Today in History

On this Day - 10th December:
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NOBLE :
Prize winners:

• 1960 Willard Libby wins the Nobel prize in Chemistry for his work developing carbon-14 dating (radiocarbon dating).
• 1960 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine awarded to Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet and Peter Medawar for work on tissue grafting
• 1961 Robert Hofstadter and Rudolf Ludwig Mössbauer win the Nobel Prize in Physics for their pioneering studies of electron scattering in atomic nuclei and discoveries concerning the structure of the nucleon
• 1963 Karl Ziegler and Giulio Natta receive the 1963 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work on the technology of high polymers
• 1964 Nobel Peace Prize presented to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Oslo, Norway
• 1964 Dorothy Hodgkin is the first British woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for work on penicillin and vitamin B12
• 1966 Nobel Prize in chemistry awarded to Robert S. Mulliken
• 1967 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine awarded to Ragnar Granit, Haldan Keffer Hartline and George Wald "for discoveries about the make-up of the eye
• 1967 Guatemalan author Miguel Ángel Asturias is awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in Stockholm
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• 1970 Soviet novelist Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn chooses not to claim his Nobel Prize in Literature for fear that the USSR would prevent his return afterwards. ---(Accepts in 1974 after he was deported.)
• 1971 West German Chancellor Willy Brandt receives the Nobel Peace Prize
• 1974 Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Irishman Seán MacBride for his human rights work and Japanese PM Eisaku Sato for signing Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty
• 1975 Andrei Sakharov's wife Yelena Bonner, accepts his Nobel Peace Prize
• 1976 Samuel C. C. Ting is the first person to deliver a Nobel Prize lecture in Mandarin, during the ceremony to award him and Burton Richter the Nobel Prize for Physics for discovering the J/ψ particle
• 1978 Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat accept the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo
  
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On this Day - 10th December:
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NOBLE :
Prize winners:

• 1983 Danuta Walesa, wife of Lech Wałęsa, accepts his Nobel Peace Prize
• 1984 South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu is presented with his Nobel Peace Prize
• 1986 Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel accepts 1986 Nobel Peace Prize
  
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• 1994 Nobel Peace Prize presented to Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres and Yasser Arafat
• 1998 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine presented to Gertrude B. Elion, George H. Hitchings and James W. Black for development of new drugs
• 1998 Indian Professor Amartya Sen is awarded the 1998 Nobel Prize in Economics for his contributions to welfare economics
  
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• 2001 Nobel Prize for Economics awarded jointly to Joseph Stiglitz, George A. Akerlof and A. Michael Spence "for their analyses of markets with asymmetric information"
• 2009 US President Barack Obama accepts the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo
• 2010 Chinese human rights activist Liu Xiaobo is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize at a ceremony in Stockholm, while imprisoned in China
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• 2016 Bob Dylan is awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature at a ceremony he does not attend in Stockholm

 

On this Day - 10th December:

1884 "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"

= AuthorMark Twain
Written by Mark Twain is first published in the UK and Canada - (US Feb 1885, due to printing error)
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Wikipedia @ WordDisk
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1936 Edward VIII signs Instrument of Abdication,


Gives up the British throne to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson.
The execution of Instrument of Abdication comes into legal effect the following day,
His Majesty's Declaration of Abdication Act, sees Edward VIII and any children he might have excluded from succession to the throne.
King Abdicates for Love of Wallis Simpson - On This Day
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On this Day - 10th December:

1948 UN General Assembly adopts the Universal Declaration of Human Rights



By its resolution 217 A (III) of 10th December 1948, the General Assembly, meeting in Paris, adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with eight nations abstaining from the vote but none dissenting. ... The entire text of the UDHR was composed in less than two years.

History of the Declaration | United Nations

 

On this Day - 10th December:
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1963 5-year old Donny Osmond's singing debut on Andy Williams Show
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Donny Osmond's Debut on Andy Williams - YouTube

 

On this Day - 10th December:
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1998 - The Beatles = A recording of a 1963 Beatles concert was sold at auction at Christies in London for £25,300, ($41,500). The tape of The Beatles' 10-song concert was recorded by the chief technician at the Gaumont Theatre in Bournemouth during one of six consecutive nights which The Beatles had played. Also sold for £5,195 ($8,500), was a set of autographs of five Beatles, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Pete Best, and Stuart Sutcliffe. The autographs had been obtained by a fan in Liverpool in 1961.

2004 - Elvis Presley = One of three RCA microphones used by radio station KWKH for the historic Elvis Presley appearance at the Louisiana Hayride was sold for $37,500. The microphone was one of three used during 50 performances by Elvis Presley when he performed for the radio show in Shreveport from 1954 to 1956.

2010 - Bob Dylan = The original hand-written lyrics to Bob Dylan's 'The Times They Are A-Changin' sold at a New York auction for $422,500 (£267,400). Adam Sender, a hedge fund manager and art collector, outbid five others, placing telephone bids. The song, one of Dylan's most politically charged, was the title track of his 1964 album.

2011 - The Beatles = A copy of The Beatles 'Love Me Do' 1962 Demonstration Record sold for $17,339.31 during a 10-day eBay auction. According to the seller, this original demo was the ‘Holy Grail’ of Beatles items.

2015 - Janis Joplin = Janis Joplin's psychedelic 1965 Porsche sold for $1.76 million at RM Sotheby's car auction in New York City. The car was originally expected to fetch between $400,000 and $600,000.

 

Today in History December 11th

1620 The Mayflower landed at Plymouth Rock, in what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts

 

On this Day - 11th December:

*1282 Llywelyn ab Gruffydd/Llywelyn


... the Last, last native Prince of Wales is killed at Cilmeri, near Builth Wells, south Wales. (Reigned from 1259).
Llywelyn ap Gruffudd - Wikipedia
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* 1395 John "Eleanor" Rykener,



A male cross-dressing prostitute, is brought to court in London for "committing that detestable unmentionable and ignominious vice" in late medieval England's only recorded case on same-sex intercourse (verdict unknown)
John/Eleanor Rykener - Wikipedia

 

On this Day - 11th December:

* 1862 Battle of Fredricksburg



Virginia: The Batle begins between Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Union Army of the Potomac

- - - - - - - - - - -

Confederate GeneralRobert E. Lee - - - - - Union General, Politician and IndustrialistAmbrose Burnside

Battle of Fredericksburg - Wikipedia

 

On this Day - 11th December:
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1961 Elvis Presley's "Blue Hawaii" album goes to Number 1 & stays #1 for 20 wks
1961 - The Marvelettes
The Marvelettes went to Number 1 on the US singles chart with 'Please Mr Postman'.
The session musicians on the track included 22 year old Marvin Gaye on drums.
The song gave The Carpenters a US Number 1 and UK No.2 single in 1975.
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1968 - The Scaffold
Liverpool folk group The Scaffold were at Number 1 on the UK singles chart with 'Lily The Pink', this year's Christmas No.1. 'Lily the Pink' was a new version of an older folk song entitled 'The Ballad of Lydia Pinkham', and a similar version was the unofficial regimental song of the Royal Tank Corps, at the end of World War II.
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1971 - Benny Hill
UK comedian Benny Hill was at Number 1 on the UK singles chart with the innuendo-laden novelty song, 'Ernie (The Fastest Milkman In The West)', giving Hill his only No.1 and the Christmas No.1 hit of 1971. The song was originally written in 1955 as the introduction to an unfilmed screenplay about Hill's milkman experience
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1982 - Toni Basil
Singer, TV actress and dancer Toni Basil went to Number 1 on the US singles chart with 'Mickey', making her a US One Hit Wonder.
Also a No.2 hit in the UK, the song was written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn as 'Kitty', and was first recorded by UK group Racey during 1979.
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1983 - Flying Pickets
The Flying Pickets were at Number 1 on the UK singles chart with their version of the Yazoo song 'Only You'. Also this years Christmas No.1 and the first a cappella chart-topper in the UK.
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1993 - Mr Blobby
The character Mr Blobby as featured on UK TV's 'The Noel Edmunds House Party', started a one-week run as the UK Number 1 single with the novelty song 'Mr Blobby'. The single later received the dubious honour of being voted the most irritating Christmas No.1 single in a HMV poll.

 

On this Day - 11th December:
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY:

1916 - Perez Prado = Cuban bandleader, pianist, composer and arranger Perez Prado who had the 1955 US & UK No.1 single 'Cherry Pink & Apple Blossom White'. Perez had first covered this title for the movie Underwater! (1955) where Jane Russell can be seen dancing to the song. Billboard ranked this version as the No. 1 song of 1955. He died on 14th September 1989.

1926 - Big Mama Thornton = Big Mama Thornton, singer, songwriter, Janis Joplin covered her song 'Ball And Chain'. Thornton also scored the 1953 hit with her version of 'Hound Dog' before Elvis Presley. She died in 1984.

1940 - David Gates = American singer-songwriter, musician and producer, David Gates, best known as the co-lead singer of the group Bread, who scored the 1970 US No.1 & UK No.5 single 'Make It With You'. His song 'Popsicles and Icicles' hit No.3 on the US chart for The Murmaids in January 1964 and The Monkees recorded another of his songs, 'Saturday's Child'. By the end of the 1960s, he had worked with many leading artists, including Elvis Presley, Bobby Darin, Merle Haggard, Duane Eddy and Brian Wilson.

1944 - Brenda Lee = Brenda Lee, singer, (1960 US No.1 single 'I'm Sorry', UK No.4 single 'Sweet Nothin's', plus 27 US & 18 other UK Top 40 singles).

1954 - Jermaine Jackson = Jermaine Jackson, from American family music group The Jackson 5. They were the first group to debut with four consecutive No.1 hits on the Hot 100 with the songs 'I Want You Back', 'ABC', 'The Love You Save', and 'I'll Be There'. And with The Jacksons, had the 1979 hit 'Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)'.

 

On this Day - 11th December:
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SAM COOKE:



Soul singer Sam Cooke was shot dead at the Hacienda Motel in Los Angeles, California.
In response to a reported shooting, officers of the Los Angeles Police Department were dispatched to the Hacienda Motel, where they found musician Sam Cooke dead on the office floor, shot three times in the chest by the motel's manager, Bertha Franklin.
Franklin told police that she shot and killed Cooke in self-defence because he had attacked her.
Police found Cooke's body in Franklin's apartment-office, clad only in a sports jacket and shoes, but no shirt, pants or underwear.
The shooting was ultimately ruled a justifiable homicide.

The Mysterious Death of Sam Cooke (performingsongwriter.com)

 

On this Day - 11th December:
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1951 Joe DiMaggio


- - - announces his retirement from baseball
Known as "Joltin' Joe" and "The Yankee Clipper", marrying Marilyn Monroe added to his fame. =
DiMaggio was the heart of the Yankees and the greatest center fielder to play the game.
He was a money player with few equals who rarely faltered when the chips were down.
Born: November 25th, 1914 - Birthplace: Martinez, California, USA
Died: March 8th, 1999 (aged 84) - Cause of Death: Lung cancer

Joe DiMaggio - Wikipedia

 

On this Day - 11th December:
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1964 Che Guevara
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- - - speaks at the United Nations General Assembly in New York City
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Homeland or Death! Che Guevara's historic speech at the UN in 1964 | Jornalistas Livres
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Against the background of Bombing attack as an unknown terrorist fires a mortar shell at the building during the speech.
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The Day Anti-Castro Forces Tried to Bomb the UN Building... | CUBADIPLOMATICA

 

On this Day - 12th December:
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1694 The Royal Society censures Edmond Halley



Halley suggested in a paper titled 'Some considerations about the cause of the universal deluge' that the story of Noah's flood could be an account of a cometary impact

Edmond Halley - Wikipedia
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1902 Theodor Mommsen



The German historian is awarded the Nobel prize for Literature for "his historical writing with special reference to his monumental work, "A History of Rome"s awarded the Nobel prize for Literature for "his historical writing with special reference to his monumental work, "A History of Rome"
Theodor Mommsen - Wikipedia

 

On this Day - 12th December:
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1946 UN accepts 6 Manhattan blocks as a gift from John D. Rockefeller Jr


Trygve Lie, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, received from John D. Rockefeller III, on behalf of his father, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., a cheque for $8,500,000 for the purchase of the 6-block Manhattan East River site where the United Nations will build its permanent Headquarters.

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1959 UN Committee on Peaceful Use of Outer Space is established



The Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) was set up by the General Assembly in 1959 to govern the exploration and use of space for the benefit of all humanity: for peace, security and development.
-. The Committee was instrumental in the creation of the five treaties and five principles of outer space.
The permanent body, which had 24 members at the time, reaffirmed its mandate in resolution 1472 (XIV).
Since then, COPUOS has been serving as a focal point for international cooperation in the peaceful exploration and use of outer space, maintaining close contacts with governmental and non-governmental organizations concerned with outer space activities, providing for exchange of information relating to outer space activities and assisting in the study of measures for the promotion of international cooperation in those activities.

 

The Klingons will certainly have something to say about that.

 

On this Day - 12th December:
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1957 - Jerry Lee Lewis
Still married to his first wife Jane Mitcham, Jerry Lee Lewis secretly married his 13-year old second cousin Myra Gale Brown.
. . . .

When Lewis arrived in London for a 37-date tour in May 1958, Brown revealed to a reporter at the airport that she was his wife.
Lewis asserted that Brown was 15 years old and was his wife of two months.
Lewis's personal life was hidden from the public until a May 1958 British tour where Ray Berry, a news agency reporter at London's Heathrow Airport learned about Lewis's third wife.
The publicity caused an uproar and the tour was canceled after only three concerts.
The marraige lasted 12 years.
Jerry Lee Lewis - Wikipedia
Myra Gale Brown - Wikipedia
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1967 - Brian Jones


Rolling Stone Brian Jones was given 3 years probation and a £1,000 fine for drug offences.
Three psychiatrists agreed that Jones was an extremely frightened young man with suicidal tendencies.

BBC ON THIS DAY | 12 | 1967: Stones guitarist escapes jail for drugs

 

On this Day - 12th December:
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2001 - Arthur Lee

Arthur Lee guitarist and singer from Love, was released from prison after serving almost six years of an eleven-year sentence.
Lee had been convicted of possession of a firearm and for allegedly shooting a gun in the air during a dispute with a neighbour.
Former bandmates Bryan MacLean and Ken Forssi both died while Lee was incarcerated, ending any speculation as to a full-fledged Love reunion.
Albeit that Lee made an appearance at the Glastonbury 2003 festival



Arthur Lee & Love: Forever Changes at Glastonbury 2003 - Media Centre (bbc.co.uk)

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2008 - The Rolling Stones
The town where Mick Jagger and Keith Richards grew up announced it was to name streets in a new estate after Rolling Stones hits.
The 13 streets in Dartford, Kent, were to be given names such as Angie Mews, Babylon Close, Sympathy Street, Little Red Walk and Satisfaction Street.

* Leader of the council, Jeremy Kite, said he thought Ruby Tuesday Drive sounded a "fantastic" place to live, but police were concerned the street signs might be stolen by fans.

 

On this Day - 12th December:
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2012 - Superstorm Sandy Concert



The Rolling Stones, The Who, Michael Stipe, Chris Martin, Bruce Springsteen and Roger Waters played at Madison Square Garden and raised over $30m (£18.6m) at a benefit gig in New York for those affected by superstorm Sandy which had caused the deaths of 120 people when it hit the Caribbean and US in October of this year.
The surviving members of Nirvana, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic, also joined Sir Paul McCartney on stage to perform.

12-12-12: The Concert for Sandy Relief - Wikipedia