Today in History

Today is Sunday, Dec. 10, the 344th day of 2023. There are 21 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Dec. 10, 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.

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 1958, the first domestic passenger jet flight took place in the U.S. as a National Airlines Boeing 707 flew 111 passengers from New York to Miami in about 2 1/2 hours.

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 1994, Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin received the Nobel Peace Prize, pledging to pursue their mission of healing the anguished Middle East.

In 1996, South African President Nelson Mandela signed the country's new constitution into law during a ceremony in Sharpeville.

In 2005, actor-comedian Richard Pryor died in Encino, California, 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 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, he mocked the impeachment effort and predicted it would lead to his reelection in 2020.

In 2021, tornadoes slammed into Kentucky, Arkansas and three neighboring states, killing more than 90 people, including 81 in Kentucky.

In 2022, Morocco became the first African country to reach the World Cup semifinals by beating Portugal 1-0.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Fionnula Flanagan is 82. Actor-singer Gloria Loring is 77. Pop-funk musician Walter "Clyde" Orange (The Commodores) is 77. Country singer Johnny Rodriguez is 72. Actor Susan Dey is 71. Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is 67. Jazz musician Paul Hardcastle is 66. Actor John York (TV: "General Hospital") is 65. Actor-director Kenneth Branagh is 63. Actor Nia Peeples is 62. TV chef Bobby Flay is 59. Rock singer-musician J Mascis is 58. Rock musician Scot Alexander (Dishwalla) is 52. Actor-comedian Arden Myrin is 50. Rock musician Meg White (The White Stripes) is 49. Actor Emmanuelle Chriqui is 48. Actor Gavin Houston is 46. Actor Alano Miller is 44. Violinist Sarah Chang is 43. Actor Patrick John Flueger is 40. Country singer Meghan Linsey is 38. Actor Raven-Symone is 38. Actor/singer Teyana Taylor is 33. Actor Kiki Layne is 32. NFL quarterback Joe Burrow is 27.