What happened on December 10? There are more than 249 events that were made this day in history. Here are the important historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.

Interesting Facts & Myths About December 10

December 10 In HistoryDecember 10 is the 345th day of the year 2024. There are 21 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Tuesday. This day falls under the 50th week of the year 2024.

On this day in Cragsmoor, New York 12420 sunrise will occur at 07:12 AM and sunset will occur at 04:28 PM (local time).

The zodiac sign of a person born on this day is Sagittarius. The modern birthstone for this month is Turquoise while the mystical birthstone is Onyx.

According to the Chinese calendar, there are 50 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year (January 29, 2025).

Birthday curiousity Is your birthday coming up in two days? Are you not curious to find out who is sharing your special day? Discover all the March 31 famous birthdays. There are fun facts about that day that you must know. (Sponsored link)

Historical Events For December 10

  • 1041
    The adopted son of Empress Zoe of Byzantium succeeds 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.
  • 1799
    France adopts the metre as its official unit of length.
  • 1817
    Mississippi becomes the 20th U.S. state.
  • 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.
  • 1861
    Forces led by Nguyen Trung Truc, an anti-colonial guerrilla leader in southern Vietnam, sink the French lorcha L'Esperance.
  • 1864
    American Civil War: Sherman’s March to the Sea – Major General William Tecumseh Sherman’s Union Army troops reach the outer Confederate defenses of 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
    Kappa Sigma Fraternity is founded at the University of Virginia.
  • 1884
    Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is published for the first time.
  • 1898
    Spanish-American War: The Treaty of Paris is signed, officially ending the conflict.
  • 1899
    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
    The Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity is founded at the College of Charleston.
  • 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.
  • 1911
    The first transcontinental flight across the United States is completed. Calbraith Perry Rodgers began the flight on 17 September 1911, taking off from Sheepshead Bay NY.
  • 1927
    The phrase “Grand Ole Opry” is used for the first time on-air.
  • 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: Battle of the Philippines – Imperial Japanese forces under the command of General Masaharu Homma land on the Philippine mainland.
  • 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.
  • 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 premieres on television.
  • 1965
    The Grateful Dead’s first concert performance under this new name.
  • 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.
  • 1979
    Kaohsiung Incident: Taiwanese pro-democracy demonstrations are suppressed by the KMT dictatorship, and organizers are arrested.
  • 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 changes the second oldest communist country into a democracy.
  • 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.
  • 1994
    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.

Who Were Born On December 10?

  • 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)
  • 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)
  • 1866
    Louis Bolk, a Dutch anatomist (d. 1930)
  • 1870
    Adolf Loos, Austrian architect (d. 1933)
  • 1870
    Mary Bonaparte, pretender to the French imperial throne (d. 1947)
  • 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)
  • 1885
    Marios Varvoglis, Greek Composer (d. 1967)
  • 1886
    Annie Bos, Dutch actress (d. 1975)
  • 1886
    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
    Lucien Laurent, French footballer (d. 2005)
  • 1907
    Rumer Godden, English writer (d. 1998)
  • 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
    Harry Locke, English actor (d. 1987)
  • 1913
    Morton Gould, American composer (d. 1996)
  • 1913
    Pannonica de Koenigswarter, jazz patroness and writer
  • 1914
    Dorothy Lamour, American actress (d. 1996)
  • 1917
    Sultan Yahya Petra, King of Malaysia (d. 1979)
  • 1918
    Anatoli Tarasov, Russian ice hockey coach (d. 1995)
  • 1918
    Anne Gwynne, American actress (d. 2003)
  • 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 (d. 2010)
  • 1924
    Michael Manley, Prime Minister of Jamaica (d. 1997)
  • 1925
    Carolyn Kizer, American poet
  • 1925
    Jean Byron, American actress (d. 2006)
  • 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
  • 1939
    Barry Cunliffe, English university professor
  • 1939
    Dick Bavetta, American basketball referee
  • 1941
    Chad Stuart, English singer (Chad and Jeremy)
  • 1941
    Fionnula Flanagan, Irish actress
  • 1941
    Kyu Sakamoto, Japanese singer and actor (d. 1985)
  • 1941
    Tommy Kirk, American actor
  • 1941
    Tommy Rettig, American actor (d. 1996)
  • 1944
    Steve Renko, American baseball player
  • 1945
    Mukhtar Altynbayev, former Kazakhstani Minister of Defense and General of the Army of Kazakhstan
  • 1946
    Thomas Lux, American poet
  • 1947
    Douglas Kenney, American humorist (d. 1980)
  • 1947
    Rəsul Quliyev, Azerbaijani politician
  • 1947
    Rainer Seifert, German field hockey player
  • 1948
    Abu Abbas, founder of the Palestine Liberation Front (d. 2004)
  • 1950
    John Boozman, American politician, junior senator of Arkansas
  • 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
    Jan van Dijk, Dutch football player and football manager
  • 1956
    Roberto Cassinelli, Italian politician and lawyer
  • 1956
    Rod Blagojevich, 40th 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
  • 1958
    John J. York, American actor
  • 1958
    Pepsi Demacque, aka Helen Pepsi Demacque-Crockett English singer
  • 1959
    Mark Aguirre, American basketball player
  • 1959
    Udi Aloni, American-Israeli filmmaker, writer, and activist
  • 1959
    Wolf Hoffmann, German musician (Accept)
  • 1960
    Kenneth Branagh, Northern Irish actor and director
  • 1960
    Michael Schoeffling, American actor
  • 1961
    Nia Peeples, American singer/actress
  • 1961
    Oded Schramm, Israeli-American mathematician
  • 1962
    John de Wolf, former Dutch International footballer
  • 1963
    Jahangir Khan, former World No. 1 professional squash player from Pakistan
  • 1964
    Bobby Flay, American celebrity chef and restaurateur
  • 1964
    George Newbern, American actor
  • 1964
    Stef Blok, Dutch politician
  • 1965
    Greg Giraldo, American comedian (d. 2010)
  • 1965
    J Mascis, American musician
  • 1965
    Stephanie Morgenstern, Canadian actress
  • 1966
    Mel Rojas, Dominican baseball player
  • 1969
    Rob Blake, Canadian ice hockey player
  • 1970
    Bryant Stith, American basketball player
  • 1971
    Bill Baroni, American government official
  • 1971
    Brian Nichols, American spree killer
  • 1972
    Brian Molko, Belgian-born singer and songwriter (Placebo)
  • 1972
    Donovan Frankenreiter, American surfer
  • 1974
    Meg White, American drummer (The White Stripes)
  • 1975
    Josip Skoko, Australian footballer
  • 1975
    Kristel Verbeke, Flemish singer, actress, host
  • 1975
    Steve Bradley, American wrestler (d. 2008)
  • 1977
    Emmanuelle Chriqui, Canadian actress
  • 1977
    Mr. Águila, Mexican wrestler
  • 1978
    Summer Phoenix, American actress
  • 1979
    Matt Bentley, American professional wrestler
  • 1980
    Massari, Lebanese-born Canadian singer
  • 1980
    Sarah Chang, American violinist
  • 1981
    Fábio Rochemback, Brazilian footballer
  • 1981
    Ryan Pini, Papua New Guinea swimmer
  • 1981
    Taufik Batisah, Singaporean singer
  • 1982
    Shilpa Anand, Indian film and television actress
  • 1983
    Habib Mohamed, Ghanaian footballer
  • 1983
    Katrin Siska, Estonian singer
  • 1983
    Patrick Flueger, American actor
  • 1983
    Xavier Samuel, Australian actor
  • 1984
    Jayson Paul, American wrestler
  • 1984
    Mark Applegarth, Rugby League player
  • 1985
    Matt Forte, American football player
  • 1985
    Raven-Symoné, American actress and singer
  • 1985
    T. J. Hensick, American ice hockey player
  • 1985
    Trésor Mputu, Congolese footballer
  • 1986
    Matthew Bates, English footballer
  • 1987
    Gonzalo Higuaín, French/Argentine footballer
  • 1988
    Mitchell Donald, Dutch footballer
  • 1989
    Ng Chee Yang, Singaporean singer

Who Died On December 10?

  • 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
  • 1677
    Samuel Gorton, English-born colonial American religious activist and pioneer settler of Rhode Island (b. 1593)
  • 1736
    António Manoel de Vilhena, Portuguese Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller (b. 1663)
  • 1831
    Thomas Seebeck, Baltic German physicist (b. 1770)
  • 1850
    François Sulpice Beudant, French mineralogist and geologist (b. 1787)
  • 1850
    Józef Bem, Polish general (b. 1794)
  • 1865
    King Leopold I of Belgium (b. 1790)
  • 1896
    Alfred Nobel, Swedish inventor and founder of the Nobel Prize (b. 1833)
  • 1909
    Red Cloud, Oglala Lakota Sioux Chief (b. 1822)
  • 1911
    Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker, English botanist (b. 1817)
  • 1917
    Sir Mackenzie Bowell, Canadian politician (b. 1823)
  • 1920
    Horace Elgin Dodge, American automobile manufacturer (b. 1868)
  • 1922
    Clement Lindley Wragge, British-born meteorologist (b. 1852)
  • 1926
    Nikola Pašić, Serbian politician (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 bomber pilot (KIA; b. 1915)
  • 1944
    John Brunt, British military officer (b. 1922)
  • 1945
    Theodor Dannecker, German Nazi officer (b. 1913)
  • 1946
    Damon Runyon, American writer (b. 1884)
  • 1946
    Walter Johnson, American baseball player (b. 1887)
  • 1951
    Algernon Blackwood, English writer (b. 1869)
  • 1953
    Abdullah Yusuf Ali, Indian-born scholar and translator (b. 1872)
  • 1956
    David Shimoni, Israeli poet and writer (b. 1891)
  • 1958
    Adolfo Camarillo, American horse breeder (b. 1864)
  • 1967
    Otis Redding, American soul singer (b. 1941)
  • 1967
    Phalon Jones, American soul and R&B musician (b. 1949)
  • 1967
    Ronnie Caldwell, American soul and R&B musician (b. 1948)
  • 1968
    George Forrest, Northern Irish politician (b. 1921)
  • 1968
    Karl Barth, Swiss theologian (b. 1886)
  • 1968
    Thomas Merton, American monk and author (b. 1915)
  • 1973
    Wolf V. 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
    Kate Wolf, American folk singer and songwriter (b. 1942)
  • 1986
    Susan Cabot, American actress (b. 1927)
  • 1987
    Jascha Heifetz, Russian violinist (b. 1901)
  • 1988
    Johnny Lawrence, English cricketer (b. 1911)
  • 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)
  • 1993
    Alice Tully, American music promoter and philanthropist (b. 1902)
  • 1994
    Alex Wilson, Canadian athlete (b. 1905)
  • 1994
    Keith Joseph, English politician (b. 1918)
  • 1995
    Darren Robinson, American rapper (The Fat Boys) (b. 1967)
  • 1996
    Faron Young, American singer (b. 1932)
  • 1999
    Franjo Tuđman, Croate politician (b. 1922)
  • 1999
    Lex Goudsmit, Dutch actor (b. 1913)
  • 1999
    Rick Danko, Canadian bassist and singer (The Band) (b. 1942)
  • 1999
    Shirley Hemphill, American actress (b. 1947)
  • 2000
    Marie Windsor, American film actress (b. 1919)
  • 2001
    Ashok Kumar, Indian actor (b. 1911)
  • 2002
    Andres Küng, Swedish-born Estonian politician and journalist (b. 1945)
  • 2004
    Gary Webb, American journalist (b. 1955)
  • 2005
    Eugene McCarthy, America politician (b. 1916)
  • 2005
    Richard Pryor, American comedian and actor (b. 1940)
  • 2006
    Augusto Pinochet, Chilean dictator (b. 1915)
  • 2007
    Aqsa Parvez, Pakastani-born Canadian honor killing victim (b. 1991)
  • 2007
    Ashleigh Aston Moore, Canadian actress (b. 1981)
  • 2008
    Didith Reyes, Filipino singer (b. 1948)
  • 2009
    Vladimir Teplyakov, Russian physicist (b. 1925)
  • 2010
    J. Michael Hagopian, Turkish-born American documentarian (b. 1913)
  • 2010
    John Bennett Fenn, American chemist, Nobel laureate (b. 1917)
  • 2010
    MacKenzie Miller, American horse trainer and breeder (b. 1921)

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