1825 – Decembrist uprising in Russia against Tsar Nicholas I begins [O.S. 14 December]
1877 – Socialist Labor Party of North America holds 1st national convention
1878 – 1st US store to install electric lights, Philadelphia
1972 – Ballon d’Or: Bayern Munich defender Franz Beckenbauer wins award for best European football player ahead of tied fellow German duo of Gerd Müller and Günter Netzer
1976 – AFC Championship, Oakland Coliseum: Oakland Raiders beat Pittsburgh Steelers, 24-7
1988 – Anti African student rebellion in Nanjing, China
1990 – Senior Professional Baseball Association folds
1991 – Militant Sikhs kill 55 and wounds 70 in India
Author: gil7
Today in History for 26th December 2025
Historical Events
268 – Saint Dionysius, Roman Pope (259-260), dies
1825 – Decembrist uprising in Russia against Tsar Nicholas I begins [O.S. 14 December]
1979 – Soviet special forces take over the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan
1993 – Antonov-26 crashes in Gyumri, Armenia, killing 36 people
2012 – China opens the world’s longest high speed rail route from Beijing to Guangzhou
Famous Birthdays
1820 – Gustavus Adolphus Smith, American Brigadier General (Union Army), born in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania (d. 1885)
1837 – George Dewey, American admiral, naval hero in Battle of Manila Bay, born in Montpelier, Vermont (d. 1917)
1855 – Arnold Mendelssohn, German composer, born in Ratibor, Province of Silesia (now Poland) (d. 1933)
1945 – John Walsh, American activist and television host (America’s Most Wanted), born in Auburn, New York
1948 – Chris Chambliss, American baseball first baseman (MLB All Star 1976; World Series 1977, 78 NY Yankees; AL Rookie of the Year 1971 Cleveland Indians), born in Dayton, Ohio
Famous Deaths
1530 – Zahir-ud-din Muhammad Babur, Timurid founder and 1st Emperor of the Mughal dynasty in the Indian Subcontinent (1526-30), dies at 47
1918 – Bertram Luard-Selby, British organist and composer, dies at 65
1974 – Farid al-Atrash [El-Atrache], Syrian composer, musician, virtuoso oud player, and actor (Akher kedba), dies of heart disease at 59
1980 – (John) “Peck” Kelley, American jazz pianist and bandleader (Peck’s Bad Boys), dies from complications of Parkinson’s disease at 82
1997 – Cornelius Castoriadis, Greek philosopher and economist, dies at 75
Famous Deaths for 25th December 2025
1406 – Henry III, King of Castile and León (1390-1406), dies at 27
1765 – Václav Prokop Diviš, Czech theologian and natural scientist, dies at 67
1992 – Ted Croker, English football administrator (Secretary English Football Association 1973-89), dies at 68
1994 – Zail Singh, Indian politician, (7th President of India 1982-87), dies of injuries from a motor accident at 78
1997 – Anatoli Boukreev, mountaineer, dies at 39
1997 – Denver Pyle, American actor (The Dukes of Hazzard, The Andy Griffith Show), dies of lung cancer at 77
1997 – Giorgio Strehler, Italian opera and theatre director, dies at 76
1998 – John Pulman, English snooker player (World Champion 1957-68; News of the World Snooker Tournament 1954, 57, 58), dies after a fall at 75
2000 – Willard Van Orman Quine, American philosopher and logician in the analytic tradition, dies at 92
2022 – Fabián O’Neill, Uruguayan soccer midfielder (19 caps; Nacional, Cagliari, Juventus), dies from chronic liver disease at 49
Historical Events for 25th December 2025
1000 – Monarch Istvan crowned king of Hungary
1688 – British King James II lands in Ambleteuse, France
1899 – Shelling on besieged Ladysmith during the Boer War includes one shell containing a plum pudding
1921 – Last major Potlatch (ceremony) by Chief Daniel Cranmer (Kwakwaka’wakw) from Alert Bay, British Columbia. Twenty-six people arrested, their masks and regalia sold by Canadian government.
1930 – Tasmania all out 280, WI 2-139 at Hobart Crowd 2,500
1942 – Soviet artillery and tank battle on German armies at Stalingrad
1973 – Arab oil ministers cancel January 5 percent production cut; Saudi Arabian oil minister promises 10 percent OPEC production rise
1997 – For 1st time US movie box office receipts pass $6 billion
Today in History for 25th December 2025
Historical Events
274 – Roman Emperor Aurelian dedicates a temple to Sol Invictus in Rome, on supposed day of the winter solstice, fulfilling vow made during campaign in Palmyra
1818 – First known Christmas carol, “Silent Night, Holy Night” (Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht’), is sung in Austria
1921 – Last major Potlatch (ceremony) by Chief Daniel Cranmer (Kwakwaka’wakw) from Alert Bay, British Columbia. Twenty-six people arrested, their masks and regalia sold by Canadian government.
2012 – 27 people are killed after an Antonov An-72 plane crashes near Shymkent, Kazakhstan
2016 – Russian military defence plane crashes into the Black Sea after takeoff from Sochi airport, killing all 92 on board
Famous Birthdays
1932 – Mabel King (née Washington) American stage and screen actress and singer (What’s Happening!!; The Wiz), born in Charleston, South Carolina (d. 1999)
1938 – Duane Armstrong, American painter (Fields of Grass), born in Fresno, California
1957 – Chris Kamara, English soccer midfielder (Swindon Town FC, Brentford FC) and commentator (Sky Sports), born in Middlesbrough, England
1975 – Marcus Trescothick, English cricket batsman (76 Tests, 14 x 100s, HS 219; 123 ODIs; Somerset CCC), born in Keynsham, England
1978 – Jeremy Strong, American actor (Succession), born in Boston, Massachusetts
Famous Deaths
1976 – Frankie Darro [Frank Johnson], American actor (Radio Ranch, Wild Boys of the Road, Valley of Wanted Men), dies of a heart attack at 58
1989 – Billy Martin, American baseball second baseman (MLB All Star 1956; World Series 1951, 52, 53, 56; NY Yankees) and manager (World Series 1977 NY Yankees), killed in a car accident at 61
2006 – James Brown, American RandB, gospel, soul and funk singer-songwriter known as ‘The Godfather of Soul’ (“Sex Machine”; “Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag”; “Hot Pants”), dies of heart failure at 73
2021 – John Gleeson, Australian rugby league five eighth (10 Tests; Queensland 25 games; Wynnum-Manly, Brothers RLFC), dies at 82
2021 – Janice Long (née Chegwin), British radio host (Crash FM; BBC), dies of pneumonia at 66
Famous Deaths for 24th December 2025
1904 – Julien Dillens, Flemish sculptor (Anspach Monument), dies at 55
1935 – Alban Berg, Austrian composer (Wozzeck; Lulu), dies of sepsis at 50
1938 – Bruno Taut, German architect (b. 1880)
1976 – Victor Stanitsin, actor (War and Peace, Jubilee), dies at 79
1994 – Julie Haydon [Donella Donaldson], American actress (Scoundrel), dies at 84
1996 – Ted Leadbitter, British politician (Labour), dies at 77
2004 – Johnny Oates, American MLB baseball catcher, 1970-81 (Atlanta Braves, Philadelphia Phillies, and 3 other teams), and manager, 1991-2001 (Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers), dies of brain cancer at 58
2008 – Samuel P. Huntington, American political scientist (The Clash of Civilizations) and presidential adviser, dies at 81
2020 – Geoff Stephens, English songwriter and record producer (“The Crying Game”; The New Vaudeville Band – “Winchester Cathedral”, “There’s a Kind of Hush”), dies of complications from COVID-19 at 86
2021 – J.D. Crowe, American bluegrass banjo player and bandleader (The New South), dies at 84
Historical Events for 24th December 2025
1924 – School in Babb’s Switch, Oklahoma, catches fire, 36 die
1963 – Greeks and Turks riot in Cyprus
1973 – Ferryboat capsized off coast of Equador, drowning 200
1974 – The Sporting News bestows St Louis Cardinals outfielder Lou Brock their MLB Player of the Year Award
1977 – “Ghost to the Post”, Raiders tight end Dave Casper (“The Ghost”) catches a 42-yard reception to set up the Raiders’ tying field goal near the end of regulation (Raiders win in OT)
1984 – Palace coup in Mauritania
1989 – Charles Taylor starts the First Liberian Civil War when he enters the country at the head of the guerrilla group National Patriotic Front of Liberia to overthrow President Samuel Doe
1991 – Ballon d’Or: Marseille forward Jean-Pierre Papin is named Europe’s best football player; first from the French League to win the trophy
Today in History for 24th December 2025
Historical Events
1798 – Russia and Britain sign Second anti-French Coalition
1932 – Arturo Alessandri wins presidential election in Chile
1941 – First ships of Admiral Chuichi Nagumo’s Pearl Harbor fleet return to Japan
1950 – National Football League Championship, Cleveland Stadium: Cleveland Browns beat LA Rams, 30-28; Cleveland has 5 interceptions, Rams 1
1990 – Expos trade Tim Raines to the White Sox for Iván Calderón and Barry Jones
Famous Birthdays
1791 – Eugène Scribe, French dramatist (Bertrand et Raton), born in Paris, France (d. 1861)
1809 – (Christopher) “Kit” Carson, American frontiersman, Indian fighter and army officer, born in Madison County, Kentucky (d. 1868)
1955 – Anwar Khan, Pakistani cricketer (bowled four overs for Pakistan 1979), born in Karachi, Pakistan
1980 – Tomas Kalnoky, American musician (Streetlight Manifesto), born in Prague, Czechoslovakia
1984 – Jehnny Beth [Camille Berthomier], French musician, singer-songwriter (John and Jehn; Savages; To Love Is to Live), born in Poitiers, France
Famous Deaths
1959 – Edmund Goulding, British screenwriter and film director (Grand Hotel, Dark Victory, Nightmare Alley), dies during heart surgery at 68
1963 – Raphaël Verwilghen, Belgian architect, and urban planner, dies at 78
1975 – Tilly Losch, Austrian dancer and actress (Duel in the Sun; Garden of Allah), dies at about 71 (birth date disputed)
2002 – Laci Peterson, American murder victim, dies at 27
2024 – Richard Perry, American record producer (Harry Nilsson; Ringo Starr; Carly Simon; Leo Sayer; The Pointer Sisters), dies of cardiac arrest at 82
Famous Deaths for 23rd December 2025
1722 – Pierre Varignon, French mathematician (b. 1654)
1939 – Anthony Fokker, Dutch aviation pioneer and aircraft manufacturer (Eindecker monoplanes, Fokker Triplane), dies of pneumococcal meningitis at 49
1944 – Charles Dana Gibson, American illustrator (Gibson Girl), dies at 77
1945 – Mogens Klitgaard, Danish author (Brunkul), dies at 39
1948 – Seishirō Itagaki, Japanese military officer and politician (War Minister, 1938-39), hanged for war crimes at 63
1951 – Alfrēds Kalniņš, Latvian organist, composer (Baņuta), conductor, and pedagogue, dies at 72
1994 – Charles Shirley, American big band jazz arranger (Stan Kenton; Les Elgart), and alcoholism counselor, dies of a heart attack at 74
2000 – Victor Borge [Borge Rosenbaum], Danish-American comedian and pianist, dies at 91
2013 – Mikhail Kalashnikov, Russian general and inventor of the AK-47, dies at 94
2019 – Alan Harrington, Welsh soccer defender (11 caps; Cardiff City 348 games), dies at 86
Historical Events for 23rd December 2025
1815 – “Emma” novel by Jane Austen is published by John Murray in London
1941 – Japan begins assault on Rangoon, Burma
1962 – AFL Championship, Jeppesen Stadium, Houston: Dallas Texans beat Houston Oilers, 20-17; Tommy Brooker lands winning 25-yard field goal in overtime
1966 – Britain’s rock TV show “Ready Steady Go” last program
1970 – USSR performs nuclear test
1990 – Comedy “Lettice and Lovage” closes at Barrymore Theater, NYC after 284 performances
1997 – Chicago Bulls coach Phil Jackson is quickest to reach 500 wins (682 games)
2016 – United Nations Security Council adopts a landmark resolution demanding a halt to all Israeli settlement in Palestinian territory occupied since 1967. Resolution 2334 was moved by New Zealand, Malaysia, Senegal and Venezuela and passed 14-0 with a US abstention.