In History, Today on December 10

SpaceX launched its Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, deploying a batch of 40 satellites for the OneWeb project, which aims to provide global broadband coverage.

A series of destructive tornadoes struck several U.S. states, with Kentucky being the hardest hit. The tornado outbreak resulted in significant loss of life and property damage, marking it as one of the deadliest in the region's history for that time of year.

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel endorsed the emergency use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, paving the way for its approval and distribution.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) hands down a four-year ban to Russia from all major global sports events, including the Olympics, over doping scandal cover-ups. Russian athletes can still compete as neutrals if cleared by WADA.

The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) for its work to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons and for its groundbreaking efforts to achieve a treaty-based prohibition of such weapons.

Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition, although he did not attend the ceremony.

The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded jointly to Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education.

Venezuela holds regional elections, showcasing strong support for then-President Hugo Chávez, who was undergoing cancer treatment at the time. Despite his absence, his party, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, won the majority of governorships.

The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Liu Xiaobo for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in China.

The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Barack Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.

The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and Al Gore for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate change.

The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank for their efforts to create economic and social development from below through microcredit.

The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the United Nations and its Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, for their work for a better organized and more peaceful world.

American immunologist Stanley B. Prusiner was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering prions, a new biological principle of infection.

South African President Nelson Mandela signed the new constitution into law, establishing a democratic government.

Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres, and Yitzhak Rabin received the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to create peace in the Middle East, particularly through the Oslo Accords.

Nelson Mandela and F.W. de Klerk were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts to peacefully end apartheid and establish a new democratic South Africa.

South African Bishop Desmond Tutu received the Nobel Peace Prize for his role as a unifying leader in the campaign to resolve the problem of apartheid in South Africa.

Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work in overcoming poverty and distress in Calcutta, India, which constitute a threat to peace.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. received the Nobel Peace Prize for his nonviolent struggle against racial segregation and discrimination in the United States.

Ralph Bunche became the first African American to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his mediation in Israel in the late 1940s.

The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a milestone document in the history of human rights.

Edward VIII signed the Instrument of Abdication, renouncing the British throne to marry Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee.

Thailand celebrated its first Constitution Day commemorating the adoption of the country's first permanent constitution a few months earlier.

President Theodore Roosevelt became the first American to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in negotiating the end of the Russo-Japanese War.

The first Nobel Prizes were awarded in Stockholm, Sweden, in the fields of Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature, and Peace, in accordance with the will of Alfred Nobel.

The Treaty of Paris was signed, officially ending the Spanish-American War. Spain relinquished its claims over Cuba and ceded Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to the United States.

The first traffic lights were installed outside the Houses of Parliament in London. The lights resembled railway signals with semaphore arms and were illuminated at night by red and green gas lamps.

The first edition of 'The Illustrated London News' was published, making it the world's first illustrated weekly newspaper.

Joseph Lister, a British surgeon and pioneer of antiseptic surgery, was born.

Mississippi was admitted as the 20th state of the United States of America.

Isaac Newton's influential work, 'Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica' (commonly known as the Principia), was first presented to the Royal Society in London by Edmond Halley. The Principia provided a comprehensive mathematical framework for the physics of motion and gravitation, forming the foundation for classical mechanics.

Martin Luther publicly burned the papal bull Exsurge Domine, which threatened him with excommunication unless he recanted his views. This act was a significant moment in the Protestant Reformation.

The Peace of Fexhe is signed, marking a significant event in the history of the Liège region as it attempted to resolve ongoing disputes between the Prince-Bishop and local nobility and burghers.

Michael IV, the Byzantine Emperor, dies. Following his death, his nephew Michael V is proclaimed emperor in Constantinople, marking a continuation of the Macedonian dynasty.

Byzantine Emperor John I Tzimiskes enters Antioch, marking a significant moment in the Byzantine-Arab Wars.