December 10 Birthday
On December 10, 1948, the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Paris. The declaration was drafted by a committee chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt. It was the first global statement of fundamental human rights. It has been translated into 500 languages — more than any other document. The declaration is not legally binding, but it has influenced over sixty national constitutions and countless treaties. It states: "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights." Emily Dickinson, born this day in 1830, wrote nearly 1,800 poems, only ten of which were published during her lifetime. She rarely left her house in Amherst, Massachusetts, and became increasingly reclusive. Her poems were discovered by her sister after her death. They were unconventional — using dashes, unconventional capitalization, and slant rhyme. She is now considered one of the greatest American poets. People born on December 10 fall under the zodiac sign of Sagittarius. The birthstone is Tanzanite and the birth flower is Holly. Historical events on December 10 include 1896: Alfred Nobel dies in San Remo, Italy, 1898: Treaty of Paris ends Spanish-American War, 1948: UN General Assembly adopts Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Famous people born on December 10 include Ada Lovelace (1815), Emily Dickinson (1830), Kenneth Branagh (1960).