At dawn on Sunday, December 7, 1941, Japanese planes attacked the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in an attempt to cripple the fleet and hinder U.S. intervention in other Japanese targets in the South Pacific. The Japanese military expected that Germany would defeat Great Britain and the Soviet Union and that Japan would control the Pacific. The attack was opposed by Japanese admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, who cautioned against a war with the United States, but he was overruled. After the attack, he said, “We have awakened a sleeping giant and have instilled in him a terrible resolve.” He was right. Although airfields, port facilities, and warships were severely damaged and two battleships, the Utah and the Arizona, were destroyed, the attack mobilized the United States and signaled its entry into World War II. Today the Arizona is a memorial and a national park.
Question of the Day
What kind of Christmas tree is most popular?
The top-selling Christmas trees, as reported by growers across the United States, are the Fraser fir, Douglas fir, balsam fir, and silver fir, in that order.
Advice of the Day
To cure hiccups, eat crushed ice. If that fails, apply ice to the larynx.
Home Hint of the Day
If you’re fixing up an old house, be sure to look for the beauty underneath all the dust and dirt. First find out what you have, then decide if you want to cover it up.
Word of the Day
To catch a crab
In rowing when a stroke of the oar either misses the water or digs too deeply.
Puzzle of the Day
Why is it that a man cannot own a cane that is too short?
Because it can never be-long to him.
Born
Willa Cather(author)–
Harry Chapin(musician)–
Johnny Bench(baseball player)–
Ron Hynes(Canadian singer-songwriter)–
Larry Bird(basketball player)–
Terrell Owens(football player)–
Aaron Carter(singer)–
Emily Browning(actress)–
Torri Huske(Olympic swimmer)–
Died
Rube Goldberg(cartoonist)–
Thornton Wilder(playwright)–
Jerry Scoggins(sang The Ballad of Jed Clampett” that introduced the Clampett clan on The Beverly Hillbillies”)–
Harry Morgan(actor)–
Events
The steam locomotive was used for the first time in Germany when a railroad opened from Nuremberg to Furth–
The first Christmas postage stamp was released in Canada–
Christmas seals sold for the first time–
The crew of Apollo 17, while on their way to the Moon, took a photo of Earth from about 28,000 miles away–
Hockey player Gordie Howe scored his 1,000th professional goal
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Weather
The Connecticut and Merrimack rivers in New England flooded after a great rainstorm–
An ice storm in Nashville, Tennessee, cut electricity to 40,000 houses for several wintry hours–
Denver, Colorado’s temperature plunged to 0 degrees F–
Gunnison, Colorado, experienced a frigid temperature of -24 degrees F–
