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On This Day December 8

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Celebrity Birthdays

1894 – Humorist James Thurber, best known for his short story, “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” (d. 1961)

1925 – Entertainer and Rat Pack member Sammy Davis, Jr. (d. 1990)

1930 – Oscar-winning actor Maximilian Schell (“Judgment at Nuremberg,” “The Man in the Glass Booth,” “Julia,” “Deep Impact”) (d. 2014)

1939 – Flute virtuoso Sir James Galway

1943 – Singer-songwriter and The Doors frontman Jim Morrison (d. 1971)

1947 – Allman Brothers Band co-founder Gregg Allman (d. 2017)

1953 – Oscar-winning actress Kim Basinger (“The Natural,” “9 1/2 Weeks,” “Batman,” “Final Analysis,” “L.A. Confidential,” “8 Mile”)

1961 – Author and political commentator Ann Coulter

1964 – Golden Globe-winning actress Teri Hatcher (“Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman,” “Desperate Housewives”)

1966 – Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Sinéad O’Connor

1982 – Hip-hop superstar Nicki Minaj, born Onika Tanya Maraj

History Highlights

1881 – A fire at the Ringtheater in Vienna, Austria, kills more than 600 people and injures hundreds of others. The luxurious, ornate theater hosted the most popular performances of that time.

1941 – One day after the surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt convinces Congress to declare war on Japan, thrusting the U.S. into World War II.

1982 – “Sophie’s Choice,” directed by Alan J. Pakula and starring Meryl Streep as a Holocaust survivor, opens in U.S. movie theaters. Streep goes on to capture a Best Actress Oscar and Golden Globe Award for her performance.

1987 – U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev sign the first treaty between the two superpowers to reduce their massive nuclear arsenals.

1991 – The leaders of Russia, Belarus and Ukraine sign an agreement dissolving the Soviet Union and establishing the Commonwealth of Independent States.

1993 – U.S. President Bill Clinton signs the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) into law, creating the world’s largest free-trade zone. The pact eliminated virtually all tariffs and trade restrictions between the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

Musical Milestones

1962 – “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” by The Four Seasons, is in the midst of a five-week run on top of the singles chart. It is the New Jersey band’s second chart-topper after “Sherry,” which held the No. 1 spot for five weeks in September and October of that year.

1979 – Styx has its first and only No. 1 single with “Babe,” which remains a chart-topper for two weeks.

1980 – John Lennon is shot and killed outside his New York City apartment building by obsessed fan Mark David Chapman. The beloved ex-Beatle is just 40 years old.

1982 – Grammy-winning country music singer-songwriter Marty Robbins dies at the age of 57. Best known for his 1959 hit “El Paso,” Robbins was also a race car driver on the NASCAR circuit.

1984 – “Out of Touch” by Daryl Hall & John Oates tops the Billboard Hot 100 and holds there for two weeks.

1990 – One-hit-wonder Stevie B kicks off four weeks on top of the pop chart with “Because I Love You (The Postman Song),” officially making that the final No. 1 single of 1990.

2001 – “Family Affair,” by Mary J. Blige, begins its sixth and final week as a Billboard chart-topper.

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