On This Day - What happened 8 December

Amnesty Proclamation of December 8, 1863, offered pardons to those who had not held a Confederate civil office and had not mistreated Union prisoners, if they were willing to sign an oath of allegiance.

The Free State if it wished, which it duly did on 8 December 1922 under the procedures laid down.

The Philippines campaign fought 8 December 1941, was the invasion of the Philippines by Imperial Japan and the defense of the islands by United States and Philippine forces, the invasion ended on 8 May 1942.

The Malayan campaign was a military campaign fought by Allied and Axis forces in Malaya, from 8 December 1941 – 31 January 1942, The Japanese had air and naval supremacy from the opening days of the campaign. For the British, Indian, Australian and Malayan forces defending the colony, the campaign was a total disaster, the Japanese occupied Malaya.

The declaration of war by the Empire of Japan on the United States and the British Empire was published on December 8, 1941 (Japan time; December 7 in the United States).

Japan occupied the British Crown colony of Hong Kong. The Hong Kong garrison consisted of British, Indian and Canadian units besides Chinese soldiers and conscripts from both within and outside Hong Kong.

Roosevelt signed declaration of war against Japan on December 8.

On 8 December 1941 (9 December in Asian time zones), the government of the United Kingdom declared war on the Empire of Japan, following the Japanese attacks the prior day.

The Dutch East Indies campaign of 1941–1942 was the conquest of the Dutch East Indies (present-day Indonesia) by forces from the Empire of Japan. Forces from the Allies attempted unsuccessfully to defend the islands. The East Indies were targeted by the Japanese for their rich oil resources which would become a vital asset during the war.

On December 8, 1941 (9 December in Asian time zones), the United States Congress declared war on the Empire of Japan in response to that country's surprise attack on Pearl Harbor the prior day.

The rebellion broke out at 2:00 am on 8 December. Signals from Brunei to British Far East Headquarters reported rebel attacks on police stations, the Sultan’s Istana, the Prime Minister’s house and the power station, and that another rebel force was approaching the capital by water. Far East Headquarters ordered ALE YELLOW, which placed a force of two Gurkha infantry companies on 48 hours notice to move.

By five in the morning, TNKU controlled Pekan Besar. News came that a number of civil servants at Pekan Besar had managed to escape capture. Around an hour later at downtown, the Deputy Chief Minister was granted an audience by the Sultan. After the meeting, the Sultan made a radio declaration condemning TNKU, the armed wing of the Brunei People's Party, for treason.

Nine hours after ALE YELLOW, ALE RED was ordered and two companies of 1st Battalion, 2nd Gurkha Rifles, of 99th Infantry Brigade, moved to the RAF airfields at Changi and Seletar in Singapore to fly to Labuan Island in Brunei Bay. The Beverleys landed at about 10:00 pm and the Gurkhas advanced into Brunei. They fought a series of actions, suffering six casualties, two fatal. A small group of Gurkhas led by Captain Digby Willoughby rescued the Sultan and took him to police headquarters. An advance to Seria met strong opposition and returned to Brunei to counter a rebel threat to its centre and the airfield.

Gita Gopinath was born on 8 December 1971 in Calcutta, India in a Malayali family. She is the younger of two daughters of T.V. Gopinath and V.C. Vijayalakshmi. Her family is related to the late A. K. Gopalan.

In December 1980, Lennon was shot and killed outside his New York City apartment.

On December 8, the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus secretly met in Belavezhskaya Pushcha, in western Belarus, and signed the Belavezha Accords, which proclaimed the Soviet Union had ceased to exist and announced formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) as a looser association to take its place.

On December 8, 1998, Sun Microsystems released J2SE 1.2.

Hanjour arrived in San Diego on December 8, 2000, joining Hazmi. They soon left for Arizona, where Hanjour took refresher training.

On December 8, 2003, the United States Secret Service said that it was "looking into" allegations that Eminem had threatened the President of the United States (George W. Bush). The cause for concern was the lyrics of "We As Americans" ("Fuck money / I don't rap for dead presidents / I'd rather see the president dead / It's never been said, but I set precedents"), which was later released on a bonus CD with the deluxe edition of Encore.

The Higashidōri Nuclear Power Plant is located in the village of Higashidōri in northeastern Aomori Prefecture, on the Shimokita Peninsula, facing the Pacific Ocean. The plant has not generated electricity since Japan's 2011 nationwide nuclear shutdown in the aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear.

Upon his trade to Miami, O'Neal began training to become a Miami Beach reserve officer. On December 8, 2005, he was sworn in, but elected for a private ceremony to avoid distracting attention from the other officers. He assumed a $1 per year salary in this capacity.

On December 8, the group Anonymous performed a DDoS attack on visa.com, bringing the site down.

Zuckerberg hosted visiting Chinese politician Lu Wei, known as the "Internet czar" for his influence in China's online policy, on the 8th of December.

On December 8, 2015, Biden spoke in Ukraine's parliament in Kyiv in one of his many visits to set U.S. aid and policy stance on Ukraine.

On 8 December 2017, Pope Francis signed a new apostolic constitution on ecclesiastical universities and faculties Veritatis gaudium, published 29 January 2018.

Apple announced AirPods Max on December 8, 2020, via a website refresh, and released them on December 15, 2020. AirPods Max features an over-ear headphone design. They use the H1 chip, which is also found in the second-generation AirPods and AirPods Pro. AirPods Max, like the AirPods Pro, comes with Apple's Active Noise Cancellation technology for blocking outside noise, and Transparency mode for listening to sounds around you. The "Digital Crown", similar to that of the Apple Watch, allows users to play or pause audio, control volume, skip tracks, control phone calls, and activate Siri. Proximity sensors automatically detect when they are on a user's head and play or pause audio accordingly. Spatial audio uses built-in gyroscopes and accelerometers to track the movement of the user's head and provide what Apple describes as a "theater-like" experience.

Christina, Queen of Sweden who abdicated after becoming a Catholic, was born in the castle.

The French mistress of King Louis XV of France, Marie-Anne de Mailly-Nesle, died at the age of 28.

The French composer Pierre-Joseph Candeille was born in Estaires, France.