This Day in History: December 7
Featured Event
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
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
More Events On This Day
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
Afghan politician Hamid Karzai was sworn in as Afghanistan's first popularly elected president. Test your knowledge of world governments and their leaders
Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images
1988
An earthquake struck northwestern Armenia, devastating numerous cities, including Vanadzor and Gyumri. Take our quiz about natural disasters
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
1975
Shortly after declaring its independence, East Timor was invaded and occupied by Indonesian forces. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about Asia
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 Moon
NASA
1956
American basketball player Larry Bird, who is considered one of the greatest pure shooters of all time, was born. Find out if Larry Bird made our list of the 10 greatest basketball players of all time
Focus 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 Hitler
Heinrich Hoffmann, Munich
1917
The United States declared war on the Austro-Hungarian Empire during World War I. Read our timeline of World War I
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
1787
Delaware became the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. Take our quiz about U.S. constitutional history
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
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