TODAY IN HISTORY

Wednesday, December  14, 2011 AP Highlight in History:  On Dec. 14, 1799, George Washington, the first president of the United States, died at his Mount Vernon, Va., home at age 67.
On this date in: 1819 Alabama joined the Union as the 22nd state. 1861 Prince Albert, husband of Britain's Queen Victoria, died in London. 1911 Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen became the first man to reach the South Pole. 1946 The United Nations General Assembly voted to establish the U.N. headquarters in New York City. 1979 The album "London Calling" by the Clash was released. 1981 Israel annexed the Golan Heights, seized from Syria in 1967. 1985 Wilma Mankiller became the first woman to lead a major American Indian tribe as she took office as principal chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. 1993 A Colorado judge struck down as unconstitutional the state's voter-approved ban on gay rights laws. 2000 The Federal Trade Commission unanimously approved the $111 billion merger of America Online and Time Warner. 2006 South Korea's Ban Ki-moon was sworn in as the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations. AP Photo/Frank Franklin II 2008 An Iraqi journalist threw his shoes at President George W. Bush during a news conference in Baghdad; Bush was not hit.		Video Highlights of This Day in History Today's Birthdays: Actress Vanessa Hudgens ("High School Musical" movies) turns 23 years old today. AP Photo/Denis Poroy Name Profession Age Patty Duke Actress 65 Michael Ovitz Former Walt Disney Co. president 65 Stan Smith Tennis Hall of Famer 65 Craig Biggio Baseball player 46 Natascha McElhone Actress ("Californication") 42 Patty Schnyder Tennis player 33 Actress KaDee Strickland ("Private Practice") turns 36 years old today. AP Photo/Jeff Christensen