Epic Idiot's what happened
On This Day

December 8

1987
Pres. Reagan and Gorbachev sign an agreement to destroy all 1,752 U.S. and 859 Soviet missiles with the range of 300-3,400 miles.

1986
Iran-Contra Affair: Time magazine publishes an interview with Pres. Reagan in which he declares Lt. Col. Oliver North to be a national hero. His opinion would change as the scandal progressed.

1941
U.S. declares war on Japan, during World War II.

1903
Prof. Langley makes his second attempt to fly his Aerodrome, a plane capable of carrying a person. It failed causing him to lose government support.

1886
American Federation of Labor formed.

1854
The Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary is proclaimed dogma by Pope Pius IX.

1953
Kim Basinger, American actress. Film: Never Say Never Again (1983, Domino Petachi) and Batman (1989, Vicki Vale). In 1993, she was ordered to pay $8.1 million for failing to appear in the movie Boxing Helena.

1947
Gregg Allman, American singer, with the Allman Brothers. Music: Ramblin' Man.

1943     d. 1971
Jim Morrison, American singer, with The Doors, "The Lizard King." Music: Light My Fire (1967, #1) and L.A. Woman (1971).

1936
David Carradine, American actor. TV: Kung Fu (Caine).

1933
Flip Wilson (Clerow Wilson), American comedian.

1925     d. 1990
Sammy Davis Jr., American singer, dancer, actor. Music: That Old Black Magic (1956) and Candy Man (1972, #1). After a 1954 car crash that robbed him of his left eye, he joked of being "the world's only one-eyed Jewish nigger."

1916     d. 2006
Richard Fleischer, American film director. Film: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954), Fantastic Voyage (1966), Dr. Dolittle (1967), Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970), Soylent Green (1973), and Red Sonja (1985).

1911     d. 1976
Lee J. Cobb, American actor. TV: The Virginian (Judge Garth). He is famous for his portrayal of Willy Loman in stage and TV productions of  [Death of a Salesman]].

1902     d. 1984
Oswald Jacoby, American actuary, bridge expert, author of numerous books on card playing.

1894     d. 1961
James Grover Thurber, American author, cartoonist. Blind since the age of 40, he continued to illustrate his books until his death.

1894     d. 1938
Elzie Crisler Segar, American cartoonist, creator of Popeye the Sailor (1919). He also coined the words "jeep" and "goon."

1891     d. 1964
Percy Leo Crosby, American cartoonist, creator of Skippy (1923).

1861     d. 1947
William Crapo Durant, American auto manufacturer, founder of Buick Motor Car Co. (1905), General Motors (1908), Chevrolet Motor Co (1915) and Durant Motors Inc (1921).

1828     d. 1867
Henry Timrod, American poet, known as the "Poet Laureate of the Confederacy."

1816     d. 1890
August Belmont, Sr., Chairman Democratic National Committee (1860-72).  The Belmont Stakes thoroughbred horse race is named in his honor.

1980     b. 1940
John Lennon, British musician, member of the Beatles. He was shot and killed by Mark Chapman, for whom he had signed an autograph for earlier that day.

1964     b. 1891
Percy Leo Crosby, American cartoonist, creator of Skippy (1923).

1903     b. 1820
Herbert Spencer, English sociologist, philosopher. As an early evolutionist, he developed his theories independently of Darwin. He coined the term "survival of the fittest" (1852), seven years before Darwin's On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection (1859).

1831     b. circa 1762
James Hoban, American architect. He designed and built the White House and rebuilt it after it was burned by the British in 1814. He also designed South Carolina's first Capitol building.

1792     b. 1724
Henry Laurens, 5th president of the Continental Congress (1777-78), signer of the Treaty of Paris (ending the Revolutionary War), was the first person to be formally cremated in America.

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