Today back then.

1842 - The New York Philharmonic Society gave the first of its public concerts performing Beethoven's works.

1889 - Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera "The Gondoliers" premiered in London.

1941 - Japanese planes attacked the United States Pacific fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, destroying many aircraft and ships. Canada declared war on Japan within a few hours of the attack, even before the United States declaration of war.

1957 - For the first of 6 weeks, Pat Boone was at the top of the pop charts with "April Love". His other number one hits would include "Ain’t That a Shame", "I Almost Lost My Mind", "Don’t Forbid Me" and "Love Letters in the Sand".

1974 - "Kung Fu Fighting", by Carl Douglas, reached #1 on the pop charts, staying there for two weeks.

1974 - Barry Manilow's recording, Mandy, entered Billboard's record charts on this date. It was Manilow's first hit, becoming Number 1 for a week and staying on the charts for 12 weeks. It was later certified gold.

1984 - Michael Jackson was in Chicago, Illinois testifying the song, "The Girl is Mine", was exclusively his and that he hadn't swiped the song, "Please Love Me Now" in a copyright infringement case worth five million dollars. Jackson won.

1997 - Model Jerry Hall, wife of Rolling Stones Mick Jagger, gave birth to the couple's fourth child in New York. The baby boy, Gabriel Luke Beauregard Jagger -the rock star's sixth child in all - tipped the baby scales at 8 pounds, 3 ounces. Now, Jagger, age 54, had a child younger than his grandchildren (he has two adult daughters).