In History, Today on December 7

The Royal Opera House opens in Covent Garden, London.

Delaware becomes the first state to ratify the United States Constitution.

American outlaw Jesse James commits his first confirmed bank robbery in Gallatin, Missouri.

The United States declares war on Austria-Hungary during World War I.

The Imperial Japanese Navy attacks the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, leading to the United States' entry into World War II.

The Chinese Nationalist government moves from mainland China to Taiwan.

Apollo 17, the final mission of NASA's Apollo program, is launched. It is the last manned mission to the Moon.

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake strikes Spitak, Armenia, killing tens of thousands of people and leaving many more homeless.

The Long Island Rail Road shooting occurred when Colin Ferguson opened fire on a train, killing six people and injuring 19 others.

The Taliban regime in Afghanistan collapses as the Northern Alliance, backed by U.S. forces, takes control of Kandahar, the last major stronghold of the Taliban.

Hamid Karzai is inaugurated as the first democratically elected President of Afghanistan after winning the October 2004 presidential election.

The Paris Agreement, a landmark international accord aimed at reducing carbon emissions and combating climate change, is adopted by consensus at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21).

The Syrian Army, backed by Russian forces, recaptures the city of Aleppo from rebel groups, marking a turning point in the Syrian Civil War.