The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal commenced.
The Japanese attacked US Task Force 67 headed towards Guadalcanal, commencing four days of hard fought naval engagements. The Task Force was bringing reinforcements to the island.
One thing this serves to remind us of is how, already, the wars in the Pacific and Europe were remarkably different. In Europe, or rather North Africa, the U.S. Navy and Royal Navy had just pulled off a massive seaborne invasion of North Africa. Here, however, a pitched battle between the Axis, in the form of the Imperial Japanese Navy, and the Allies, in the form of the U.S. Navy, was just beginning.
Congress lowered the age of conscription to 18.
This was no small matter. At the time, much like when I was in high school, senior classes had a wide range of teen ages ranging from 17 to nearly 19. I was 17 when I graduated, as was my father, but I've known men who were nearly 19 at the time. This meant that the government was reaching down, basically, into high school and in fact, while a deferment was possible, there were men who simply reported right out of school for the draft.
Eddie Rickenbacker and five other men rescued after having been adrift in the Pacific for three weeks.
Guatemala broke off diplomatic relations with Vichy France.
Silent screen actress Laura Hope Crews died at age 62.
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