A Norwegian expedition became the first to ever reach the geographical South Pole – led by Roald Amundsen.
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The Mariner 2 space probe completed the first-ever flyby of Venus.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens, directed by J.J. Abrams, had its world premiere at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles.
The European Union formally opened accession negotiations with Ukraine.
At 2 PM EST, there was a 10 minute moment of silence in memory of John Lennon.
Philadelphia premiered in Century City, California. It was one of the first mainstream films about AIDS, directed by Jonathan Demme.
