1166 – John, King of England (d. 1216) was born.
1777 – Kiritimati, also called Christmas Island, is discovered by James Cook.
1814 – The Treaty of Ghent is signed ending the War of 1812.
1818 – The first performance of “Silent Night” takes place in the church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorf, Austria.
1826 – The Eggnog Riot at the United States Military Academy begins that night, wrapping up the following morning.
1851 – Library of Congress burns.
1865 – The Ku Klux Klan is formed.
1894 – Jack Thayer, American survivor of the Sinking of the RMS Titanic (d. 1945) was born.
1903 – The first car number plate ( A1 ) is issued to Earl Russel who camped outside the London County Council issuing office overnight to be sure he got it, ( he was the brother of the philosopher Bertrand Russell )
1906 – Radio: Reginald Fessenden transmits the first radio broadcast; consisting of a poetry reading, a violin solo, and a speech.
1913 – The Italian Hall disaster (“1913 Massacre”) in Calumet, Michigan, results in the death of 73 Christmas party goers held by striking mine workers, including 59 children.
1914 – World War I: The “Christmas truce” begins.
1933 – Benito Mussolini gave a speech in which he emphasized that agriculture was the main thing holding Italy together. He commented, “Fascist policy has leaned to agricultural rather than industry because we have far greater interests in agriculture.”
1939 – World War II: Pope Pius XII makes a Christmas Eve appeal for peace.
1943 – World War II: U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower is named Supreme Allied Commander for the Invasion of Normandy.
1945 – Lemmy, English singer-songwriter, bass player, and actor (Motörhead, Hawkwind, The Head Cat, and The Rockin’ Vickers) was born.
1955 – NORAD Tracks Santa for the first time in what will become an annual Christmas Eve tradition.
1964 – Vietnam War: Viet Cong operatives bomb the Brinks Hotel in Saigon, South Vietnam to demonstrate they can strike an American installation in the heavily guarded capital.
1962 – Darren Wharton, English singer-songwriter and keyboard player (Thin Lizzy and Dare) was born.
1962 – The US government reaches an agreement with Cuba for the return of prisoners captured during the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba paying a ransom of $53 million in food and medical supplies when the last of more than 1,000 men taken prisoner are returned to the United States in time for Christmas.
1963 – Neil Turbin, American singer-songwriter (Anthrax and Deathriders) was born.
1965 – Millard Powers, American bass player, songwriter, and producer (Counting Crows, The Semantics, and Majosha) was born.
1966 – A Canadair CL-44 chartered by the United States military crashes into a small village in South Vietnam, killing 129.
1968 – Apollo program: The crew of Apollo 8 enters into orbit around the Moon, becoming the first humans to do so. They performed 10 lunar orbits and broadcast live TV pictures that became the famous Christmas Eve Broadcast, one of the most watched programs in history.
1969 – Charles Manson is allowed to defend himself at the Tate–LaBianca murder trial.
1973 – District of Columbia Home Rule Act is passed, allowing residents of Washington, D.C. to elect their own local government.
1980 – Witnesses report the first of several sightings of unexplained lights near RAF Woodbridge, in Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom, an incident called “Britain’s Roswell”.
1992 – Peyo, Belgian cartoonist, created The Smurfs (b. 1928) died.
1992 – President Bush pardoned former Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger and five others involved in the arms for hostages Iran Contra scandal
1999 – Indian Airlines Flight 814 hijacked in Indian airspace between Kathmandu, Nepal, and Delhi, India; aircraft eventually landed at Kandahar, Afghanistan. Ordeal ended on December 31 with the release of 190 survivors (1 passenger killed).
2008 – Lord’s Resistance Army, a Ugandan rebel group, begins a series of attacks on Democratic Republic of the Congo, massacring more than 400.
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