Today In History
1776: George Washington’s retreating army in the American Revolution crossed the Delaware River from New Jersey to Pennsylvania.
1854: Pope Pius IX proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.
1863: President Lincoln announced his plan for the Reconstruction of the South.
1886: The American Federation of Labor was founded in Columbus, Ohio.
Dec. 8: the United States entered World War II as Congress declared war against Japan, a day after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
1914: “Watch Your Step,” the first musical revue to feature a score composed entirely by Irving Berlin, opened in New York.
1949: The Chinese Nationalist government moved from the Chinese mainland to Formosa as the Communists pressed their attacks.
1978: Former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir died in Jerusalem at age 80.
1980: Rock star John Lennon was shot to death outside his New York City apartment building by an apparently deranged fan.