The Edge

Today is Thursday, Dec. 7, the 341st day of 2017. There are 24 days left in the year.

Today in history

On Dec. 7, 1941, during a series of raids in the Pacific, Imperial Japan's navy launched a surprise attack on the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, killing 2,400 people, about half of them on the battleship USS Arizona. (The United States declared war against Japan the next day.)

Also on this date:

In 1787, Delaware became the first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

In 1909, chemist Leo H. Baekeland received a U.S. patent for Bakelite, the first synthetic plastic.

In 1917, during World War I, the United States declared war on Austria-Hungary.

In 1972, America's last moon mission to date was launched as Apollo 17 blasted off from Cape Canaveral. ... Imelda Marcos, wife of Philippine President Ferdinand E. Marcos, was stabbed and seriously wounded by an assailant who was shot dead by her bodyguards.

In 1995, a 746-pound probe from the Galileo spacecraft hurtled into Jupiter's atmosphere, sending back data to the mothership before it was presumably destroyed.

Fun fact

Lions can lose their manes when they get injured. Males tend to avoid a long-maned rival, who is likely to be an undefeated combatant.

Record setters

The heaviest green cabbage weighed 138.25 pounds, and was presented at the Alaska State Fair by Scott A. Robb in Palmer, Alaska, in August 2012. Scott A. Robb has previously held a number of Guinness World Records for heaviest vegetables, including the heaviest turnip, among others.

From Guinness World Records

Daily inspiration

"I don't measure a man's success by how high he climbs, but how high he bounces when he hits bottom."

- George Patton

Today's birthdays

Linguist and political philosopher Noam Chomsky is 89. Bluegrass singer Bobby Osborne is 86. Actress Ellen Burstyn is 85. Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., is 80. Broadcast journalist Carole Simpson is 77. Baseball Hall of Famer Johnny Bench is 70. Actor-director-producer James Keach is 70. Country singer Gary Morris is 69. Singer-songwriter Tom Waits is 68. Sen. Susan M. Collins, R-Maine, is 65. Basketball Hall of Famer Larry Bird is 61. Actress Priscilla Barnes is 60. Actor Jeffrey Wright is 52. Producer-director Jason Winer is 45. Former NFL player Terrell Owens is 44. Pop singer Nicole Appleton (All Saints) is 42. Latin singer Frankie J is 41. Country singer Sunny Sweeney is 41. Actor Chris Chalk is 40. Pop-rock singer/celebrity judge Sara Bareilles is 38. Actress Jennifer Carpenter is 38. Actor Jack Huston is 35. Singer Aaron Carter is 30.

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The Edge is compiled by Dallas Callahan. She can be contacted at dcallahan@lmtribune.com.