TODAY IN HISTORY
Today is Friday, Dec. 10, the 344th day of 2021. There are 21 days left in the year.
Today’s highlight in history
On Dec. 10, 1994, Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin received the Nobel Peace Prize, pledging to pursue their mission of healing the anguished Middle East.
On this date
In 1817, Mississippi was admitted as the 20th state of the Union.
In 1861, the Confederacy admitted Kentucky as it recognized a pro-Southern shadow state government that was acting without the authority of the pro-Union government in Frankfort.
In 1898, a treaty was signed in Paris officially ending the Spanish-American War.
In 1950, Ralph J. Bunche was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, becoming the first Black American to receive the award.
In 1964, Martin Luther King Jr. received his Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, saying he accepted it “with an abiding faith in America and an audacious faith in the future of mankind.”
In 1967, singer Otis Redding, 26, and six others were killed when their plane crashed into Wisconsin’s Lake Monona; trumpeter Ben Cauley, a member of the group the Bar-Kays, was the only survivor.
In 1996, South African President Nelson Mandela signed the country’s new constitution into law during a ceremony in Sharpeville.
In 2005, Richard Pryor died in
Encino at age 65.
In 2006, former Chilean dictator General Augusto Pinochet died at age 91.
In 2007, former Vice President Al Gore accepted the Nobel Peace Prize with a call for humanity to rise up against a looming climate crisis and stop waging war on the environment.
In 2013, South Africa held a memorial service for Nelson Mandela, during which U.S.
President Barack Obama energized tens of thousands of spectators and nearly 100 visiting heads of state with a plea for the world to emulate “the last great liberator of the 20th century.” (The ceremony was marred by the presence of a sign-language interpreter who deaf advocates said was an impostor waving his arms around meaninglessly.) General Motors named product chief Mary Barra its new CEO, making her the first woman to run a U.S. car company.
In 2019, House Democrats announced two articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, declaring that he “betrayed the nation” with his actions toward Ukraine and an obstruction of Congress’ investigation; Trump responded with a tweet of “WITCH HUNT!” At an evening rally in Pennsylvania, Trump mocked the impeachment effort and predicted it would lead to his reelection in 2020.
Today’s birthdays
Singer Chad Stuart (Chad and Jeremy) is 80. Singer Ralph Tavares is 80. Actor-singer Gloria Loring is 75. Actor Susan Dey is 69. Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is 65. Actor-director Kenneth Branagh is 61. Actor Nia Peeples is 60. TV chef Bobby Flay is 57. Actor RavenSymone is 36.