Today is Friday, December 7th, the 341st day of the year. There are 24 days until the end of the year.
On this day:
In 1787, Delaware became the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
In 1902, comic strip cartoonist Thomas Nast died at the age of 62. He created such American symbols as the Republican elephant, the Democratic donkey and Uncle Sam.
In 1926, the household refrigerator was patented by the Electrolux Servel Corporation.
In 1941, Japanese military planes launched an attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The attack killed more than three-thousand Americans and left a major portion of the U.S. Pacific Fleet in pieces. It will be forever remembered as "a date which will live in infamy." The attack signaled the United States' entry into World War Two.
In 1963, CBS Television became the first to use instant replay during a football game. The new technology made its debut during the Army-Navy game.
In 1982, death row inmate Charlie Brooks Jr. became the first U.S. prisoner to be executed by injection, at a prison in Huntsville, Texas.
In 1987, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev made his first visit to the United States.
In 2005, a 44-year-old man was killed after two Air Marshals opened fire on an American Airlines flight at Miami International Airport. The Federal Air Marshal Service said Rigoberto Alpizar got on the plane and allegedly indicated he had a bomb in his backpack. Marshals on the flight shot Alpizar after he ignored repeated commands to get on the ground.
In 2015, Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James signed a lifetime contract with Nike. It's reportedly the largest single athlete guarantee in the sports apparel giant's 44-year history.
In 2015, then Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump called for a "total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States."