On This Day - What Happened On December 7 | Britannica

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1941 Pearl Harbor attack On this day in 1941, Japanese bombers launched a surprise aerial attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, precipitating the entry of the United States into World War II. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialists 3rd Class Diana Quinlan

Featured Biography

Gian Lorenzo Bernini Italian artist bornDecember 7, 1598Naples, Kingdom of NaplesdiedNovember 28, 1680 (aged 81)Rome, Papal StatesKelsey Carroll 1956 Larry Bird American basketball player and coach 1949 Tom Waits American singer-songwriter 1932 Ellen Burstyn American actress 1928 Noam Chomsky American linguist 1915 Eli Wallach American actor See All Biographies On This Day

More Events On This Day

2024 Sprinter Gout Gout broke the Australian national record for the 200 meters, which had been set by Peter Norman at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.© Olivier Rachon/SOPA Images—LightRocket/Getty Images 2020 American aviator Chuck Yeager, the first person to exceed the speed of sound in flight, died at age 97. How much do you know about the history of flight?U.S. Air Force 2004 Hamid Karzai was sworn in as Afghanistan's first popularly elected president. Test your knowledge of world governments and their leadersPete Souza—Official White House Photo 1988 An earthquake struck northwestern Armenia, devastating numerous cities, including Vanadzor and Gyumri. Take our quiz about natural disastersEncyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 1975 Shortly after declaring its independence, East Timor was invaded and occupied by Indonesian forces.Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 1972 American astronaut Eugene Andrew Cernan commanded the last crewed flight to the Moon, effectively ending the Apollo program. Test your knowledge of the MoonNASA 1956 basketball player Larry Bird, who is considered one of the greatest pure shooters of all time, was born in West Baden, Indiana. Find out if Larry Bird made our list of the 10 greatest basketball players of all timeFocus on Sports 1941 Adolf Hitler issued his Night and Fog Decree, a secret order for the arrest and execution of “persons endangering German security.” Discover nine things you might not know about Adolf HitlerHeinrich Hoffmann, Munich 1917 The United States declared war on the Austro-Hungarian Empire during World War I. Read our timeline of World War ILibrary of Congress, Washington, D.C. 1787 Delaware became the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. Take our quiz about U.S. constitutional historyEncyclopædia Britannica, Inc. SIGN UP FOR History's Biggest Headlines Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors. SIGN UP Thanks for signing up for Today in History. Your first newsletter will arrive soon! SIGN UP By clicking "Sign Up" you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.