1776 George Washington's retreating army crossed the Delaware River from New Jersey to Pennsylvania during the American Revolution.
1854 Pope Pius IX proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.
1863 President Abraham Lincoln announced his plan for the Reconstruction of the South.
1886 The American Federation of Labor was founded at a convention of union leaders in Columbus, Ohio.
On Dec. 8, 1941, the United States entered World War II as Congress declared war against Japan, a day after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
1949 The Chinese Nationalist government moved from the Chinese mainland to Taiwan as the Communists pressed their attacks.
1978 Former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir died in Jerusalem at age 80.
1980 Rock musician John Lennon of the Beatles was shot to death outside his New York City apartment building by a deranged fan, Mark David Chapman. Lennon was 40.
1986 House Democrats selected Jim Wright to be the chamber's 48th speaker, succeeding Thomas P. ''Tip'' O'Neill.
1987 Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied territories began an intefadeh, or uprising.
1987 President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev signed a treaty calling for destruction of intermediate-range nuclear missiles.
1991 Russia, Belarus and Ukraine declared the Soviet national government dead, forging a new alliance, the Commonwealth of Independent States.
1991 Kimberly Bergalis, who had contracted AIDS from her dentist, died in Florida at age 23.
1992 Americans saw live television coverage of U.S. troops landing on the beaches of Somalia as Operation Restore Hope began.
1993 President Bill Clinton signed into law the North American Free Trade Agreement.
1995 The Grateful Dead announced they were breaking up after 30 years of making music. The news came four months after the death of lead guitarist Jerry Garcia.
2000 The Florida Supreme Court ordered an immediate hand count of about 45,000 disputed presidential ballots.
2003 U.S. Rep. Bill Janklow, R-S.D., resigned after being convicted in the traffic death of a motorcyclist.
Birthdays...
Actress Teri Hatcher (''Desperate Housewives'')
turns 41 years old today.
69 David Carradine
Actor
58 Gregg Allman
Rock singer-musician
52 Kim Basinger
Actress
43 Marty Friedman
Rock musician (Megadeth)
39 Sinead O'Connor
Singer
29 Dominic Monaghan
Actor (''Lost,'' ''Lord of the Rings'' movies)
27 Ian Somerhalder
Actor (''Lost'')
It's Survivor tonight... last week for it, this Sunday is the finale. They're having a John Lennon day here in Winnipeg today, will be playing lots of his tunes all day on the radio I'm sure. (I've heard 3 or 4 already this morning) Hard to believe it's been 25 years, seems like yesterday.... to me.
Have a great day all. :D