Today's Highlight in History:
Two hundred years ago, on December 14th, 1799, the first president of the United States, George Washington, died at his Mount Vernon home at age 67.

On this date:
In 1819, Alabama joined the Union as the 22nd state.

In 1861, Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, died in London.

In 1911, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen became the first man to reach the South Pole, beating out压倒，胜过 an expedition led by Robert F. Scott.

In 1939, the Soviet¹ Union was dropped from the League of Nations国际联盟.

In 1946, the United Nations General Assembly voted to establish UN headquarters in New York.

In 1962, the US space probe "Mariner² Two" approached Venus, transmitting information about the planet.

In 1980, fans around the world paid tribute to称赞，歌颂 John Lennon, six days after he was shot to death in New York City.

In 1981, Israel annexed³附加 the Golan Heights, which it had seized from Syria in 1967.

In 1986, the experimental aircraft "Voyager," piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, took off起飞，离开 from Edwards Air Force Base in California on the first non-stop, non-refueled flight around the world.

In 1988, President Reagan authorized⁴ the US to enter into a "substantive⁵大量的，实质的 dialogue" with the Palestine Liberation Organization, after chairman Yasser Arafat said he was renouncing宣布放弃 "all forms of terrorism."

Ten years ago: Nobel Peace laureate桂冠诗人，得奖者 Andrei D. Sakharov died in Moscow at age 68.

Five years ago: A federal judge granted a preliminary injunction命令，禁令 blocking almost all of Proposition 187's bans affecting illegal immigrants in California. Former Arkansas Governor Orval E. Faubus, whose refusal to let nine black students into Little Rock's Central High School in 1957 forced President Eisenhower to send in federal troops, died at age 84.

One year ago: President Clinton stood witness as hundreds of Palestinian leaders renounced⁷ a call for the destruction of Israel.