History of the Day for:
December 8
- 1863: President Abraham Lincoln announced his plan for the Reconstruction of the South and offered amnesty for confederate deserters.
- 1926: Variety Magazine reported "a new development in radio: television."
- 1931: Coaxial cable was patented.
- 1940: George Halas' Chicago Bears destroyed the Washington Redskins, 73-0, in the most lopsided victory in history.
- 1941: The United States entered World War II as Congress declared war against Japan, one day after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.
- 1952: The first TV acknowledgment of pregnancy occurred on "I Love Lucy."
- 1961: The Beach Boys released their first record - "Surfin'. " It became a local hit in Los Angeles, but only made it to No. 75 on the national charts.
- 1962: Alan Freed left Miami's WQAM to appear at his payola trial in New York and testify to receiving $2,000 in exchange for playing certain records on his New York radio show. He pleads guilty to payola and is fined $300 and given six months probation.
- 1978: Golda Meir, who had served as Israel's prime minister from 1969 to 1974, died at age 80.
- 1980: The comic strip "Bloom County" made its debut.
- 1980: Former Beatle John Lennon was shot to death in New York City by Mark David Chapman as he and his wife, Yoko Ono, were returning from a recording session.
- 1984: "Captain Kangaroo," starring Bob Keeshan, made its final appearance after 29 years on CBS.
- 1987: Ron Hextall of the Philadelphia Flyers became the first NHL goalie to shoot a puck in the opposing goal. His goal helped the Flyers to a 5-2 win over the Boston Bruins.
- 1987: President Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev signed the INF Treaty, which provided for the dismantling of all U.S. and Soviet missiles with ranges of 300 to 3400 miles.
- 1993: President Clinton signed NAFTA.
- 1995: Four months after the death of its founder and guiding spirit, Jerry Garcia, The Grateful Dead announced it was disbanding.
- 1996: The Carolina Panthers became the first second-year expansion team to make the playoffs by beating San Francisco, 30-24.
- 1998: Tadjena massacre: 81 people are killed by armed groups in Algeria.
- 2002: The Caribbean Community Heads of Government meet with the Government of Cuba and declare the date to be "CARICOM-Cuba Day" – to celebrate diplomatic ties between the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and Cuba.
- 2004: The Cuzco Declaration is signed in Cuzco, Peru, establishing the South American Community of Nations.
- 2005: Ante Gotovina, Croatian army general accused of war crimes, is captured in the Playa de las Américas, Tenerife by the Spanish police.
- 2008: Kirsty Williams elected as Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats. The first female leader of a political party in Wales.