1799

The first president of the United States, George Washington, died at his Mount Vernon, Virginia, home at age 67.

1911

Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen and his team became the first men to reach the South Pole, beating out a British expedition led by Robert F. Scott.

1964

The U.S. Supreme Court, in Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States, ruled that Congress was within its authority to enforce the Civil Rights Act of 1964 against racial discrimination by private businesses.

2012

A gunman with a semiautomatic rifle killed 20 first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, then took his own life as police arrived.

2020

The Electoral College confirmed Joe Biden as the nation’s next president, ratifying his November victory in a repudiation of President Donald Trump’s refusal to concede; electors gave Biden 306 votes to Trump’s 232.

Birthdays

Tennis Hall of Famer Stan Smith is 78. Actor Dee Wallace is 76. Rock musician Cliff Williams (AC/DC) is 74. Former FBI Director James Comey is 64. Baseball Hall of Famer Craig Biggio is 59. Actor Natascha McElhone is 53. Actor Jackson Rathbone is 40. Actor Vanessa Hudgens is 36.