TODAY IN HISTORY

Saturday, December  10, 2011 AP Highlight in History:  On Dec. 10, 1964, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. received the Nobel Peace Prize during ceremonies in Oslo, Norway.   AP Photo
On this date in: 1520 Martin Luther publicly burned the papal edict demanding that he recant or face excommunication. 1817 Mississippi was admitted to the union as the 20th state. 1948 The U.N. General Assembly adopted its Universal Declaration on Human Rights. 1965 The Grateful Dead played their first concert, at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco. 1967 Singer Otis Redding died at age 26 in the crash of his private plane in Wisconsin. 1980 Rep. John W. Jenrette, D-S.C., resigned to avoid being expelled from the House following his conviction on charges related to the FBI's Abscam investigation. 1984 South African Bishop Desmond Tutu received the Nobel Peace Prize. 1994 Yasser Arafat, Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin received the Nobel Peace Prize. 1998 Six astronauts opened the doors to the new international space station. 1998 The Palestinian leadership scrapped constitutional clauses rejecting Israel's right to exist. 2001 "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," the first in a three-film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic fantasy trilogy, premiered in London. 2002 Former President Jimmy Carter accepted the Nobel Peace Prize for his diplomacy in the Middle East in the 1970s. 2007 Former Vice President Al Gore accepted the Nobel Peace Prize with a call for humanity to rise up against a looming climate crisis. 2007 NFL star Michael Vick was sentenced to 23 months in prison for bankrolling a dogfighting operation and killing dogs that underperformed. 2007 Cristina Fernandez was sworn in as Argentina's first elected female president. 2009 President Barack Obama accepted the Nobel Peace Prize with a humble acknowledgment of his scant accomplishments and a robust defense of the U.S. at war. 2009 James Cameron's 3-D film epic "Avatar" had its world premiere in London.		Video Highlights of This Day in History Today's Birthdays: Actor-director Kenneth Branagh turns 51 years old today. AP Photo/Dan Steinberg Name Profession Age John Boozman U.S. senator, R-Ark. 61 Susan Dey Actress ("L.A. Law," "The Partridge Family") 59 Rod Blagojevich Former governor of Illinois 55 Michael Clarke Duncan Actor 54 Nia Peeples Actress 50 Meg White Rock musician (The White Stripes) 37 Raven-Symone Actress ("That's So Raven," "The Cosby Show") 26 Actress Emmanuelle Chriqui turns 34 years old today. AP Photo/Evan Agostini