December 10
Overview
Holidays & Observances
Alfred Nobel DayorNobeldagen(Sweden)
Each year on December 10th, Sweden celebrates Alfred Nobel Day to honor the legacy of the Nobel Prize and its founder.
Christianfeast day:
Behnam, Sarah, and the Forty Martyrs(Syriac Orthodox Church), Eulalia of Mérida, Karl Barth(Episcopal Church (USA)), Thomas Merton(Episcopal Church (USA)), Translation of the Holy House of Loreto, December 10 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
Several Christian traditions observe multiple feast days honoring saints and martyrs on December 10th.
Constitution Day (Thailand)
Constitution Day in Thailand marks the 1932 adoption of the nation’s first permanent constitution.
Human Rights Day(International)
Human Rights Day is observed worldwide on December 10th to honor the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Behnam, Sarah, and the Forty Martyrs(Syriac Orthodox Church)
The Syriac Orthodox Church honors Behnam, Sarah, and the Forty Martyrs for their steadfast faith in the 4th century.
Eulalia of Mérida
Saint Eulalia of Mérida is commemorated for her unwavering faith and martyrdom during the Diocletian persecutions.
Karl Barth(Episcopal Church (USA))
The Episcopal Church commemorates theologian Karl Barth for his influential contributions to modern theology.
Thomas Merton(Episcopal Church (USA))
The Episcopal Church honors Thomas Merton, renowned Trappist monk and spiritual writer, on this day.
Translation of the Holy House of Loreto
Catholics celebrate the miraculous translation of the Holy House of Loreto from Nazareth to Italy.
Events
The Nyköping Banquet: King Birger of Sweden treacherously seizes his two brothers, dukes Valdemar and Erik, who are subsequently starved to death in the dungeon of Nyköping Castle.
In 1317, King Birger of Sweden lured his brothers to a banquet at Nyköping Castle and imprisoned them, where they died of starvation.
The League of Cambrai is formed by Pope Julius II, Louis XII of France, Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor and Ferdinand II of Aragon as an alliance against Venice.
In 1508, Pope Julius II, Louis XII of France, Maximilian I, and Ferdinand II of Aragon formed the League of Cambrai to challenge Venetian power in Italy.
Martin Luther burns his copy of the papal bull Exsurge Domine outside Wittenberg's Elster Gate.
On December 10, 1520, Martin Luther publicly burned Pope Leo X's bull Exsurge Domine in Wittenberg, defiantly rejecting the papal decree.
Thomas Culpeper and Francis Dereham are executed for having affairs with Catherine Howard, Queen of England and wife of Henry VIII.
In 1541, Thomas Culpeper and Francis Dereham were executed for their secret affairs with Queen Catherine Howard, wife of King Henry VIII.
Defeat at the Battle of Dungeness causes the Commonwealth of England to reform its navy.
A decisive defeat at the Battle of Dungeness on December 10, 1652, exposed weaknesses in the English Commonwealth navy and spurred major reforms.
The Royal Netherlands Marine Corps is founded by Michiel de Ruyter.
Michiel de Ruyter founded the Korps Mariniers, the precursor to the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps, on December 10, 1665.
Isaac Newton's derivation of Kepler's laws from his theory of gravity, contained in the paper De motu corporum in gyrum, is read to the Royal Society by Edmond Halley.
On December 10, 1684, Edmond Halley presented Isaac Newton's paper deriving Kepler's laws from his theory of gravity to the Royal Society.
The first edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica is published.
The first edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica was published in Edinburgh on December 10, 1768, heralding a new era of accessible knowledge.
France adopts the metre as its official unit of length.
France adopted the metre as its official unit of length on December 10, 1799, pioneering the metric system.
Births
Houzhu
Last emperor of the Chen dynasty in southern China.
Edmund Mortimer
English nobleman and key rebel during the reign of Henry IV.
Johannes Stöffler
German mathematician and astronomer known for his influential work on ephemerides and astronomical instruments.
Anne de Mowbray
English noblewoman who became the 8th Countess of Norfolk at a young age.
Gaston of Foix
French nobleman and military commander renowned for his swift victories during the Italian Wars.
Isaac Beeckman
Dutch scientist and philosopher known for pioneering studies in mechanics and early modern natural philosophy.
Adriaen van Ostade
Dutch Golden Age painter celebrated for his genre scenes of peasant life.
Giovanni Gioseffo dal Sole
Italian Baroque painter renowned for ornate religious and historical frescoes.
Lancelot Blackburne
English clergyman who served as Archbishop of York, noted for his colorful career and rumored privateering.
Deaths
Sancho I
Sancho I was a 10th-century monarch who ruled the Kingdom of Pamplona in the Iberian Peninsula.
Herman I
Herman I was a 10th-century duke who governed the Swabian duchy in what is now southwestern Germany.
Folcmar
Folcmar was a medieval bishop who led the diocese of Utrecht in the late 10th century.
Michael IV the Paphlagonian
Michael IV was a Byzantine emperor whose reign was marked by palace intrigue and the influence of his wife.
Nikephoros III Botaneiates
Nikephoros III was a Byzantine general who became emperor before being overthrown during the Komnenian restoration.
Radwan
Radwan was a Seljuk emir who governed Aleppo, defending it against Crusader attacks in the early 12th century.
Stephen I
Stephen I was a medieval duke who ruled Bavaria and participated in the politics of the Holy Roman Empire.
Ignatius Behnam Hadloyo
Ignatius Behnam Hadloyo was a leading 15th-century patriarch who guided the Syriac Orthodox Church.
Paolo Uccello
Paolo Uccello was an Italian Renaissance painter celebrated for his pioneering work on perspective.