^B{^#!16!8 December^N! Feast day of the Immaculate Conception, St Romaric, St Eucharius, St Sophronius of Cyprus, and St Patapius.
^B{1854^B} Pope Pius IX declared the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary to be an article of faith. ^B{1863^B} Tom King of England defeated American John Heenan, becoming the first world heavyweight champion. ^B{1941^B} The US, Britain, and Australia declared war on Japan, one day after the attack on Pearl Harbor. ^B{1980^B} John Lennon was shot dead in New York. ^B{1987^B} US President Reagan and Soviet President Gorbachev signed the Intermediate Nuclear Forces treaty in Washington, DC, the first nuclear arms reduction agreement. ^B{1991^B} The leaders of Russia, Byelorussia, and the Ukraine signed an agreement forming a 'Commonwealth of Independent States' to replace the USSR; the decision was denounced by President Gorbachev as unconstitutional.
^B{^I{^#!14!Born ^N}Horace, Roman poet, ^B{65 BC^B}; Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, ^B{1542^B}; Bj÷rnstjerne Bj÷rnson, Norwegian poet and dramatist, ^B{1832^B}; James Thurber, US wit and cartoonist, ^B{1894^B}; Sammy Davis Jr, US singer, actor, and dancer, ^B{1925^B}; Jim Morrison, US singer, ^B{1943^B}.
^B{^I{^#!14!Died ^N}Thomas de Quincey, English author, ^B{1859^B}; Herbert Spencer, British philosopher and writer, ^B{1903^B}; Simon Marks, English retailer, ^B{1964^B}; Golda Meir, Israeli politician, ^B{1978^B}; John Lennon, British rock singer and songwriter, ^B{1980^B}.
