“… December 7, 1941- a date which will live in infamy…”. This famous quote comes from President Franklin D. Roosevelt in an iconic speech given they day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. This past Sunday marked the 73^rd anniversary of that day, and President Roosevelt was correct- the day is infamous. On the day of the Attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese Navy conducted a surprise attack on the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The attack started at 8 am with over 350 Japanese fighter planes flying over the base and dropping bombs. The damage was devastating, and sunk several U.S. ships. About 2,500 Americans were killed and about 1,200 were wounded. Pearl Harbor was the straw that broke the camel’s back, so to speak. The attack was what caused the United States to enter World War II.

On December 10, 1817, Mississippi became the 20^th U.S. State. The area had been inhabited by multiple tribes of Native Americans, such as the Chickasaw, the Choctaw, and the Natchez. The state was named after the river that formed its western border. The original capital of Mississippi was Natchez, a port used by the Native Americans, but was later moved to a more central city of Jackson.

On December 11^th, 1792, King Louis XVI of France was put on trial for treason by the National Convention. The king was charged with several offenses, including dictating laws, surrounding representatives of the people with armed forces if they disagreed with him, plotting against national liberty, victimizing citizens, “causing the blood of Frenchman to flow”, and a list of 28 other offenses. The results of the trial were unanimous: Louis was guilty of all charges. He was sentenced to death, and was executed a month later.

Here are some other events of this week

December 8^th, 1980: John Lennon was shot and killed in New York City

December 10^th, 1884: Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is published.

December 12^th, 2012: North Korea successfully launches its first satellite

(Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_10; http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2013/12/06/famous-quotes-world-war-ii-pearl-harbor-roosevelt-churchill/3889667/; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_11)

Interested in the History Club and wanting more information? Contact Sami Kugler at [email protected]. “Past is prologue.” –William Shakespeare