December 10: Holidays, Historical Events, Famous Birthdays & Zodiac Sign
Every December 10 since 1901, the world's brightest minds have gathered in Stockholm to receive the Nobel Prize — all because Alfred Nobel's will demanded it.
About December 10
December 10 is a day that bridges intellectual triumph and quirky remembrance. It marks Nobel Prize Day, when laureates in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and peace are honored in Stockholm — a tradition dating to 1901 and funded by the fortune of Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, who famously never married and devoted his life to invention and peace advocacy.
It is also Human Rights Day, commemorating the 1948 adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations General Assembly — a document drafted under the guidance of Eleanor Roosevelt that still serves as a cornerstone of international dignity and freedom.
Amid the high-minded observances, the day also offers lighter fare: the Dewey Decimal System honors library classification, National Lager Day toasts the world's most popular beer style, and the Festival for the Souls of Dead Whales provides a surreal moment of cetacean remembrance. December 10 invites celebration on every scale.
Fun & National Days on December 10
- Dewey Decimal System Day — Visit your local library and see if you can still find your favorite book using nothing but those classic numerical call signs.
- Festival for the Souls of Dead Whales — Pause to honor the majestic cetaceans of the sea with a moment of silent, slightly surreal gratitude for their existence.
- Human Rights Day — Read the Universal Declaration aloud with friends — thirty short articles that still define what dignity means for everyone everywhere.
- National Lager Day — Raise a crisp, cold glass of the world's most popular beer style and toast its centuries of bottom-fermented tradition.
- Nobel Prize Day — Celebrate humanity's brightest achievements by reading up on this year's laureates and their remarkable contributions to the world.