Today in History

From wikipedia.org:

Events
1854 - Pope Pius IX proclaims the dogma of Immaculate Conception, which holds that the Virgin Mary was born free of original sin
1888 - Bulgaria’s National Assembly adopted an Act on establishing a higher school in Sofia
1941 - World War II: After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor the previous day, the United States Congress passes a declaration of war against Japan, bringing the United States of America officially into World War II; Congresswoman Jeannette Rankin casts the only “no” vote. In response, Hitler’s Germany declares war on the United States
1976 - The Eagles release one of the biggest-selling albums of all time, Hotel California

Births
65 BC - Horace, poet (d. 8 BC)
1542 - Mary Queen of Scots (d. 1587)
1765 - Eli Whitney, inventor (d. 1825)
1832 - Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, Norwegian author
1848 - Joel Chandler Harris, author and folklorist (d. 1908)
1865 - Jean Sibelius, composer (d. 1957)
1925 - Sammy Davis Jr., actor, singer (d. 1990)
1936 - David Carradine, actor
1937 - James MacArthur, actor
1939 - James Galway, Irish flutist
1947 - Gregg Allman, musician

Deaths
1864 - George Boole, mathematician

Holidays & observances
Catholicism - Holy Day of Obligation The Feast of the Immaculate Conception