Today in History - December 10th


  • 1520 - Today in history, Martin Luther publicly burned the papal edict. The papacy demanded that he recant or be excommunicated. Luther refused and was formally expelled from the church. 
  • 1817 - Mississippi was admitted to the Union as the 20th American state. 
  • 1830 - On this day in history, Emily Dickinson was born in Amherst, MA. Only seven of her works were published while she was alive. 
  • 1898 - A treaty was signed in Paris that officially ended the Spanish-American War. Also, Cuba became independent of Spain. 
  • 1901 - Today in history, the first Nobel prizes were awarded. 
  • 1906 - President Theodore Roosevelt became the first American to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. 
  • 1950 - On this day in history, Dr. Ralph J. Bunche was presented the Nobel Peace Prize. He was the first African-American to receive the award.
  • 1953 - Hugh Hefner published the first "Playboy" magazine with an investment of $7,600. 
  • 1964 - Today in history, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. received the Nobel Peace Prize. He was the youngest person to ever receive the award.
  • 1984 - South African Bishop Desmond Tutu received the Nobel Peace Prize. 
  • 1992 - On this day in history, Oregon Senator Bob Packwood apologized for what he called "unwelcome and offensive" actions toward women. However, he refused to resign.
  • 1993 - The crew of the space shuttle Endeavor deployed the repaired Hubble Space Telescope into Earth's orbit. 
  • 1994 - Today in history, Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin received the Nobel Peace Prize. They pledged to pursue their mission of healing the Middle East. 
  • 1996 - South Africa's President Mandela signed into law a new democratic constitution, completing the country's transition from white-minority rule to a non-racial democracy. 
  • 1998 - On this day in history, six astronauts opened the doors to the new international space station 250 miles above the Earth's surface. 

MUSIC HISTORY - Today in History, December 10th

  • 1963 - Donny Osmond made his debut with The Osmonds on NBC's "Andy Williams Show." 
  • 1965 - Today in history, The Grateful Dead played their first concert. The show took place at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco, CA.
  • 1968 - John Lennon made his first solo TV appearance. 
  • 1971 - On this day in history, Frank Zappa was pushed from a London stage by the jealous boyfriend of a Zappa fan. Zappa spent months in a wheelchair recovering from a broken leg and ankle and fractured skull. 
  • 1976 - "Wings over America," by Paul McCartney's was released. 
  • 2003 - Today in history, Bobby Brown was charged with battery after he allegedly hit his wife Whitney Houston. 
  • 2010 - Bob Dylan's handwritten lyrics for his song "The Times They Are a-Changin" sold at auction for $422,500. 

SCIENCE, INVENTIONS, PATENTS - Today in History, December 10th

  • 1845 - British civil engineer Robert Thompson patented the first pneumatic tires. 
  • 1851 - Today in history, American librarian Melvil Dewey was born. He created the "Dewey Decimal Classification" system.
  • 1958 - The first domestic passenger jet flight took place when 111 passengers flew from New York to Miami on a National Airlines Boeing 707. 

SPORTS - Today in History, December 10th

  • 1939 - On this day in history, The NFL's attendance exceeded 1 million in a season for the first time. 

FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS - December 10th

  • Emily Dickinson 1830
  • Dorothy Lamour 1914