December 8
1776 - George Washington's retreating army crossed the Delaware River from New Jersey to Pennsylvania during the Revolutionary War.
1854 - Pope Pius IX proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, which holds that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was free of original sin from the moment of her own 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.
1941 - Congress declared war on Japan and the U.S. entered World War II, one day after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
1949 - Communist attacks forced the Chinese Nationalist government to flee to the island of Formosa (Taiwan).
1972 - A United Airlines Boeing 737 crashed while attempting to land at Chicago-Midway Airport, killing 43 of the 61 people on board, as well as two people on the ground; among the dead were Dorothy Hunt, wife of Watergate conspirator E. Howard Hunt, U.S. Rep. George W. Collins, D-Ill., and CBS News correspondent Michele Clark.
1978 - Former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir died.
1980 - John Lennon, former member of the Beatles, was shot and killed in New York City by a deranged fan. He was 40 years old.
1987 - President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev signed the first treaty to reduce the nuclear arsenals of the two superpowers.
1991 - Russia, Belarus and Ukraine declared the Soviet national government dead, forming a new Commonwealth of Independent States.
1991 - Kimberly Bergalis, who had contracted AIDS from her dentist, died in Florida at age 23.
1992 - Americans saw live TV coverage of U.S. troops landing on the beaches of Somalia as Operation Restore Hope began.
1993 - President Bill Clinton signed the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) into law.
1995 - The Grateful Dead announced they were breaking up, four months after the death of lead guitarist Jerry Garcia.
2008 - Khalid Sheikh Mohammed told the Guantanamo war crimes tribunal he would confess to masterminding the Sept. 11 attacks; four other men also abandoned their defenses.
2016 - John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth and former U.S. Senator, died in Columbus, Ohio at age 95.
Birthdays
21 - Teala Dunn (actress)
24 - AnnaSophia Robb (actress)
25 - Helen Owen (model)
25 - Katie Stevens (actress)
31 - Amir Khan (boxer)
31 - Enzo Amore (professional wrestler)
32 - Dwight Howard (basketball player)
32 - Josh Donaldson (baseball player)
33 - Sam Hunt (country singer)
35 - Nicki Minaj (rapper)
36 - Philip Rivers (football player)
39 - Ian Somerhalder (actor)
41 - Dominic Monaghan (actor)
49 - Michael Cole (TV host)
51 - Sinead O'Connor (singer)
53 - Athena Bass (musician)
53 - Teri Hatcher (actress)
64 - Kim Basinger (actress)
======================================
Today in Sports History - December 8
1863 - Tom King of England defeated American John Heenan and became the first world heavyweight boxing champion.
1940 - The Chicago Bears defeated the Washington Redskins 73-0 in the NFL Championship Game, which was carried on network radio for the first time.
1942 - Georgia running back Frank Sinkwich wins the Heisman Trophy.
1948 - Southern Methodist running back Doak Walker wins the Heisman Trophy.
1951 - American League alters its restrictions on night games, adopting National League's suspended game rule and lifting its ban on lights for Sunday games.
1953 - Notre Dame running back John Lattner wins the Heisman Trophy.
1955 - Ohio State running back Howard Cassady wins the Heisman Trophy.
1956 - The Summer Olympic Games close in Melbourne, Australia.
1961 - Wilt Chamberlain scores 78 points in an NBA game.
1977 - Texas running back Earl Campbell wins the Heisman Trophy.
1987 - Ron Hextall (Philadelphia Flyers) became the first goalie in NHL history to shoot and score a goal. His empty net goal made him only the second goalie to get credit for a goal in the NHL.
1988 - New York Knicks set NBA record of eleven 3-pointers and sink Milwaukee Bucks, 113-109.
1992 - Barry Bonds signs the richest contract in major league history to date, a six-year, $43 million contract with the San Francisco Giants.
2000 - Mario Lemieux announced to the Pittsburgh Penguins that he planned to return to the National Hockey League (NHL) as a player at age 35. He would be the first modern owner-player in U.S. pro sports.
2001 - Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch won the Heisman Trophy.
2003 - The Orlando Magic ended their 19-game losing streak by beating the Phoenix Suns 105-98.
2007 - Florida quarterback Tim Tebow became the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy.
2008 - Greg Maddux announces his retirement from Major League Baseball after 23 seasons and 355 wins. Maddux pitched for the Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, and the Los Angeles Dodgers, and claimed four successive Cy Young Awards from 1992 as best pitcher in the National League.
2012 - Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy.
1776 - George Washington's retreating army crossed the Delaware River from New Jersey to Pennsylvania during the Revolutionary War.
1854 - Pope Pius IX proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, which holds that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was free of original sin from the moment of her own 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.
1941 - Congress declared war on Japan and the U.S. entered World War II, one day after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
1949 - Communist attacks forced the Chinese Nationalist government to flee to the island of Formosa (Taiwan).
1972 - A United Airlines Boeing 737 crashed while attempting to land at Chicago-Midway Airport, killing 43 of the 61 people on board, as well as two people on the ground; among the dead were Dorothy Hunt, wife of Watergate conspirator E. Howard Hunt, U.S. Rep. George W. Collins, D-Ill., and CBS News correspondent Michele Clark.
1978 - Former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir died.
1980 - John Lennon, former member of the Beatles, was shot and killed in New York City by a deranged fan. He was 40 years old.
1987 - President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev signed the first treaty to reduce the nuclear arsenals of the two superpowers.
1991 - Russia, Belarus and Ukraine declared the Soviet national government dead, forming a new Commonwealth of Independent States.
1991 - Kimberly Bergalis, who had contracted AIDS from her dentist, died in Florida at age 23.
1992 - Americans saw live TV coverage of U.S. troops landing on the beaches of Somalia as Operation Restore Hope began.
1993 - President Bill Clinton signed the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) into law.
1995 - The Grateful Dead announced they were breaking up, four months after the death of lead guitarist Jerry Garcia.
2008 - Khalid Sheikh Mohammed told the Guantanamo war crimes tribunal he would confess to masterminding the Sept. 11 attacks; four other men also abandoned their defenses.
2016 - John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth and former U.S. Senator, died in Columbus, Ohio at age 95.
Birthdays
21 - Teala Dunn (actress)
24 - AnnaSophia Robb (actress)
25 - Helen Owen (model)
25 - Katie Stevens (actress)
31 - Amir Khan (boxer)
31 - Enzo Amore (professional wrestler)
32 - Dwight Howard (basketball player)
32 - Josh Donaldson (baseball player)
33 - Sam Hunt (country singer)
35 - Nicki Minaj (rapper)
36 - Philip Rivers (football player)
39 - Ian Somerhalder (actor)
41 - Dominic Monaghan (actor)
49 - Michael Cole (TV host)
51 - Sinead O'Connor (singer)
53 - Athena Bass (musician)
53 - Teri Hatcher (actress)
64 - Kim Basinger (actress)
======================================
Today in Sports History - December 8
1863 - Tom King of England defeated American John Heenan and became the first world heavyweight boxing champion.
1940 - The Chicago Bears defeated the Washington Redskins 73-0 in the NFL Championship Game, which was carried on network radio for the first time.
1942 - Georgia running back Frank Sinkwich wins the Heisman Trophy.
1948 - Southern Methodist running back Doak Walker wins the Heisman Trophy.
1951 - American League alters its restrictions on night games, adopting National League's suspended game rule and lifting its ban on lights for Sunday games.
1953 - Notre Dame running back John Lattner wins the Heisman Trophy.
1955 - Ohio State running back Howard Cassady wins the Heisman Trophy.
1956 - The Summer Olympic Games close in Melbourne, Australia.
1961 - Wilt Chamberlain scores 78 points in an NBA game.
1977 - Texas running back Earl Campbell wins the Heisman Trophy.
1987 - Ron Hextall (Philadelphia Flyers) became the first goalie in NHL history to shoot and score a goal. His empty net goal made him only the second goalie to get credit for a goal in the NHL.
1988 - New York Knicks set NBA record of eleven 3-pointers and sink Milwaukee Bucks, 113-109.
1992 - Barry Bonds signs the richest contract in major league history to date, a six-year, $43 million contract with the San Francisco Giants.
2000 - Mario Lemieux announced to the Pittsburgh Penguins that he planned to return to the National Hockey League (NHL) as a player at age 35. He would be the first modern owner-player in U.S. pro sports.
2001 - Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch won the Heisman Trophy.
2003 - The Orlando Magic ended their 19-game losing streak by beating the Phoenix Suns 105-98.
2007 - Florida quarterback Tim Tebow became the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy.
2008 - Greg Maddux announces his retirement from Major League Baseball after 23 seasons and 355 wins. Maddux pitched for the Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, and the Los Angeles Dodgers, and claimed four successive Cy Young Awards from 1992 as best pitcher in the National League.
2012 - Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy.
