December 10 has been Nobel Prize Day since 1901, but the date also marks other significant achievements.
The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Paris. The landmark document, drafted by Eleanor Roosevelt's committee, established fundamental human rights for all people.
The first Nobel Prizes were awarded in Stockholm on the fifth anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death. The prizes in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and peace became the world's most prestigious honors.
The world's first traffic signal, a gas-lit semaphore, was installed outside the Houses of Parliament in London. It exploded a month later, injuring a police officer, and was not replaced for decades.
The Swedish inventor of dynamite and founder of the Nobel Prizes died in San Remo, Italy. His will, dedicating most of his fortune to prizes for achievement, surprised the world.
South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu received the Nobel Peace Prize for his nonviolent struggle against apartheid. Tutu's moral leadership helped guide South Africa's peaceful transition to democracy.
Mississippi was admitted to the Union as the 20th state. The state's fertile cotton lands and reliance on slave labor would make it central to the antebellum Southern economy.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern responded to the White Island volcanic eruption that killed 22 people. Her compassionate leadership during crises became a hallmark of her premiership.