1. On December 10, 1864, during the Civil War, Union General William Tecumseh Sherman arrived in Savannah, Georgia, after his famous "March to the Sea." Sherman's army had cut a path of destruction through the heart of Georgia, and Savannah was one of the last major Confederate strongholds in the state. The city surrendered without a fight, and Sherman famously sent a message to President Abraham Lincoln that "I beg to present you, as a Christmas gift, the city of Savannah."

2. In 1935, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra gave its first performance on December 10. The orchestra, founded by Henry Sopkin, played a program of works by Bach, Brahms, Beethoven, and others at the Woodruff Arts Center. Today, the ASO is one of the most respected orchestras in the United States, with a repertoire that spans classical favorites and contemporary premieres.

3. On December 10, 1953, Ralph Bunche became the first African American to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Bunche, a diplomat and scholar who had been instrumental in negotiating an armistice in the Middle East conflict between Israel and its Arab neighbors, was awarded the prize "for his work as mediator in the Palestine conflict during the late 1940s."

4. In 1978, the Atlanta Hawks set an NBA record by defeating the Portland Trail Blazers 124-86 on December 10. The Hawks were led by Dominique Wilkins, who scored 24 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in the game. The win was the Hawks' 23rd in a row at home, a streak that would eventually reach 26 games.

5. On December 10, 1984, former Georgia Governor Lester Maddox died at the age of 69. Maddox had been a controversial figure in Georgia politics, gaining national attention in the 1960s for his opposition to desegregation. He was a segregationist who famously carried a pickaxe handle to chase away Black patrons at his restaurant. However, his time as governor was more moderate, and he oversaw a period of economic growth and development in the state.