Today in history

1620: The Mayflower reached Provincetown, Mass. The ship discharged the Pilgrims at Plymouth, Mass., on Dec. 26, 1620.

1694: French author and philosopher Jean Francois Voltaire was born. At age 65 he spent only three days writing “Candide.”

1783: The first successful flight was made in a hot air balloon. The pilots, Francois Pilatre de Rosier and Francois Laurent, Marquis d’arlandes, flew for 25 minutes and five and a half miles over Paris.

1877: Thomas A. Edison announced the invention of his phonograph.

1922: Rebecca L. Felton of Georgia was sworn in as the first woman to serve as a member of the U.S. Senate.

1929: Spanish surrealist Salvador Dali had his first art exhibit.