Sunday Open Thread: December 10 is Human Rights Day

World History this day 1510 -- The Portuguese conquered Goa 1861 -- Vietnamese anti-colonial guerrillas sunk the French L'Esperance 1936 -- Edward VIII signed the Instrument of Abdication. 1948 -- The Human Rights Convention is signed by the United Nations. 1979 -- Taiwanese pro-democracy demonstrations were suppressed by the KMT dictatorship 1984 -- United Nations General Assembly recognized the Convention against Torture, heh 1996 -- The new Constitution of South Africa was promulgated by Nelson Mandela.

US History this day 1817 -- Mississippi became the 20th U.S. state 1864 -- Sherman's forces reached the outer defenses of Savannah, Georgia 1898 -- The Treaty of Paris ended the Spanish-American War

Science & Technology this day 1799 -- France adopted the metre

The Arts this day 1884 -- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was published 1896 -- Ubu Roi premiered in Paris, followed by a riot 1909 -- Selma Lagerlof became the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature 1953 -- Winston Churchill received the Nobel Prize in literature.

Misc. this day 1520 -- Martin Luther burnt his copy of the papal bull Exsurge Domine

Birthdays of Note this day

1787 -- Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, educator, founded the American School for the Deaf 1804 -- Carl Gustav Jacob Jacobi, mathematician 1805 -- William Lloyd Garrison, journalist and activist who founded The Liberator 1815 -- Ada Lovelace, mathematician and computer scientist 1830 -- Emily Dickinson, poet 1851 -- Melvil Dewey, a very systemic librarian (filed under 927) 1882 -- Otto Neurath, philosopher (Vienna Circle) 1908 -- Olivier Messiaen, composer and ornithologist 1911 -- Chet Huntley, journalist 1913 -- Ray Nance, trumpeter, violinist, and singer (OK, that's a new combo) 1914 -- Dorothy Lamour, actress and singer 1924 -- Ken Albers, singer and musician 1926 -- Guitar Slim, singer, songwriter, guitarist 1946 -- Ace Kefford, bass player 1948 -- Jessica Cleaves, singer and songwriter 1951 -- Johnny Rodriguez, singer, songwriter, guitarist 1957 -- Paul Hardcastle, composer and producer 1961 -- Nia Peeples, singer and actress 1963 -- Ole Amund Gjersvik, bassist and composer 1965 -- J Mascis, singer, songwriter and guitarist 1974 -- Meg White, drummer 1980 -- Sarah Chang, violinist

Deaths of Note this day

1665 -- Tarquinio Merula, organist, violinist, and composer 1831 -- Thomas Johann Seebeck, physicist 1896 -- Alfred Nobel, chemist and engineer 1909 -- Red Cloud, tribal chief 1920 -- Horace Elgin Dodge, co-founder of Dodge 1946 -- Damon Runyon, newspaperman and writer 1967 -- Otis Redding, singer, songwriter and producer 1987 -- Jascha Heifetz, fiddle player 1996 -- Faron Young, singer, songwriter, guitarist 1999 -- Rick Danko, singer, songwriter, bass player, producer 2013 -- Jim Hall, guitarist and composer

So now some music

Mississippi

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