1942: The U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff officially met for the first time. What's the history of the Joint Chiefs? Take a look at the Joint Chiefs history page. 
Also today in history, in the U.S. and elsewhere:
1942: The SS Normandie, which was widely regarded as the world’s most elegant ocean liner and had been converted to a troop transport, burned in New York Harbor. Read about the fate of the Normandie on HistoryNet.com.
1945: In a rare case of submarine versus submarine, HMS Venturer sank the German U-864 off of Fedje, Norway.
1996: The Provisional Irish Republican Army declared an end to its self-imposed 18-month ceasefire and exploded a large bomb on Canary Wharf, London.
