43 BC – Marcus Tullius Cicero, Roman orator and politician is assassinated in Formiae. 1909 – Inventor Leo Baekeland patents the first thermosetting plastic, Bakelite, sparking the birth of the plastics industry. 1917 – The United States declared war on the Austro-Hungarian Empire during World War I. 1941 – Adolf Hitler issued his Night and Fog Decree, a secret order for the arrest and execution of “persons endangering German security.” 1941 – Imperial Japanese Navy with 353 planes attack US fleet at Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii, killing 2,403 people. 1965 – Pope Paul VI & Orthodox Patriarch Athenagoras I simultaneously lift mutual ex-communications that led to split of 2 churches in 1054. 1972 – American astronaut Eugene Andrew Cernan commanded the last manned flight to the Moon, effectively ending the Apollo program. 1975 – Shortly after declaring its independence, East Timor was invaded and occupied by Indonesian forces. 1988 – PLO delegation lead by Yasser Arafat proclaims the State of Palestine, recognizing the existence of the State of Israel for the first time. 1988 – 6.9 earthquake in Spitak, Armenia kills 25,000-50,000 people and leaves up to 500,000 homeless. 2004 – Afghan politician Hamid Karzai was sworn in as Afghanistan’s first popularly elected president.
Sport: 2017 – Ballon d’Or: Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo wins his 5th award to equal Lionel Messi’s record; 2nd consecutive win for Ronaldo.
1956 – American basketball player Larry Bird, who is considered one of the greatest pure shooters of all time, was born.
Music: 1995 – American rock band The Grateful Dead break up.
TV & Film: 1979 – “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” first movie of the series premieres directed by Robert Wise, starring William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy.
