This Day in History

On Dec. 14, 2012, a gunman with a semiautomatic rifle killed 20 first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, then took his own life as police arrived; the 20-year-old fatally shot his mother at their home before the school attack.

Also on this date:

In 1799, the first president of the United States, George Washington, died at his Mount Vernon, Virginia, home at age 67.

In 1819, Alabama was admitted to the Union as the 22nd U.S. state.

In 1903, Wilbur Wright made the first attempt to fly the Wright Flyer but climbed steeply, stalled the aircraft and dove into the sand on North Carolina's Outer Banks. Three days later on Dec. 17, his brother Orville would make history with the first successful controlled, powered flight.

In 1911, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen (ROH'-ahl AH'-mun-suhn) and his team became the first men to reach the South Pole, beating out a British expedition led by Robert F. Scott by 33 days.

In 1964, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States, ruled Congress was within its authority to enforce the Civil Rights Act of 1964 against racial discrimination by private businesses (in this case, a motel that refused to cater to Blacks).

In 1995, the Dayton Accords were formally signed in Paris, ending the Bosnian war that had claimed over 200,000 lives and forced 2 million people from their homes over three years.

In 2020, the largest vaccination campaign in U.S. history began with health workers getting shots on the same day the nation's COVID-19 death toll hit 300,000.

In 2021, Stephen Curry set a new NBA career 3-point record; the Golden State Warriors guard made his 2,974th 3-point shot against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

In 2024, South Korea's parliament impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his stunning and short-lived martial law decree, ending days of political paralysis as jubilant crowds celebrated the pro-democratic move.

Today's Birthdays: Tennis Hall of Famer Stan Smith is 79. Actor Dee Wallace is 77. Rock musician Cliff Williams (AC/DC) is 76. Baseball Hall of Famer Craig Biggio is 60. Actor and comedian Miranda Hart is 53. Actor Natascha McElhone is 54. Actor Jackson Rathbone is 41. Actor Vanessa Hudgens is 37. Rapper Offset is 34. Singer Tori Kelly is 33. NFL wide receiver DK Metcalf is 28.