By The Associated Press – Sun Dec 7, 12:01 am ET

Today is Sunday, Dec. 7, the 342nd day of 2008. There are 24 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese forces attacked American and British territories and possessions in the Pacific, including the home base of the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. Also on this date: In 1787, Delaware became the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. In 1796, electors chose John Adams to be the second president of the United States. In 1808, electors chose James Madison to be the fourth president of the United States. In 1836, Martin Van Buren was elected the eighth president of the United States. In 1946, fire broke out at the Winecoff Hotel in Atlanta; the blaze killed 119 people, including hotel founder W. Frank Winecoff. In 1972, America's last moon mission to date was launched as Apollo 17 blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla. In 1982, convicted murderer Charlie Brooks Jr. became the first U.S. prisoner to be executed by injection, at a prison in Huntsville, Texas. In 1983, in Madrid, Spain, an Aviaco DC-9 collided on a runway with an Iberia Air Lines Boeing 727 that was accelerating for takeoff, killing all 42 people aboard the DC-9 and 51 aboard the Iberia jet. In 1987, 43 people were killed after a gunman aboard a Pacific Southwest Airlines jetliner in California apparently opened fire on a fellow passenger, the two pilots and himself, causing the plane to crash. In 1988, a major earthquake in the Soviet Union devastated northern Armenia; official estimates put the death toll at 25,000. Ten years ago: On the eve of historic hearings, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry Hyde said there was a "compelling case" for impeaching President Bill Clinton. Attorney General Janet Reno declined to seek an independent counsel investigation of President Clinton over 1996 campaign financing. Five years ago: Allies of President Vladimir Putin won a sweeping victory in Russia's parliamentary elections. Zimbabwe withdrew from the Commonwealth of Britain and its former colonies, which had suspended it for alleged abuses of civil liberties. One year ago: Congressional Democrats demanded a full Justice Department investigation into whether the CIA had obstructed justice by destroying videotapes documenting the harsh 2002 interrogations of two alleged terrorists. Two window washers fell 47 stories from a Manhattan skyscraper when their scaffolding failed; Edgar Moreno was killed, but his brother, Alcides, miraculously survived. Barry Bonds pleaded not guilty in San Francisco to charges he'd lied to federal investigators about using performance-enhancing drugs. Today's Birthdays: Actor Eli Wallach is 93. Political philosopher Noam Chomsky is 80. Bluegrass singer Bobby Osborne is 77. Actress Ellen Burstyn is 76. Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., is 71. Broadcast journalist Carole Simpson is 68. Baseball Hall-of-Famer Johnny Bench is 61. Country singer Gary Morris is 60. Singer-songwriter Tom Waits is 59. Sen. Susan M. Collins, R-Maine, is 56. Actress Priscilla Barnes is 53.Basketball Hall-of-Famer Larry Bird is 52. Former "Tonight Show" announcer Edd Hall is 50. Rock musician Tim Butler (The Psychedelic Furs) is 50. Actor Jeffrey Wright is 43. Actor C. Thomas Howell is 42. Football player Terrell Owens is 35. Thought for Today: "No nation ever had an army large enough to guarantee it against attack in time of peace or insure it victory in time of war." — President Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933).