Today in History: December 8, U.S. enters World War II

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Today is Monday, Dec. 8, the 342nd day of 2025. There are 23 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Dec. 8, 1941, the United States entered World War II as Congress declared war against Imperial Japan a day after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Also on this date:

In 1980, rock star and former Beatle John Lennon was shot to death outside his New York City apartment building by Mark David Chapman.

In 1987, President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev signed a treaty at the White House calling for the destruction of intermediate-range missiles.

In 2012, Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel became the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy.

In 2014, the U.S. and NATO ceremonially ended their combat mission in Afghanistan, 13 years after the Sept. 11 terror attacks sparked their invasion of the country to topple the Taliban-led government.

In 2016, John Glenn, whose 1962 flight as the first U.S. astronaut to orbit the Earth made him an American hero and propelled him to a long career in the U.S. Senate, died in Columbus, Ohio, at 95.

In 2017, Japanese pitching and hitting star Shohei Ohtani announced that he would sign with the Los Angeles Angels.

In 2022, Russia freed WNBA star Brittney Griner in a high-profile prisoner exchange with the U.S. that released Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. Griner had been detained for nearly 10 months.

In 2024, insurgents completed their occupation of the Syrian capital of Damascus as a half-century of Assad family rule swiftly crumbled. Russian state media reported that President Bashar Assad was in Moscow after fleeing the rebel advance.

Today’s Birthdays: Flutist James Galway is 86. Author Bill Bryson is 74. Actor Kim Basinger (BAY’-sing-ur) is 72. Commentator and columnist Ann Coulter is 64. Actor Wendell Pierce is 63. Actor Teri Hatcher is 61. Basketball Hall of Famer Teresa Weatherspoon is 60. Baseball Hall of Famer Mike Mussina is 57. Actor Dominic Monaghan is 49. NASCAR driver Ryan Newman is 48. Singer Nicki Minaj is 43. Country singer Sam Hunt is 41. Actor AnnaSophia Robb is 32.