View Historical Events by Day:
Explore the historical events that shaped our world on December 10th. From major milestones to cultural achievements, see what happened on this day in history. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
Note: Sources for the historical content shown, include research and reviews of relevant Online History Resources or printed material. When possible, we show a link to a source which provides additional or unique perspective about the event.
We do our best to provide accurate information but would appreciate being notified if any incorrect information is found. You may do so by using our Feedback link.
Martin Luther throws a copy of the Papal bull, Exsurge Domine (“Arise O Lord”) into a bonfire after the expiration of the period stipulated in the bull from Pope Leo X for Luther to recant his teachings.
Luther refused and continued to rebuke the papacy. As a result, Luther was excommunicated on Jan 3, 1521. More
%20-%20PD-R.jpg?auto=format,compress&fit=clip&max-w=1600)
Isaac Newton's manuscript "On the motion of bodies in an orbit"; (De Motu) which he had sent to Edmond Halley, is read to the Royal Society. The manuscript gave important mathematical derivations relating to the three relations now known as "Kepler's laws of planetary motion".
Before Newton's work, those derivations had not been generally regarded as scientific laws. After further encouragement from Halley, Newton went on to develop and write his book "Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica" (Principia) which includes nearly all of the manuscript content. More
The Encyclopedia Britannica is first published and advertised for sale in Edinburgh, Scotland on December 10, 1768. It is the oldest continuously published and revised work in the English language. More
The French revolutionary government declares the decimal-based metric system to be the official system of weights and measures on April 7, 1795. The system was developed by the Paris Academy of Sciences as part of the Revolution's move away from old royal traditions.
The metric system was based on natural constants (like the Earth's circumference for the meter) and decimal (base-10) multiples, simplifying calculations. It defined the meter (length), gram (mass), liter (volume), etc. Although officially decreed in 1795, public resistance and the complexity of its implementation slowed down its acceptance and implementation. It was made compulsory in 1840. The metric system went on to became the global standard, evolving into the International System of Units (SI).
Mississippi is admitted into the United States Union becoming the 20th State.
Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is first published in the United Kingdom and Canada on December 10, 1884, followed by the first U.S. edition on February 18, 1885. It was an extraordinary, celebrated and controversial book for its time. Written throughout in vernacular English and full of stark social commentary on racism and slavery in the pre-Civil War South,.
The Treaty of Paris is signed by representatives of Spain and the United States, concluding the Spanish-American War.
The first Five Nobel Prizes are presented on December 10, 1901, on the fifth anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death. In accordance to Nobel's will; the Peace Prize, was presented in Christiania, as Oslo was then called and the others in Stockholm.
Since then, the Nobel Prizes have been presented to new laureates at ceremonies on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death. More
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in Paris. A milestone document in the history of human rights, it sets out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected as a common standard of achievements for all peoples and all nations. More
The United Nations General Assembly adopts the Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
South African President Nelson Mandela signs a new constitution into law on December 10, 1996 that completes a transition from a long period of white minority rule (apartheid) to full-fledged democracy. More
