Events 1854 - Pope Pius IX proclaims the dogma of Immaculate Conception, which holds that the Virgin Mary was born free of original sin. 1886 - American Federation of Labor founded. 1914 - Battle of the Falkland Islands fought. 1941 - World War 2: After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor the previous day, the United States Congress passes a declaration of war against Japan, bringing the United States of America officially into World War 2; Congresswoman Jeannette Rankin casts the only "no" vote. In response, Hitler's Germany declares war on the United States. 1941 - Holocaust: First Nazi use of gas vans on Jews, at the Chelmno camp near Lodz. 1949 - Chinese Civil War: The capital of the Republic of China is moved from Nanjing to Taipei, Taiwan 1976 - The Eagles release one of the biggest-selling albums of all time, Hotel California 1991 - Leaders of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine met and signed an agreement ending the U.S.S.R and establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in the Belovezhskaya Pushcha Nature Reserve in Belarus 1993 - The North American Free Trade Agreement ( NAFTA) is signed into law by US President Bill Clinton. 1994 - US President Bill Clinton signs a bill enacting United States participation in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT was formally signed on April 15 1994, in Marrakesh, Morocco by 124 nations). Births 65 BC - Horace, poet († 8 BC) 1542 - Mary Queen of Scots († 1587) 1730 - Jan Ingenhousz, physiologist, botanist († 1799) 1765 - Eli Whitney, inventor († 1825) 1790 - Richard Carlille, reformer († 1843) 1813 - Adolf Kolping, theologian († 1865) 1815 - Adolph Menzel, painter and graphic artist († 1905) 1848 - Joel Chandler Harris, author and folklorist († 1908) 1861 - Aristide Maillol, sculptor († 1944) 1861 - William Durant, automobile pioneer († 1947) 1862 - Georges Feydeau, French playwright († 1921) 1864 - Camille Claudel, graphic artist († 1943) 1865 - Jean Sibelius, composer († 1957) 1886 - Diego Rivera, painter († 1957) 1890 - Bohuslav Martinu, composer († 1959) 1894 - James Thurber, writer († 1961) 1911 - Lee J. Cobb, actor († 1976) 1923 - Rudolph Pariser, chemist 1925 - Sammy Davis Jr, actor, singer († 1990) 1927 - Vladimir Shatalov, cosmonaut 1930 - Maximilian Schell, actor, film director, author 1933 - Flip Wilson, comedian († 1998) 1936 - David Carradine, actor 1937 - James MacArthur, actor 1939 - James Galway, flautist 1943 - Jim Morrison, singer (The Doors) († 1971) 1946 - John Rubinstein, actor, composer 1947 - Gregg Allman, musician 1950 - Rick Baker, film makeup artist 1953 - Kim Basinger, actress 1956 - Warren Cuccurullo, musician 1957 - Phil Collen Def Leppard guitarist 1964 - Teri Hatcher, actress 1966 - Sinead O'Connor, musician 1976 - Dominic Monaghan, actor Deaths 1864 - George Boole, mathematician 1859 - Thomas De Quincey, author 1917 - Mendele Moykher Sforim, writer 1958 - Tris Speaker, Baseball Hall of Famer 1964 - William Bendix, actor 1978 - Golda Meir, former prime minister of Israel 1980 - John Lennon, musician 1982 - Marty Robbins, country music singer 1983 - Slim Pickens, actor 1996 - Howard Rollins Jr, actor 2001 - Kurt Ruh, specialist in German studies Holidays and Observances The Feast of the Immaculate Conception See Also: December 7 - December 9 - November 8 - January 8 -- listing of all days January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December\n
December 7 - December 9 - November 8 - January 8 -- listing of all days
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December\n