1816 – Indiana became the 19th state.
1941 – Four days after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Germany and Italy declared war on the United States.
1961 – A U.S. aircraft carrier carrying Army helicopters arrived in Saigon – the first direct American military support for South Vietnam’s battle against Communist forces.
1972 – Challenger, the lunar lander for Apollo 17, touches down on the moon’s surface, the last time that men visit the moon.
1984 – A nativity scene was displayed near the White House for the first time since courts ordered it removed in 1973.
1998 – The House Judiciary Committee approved three articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton.
2008 – Bernard “Bernie” Madoff arrested and charged with securities fraud in what was called a $50-billion Ponzi scheme.
