1492 – 1st Spanish settlement La Navidad in the New World is founded by Christopher Columbus (modern Môle-Saint-Nicolas in Haiti)
1862 – 1st US navy hospital ship enters service
1941 – Winston Churchill becomes first British Prime Minister to address a joint meeting of the US Congress, warning that Axis would “stop at nothing”
1946 – Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas opens (start of an era)
1967 – Dave Brubeck Quartet formally disbands
1976 – NFC Championship, Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington: Minnesota Vikings beat Los Angeles Rams, 24-13
1977 – USSR performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk USSR
1978 – India’s former Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi is released from jail
1988 – Anti African student rebellion in Nanjing, China
1988 – “Legs Diamond” opens at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC for 64 performances
Author: gil7
Today in History for 26th December 2022
Historical Events
1860 – Major Robert Anderson, under cover of darkness, concentrates his small force at Ft Sumter
1877 – Socialist Labor Party of North America holds 1st national convention
1965 – Paul McCartney is interviewed on pirate radio station Radio Caroline
1996 – Six-year-old beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey is found beaten and strangled in the basement of her family’s home in Boulder, Colorado
1997 – The Soufriere Hills volcano on the island of Montserrat explodes, creating a small tsunami offshore.
1999 – Severe weather in France kills over 100 people and causes extensive damage to property, trees and the French national power grid (see Lothar).
Famous Birthdays
1921 – Steve Allen, American comedian, composer, writer and TV host (Tonight Show, Steve Allen Show), born in NYC, New York (d. 2000)
1940 – Ray Sadecki, American MLB player (St. Louis Cardinals), born in Kansas City, KS, (d. 2014)
1942 – Ernie Cate, American country singer and guitarist (Cate Bros – Fire on the Tracks), born in Fayetteville, Arkansas
1961 – Tahnee Welch [La Tahn Renee Welch], American actress (Cocoon), born in San Diego, California
1965 – Ben Husaby, American cross country skier (Olympics 1994), born in Eden Prairie, Minnesota
1985 – Steven Hartman, American actor (Rick Forrester in Bold and Beautiful), born in Westlake, California
Famous Deaths
1574 – Charles Guise, archbishop/cardinal of Reims, dies at 50
1969 – Johannes Gerard van Dillen, Dutch economic historian (Of Wealth and Oligarchists), dies at 86
1978 – Fritz Büchtger, German composer, educator, and modern music proponent (Association for Contemporary Music; Studio for New Music), dies at 75
1985 – Dian Fossey, American zoologist (Gorillas in the Mist), murdered in Rwanda at 53
1992 – Nikita Magaloff, Russian/Swiss pianist, dies at 80
2019 – Elbert Dubenion, American football wide receiver and running back (AFL All Star 1964; Buffalo Bills), dies from complications related to Parkinson’s disease at 86
Famous Deaths for 25th December 2022
1880 – Fridolin Anderwert, Swiss Federal Councillor, dies at 52
1950 – Neil Francis Hawkins, British fascist (b. 1903)
1954 – Johnny Ace, American rhythm and blues singer, accidentally shoots himself in the head at 25
1957 – Frederick Law Olmsted Jr, US landscape architect and advocate for wildlife conservation, dies at 87
1972 – C. Rajagopalachari, India’s freedom fighter and the first Governor General of independent India, dies at 94
1996 – Rupert John, gov-gen of Grenadines (1970-76), dies
1997 – Anatoli Boukreev, mountaineer, dies at 39
2004 – Gennadi Strekalov, Russian cosmonaut (Soyuz T-3, T-8, T-11, TM-21), dies at 64
2007 – Mighty King Kong, Kenyan reggae musician. (b. 1973)
2009 – Vic Chesnutt, American singer-songwriter, dies of an overdose of muscle relaxants at 46
Historical Events for 25th December 2022
274 – Roman Emperor Aurelian dedicates a temple to Sol Invictus on the supposed day of the winter solstice and day of rebirth of the Sun.
604 – Battle at Etampes (Stampae): Burgundy beat Neustriers
1261 – John IV Lascaris of the restored Eastern Roman Empire is deposed and blinded by orders of his co-ruler Michael VIII Palaeologus.
1775 – Pope Pius VI encyclical on the problems of the pontificate
1776 – American Revolutionary War: George Washington crosses Delaware River into New Jersey, surprises and defeats 1,400 Hessians
1818 – 1st known Christmas carol (“Silent Night, Holy Night” – “Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht) sung (Austria)
1936 – Belgian bishops condemn fascism and communism
1953 – KNEV (95.5 The Vibe) radio broadcaster in Reno, Nevada begins broadcasting
1997 – For 1st time US movie box office receipts pass $6 billion
2012 – 8 people are killed and thousands left homeless after two fires strike Manila, Philippines
Today in History for 25th December 2022
Historical Events
352 – 1st definite date Christmas was celebrated on Dec 25th
1066 – William the Conqueror is crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey, completing the Norman conquest of England
1862 – 40,000 watch Union army men play baseball at Hilton Head, South Carolina
1957 – Richard Starkey (later better known as Ringo Starr) receives his first drum set
1969 – India all out for 163 at Madras v Aust, Ashley Mallett 5-91
1973 – “The Sting” directed by George Roy Hill, starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford and music inspired by Scott Joplin premieres in Los Angeles and New York (Best Picture 1974)
Famous Birthdays
1757 – Benjamin Pierce, U.S. politician (d. 1839)
1908 – Helen Twelvetrees, American actress (State’s Attorney, Painted Desert), born in Brooklyn, New York (d. 1958)
1942 – Barry Goldberg, American blues musician (The Rides), born in Chicago, Illinois
1949 – Sissy Spacek, American Actress (Carrie, Badlands, Coal Miner’s Daughter), born in Quitman, Texas
1961 – Ingrid Betancourt, Colombian senator
1964 – Peter Hanson, English/Sierra Leone/Dutch actor (Darling How Could You)
Famous Deaths
1513 – Johannes Amerbach, Swiss publisher/printer, dies at about 70
1953 – Lee Shubert, American theatre producer (theatres in NY and LA named after him), dies at about 80
1979 – Joan Blondell, American actress (Real McCoys), dies of leukemia at 73
1985 – George Rhodes, American pianist, composer, arranger, and music director (Sammy Davis, Jr. Show), dies of a heart attack at 66
1992 – Garrison H Davidson, US lt-gen commandant (West Point), dies
2009 – Vic Chesnutt, American singer-songwriter, dies of an overdose of muscle relaxants at 46
Famous Deaths for 24th December 2022
1541 – Andreas R Bodenstein von Carlstadt, radical Lutheran, dies at about 61
1813 – Empress Go-Sakuramachi of Japan (b. 1740)
1823 – Philipp Christoph Kayser, German pianist and composer, dies at 68
1885 – Louis-Prosper Gachard, Belgian historian, dies at 85
1935 – Alban Berg, Austrian composer (Wozzeck; Lulu), dies of sepsis at 50
1963 – Raphaël Verwilghen, Belgian architect, and urban planner, dies at 78
1972 – Ernst Kreuder, German writer (The Attic Pretenders), dies at 69
1975 – Bernard Herrmann, American composer, dies of a heart attack at 64
1994 – Buddy Ace, [Jimmie Lee Land] American Texas blues singer, dies of a heart attack while performing at 57
2019 – Walter Horak, Austrian soccer striker (13 caps; Wiener Sport Club, Sochaux), dies at 88
Historical Events for 24th December 2022
1798 – Russia and Britain sign Second anti-French Coalition
1898 – Herman Heijermans’ “Ghetto” premieres in Amsterdam
1910 – Luisa Tetrazzini sings to 250,000 people at Lotta’s Fountain, San Francisco
1930 – Sukarno sentenced to four years in prison by Indonesian authorities in Bandung, Dutch East Indies
1935 – National Council of Negro Women forms
1948 – First US completely solar heated house is occupied (Dover, Mass)
1953 – KOA (now KCNC) TV channel 4 in Denver, CO (NBC) begins broadcasting
1968 – Ballon d’Or: Manchester United’s winger George Best wins award for best European football player ahead of teammate Bobby Charlton and Red Star Belgrade winger Dragan Džajić; first Northern Irish national to win the award
1990 – Expos trade Tim Raines to White Sox for Ivan Calderon and Barry Jones
2000 – The Texas 7 hold up a sports store in Irving, Texas. Police officer Aubrey Hawkins is shot during the robbery
Today in History for 24th December 2022
Historical Events
1715 – Swedish troops occupy Norway
1851 – Fire devastates US Library of Congress in Washington, destroys 35,000 volumes
1951 – 1st opera commissioned for television – “Amahl and the Night Visitors” by Gian Carlo Menotti premieres on NBC with the NBC Opera Theater
1996 – Ballon d’Or: Borussia Dortmund’s German sweeper Matthias Sammer is named best football player in Europe ahead of PSV/Barcelona striker Ronaldo and Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer
2000 – The Texas 7 hold up a sports store in Irving, Texas. Police officer Aubrey Hawkins is shot during the robbery
2001 – “Time Magazine” names New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani ‘Person of the Year’, for leadership after 9/11 attacks
Famous Birthdays
1945 – Lemmy [Ian Fraser Kilmister], British heavy metal musician (Motörhead), born in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire (d. 2015)
1950 – Peter te Bos, Dutch singer (Claw Boys Claw), born in Amsterdam, Netherlands
1958 – Munetaka Higuchi, Japanese drummer, born in Nara Prefecture, Japan
1959 – Lee Daniels, American director (“Precious”, “Empire”), born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1978 – Yıldıray Baştürk, Turkish footballer, born in Herne, Germany
1982 – Aiba Masaki, Japanese singer and actor, born in Chiba, Japan
Famous Deaths
1907 – Isidor Feinstein “Izzy” Stone, journalist (IF Stone’s Weekly), dies
1979 – Dirk Uipko Stikker, Dutch politician, diplomat (Ambassador to Great Britain, 1952-58; Secretary General of NATO, 1961-64), and CEO (Heineken), dies at 82
1993 – Alexander Mackendrick, American-born Scottish director (Lady Killers), dies at 81
1994 – John Osborne, English playwright (Entertainer, Look Back in Anger, Luther, dies at 65
1999 – Zeke Carey, American RandB singer (The Flamingos – “Goodnight Sweetheart”; “I Only Have Eyes For You”), dies of a heart attack at 66
2011 – Cheetah [Cheeta, Cheta, Chita], chimpanzee actor (1930s Tarzan franchise), dies of kidney failure at 80
Famous Deaths for 23rd December 2022
558 – Childebert, King of France (specifically, the Neustrian Franks) (511-58), dies at about 62
1556 – Nicholas Udall, English playwright (wrote the 1st comedy in English “Ralph Roister Doister”), dies at about 52
1902 – Frederick Temple, 95th Archbishop of Canterbury, dies at 81
1939 – Anthony H. G. Fokker, Dutch airplane builder (Spider), dies at 49
1948 – Seishirō Itagaki, Japanese military officer and politician (War Minister, 1938-39), hanged for war crimes at 63
1959 – Lester Lonergan Jr, American actor (Growing Paynes), dies at 65
1967 – Karen Verne [Ingeborg Klinkerfuss], German actress (Sky Murder, All Through the Night, Madame X), dies from a heart ailment at 49
1970 – Charlie Ruggles, American actor (Bringing Up Baby, The Patchwork Girl of Oz), dies at 84
2004 – P. V. Narasimha Rao, Indian politician, 9th Prime Minister of India (1991-96), dies of a heart attack at 83
2018 – (Ann) “Honey” Lantree, British rock drummer (The Honeycombs), dies at 75
Historical Events for 23rd December 2022
1926 – KEX-AM in Portland OR begins radio transmissions
1939 – South Australia score 7-821 against Queensland
1953 – Dodgers 2nd baseman Jim Gilliam wins NL Rookie of Year
1970 – French author Régis Debray freed in Bolivia
1970 – 7,511th performance of Agatha Christie’s play “The Mousetrap” (record) in London’s West End
1972 – “Immaculate Reception” Steelers turns around a 7-6 defeat with a last second touchdown reception against Raiders to win 13-7
1972 – New York Islanders end 15 games winless streak
1977 – British singer-songwriter Cat Stevens formally converts to Islam, taking the name Yusuf Islam
1997 – “As Good as It Gets” film released written and directed by James L. Brooks, starring Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt
2012 – The Seleka rebel coalition takes over Bambari, the third largest town in the Central African Republic