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Today December 10th 2009 this day in history Read more below to view events, deaths, births, Holidays observances and video clips. Last database updated: Jan 17th, 2009
Events
1041 – Empress Zoe of Byzantium elevates her adoptive son to the throne of the Eastern Roman Empire as Michael V.
1508 – The League of Cambrai is formed by Pope Julius II, Louis XII of France, Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor and Ferdinand II of Aragon as an alliance against Venice.
1520 – Martin Luther burns his copy of the papal bull Exsurge Domine outside Wittenberg s Elster Gate.
1541 – Thomas Culpeper and Francis Dereham are executed for having affairs with Catherine Howard, Queen of England and wife of Henry VIII.
1665 – The Royal Netherlands Marine Corps is founded by Michiel de Ruyter
1684 – Isaac Newton s derivation of Kepler s laws from his theory of gravity, contained in the paper De motu corporum in gyrum, is read to the Royal Society by Edmund Halley.
1817 – Mississippi becomes the 20th U.S. state.
1836 – Emory College (now Emory University) is chartered in Oxford, Georgia.
1861 – American Civil War: the Confederate States of America accept a rival state government s pronouncement that declares Kentucky to be the 13th state of the Confederacy.
1864 – American Civil War: Sherman s March to the Sea – Major General William Tecumseh Sherman s Union Army troops reach Savannah, Georgia.
1868 – The first traffic lights are installed outside the Palace of Westminster in London. Resembling railway signals, they use semaphore arms and are illuminated at night by red and green gas lamps.
1869 – Wyoming grants women the right to vote.
1869 – The first American chapter of Kappa Sigma is founded at the University of Virginia.
1898 – Spanish-American War: The Treaty of Paris is signed, officially ending the conflict.
1898 – The first western pilgrims were welcomed at The House of `Abdu lláh Páshá.
1899 – The Delta Sigma Phi fraternity is founded at the City College of New York.
1901 – The first Nobel Prizes are awarded.
1902 – Women are given the right to vote in Tasmania.
1904 – Founding of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity.
1906 – U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt wins the Nobel Peace Prize, becoming the first American to win a Nobel Prize.
1907 – The worst night of the Brown Dog riots in London, when 1,000 medical students clash with 400 police officers over the existence of a memorial for animals who have been vivisected.
1927 – The Grand Ole Opry premieres on radio.
1932 – Thailand adopts a Constitution and becomes a constitutional monarchy.
1935 – The Downtown Athletic Club Trophy, later renamed the Heisman Trophy, is awarded to halfback Jay Berwanger of the University of Chicago.
1936 – Abdication Crisis: Edward VIII signs the Instrument of Abdication.
1941 – World War II: The Royal Navy capital ships HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse are sunk by Imperial Japanese Navy torpedo bombers near Malaya.
1941 – World War II: Battle of the Philippines – Imperial Japanese forces under the command of General Masaharu Homma land on the Philippine mainland.
1948 – The UN General Assembly adopts the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
1949 – Chinese Civil War: The People s Liberation Army begins its siege of Chengdu, the last Kuomintang-held city in mainland China, forcing President of the Republic of China Chiang Kai-shek and his government to retreat to Taiwan.
1955 – The Mighty Mouse Playhouse premiered on television.
1968 – Japan s biggest heist, the still-unsolved 300 million yen robbery, is carried out in Tokyo.
1978 – Arab-Israeli conflict: Prime Minister of Israel Menachem Begin and President of Egypt Anwar Sadat are jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
1981 – The United Nations General Assembly approves Pakistan s proposal for establishing nuclear free-zone in South Asia.
1981 – During the Ministerial Session of the North Atlantic Council in Brussels, Spain signes the Protocol of Accession to NATO.
1983 – Democracy is restored in Argentina with the assumption of President Raúl Alfonsín.
1989 – Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj announces the establishment of Mongolia s democratic movement that peacefully changed the second oldest communist country into a democratic society.
1993 – The last shift leaves Wearmouth Colliery in Sunderland. The closure of the 156-year-old pit marks the end of the old County Durham coalfield, which had been in operation since the Middle Ages.
1996 – Rwandan Genocide: Military advisor to the United Nations Secretary-General and head of the Military Division of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations of the United Nations Maurice Baril recommends that the UN multi-national forces in Zaire stand down.
2006 – One million Lebanese opposition supporters gather in downtown Beirut, calling for the government to resign.
Births
1394 – King James I of Scotland (d. 1437)
1452 – Johannes Stöffler, German mathematician and astronomer (d. 1531)
1588 – Isaac Beeckman, Dutch scientist and philosopher (d. 1637)
1750 – Tipu Sultan, ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore (d. 1799)
1751 – George Shaw, English botanist and zoologist (d. 1813)
1787 – Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, American educator (d. 1851)
1804 – Carl Gustav Jakob Jacobi, German mathematician (d. 1851)
1805 – Josef Skoda, Bohemian physician (d. 1881)
1815 – Ada Lovelace, English mathematician (d. 1852)
1820 – Princess Elizabeth of Clarence (d. 1821)
1821 – Nikolai Alekseevich Nekrasov, Russian poet (d. 1877)
1822 – César Franck, Belgian composer and organist (d. 1890)
1824 – George MacDonald, Scottish writer and preacher (d. 1905)
1827 – Eugene O Keefe, Canadian businessman and brewer (d. 1913)
1830 – Emily Dickinson, American poet (d. 1886)
1851 – Melvil Dewey, American librarian, (d. 1931)
1855 – Marios Varvoglis, Greek Composer (d. 1967)
1870 – Mary Bonaparte, pretender to the French imperial throne (d. 1947)
1870 – Adolf Loos, Austrian architect (d. 1933)
1870 – Pierre Louÿs, French author (d. 1925)
1878 – Rajaji, India s freedom fighter and the first Governor General of independent India (d. 1972)
1880 – Fred Immler, German actor (d. 1965)
1882 – Otto Neurath, Austrian philosopher (d. 1945)
1884 – Zinaida Serebriakova, Russian-born painter (d. 1967)
1891 – Harold Alexander, British Army Field Marshal, first Earl of Tunis (d. 1969)
1891 – Nelly Sachs, German-born writer, Nobel laureate (d. 1970)
1903 – Una Merkel, American actress (d. 1986)
1907 – Rumer Godden, English writer (d. 1998)
1907 – Lucien Laurent, French footballer (d. 2005)
1908 – Olivier Messiaen, French composer and ornithologist (d. 1992)
1909 – Hermes Pan, American choreographer and dancer (d. 1990)
1911 – Chet Huntley, American journalist (d. 1974)
1912 – Philip A. Hart, U.S. Senator (d. 1976)
1913 – Morton Gould, American composer (d. 1996)
1913 – Harry Locke, English actor (d. 1987)
1914 – Dorothy Lamour, American actress (d. 1996)
1917 – Sultan Yahya Petra, King of Malaysia (d. 1979)
1918 – Anne Gwynne, American actress (d. 2003)
1918 – Anatoli Tarasov, Russian ice hockey coach (d. 1995)
1919 – Alexander Courage, American composer (d. 2008)
1920 – Clarice Lispector, Ukrainian-Brazilian writer (d. 1977)
1920 – Reginald Rose, American writer (d. 2002)
1922 – Lucía Hiriart, First Lady of Chile (1974-1990), wife of Chilean military dictator Augusto Pinochet
1923 – Harold Gould, American actor
1924 – Michael Manley, Prime Minister of Jamaica (d. 1997)
1925 – Jean Byron, American actress (d. 2006)
1925 – Carolyn Kizer, American poet
1928 – Dan Blocker, American actor (d. 1972)
1928 – John Colicos, Canadian actor (d. 2000)
1933 – Mako, Japanese-born American actor (d. 2006)
1934 – Howard Martin Temin, American geneticist, Nobel laureate (d. 1994)
1935 – Terry Allcock, English footballer
1938 – Yuri Temirkanov, Russian orchestral conductor
1938 – Porter Goss, American politician, former director of the Central Intelligence Agency
1939 – Barry Cunliffe, English university professor
1941 – Fionnula Flanagan, Irish actress
1941 – Tommy Kirk, American actor
1941 – Tommy Rettig, American actor (d. 1996)
1941 – Kyu Sakamoto, Japanese singer and actor (d. 1985)
1941 – Chad Stuart, English singer (Chad and Jeremy)
1944 – Steve Renko, American baseball player
1946 – Thomas Lux, American poet
1947 – Douglas Kenney, American humorist (d. 1980)
1947 – R?sul Quliyev, Azerbaijani politician
1947 – Rainer Seifert, German field hockey player
1948 – Abu Abbas, founder of the Palestine Liberation Front (d. 2004)
1950 – Tom Towles, American actor
1951 – Ellen Nikolaysen, Norwegian singer
1952 – Clive Anderson, English television presenter
1952 – Susan Dey, American actress
1953 – Chris Bury, American journalist
1954 – Jack Hues, English musician
1955 – Jacquelyn Mitchard, American novelist
1956 – Tim Kurkjian, American baseball writer and analyst for ESPN
1956 – Roberto Cassinelli, Italian politician and lawyer
1956 – Rod Blagojevich, American politician, current governor of Illinois
1957 – Michael Clarke Duncan, American actor
1957 – Paul Hardcastle, English composer and musician
1957 – Prem Rawat, known also as Guru Maharaj Ji and Maharaji, American Indian spiritual leader and speaker
1959 – Mark Aguirre, American basketball player
1960 – Kenneth Branagh, Northern Irish actor and director
1961 – Nia Peeples, American singer/actress
1962 – John de Wolf, former Dutch International footballer
1964 – Bobby Flay, American celebrity chef and restaurateur
1964 – George Newbern, American actor
1965 – J Mascis, American musician
1965 – Stephanie Morgenstern, Canadian actress
1966 – Mel Rojas, Dominican baseball player
1969 – Rob Blake, Canadian ice hockey player
1971 – Brian Nichols, American spree killer
1972 – Marcos di Palma, Argentine racing driver
1972 – Brian Molko, Belgian-born singer and songwriter (Placebo)
1972 – Dimitri Tikovoi, French-born record producer
1974 – Meg White, American drummer (The White Stripes)
1975 – Steve Bradley, American professional wrestler (d. 2008)
1975 – Josip Skoko, Australian footballer
1977 – Mr. Águila, Mexican professional wrestler
1977 – Emmanuelle Chriqui, Canadian actress
1978 – Brandon Novak, American skateboarder
1978 – Summer Phoenix, American actress
1979 – Matt Bentley, American professional wrestler
1980 – Sarah Chang, American violinist
1980 – Massari, Lebanese-born Canadian singer
1981 – Ryan Pini, Papua New Guinea swimmer
1981 – Fábio Rochemback, Brazilian footballer
1981 – Taufik Batisah, Singaporean singer
1982 – Tim Deegan, Canadian MuchMusic VJ
1982 – Shilpa Anand, Indian film and television actress
1983 – Patrick Flueger, American actor
1983 – Habib Mohamed, Ghanaian footballer
1983 – Katrin Siska, Estonian singer
1984 – Jayson Paul, American professional wrestler
1985 – T. J. Hensick, American ice hockey player
1985 – Raven-Symoné, American actress and singer
1986 – Matthew Bates, English footballer
1986 – Ryoichi Tsukada, Japanese acrobat
1987 – Gonzalo Higuaín, French/Argentine footballer
1990 – Giulia Boverio, Italian actress
Deaths
949 – Herman I, Duke of Swabia
1041 – Michael IV the Paphlagonian, Byzantine Emperor (b. 1010)
1198 – Averroes, Arab physician and philosopher (b. 1126)
1508 – René II, Duke of Lorraine (b. 1451)
1603 – William Gilbert, English scientist (b. 1544)
1618 – Giulio Caccini, Italian composer (b. 1551)
1626 – Edmund Gunter, English mathematician (b. 1581)
1665 – Tarquinio Merula, Italian composer
1736 – António Manoel de Vilhena, Portuguese ruler of Malta (b. 1663)
1831 – Thomas Seebeck, Baltic German physicist (b. 1770)
1850 – François Sulpice Beudant, French mineralogist and geologist (b. 1787)
1865 – King Léopold I of Belgium (b. 1790)
1896 – Alfred Nobel, Swedish inventor and founder of the Nobel Prize (b. 1833)
1911 – Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker, English botanist (b. 1817)
1917 – Sir Mackenzie Bowell, fifth Prime Minister of Canada (b. 1823)
1920 – Horace Elgin Dodge, American automobile manufacturing pioneer (b. 1868)
1926 – Nikola Pašic, Kingdom of Serbia and Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes prime minister (b. 1845)
1928 – Charles Rennie Mackintosh, Scottish architect, designer, and illustrator (b. 1868)
1936 – Bobby Abel, English cricketer (b. 1857)
1936 – Luigi Pirandello, Italian writer, Nobel laureate (b. 1867)
1941 – Colin Kelly, American pilot (b. 1915)
1944 – John Henry Cound Brunt, Victoria Cross holder (b. 1922)
1945 – Theodor Dannecker, SS officer (b. 1913)
1946 – Walter Johnson, American baseball player (b. 1887)
1946 – Damon Runyon, American writer (b. 1884)
1951 – Algernon Blackwood, English writer (b. 1869)
1953 – Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Indian-born scholar and translator (b. 1872)
1958 – Adolfo Camarillo, American horse breeder (b. 1864)
1967 – Otis Redding, American soul singer (b. 1941)
1968 – Karl Barth, Swiss theologian (b. 1886)
1968 – George Forrest, Northern Irish MP (b. 1921)
1968 – Thomas Merton, American monk and author (b. 1915)
1973 – Wolf Vishniac, American microbiologist (b. 1922)
1977 – Adolph Rupp, American basketball coach (b. 1901)
1978 – Edward D. Wood, Jr., American filmmaker (b. 1924)
1979 – Ann Dvorak, American film actress (b. 1912)
1982 – Freeman Gosden, American actor (b. 1899)
1986 – Susan Cabot, American actress (b. 1927)
1986 – Kate Wolf, American folk singer and songwriter (b. 1942)
1987 – Jascha Heifetz, Russian-born violinist (b. 1901)
1988 – Richard S. Castellano, American actor (b. 1933)
1990 – Armand Hammer, American industrialist and art collector (b. 1898)
1991 – Greta Kempton, American artist (b. 1901)
1991 – Headman Shabalala, South African singer (Ladysmith Black Mambazo) (b. 1945)
1992 – Dan Maskell, English tennis commentator (b. 1908)
1994 – Keith Joseph, English politician (b. 1918)
1994 – Alexander Wilson, Canadian athlete (b. 1905)
1995 – Darren Robinson, American rapper (The Fat Boys) (b. 1967)
1996 – Faron Young, American singer (b. 1932)
1999 – Rick Danko, Canadian bassist and singer (The Band) (b. 1942)
1999 – Shirley Hemphill, American actress (b. 1947)
1999 – Franjo Tudman, President of Croatia (b. 1922)
2000 – Marie Windsor, American film actress (b. 1919)
2001 – Ashok Kumar, Indian actor (b. 1911)
2002 – Andres Küng, Swedish-Estonian politician, journalist (b. 1945)
2004 – Gary Webb, American journalist (b. 1955)
2005 – Eugene McCarthy, U.S. Senator (b. 1916)
2005 – Richard Pryor, American comedian and actor (b. 1940)
2006 – Augusto Pinochet, Former Chilean dictator (b. 1915)
2007 – Aqsa Parvez, Canadian victim of an honor crime (b. 1991)
2008 – Didith Reyes, Filipino singer (b. 1948)
Holidays and observances
Human Rights Day – United Nations
Presentation Ceremony of the Nobel Prize
Thailand – Constitution Day
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