December 8: Facts & Historical Events On This Day

Trevor Noah hosted his final episode of the late-night talk and satirical news television program “The Daily Show.”

Metallica became the first band to have performed on all seven continents when they held a concert in Antarctica.

"Freeze 'em All," as Metallica dubbed the show, was held in a giant dome to protect the audience of 120 from the harsh elements. The audience had to listen to the band through headphones for fear of loud amplified music negatively affecting the delicate ecosystem of Antarctica.

SpaceX became the first private company to launch, orbit, and recover a spacecraft.

The SpaceX mission couldn't have gone off any better, with all systems reporting nominal conditions the whole way through. This milestone had only previously been achieved by national space agencies such as NASA and Roscosmos.

The Commonwealth of Independent States was formed by the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus.

At the same time the CIS was formed, the Soviet Union was dissolved. As a result, entry into the CIS was granted freely to any former Soviet Republic and to any nations that shared similar values.

NASA’s Galileo spacecraft made its first flyby of Earth.

US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev signed a treaty eliminating medium-range nuclear missiles.

Sophie’s Choice, directed by Alan J. Pakula, was released.

The movie was based on William Styron's 1979 novel of the same name.

John Lennon had his last professional photoshoot.

Annie Leibovitz had a photoshoot with John Lennon for Rolling Stone Magazine. Originally it was only supposed to be Lennon, but Lennon insisted on having his partner, Yoko Ono, in the photo with him. Lennon was shot and killed just five hours later.

Frank Sinatra Jr. was kidnapped.

Frank Sinatra's only son was kidnapped at gunpoint in Lake Tahoe. He was held for 54 hours by a group of men who demanded that his father pay a ransom of $240,000, which he did. Sinatra Jr. was later released, and the kidnappers were caught a few days later.

Dwight D. Eisenhower gave his “Atoms for Peace” speech at the United Nations in New York.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered his “Day of Infamy” speech to the US Congress – a day after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Eamon de Valera publicly repudiated the Anglo-Irish Treaty.

A fire destroyed Vienna’s Ring Theater, which killed between 640-850 people.

The Clifton Suspension Bridge was finally opened.

This bridge which Isambard Kingdom Brunel designed, opened in Bristol, England, five years after Brunel passed away.

Abraham Lincoln issued his Amnesty Proclamation and plan for the Reconstruction of the South.

Henry Laurens became the first person to be cremated in the US.