Today in History – December 25 in History
What happened on this day in history – December 25 in History around the world
376 | In Milan, Ambrose, the Bishop of Milan, forces the emperor Theodosius to perform public penance for his massacre. | |
800 | The pope crowns Charlemagne emperor in Rome. | |
1066 | William I is crowned king of England. | |
1621 | The governor of New Plymouth prevents newcomers from playing cards. | |
1651 | The General Court of Boston levies a five shilling fine on anyone caught “observing any such day as Christmas.” | |
1776 | Patriot General George Washington crosses the Delaware River with 5,400 troops during the American Revolution. Washington hoped to surprise a Hessian force celebrating Christmas at their winter quarters in Trenton, New Jersey. | |
1861 | Stonewall Jackson spends Christmas with his wife; their last together. | |
1862 | John Hunt Morgan and his raiders clash with Union forces near Bear Wallow, Kentucky. | |
1862 | President and Mrs. Lincoln visit hospitals in the Washington D.C. area on this Christmas Day. | |
1912 | Italy lands troops in Albania to protect its interests during a revolt there. | |
1914 | German and British troops on the Western Front declare an unofficial truce to celebrate Christmas during World War I. | |
1918 | A revolt erupts in Berlin. | |
1925 | U.S. troops in Nicaragua disarm insurgents in support of the Diaz regime. | |
1927 | The Mexican congress opens land to foreign investors, reversing the 1917 ban enacted to preserve the domestic economy. | |
1939 | Finnish troops enter Soviet territory. | |
1941 | Free French troops occupy the French Islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon off the Canadian coast. | |
1944 | Prime Minister Winston Churchill goes to Athens to seek an end to the Greek civil war. | |
1946 | Chiang Kai-shek offers a new Chinese constitution in Nanking pledging universal suffrage. | |
1950 | Scottish nationalists steal the Stone of Scone from the British coronation throne in Westminster Abbey. The 485 pound stone was recovered in April 1951. | |
1962 | The Bay of Pigs captives, upon their return to the United States, vow to return to Cuba and topple Fidel Castro. | |
1965 | Entertainer Chris Noel gives her first performance for the USO at two hospitals in California; became a star on Armed Forces Radio and Television, entertaining troops in Vietnam; in 1984 Veterans Network honored her with a Distinguished Vietnam Veteran award. | |
1973 | U.S. astronauts onboard the Skylab space station take a seven-hour walk in space and photograph the comet Kohoutek. | |
1976 | Over 100 Muslims, returning from a pilgrimage to Mecca, die when their boat sinks. | |
1979 | Egypt begins major restoration of the Sphinx. | |
1991 | Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet Union’s first and last executive president, resigns. The Soviet Union no longer exsists. | |
2006 | James Brown, the “Godfather of Soul”, dies at age 73. | |
Born on December 25 | ||
1642 | Sir Isaac Newton, English mathematician and scientist who enunciated the laws of motion and the law of gravity. | |
1841 | Clara Barton, founder of the Red Cross. | |
1870 | Rosa Luxemburg, Polish-born founder of the Spartacus League which later became the German Communist Party. | |
1907 | Cab Calloway, band leader, the first Jazz singer to sell a million records. | |
1918 | Anwar Sadat, Egyptian president (1970 to 1981) and Nobel Peace Prize winner. | |
1919 | Paul David, founder of the Montreal Heart Institute. | |
1924 | Rod Serling, screenwriter, producer; created The Twilight Zone TV series. | |
1925 | Sam Pollock, general manager of the National Hockey League of Canada and the USA; member of Hockey Hall of Fame; a public square in Montreal is named in his honor. | |
1936 | Princess Alexandra, the Honourable Lady Ogilvy, youngest granddaughter of King George V and Queen Mary. | |
1939 | Bob James, Grammy-winning jazz musician, arranger and producer. | |
1945 | Noel Redding, singer, songwriter, musician; member of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Noel Redding Band and other groups. | |
1945 | Ken Stabler, pro football quarterback nicknamed “The Snake” for his ability to evade tacklers. | |
1946 | Jimmy Buffett, singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer, actor (“Margaritaville,” “Cheeseburger in Paradise”). | |
1948 | Alia Baha Ad-Din Touqan, Queen consort of Jordan, third wife of King Hussein of Jordan; died in a helicopter crash in 1977; Amman’s international airport is named in her honor. | |
1948 | Barbara Mandrell, country singer; twice Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year (“Sleeping Single in a Double Bed”). | |
1949 | Sissy Spacek, actress; won Academy Award for Best Actress portraying country singer Loretta Lynn in Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980). | |
1950 | Karl Rove, White House Deputy Chief of Staff in the George W. Bush administration. | |
1954 | Annie Lennox, Scottish singer, songwriter, activist; member of Eurythmics band; winner of eight Brit Award, four Grammys, an MTV Video Music Award, a Billboard Century Award; won Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Into the West” in the soundtrack of the film The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King. | |
1954 | Steve Wariner, country singer, songwriter, musician (“All Roads Lead to You,” “Life’s Highway”). |