Today in History - December 14th

1503 - On this day in history, physician, astrologer and clairvoyant Nostradamus was born at St. Remy, Provence, France.
1819 - Alabama joined the Union as the 22nd state.
1911 - Today in history, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen became the first man to reach the South Pole.
1945 - Josef Kramer, known as "the beast of Belsen," and 10 others were executed in Hamelin for the crimes they committed at the Belsen and Auschwitz Nazi concentration camps.
1946 - On this day in history, The U.N. General Assembly voted to establish the United Nation's headquarters in New York City.
1985 - Wilma Mankiller became the first woman to lead a major American Indian tribe, when she took office as principal chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.

SCIENCE, INVENTIONS, PATENTS - Today in History, December 14th

1798 - Today in history, David Wilkinson of Rhode Island patented the nut and bolt machine.
1900 - Professor Max Planck of Berlin University revealed his revolutionary Quantum Theory.
1903 - On this day in history, Orville Wright made the first attempt at powered flight. The engine stalled during take-off and the plane was damaged. After repairs were made, the modern aviation age was born when the plane stayed aloft for 12 seconds and flew 102 feet.
1962 - The USA space probe Mariner II approached Venus. It transmitted information about the planet's atmosphere and surface temperature.
1988 - Today in history, the first transatlantic underwater fiber-optic cable went into service.
1995 - AIDS patient Jeff Getty received the first-ever bone-marrow transplant from a baboon.

1984 - On this day in history, Howard Cosell retired from Monday Night Football.
1997 - Mike Gartner (Phoenix Coyotes) became only the fifth player in NHL history to score 700 career goals.

1962 - Today in history, Bob Dylan's first single, "Mixed-Up Confusion", was released.
1966 - The Elvis Presley film "Spinout" premiered.
1977 - On this day in history, "Saturday Night Fever" premiered in New York City.
1980 - Yoko Ono called for a 10-minute silent vigil around the world for John Lennon, her husband, who was shot to death six days earlier. Over 100,000 people went to Central Park in New York for the vigil.
1986 - Today in history, Elton John recorded a live version of "Candle in the Wind" that would later be released as a single.
1991 - Michael Jackson's "Dangerous" debuts at No. 1 on Billboard's pop albums chart.
1995 - On this day in history, classified documents from the White House that revealed the FBI had spied on John Lennon and his anti-war activities during '70s, in a possible attempt to have Lennon deported, were released.