linguist and political philosopher Noam Chomsky is 82. Bluegrass singer Bobby Osborne is 79. Actress Ellen Burstyn is 78. Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) is 73. Broadcast journalist Carole Simpson is 70. Baseball Hall of Famer Johnny Bench is 63. Actor-director-producer James Keach is 63. Country singer Gary Morris is 62. Singer-songwriter Tom Waits is 61. Sen. Susan M. Collins (R-Maine) is 58. Basketball Hall of Famer Larry Bird is 54. Actress Priscilla Barnes is 53. Former "Tonight Show" announcer Edd (cq) Hall is 52. Rock musician Tim Butler (The Psychedelic Furs) is 52. Actor Jeffrey Wright is 45. Actor C. Thomas Howell is 44. NFL player Terrell Owens is 37. Pop singer Nicole Appleton (All Saints) is 35. Country singer Sunny Sweeney is 34. Actress Shiri Appleby is 32. Pop-rock singer Sara Bareilles (bah-REHL'-es) is 31. Singer Aaron Carter is 23.

Thought for today: "Any frontal attack on ignorance is bound to fail because the masses are always ready to defend their most precious possession -- their ignorance." -- Hendrik Willem van Loon, Dutch-American journalist and lecturer (1882-1944)

[Associated Press]

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