History

Here's a look at some notable birthdays being celebrated today: Ralph Fiennes Age: 50 Occupation: Actor Known For: Playing Lord Voldemort in the 'Harry Potter' film series, giving Oscar-nominated performances in 'The English Patient' and 'Schindler's List,' and a 2007 incident in which he joined the Mile High Club with a Qantas flight attendant

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1620: William Bradford and the Mayflower Pilgrims land on what is now known as Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts (more info) 1898: Pierre and Marie Curie discover radium (more info)

Here's a look at some notable birthdays being celebrated today: Samuel L. Jackson Age: 64 Occupation: Actor Known For: Appearing in more than 100 movies, most notably 'Pulp Fiction,' the 'Star Wars' prequel trilogy and 'Snakes on a Plane,' being an avid golfer, and his hilariously and famously foul mouth

As you may have heard it's the "end of the world" December 21. Some of you may remember and others may not, but in the 1980s it was the end of the of the cold war.

Here's a look at some notable birthdays being celebrated today: Jonah Hill Age: 29 Occupation: Actor, Screenwriter and Comedian Known For: Roles in films like 'Superbad,' 'Knocked Up,' 'Funny People,' 'Get Him to the Greek' and 'Moneyball', and creating the short-lived cartoon 'Allen Gregory'

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1803: The Louisiana Purchase is completed at a ceremony in New Orleans (more info) 1860: South Carolina becomes the first state to secede from the United States (more info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1776: Thomas Paine publishes one of a series of pamphlets in the Pennsylvania Journal titled 'The American Crisis' (more info) 1777: George Washington's Continental Army goes into winter quarters at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania (more info)

Here's a look at some notable birthdays being celebrated today:   Jake Gyllenhaal Age: 32 Occupation: Actor Known For: Roles in films like 'Donnie Darko,' 'The Day After Tomorrow' and 'Jarhead,' earning an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor as Jack Twist in the film 'Brokeback Mountain,' being the little brother of actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, and previous relationships with Kirsten

- Bruno Mars has tied Justin Timberlake and Nelly's record for the most No.1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 by a male artist.

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1903: Near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Orville and Wilbur Wright make history's first successful flight in a self-propelled, heavier-than-air aircraft (more info) 1944: The U.S. Army announces the end of its policy of holding Japanese-Americans in internment camps, allowing "evacuees" to return home (more in

Here's a look at some notable birthdays being celebrated today: Milla Jovovich Age: 37 Occupation: Actress and Model Known For: Appearing in 'Dazed and Confused,' 'The Fifth Element,' and 'The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc,' starring in the film adaptation of the video game 'Resident Evil,' and founding the production company Creature Entertainment

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1799: President George Washington dies at the age of 67 (more info) 1903: The Wright brothers make their first attempt to fly with the Wright Flyer in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina (more info)

Here's a look at some notable birthdays being celebrated today: Vanessa Hudgens Age: 24 Occupation: Actress and Singer Known For: Her portrayal of Gabriella Montez in the 'High School Musical' franchise, roles in other films like 'Thirteen' and 'Bandslam,' a previous relationship with her 'HSM' co-star Zac Efron, and a scandal caused by self-taken nudie shots being leaked on the Internet without h

Here's a look at some notable birthdays being celebrated today: Taylor Swift Age: 23 Occupation: Singer, Songwriter and Musician Known For: Selling eleventymillion albums and singles, winning a boatload of Grammys and CMA awards, being all-around cultural phenomenon, and her endless string of celebrity boyfriends

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1577: Sir Francis Drake sets out from Plymouth, England, on his round-the-world voyage (more info) 1862: At the Battle of Fredericksburg, Confederate General Robert E. Lee defeats the Union Major General Ambrose E. Burnside in a decisive loss for the Union army (more info)

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history: 1901: Italian physicist and radio pioneer Guglielmo Marconi succeeds in sending the first radio transmission across the Atlantic Ocean (more info) 1913: Two years after it was stolen from the Louvre museum in Paris, Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece 'The Mona Lisa' is recovered inside Italian waiter Vincenzo Peruggia's