On this day in 1941, Japanese bombers launched a surprise aerial attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, precipitating the entry of the United States into World War II.
| 1975: | | Shortly after declaring its independence, East Timor was invaded and occupied by Indonesian forces. |
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| 1972: | | | American astronaut Eugene Andrew Cernan commanded the last manned flight to the Moon, effectively ending the Apollo program. |
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| 1941: | | | Adolf Hitler issued his Night and Fog Decree, a secret order for the arrest and execution of “persons endangering German security.” |
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| 1917: | | The United States declared war on the Austro-Hungarian Empire during World War I. |
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| 1787: | | | Delaware became the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. |
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