On This Day - December 7, 2026

Patent No. 942,699 issued to Leo Hendrik Baekeland of Yonkers, NY for Bakelite. The plastic is the first of its kind resistant to melting when heated.

Japan attacks the U.S. Naval Station Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The attack draws the United States into World War II.

Elvis Presley's "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" is the number 1 song in the country.

Apollo 17 launched from Cape Canaveral on the sixth and final moon mission under the command of Eugene Cernan. The crew also included geologist Harrison Schmitt and pilot Ron Evans. Cernan and Schmitt spent explored the lunar surface while Evans stayed aboard the lunar module, America. During the mission, the crew takes a photo of the Earth that is known today as the "blue marble" photo.