On This Day - December 8, 2026

The U.S. Patent Office issued patent No. 572,849 to J.T. White for the improvement in a Lemon Squeezer. The invention made juicing and straining lemons easier.

Robert S. Brookings joined with other government reformers to create the Brookings Institute. The private organization was the first of its kind devoted to independently researching policy on a broad variety of topics and concerns.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt addresses the U.S. Congress one day after the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor and gives his "Day of Infamy" speech.

The Deer Hunter premieres in Los Angeles, CA. Starring Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, and Meryl Streep, the Vietnam War film directed by Michael Cimino won five Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor in a Supporting Role.

Mark David Chapman murders John Lennon in New York City.

SpaceX becomes the first private company to successfully launch, orbit, and recover a spacecraft upon the return of the unmanned space capsule Dragon. December 8th Celebrated (And Not So Celebrated) Birthdays