Today is Saturday, December 8, the 343rd day of 2012. There are 23 days left in the year.
1813 ― Ludwig von Beethoven's 7th Symphony in A, premieres
1941 ― U.S. and Britain declare war on Japan, U.S. enters WWII
1949 ― Chinese Nationalist government moves from Chinese mainland to Formosa
1952 ― First TV acknowledgement of pregnancy (``I Love Lucy”)
1987 ― Occupied Palestinians start "intifada" (uprising) against Israel
1987 ― President Reagan and Soviet General Secretary Gorbachev sign a treaty eliminating medium range nuclear missiles
1991 ― Russia, Byelorussia and Ukraine form Commonwealth of Independent States
1992 ― Galileo's nearest approach to Jupiter (303 km)
1993 ― Dow-Jones hits record 3734.53
1994 ― Fire in cinema in Karamay China, 310 killed