On This Day - What Happened On December 10 | Britannica

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1932 The end of the Emu War The Australian government officially surrendered on this day in 1932 after a monthlong battle against thousands of large flightless birds. © Alfotokunst/Dreamstime.com

Featured Biography

Emily Dickinson American poet bornDecember 10, 1830Amherst, MassachusettsdiedMay 15, 1886 (aged 55)Amherst, MassachusettsAmherst College Archives & Special Collections (Public Domain) 1964 Bobby Flay American chef and restaurateur 1960 Kenneth Branagh British actor, director, and writer 1908 Olivier Messiaen French composer 1830 Emily Dickinson American poet 1815 Ada Lovelace British mathematician See All Biographies On This Day

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2007 Argentine politician Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was sworn into office as Argentina's first female elected president; she succeeded her husband, Néstor Kirchner. Test your knowledge of other famous firsts for women© Matías Baglietto—NurPhoto/Getty Images 2006 Chilean General Augusto Pinochet, whose dictatorial reign (1974–90) in Chile was marked by the murder and torture of political opponents, died while facing charges of human rights abuses. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about ChileSipa/Newscom 2005 American comedian and actor Richard Pryor, who revolutionized comedy with his frank and controversial style, died at age 65. Watch author Scott Saul discuss his book Becoming Richard PryorMichael Ochs Archives/Getty Images 1996 President Nelson Mandela signed a new constitution that completed a transition from a long period of white minority rule (apartheid) to full-fledged democracy in South Africa. How much do you know about African leaders?Trinity Mirror—Mirrorpix/Alamy 1982 A treaty codifying the Law of the Sea was signed by 117 countries.Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 1967 Otis Redding, who was one of the great soul stylists of the 1960s, died in an airplane crash. Test your knowledge of musicians© Redferns/Retna Ltd. 1962 Lawrence of Arabia, which was directed by David Lean and starred Peter O'Toole as T.E. Lawrence, had its world premiere. It became one of the most celebrated epics in the history of cinema. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about filmCourtesy of Columbia Pictures Corporation 1948 The General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about world organizationsUN Photo 1909 Swedish author Selma Lagerlöf became the first woman to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature, cited for “the lofty idealism, vivid imagination and spiritual perception that characterize her writings.” Discover how someone wins a Nobel Prize© The Nobel Foundation, Stockholm 1901 The first Nobel Prizes were distributed, marking the fifth anniversary of the death of Alfred Nobel, the Swedish industrialist and inventor of dynamite, who founded and endowed the awards through his will. Read our list of seven Nobel Prize scandals© Photos.com/Jupiterimages 1898 Representatives of Spain and the United States signed the Treaty of Paris, concluding the Spanish-American War. Take our history of war quizLibrary of Congress, Washington, D.C.; W.D. Harper (digital file number LC-DIG-pga-01948) 1884 Mark Twain's classic novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was first published, appearing in the United Kingdom and Canada; it was released in the United States the following year. Test your knowledge of literary charactersProject Gutenberg (Text 76) 1851 Melvil Dewey, who devised the Dewey Decimal Classification for library cataloging and was largely responsible for the development of library science in the United States, was born in Adams Center, New York.From A History of the Adirondacks, Vol. 1 by Alfred L. Donaldson, 1921 1815 Ada Lovelace, who is often considered the first computer programmer, was born in what is today London. Test your knowledge of computers and technology© IanDagnall Computing/Alamy 1768 The first part of the first edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica, the oldest English-language general encyclopaedia, was published and advertised for sale in Edinburgh.Kenny Chmielewski/EB Inc. 1508 Pope Julius II, the Holy Roman emperor Maximilian I, Louis XII of France, and Ferdinand II of Aragon formed the League of Cambrai. How much do you know about European history?© Photos.com/Getty Images 1041 Michael V Calaphates ascended the throne of the Byzantine Empire following the death of Michael IV. Take our quiz about kings and emperorsCNG coins (http://www.cngcoins.com) SIGN UP FOR History's Biggest Headlines Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors. SIGN UP Thanks for signing up for Today in History. Your first newsletter will arrive soon! SIGN UP By clicking "Sign Up" you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.