Yes, we have officially reached double digits in the December days, and we can practically feel you panicking through the screen! Don’t worry, there is still plenty of time to get everything sorted for the holidays! In fact, you have so much time, we would like you to take the next few minutes to take a break, and consider all of the things that make today such a special day.
On this day
1Emperor Michael IV died.
On 10 December 1041, the Byzantine Emperor Michael IV died. His wife, Empress Zoe, had adopted his nephew, who became Emperor Michael V.
2Newton's ideas on gravity reached the Royal Society.
On 10 December 1684, Edmond Halley reported to the Royal Society on Isaac Newton’s paper De motu corporum in gyrum, ‘On the motion of bodies in orbit’. It led to Newton’s great book, the Principia, in 1687.
3The metric system was adopted.
In 1799, the metric system was first adopted in France. It remains their measurement system to this day and has been invaluable in their research ever since.
4Edward VIII abdicated.
In 1936, Edward VIII signed the Instrument of Abdication, giving up the British throne to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson. It was this decision that led his brother to become king, a position he would eventually pass down to his daughter, Queen Elizabeth II.
5Martin Luther King Jr. accepted the Nobel Peace Prize.
On 10 December 1964, Martin Luther King Jr. accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo. At 35, he was then the youngest person to receive it. He was assassinated less than four years later.
Special Days Falling on December 10th
We expect that you’ll already be in full holiday mode by now, but, before you get too lost in it, take the time to consider some of the other important events today brings.
Nobel Prize Day
Every 10 December, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death, the Nobel Prizes are presented at ceremonies in Stockholm and, for the Peace Prize, in Oslo.
International Animal Rights Day
Speaking of animals in danger, December 10th is also International Animal Rights Day! As fellow creatures of this planet, animals have no less rights than us to live and strive on Earth. Yet, we remain as arrogant as ever and continue to use them and their homes for our own benefit, disregarding the impact it has on our very own ecosystems! Today is the perfect day to look into that and what we can all do to help protect and save the animals who need us.
Human Rights Day
Every 10 December is Human Rights Day, the anniversary of the UN General Assembly adopting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.
This month in history
The massacre at Wounded Knee. On 29 December 1890, US soldiers of the 7th Cavalry killed around 250 to 300 Lakota men, women and children at Wounded Knee Creek in South Dakota.
Famous Birthdays on December 10th
- William Lloyd Garrison, American abolitionist and publisher, born 1805
- Ada Lovelace, English mathematician and first computer programmer, born 1815
- Emily Dickinson, American poet, born 1830
- Michael Clarke Duncan, American actor, born 1957
- Kenneth Branagh, Northern Irish actor and director, born 1960
If you were born on December 10th
…you’re a Sagittarius! You are the very definition of intelligence and confidence. There’s nothing you can’t achieve when you set your mind to it.
So, go on, set your mind on checking out our Sagittarius facts page! It’ll be worth it!
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