MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2008

Today is Monday, December 8, the 343rd day of 2008. There are 23 days left in the year.

1881 _ Vienna's Ring Theater destroyed by fire, kills between 640-850

1923 _ German-U.S. friendship treaty signed

1941 _ U.S. and Britain declare war on Japan, U.S. enters WWII

1949 _ Chinese Nationalist government moves from Chinese mainland to Formosa

1962 _ 114-day newspaper strike begins in New York City

1966 _ U.S. and USSR sign treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons in outer space

1974 _ Greek monarchy rejected by referendum

1982 _ Demanding an end to nuclear weapons, Norman Mayer, holds the Washington Monument hostage ― After 10 hours, police kill him; he has no explosives

1987 _ Occupied Palestinians start ``intifada" (uprising) against Israel

1991 _ Russia, Byelorussia and Ukraine form Commonwealth of Independent States