WWII
1941 - The Japanese consul in Hawaii was instructed to divide Pearl Harbor into five zones and calculate the number of battleships in each zone.
1942 - Glenn Miller ended his broadcasts for Chesterfield Cigarettes so he could go to World War II.
1948 - Mildred Gillars, known as "Axis Sally," pled innocent to charges of treason. She ended up serving 12 years for being a Nazi wartime radio propagandist.
U.S.
1960 The USS Enterprise, the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, was launched at Newport News, Va.
1996 The world's major nuclear powers signed a treaty to end all testing and development of nuclear weapons.