This is one of the most remembered days on the calendar. December 7th. America woke up on this day in 1941 to find that we had been attacked by Japan, our Pacific fleet was nearly destroyed, and we were going to war. It’s the last war America won. In America’s 247-year history, there have only been 17 years when we haven’t been involved in armed conflict. Unfortunately, doesn’t seem like the world is interested in peace all that much. More about war later. Today, aside from Pearly Harbor Remembrance Day, it’s the beginning of Hanukkah, International Civil Aviation Day, Letter Writing Day, and National Cotton Candy Day. Did you know that cotton candy flavored Vodka is available? Just saying. Now some history: On this day in 43 BC Marcus Tullius Cicero, the Roman orator and politician, was assassinated by soldiers commanded by Marc Antony. If you want an interesting read, see Cicero’s Wikipedia article. On this day in 1787 Delaware became the 1st state to ratify the US Constitution. On this day in 1869 Jesse James and his brother robbed their first bank in Gallatin, Missouri. He also shot the cashier in a revenge killing. On this day in 1909 inventor Leo Baekeland patented the first thermos-setting plastic sparking the birth of the plastics industry. On this day in 1941 the Imperial Japanese Navy sent 353 planes to attack the Western fleet docked in Pear Harbor killing 2,403 people. In 1967 on this day Otis Redding recorded “Sittin On The Dock of the Bay”. On this day in 1994 radio personality Howard Stern talked a man out of attempting suicide, live on his program. The man was going to jump off a bridge. I’m going to wrap this post up with war quotes. “War does not determine who is right, only who is left” Bertrand Russell. “I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones” Albert Einstein. “War: a massacre of people who don’t know each other for the profits of people who know each other but don’t massacre each other” Paul Valery. “Older men declare war but it is the youth that must fight and die” Herbert Hoover. “In peace, sons bury their fathers. In war, fathers bury their sons” Herodotus. “War is only a cowardly escape from the problems of peace” Thomas Mann. Enough for today. Abide.