Today in History for 23rd December 2025

Historical Events

1751 – France sets plan to tax clergymen
1912 – First “Keystone Kops” silent slapstick comedy film, entitled “Hoffmeyer’s Legacy” is released
1913 – President Woodrow Wilson signs the Federal Reserve Act, establishing the modern central banking system of the United States to manage the money supply and promote financial stability
1942 – Allies air attack on Den Helder, Netherlands
1951 – National Football League Championship, LA Memorial Coliseum: Los Angeles Rams beat Cleveland Browns 24-17; first coast-to-coast televised NFL title game

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Famous Birthdays

1819 – Jan Jakob Lodewijk ten Kate, Dutch poet and clergyman, born at The Hague, Netherlands (d. 1889)
1922 – Micheline Ostermeyer, French athlete (Olympic gold shot put, discus; bronze high jump 1948), born in Rang-du-Fliers, Pas-de-Calais, France (d. 2001)
1945 – Ron Bushy, American rock drummer (Iron Butterfly – “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida”), born in Washington, D.C. (d. 2021)
1954 – Brian Teacher, American tennis player (Australian Open 1980), born in San Diego, California
1981 – Beth [Elisabeth Rodergas Cols], Spanish singer and actress, born in Súria, Catalonia

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Famous Deaths

1575 – Akiyama Nobutomo, Japanese warrior (hanged) (b. 1531)
1948 – Hideki Tojo, Japanese Prime Minister during WW II (1941-44), hanged for war crimes at 63
1970 – Bessie Abramowitz Hillman, Russian-American labor leader and founder of Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America, dies at 71
2018 – (Ann) “Honey” Lantree, British rock drummer (The Honeycombs), dies at 75
2020 – James E. Gunn, American sci-fi author (The Listeners, Station in Space, Immortal), dies at 97

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Famous Deaths for 22nd December 2025

1893 – Johann Czerski, German chaplain, dies at 80
1902 – Richard von Krafft-Ebing, Austro–German psychiatrist and author (Psychopathia Sexualis), dies at 62
1961 – Elia Dalla Costa, Italian cardinal who helped organize a rescue network for Jewish people during the Holocaust, dies at 89
1965 – Al Ritz [Albert Joachim], American vaudevillian (The Ritz Brothers), dancer and actor (The Gorilla;, Hi’ya, Chum; Straight, Place and Show), dies of a heart attack at 64
1971 – Godfried Bomans, Dutch humorist, TV personality and writer (Eric), dies at 58
1997 – Johnny Coles, American jazz trumpeter (Little Johnny C), dies at 71
2006 – Elena Mukhina, Russian gymnast (3 x World C’ship gold 1978; 2 x World Cup gold 1977), dies of complications from quadriplegia at 46
2011 – James Ramseur, one of Bernhard Goetz’s assailants in 1984, overdoses on drugs at 45
2012 – Arkady Vorobyov, Russian weightlifter (Olympic gold Middle-heavyweight 1956, 60), dies at 88
2022 – Anton Tkáč, Slovak track cyclist (Olympic gold Czechoslovakia men’s match sprint 1976; World C’ship gold 1974, 78), dies at 71

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Historical Events for 22nd December 2025

1890 – Cornwallis Valley Railway begins operation between Kingsport and Kentville, Nova Scotia.
1894 – Claude Debussy’s first orchestral masterpiece “Prélude à l’apres-midi d’un faune” premieres in Paris
1930 – Convention of Economic Rapprochement/Oslo Agreesments signed between some European countries in response to the Great Depression
1940 – World War II: Himarë is captured by the Greek army.
1942 – World War II: Adolf Hitler signs the order to develop the V-2 rocket as a weapon
2017 – UN Security Council votes 15 to 0 for additional sanctions on North Korea, including measures to slash the country’s petrol imports by up to 90%
2018 – Partial shutdown of US federal government begins
2022 – US Drug Enforcement Administration says it seized enough fentanyl in 2022 to kill every American, more than 379 million doses

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Today in History for 22nd December 2025

Historical Events

1894 – Claude Debussy’s first orchestral masterpiece “Prélude à l’apres-midi d’un faune” premieres in Paris
1964 – Ballon d’Or: Manchester United striker Denis Law wins award for best European football player; beats Inter midfielder Luis Suárez and Real Madrid winger Amancio Amaro; first Scotsman to win the award
1978 – Thailand adopts constitution
1997 – Attendees at a prayer meeting of Roman Catholic activists for indigenous causes in the small village of Acteal in the Mexican state of Chiapas are massacred by paramilitary forces
2003 – A magnitude 6.6 earthquake hits near San Simeon, California.

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Famous Birthdays

1883 – Edgard Varèse, French-American composer (Ionisation; Poème électronique), born in Burgundy, France (d. 1965)
1889 – Minor Watson, American actor (Woman of the Year, Viva Cisco Kid), born in Marianna, Arkansas (d. 1965)
1912 – Claudia A. “Lady Bird” Taylor Johnson, American first lady (1963-1969), born in Karnack, Texas (d. 2007)
1946 – Mary McCaslin, American contemporary folk singer-songwriter, guitarist, and banjo player (“Prairie In The Sky”), born in Indianapolis, Indiana (d. 2022)
1954 – Jayaseelan Naidoo, South African worker’s union leader, born in Durban, South Africa

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Famous Deaths

1603 – Mehmed III, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (1595-1603), dies at 37
1767 – John Newberry, English publisher, dies
1809 – William Cooper, American judge and developer (founded Cooperstown, New York), dies at 55
1987 – Alice Terry [Taaffe], actress (4 Horsemen of Apocalypse), dies
2016 – Bill Price, British audio engineer (Tom Jones; Wings: Sparks; Elton John), and record producer (The Clash; Sex Pistols; Waterboys), dies of cancer at 72

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Famous Deaths for 21st December 2025

1927 – Jack Saunders, cricketer (79 wickets-14 Tests for Aust 1902-08), dies
1950 – Hattie Wyatt Caraway, American politician (1st woman elected to US Senate, Senator for Arkansas 1931-45), dies at 72
1967 – Louis Washkansky, 18 days after 1st heart transplant, dies at 55
1969 – Georges Catroux, French Army general, French Ambassador to the Soviet Union (1945-48) and Grand Chancellor of the Légion d’honneur (1954-69), dies at 92
1983 – Paul de Man, Belgian literary critic, dies at 64
1992 – Albert King [Nelson], American blues guitarist and singer (BB King and Friends; Blues Alive), dies of a heart attack at 69
1996 – Margaret E Rey, author of children’s books, dies at 90
2001 – Dick Schaap, American Emmy Award-winning sportscaster, journalist, and author (Bo Knows Bo: Instant Replay), dies from complications during hip replacement surgery at 67
2005 – Elrod Hendricks, American baseball player and coach (b. 1940)
2023 – Robert Solow, American economist who developed the Solow–Swan model of economic growth (Nobel Prize, 1987), dies at 99

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Historical Events for 21st December 2025

1864 – US Civil War: General Sherman’s Union Army captures Savannah, Georgia, which surrenders to him, at the end of his March To the Sea Campaign
1933 – Dried human blood serum is first prepared at the University of Pennsylvania
1951 – Pioneering telenovela “Sua Vida Me Pertence” premieres in Brazil
1958 – Charles de Gaulle wins a seven-year term as the first President of the Fifth Republic of France
1962 – Angolin leaves Comecon
1966 – USSR launches Luna 13; soft-landed in Oceanus Procellarum
1990 – Steve and Mark Waugh complete 464* partnership for NSW v WA
2020 – Hawaiian vocalist Israel Kamakawiwoʻole’s official music video for his rendition of Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg’s “Over the Rainbow” reaches a billion views on YouTube

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Today in History for 21st December 2025

Historical Events

1948 – 1949 NFL Draft: University of Pennsylvania linebacker/center Chuck Bednarik is selected first by Philadelphia Eagles
1948 – O’Neil Place in the Bronx erroneously renamed O’Neill Place
1976 – Patricia R Harris named secretary of HUD
1983 – NCAA rules rescinded last 2-minute men’s basketball free throw rule
1991 – El Sayid Nosair acquitted of killing Meir Kahane

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Famous Birthdays

1728 – Hermann Friedrich Raupach, German composer, born in Stralsund, kingdom of Sweden (d. 1778)
1914 – Ivan Generalić, Croatian painter, born in Hlebine, Croatia (d. 1992)
1942 – Carla Thomas, American soul and RandB singer (“Gee Whiz (Look at His Eyes)”; with Otis Redding – “Tramp”), born in Memphis, Tennessee
1955 – Jane Kaczmarek, American actress (Lois in “Malcolm in the Middle”), born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
1982 – Mike Gansey, American basketball player, born in Olmsted Falls, Ohio

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Famous Deaths

1504 – Bertold von Henneberg-Römhild, German archbishop and elector (b. 1442)
1755 – Caspar Ruetz, German composer, dies at 47
1873 – Francis Garnier, French explorer, dies at 34
1937 – Ted Healy [Ernest Nash], American vaudeville, stage, and screen actor, comedian (Mad Love, San Francisco, Soup to Nuts), and developer of the Three Stooges, dies from complications of alcoholism at 41
2006 – Scobie Breasley, Australian jockey (b. 1914)

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Famous Deaths for 20th December 2025

1073 – Dominic of Silos, Spanish Benedictine monk and Roman Catholic saint, dies at 73 [exact birthdate uncertain]
1524 – Thomas Linacre, English scholar and physician
1676 – Joannes Galle, Flemish engraver and printer, dies at 76
1749 – Pakubuwono II, susuhunan of Mataram Java, dies
1819 – Louis-Luc Loiseau de Persuis, French composer, dies at 50
1983 – John Vivyan, American actor (Mr Lucky, Wrong Man, Imitation of Life), dies at 68
1991 – Walter Chiari [Annicchiarico], Italian actor (Bellissima; The Little Hut), dies of a heart attack at 67
2000 – Mirza Ghulam Hafiz, Bangladesh statesman, politician, and philanthropist (b. 1920)
2000 – Adrian Henri, British poet and founder of poetry-rock group (Liverpool Scene), dies at 68
2011 – Barry Reckord, Jamaican playwright (Skyvers, You in Your Small Corner), dies at 85

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Historical Events for 20th December 2025

1448 – Pope Nicholas V appoints Rudolf of Diepholt, Bishop of Utrecht, as cardinal
1823 – Play “Rosamunde, Princess of Cyprus” by Helmina von Chézy with incidental music by Franz Schubert premieres in Vienna
1915 – WWI: ANZAC troops complete their withdrawal from Anzac Cove on the Gallipoli Peninsula
1941 – Free France under adm Muselier occupies St-Pierre et Miquelon
1985 – Denis Potvin passes Bobby Orr as NHL defenseman scorer (916 points)
1991 – “Father of the Bride” film comedy starring Steve Martin, Diane Keaton, and Martin Short, premieres; film is a re-make of 1950 vehicle for Spencer Tracy and ELizabeth Taylor
1999 – Portugal returns Macau to China
2018 – New figures show average US male weighs 198 pounds and stands 5 feet 9 inches, women 171 pounds and 5 feet 4 inches

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Today in History for 20th December 2025

Historical Events

1192 – Richard the Lionhearted captured near Vienna by Leopold of Austria on his way home from the Third Crusade (released 1194)
1862 – -Jan 3rd] Vicksburg campaign
1865 – De Clear-Alkmaar railway opens
1956 – Military coup under colonel Simbolon in Sumatra
1979 – Garry Sherman and Peter Udell’s musical “Comin’ Uptown”, based on Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”, and starring Gregory Hines, opens at Winter Garden Theater, NYC; runs for 45 performances

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Famous Birthdays

1925 – Vlastimir Nikolovski, Macedonian composer, born in Prileb, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (now North Macedonia) (d. 2001)
1946 – Dick Wolf, American television series creator (Miami Vice, Law and Order), born in New York City
1956 – Guy Babylon, American keyboard player (Elton John) and arranger, born in New Windsor, Maryland (d. 2009|)
1957 – Billy Bragg, English folk-rock singer-songwriter (“Greetings To The New Brunette”; “Sexuality”; “California Stars”), born in Barking, Essex, England
1990 – JoJo [Joanna Levesque], American pop singer-songwriter (“Too Little Too Late”; “Baby It’s You”), born in Brattleboro, Vermont

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Famous Deaths

1723 – Augustus Quirinus Rivinus, German physician and botanist, dies at 71
1768 – Carlo Innocenzo Fragoni, Italian poet, dies at 76
1819 – Louis-Luc Loiseau de Persuis, French composer, dies at 50
1976 – Walter Fitzgerald, actor (Adv of Sadie, Fallen Idol), dies at 80
1996 – Carl Sagan, American scientist, astronomer and author (Broca’s Brain, Cosmos, Contact) known for his research on extraterrestrial life, dies of pneumonia after suffering from myelodysplasia at 62

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