December 10

This Day in History

Also on This Day

Lead Story
First Nobel Prizes awarded, 1901
American Revolution
John Jay is elected president of the Continental Congress, 1778
Automotive
Ford builds its 1 millionth car, 1915
Civil War
Sherman arrives in front of Savannah, 1864
Cold War
Soviets arrest dissidents on United Nations Human Rights Day, 1977
Crime
Frank Sinatra Jr. endures a frightening ordeal, 1963
Disaster
Music star dies in Wisconsin plane crash, 1967
General Interest
Treaty of Paris ends Spanish-American War, 1898
Bunche receives Nobel Peace Prize, 1950
Sex scandal involving Arkansas politician, 1974
Hollywood
Mike Myers stars in Wayne's World 2, 1993
Avatar makes its world premiere, 2009
Literary
Emily Dickinson is born, 1830
Music
Soul legend Otis Redding dies in a plane crash near Madison, Wisconsin, 1967
Old West
Wyoming grants women the vote, 1869
Presidential
Wilson awarded Nobel Peace Prize, 1920
Sports
LaDainian Tomlinson breaks single-season touchdown record, 2006
Vietnam War
Calley trial defense begins, 1970
Breakthrough appears near in Paris peace talks, 1972
World War I
Red Cross is awarded Nobel Peace Prize, 1917
World War II
Japan becomes master of the Pacific and South China Sea, 1941

Hollywood

Dec 10, 2009:

Avatar makes its world premiere

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On this day in 2009, “Avatar,” a 3-D science-fiction epic helmed by “Titanic” director James Cameron, makes its world debut in London and goes on to become the highest-grossing movie in history.  Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana and Sigourney Weaver, the box-office mega-hit was praised for its state-of-the-art technology and earned nine Academy Award nominations, including best picture and best director.

Set in the year 2154, “Avatar” tells the story of disabled ex-Marine Jake Sully, who is recruited to help conquer and colonize Pandora, a faraway moon that is home to a mineral deposit coveted by people on Earth, whose energy resources are almost depleted. Pandora is inhabited by the Na’vi, a group of nature-loving, blue-skinned, half-alien/half-human creatures intent on protecting their own eco-system. (Cameron hired a linguist to create a unique language for the Na’vi.) Using an avatar to explore Pandora because the air there is toxic to humans, Jake falls in love with a Na’vi princess and goes native, eventually working to save the Na’vi from the human colonists.

Cameron wrote the script for “Avatar” in 1994; however, at that point the technology didn’t exist to produce the movie he wanted. In the meantime, he penned and directed “Titanic,” the 1997 blockbuster that garnered 11 Oscars and became the first film to gross more than $1 billion internationally. Prior to “Titanic,” Cameron helmed such hit films as “The Terminator” (1984), “Aliens” (1986) and “The Abyss” (1989), and became known for his imaginative use of special effects. In 2009, he told The New Yorker: “[‘Avatar’] integrates my life’s achievements…It’s the most complicated stuff anyone’s ever done.” Among the technologies used to make “Avatar” was performance capture, which turns an actor’s movements into a computer-generated image.

At the 82nd Academy Awards, held in March 2010, “Avatar” won Oscars for best visual effects, cinematography and art direction.

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This Week in History, Dec 10 - Dec 16

Dec 10, 1993
Mike Myers stars in Wayne's World 2
Dec 10, 2009
Avatar makes its world premiere
Dec 11, 1944
Tootsie actress Teri Garr born
Dec 12, 1967
Hepburn, Tracy and Poitier star in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
Dec 13, 1925
Dick Van Dyke born
Dec 14, 2005
King Kong remake debuts
Dec 15, 1993
Schindler’s List opens, wins Spielberg his first Oscar
Dec 16, 1977
Saturday Night Fever turns Travolta into movie star
Dec 16, 2010
"Larry King Live" ends after 25 years on CNN
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