By The Associated Press

Today in History

Today is Tuesday, Dec. 14, the 348th day of 2021. There are 17 days left in the year.

Todayís Highlight in History:

On Dec. 14, 2020, the Electoral College decisively confirmed Joe Biden as the nationís next president, ratifying his November victory in a state-by-state repudiation of President Donald Trumpís refusal to concede he had lost; electors gave Biden 306 votes to Trumpís 232. Speaking from Delaware, Biden accused Trump of threatening core principles of democracy, but told Americans that their form of self-government had ìprevailed.î A divided Wisconsin Supreme Court rejected Trumpís lawsuit seeking to overturn his loss in the battleground state about an hour before the Electoral College cast Wisconsinís 10 votes for Biden.

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 joined the Union as the 22nd state.

In 1861, Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, died at Windsor Castle at age 42.

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

In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson vetoed an immigration measure aimed at preventing ìundesirablesî and anyone born in the ìAsiatic Barred Zoneî from entering the U.S. (Congress overrode Wilsonís veto in February 1917.)

In 1939, the Soviet Union was expelled from the League of Nations for invading Finland.

In 1961, a school bus was hit by a passenger train at a crossing near Greeley, Colorado, killing 20 students.

— — —