1431 — In Paris, Henry VI of England was crowned King of France. (Weird)
1787 — Delaware became the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.
1917 — The United States declared war on Austria-Hungary. (Thankfully, that was the war to end all wars.)
1926 — The gas operated refrigerator was patented by The Electrolux Servel Corporation.
1941 — The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Be sure to read today’s piece by Chuck Colson!
1972 — Apollo 17 was launched at Cape Canaveral. It was the last U.S. moon mission.
1992 — The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a Mississippi abortion law which required women to get counseling and then wait 24 hours before terminating their pregnancies.
1998 — The U.N. evacuated 14 peacekeepers that were trapped by fighting between army and rebel forces in central Angola. (“There’s no peace to keep here — get us out!”)
1998 — U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno declined to seek an independent counsel investigation of President Clinton over 1996 campaign financing. (I wonder if Alberto Gonzalez ever thought of her “luck”?)