NOW for your THIS DAY IN HISTORY REPORT

12/25/0001 - 1st Christmas, according to calendar-maker Dionysus Exiguus
12/25/0337 - Earliest possible date that Christmas was celebrated on Dec 25th
12/25/0352 - 1st definite date Christmas was celebrated on Dec 25th
12/25/0390 - Roman emperor Theodosius admits debt on mass murder in Thessalonica
12/25/0498 - French king Clovis baptises himself
12/25/0597 - England adopts Julian calendar
12/25/0604 - Battle at Etampes (Stampae): Burgundy beat Neustriers
12/25/0795 - Adrian I ends his reign as Catholic Pope
12/25/0795 - Adrian I, Italian Pope (772-95), dies
12/25/0800 - Pope Leo III crowns Charles the Great (Charlemagne), Roman emperor
12/25/0820 - Leo V, the Armenian, Byzantine gen/Emperor (813-20), murdered
12/25/0875 - Charles, the Bare, crowned emperor of Rome
12/25/0967 - John XIII crowned Otto II the Red German compassionate emperor
12/25/0969 - Johannes I Tzimisces, crowned emperor of Byzantium
12/25/0979 - Rotardus appointed as bishop of the kingdom
12/25/0999 - Heribertus becomes bishop of Cologne
12/25/1000 - Monarch Istv n crowned king of Hungary
12/25/1046 - Pope Clemens VI crowns Henry III RC-German emperor
12/25/1048 - Parliament of Worms: Emperor Henry III names his cousin count Bruno van Egisheim/Dagsburg as Pope Leo IX
12/25/1066 - William the Conqueror, crowned king of England
12/25/1100 - Boudouin I of Boulogne crowned king of Jerusalem
12/25/1101 - Henry I of Limburg becomes duke of Neth-Lutherans
12/25/1121 - Norbertus van Xanten finds order of the Norbertijnen
12/25/1130 - Anti-pope Anacletus II crowns Roger II the Norman, king of Sicily
12/25/1156 - Peter Venerabilis, Fr theologist/9th abbot of Cluny, dies at about 61
12/25/1223 - St Francis of Assisi assembles 1st Nativity scene (Greccio, Italy)
12/25/1249 - Peter Nolascus, Spanish monastery founder/St, dies
12/25/1492 - Columbus' ship Santa Maria docks at Dominican Republic
12/25/1513 - Johannes Amerbach, Swiss publisher/printer, dies at about 70
12/25/1522 - Turkish troops occupy Rhodos
12/25/1530 - Babur, emperor of Delhi, dies
12/25/1582 - Zealand/Brabant adopts Gregorian calendar, yesterday was Dec 14th
12/25/1583 - Birth-Orlando Gibbons, English composer (O Clap Your Hands), baptized
12/25/1601 - Birth-Jose Ximenez, composer
12/25/1613 - Johan Sigismund of Brandenburg becomes protestant
12/25/1621 - Gov William Bradford of Plymouth forbids game playing on Christmas
12/25/1624 - Birth-Angelus Silesius, [Johann Scheffler], German mystic (St Seelenlust)
12/25/1628 - Birth-No”l Coypel, French painter
12/25/1640 - Pierre de Fermat writes to Marin Mersenne about Fermat's church thesis
12/25/1641 - Emperor Ferdinand III makes appointments with Sweden & France
12/25/1642 - Birth-Isaac Newton, Grantham Engld, physicist/mathematician/astronomer [OS]
12/25/1646 - Birth-Harald Vallerius, composer
12/25/1651 - Massachusetts General Court ordered a fine (five shillings) for "observing any such day as Christmas"
12/25/1683 - English Whig-leader duke of Monmouth flees to Holland
12/25/1683 - Kara Mustapha, Turkish grand-vizier (1676-83), executed
12/25/1686 - Birth-Giovanni Battista Somis, composer
12/25/1688 - English king James II lands in Ambleteuse, France
12/25/1688 - Lord Delamere sides with King James II
12/25/1698 - Birth-Jacobus Houbraken, Dutch engraver/illustrator
12/25/1711 - Birth-Jean-Joseph Cassenea de Mondonville, composer
12/25/1717 - Birth-Pius VI, [Giovanni A Braschi], Italy, Pope (1775-99)
12/25/1717 - Floods ravage Dutch coast provinces, 1000s killed
12/25/1721 - Birth-William Collins, Chichester England, (Mayor Chichester)/poet
12/25/1728 - Birth-Johann Adam Hiller, composer
12/25/1741 - Astronomer Anders Celcius introduces Centigrade temperature scale
12/25/1745 - Prussia/Austria signs Treaty of Dresden
12/25/1745 - Treaty of Dresden gives much of Silesia to the Prussians
12/25/1750 - Birth-John "Christmas" Beckwith, composer
12/25/1752 - Birth-Mithra
12/25/1758 - Halley's comet 1st sighted by Johann Georg Palitzsch during return
12/25/1760 - Juptier Hammon, NY slave, publishes poetry in "An Evening Throught"
12/25/1761 - Elisabeth Petrovna, tsarina of Russia (1741-62), dies at about 51
12/25/1763 - Birth-Claude Chappe, French engineer (optical telegraph)
12/25/1765 - Antonio Tonelli, composer, dies at 79
12/25/1765 - Birth-Joseph Mazzinghi, composer
12/25/1771 - Birth-Dorothy Wordsworth
12/25/1775 - Birth-Antun Sorkocevic, composer
12/25/1775 - Pope Pius VI encyclical on the problems of the pontificate
12/25/1776 - Washington crosses Delaware & surprises & defeats 1,400 Hessians
12/25/1788 - John Logan, Scottish conductor (Ode to the Cuckoo), dies at about 40
12/25/1808 - Birth-Stephen Cleeg Rowan, Commander (Union Navy), died in 1890
12/25/1811 - Birth-Wilhelm E Freiherr von Ketteler, German politician/bishop of Mainz
12/25/1813 - Birth-Milledge Luke Bonham, (Confederacy) died in 1890
12/25/1814 - Birth-Jan de Liefde II, Dutch vicar/founder (Coop of Welfare of the People)
12/25/1815 - Birth-Temistocle Solera, composer
12/25/1818 - 1st known Christmas carol ("Silent Night, Holy Night") sung (Austria)
12/25/1818 - Handel's Messiah, US premieres in Boston
12/25/1821 - Birth-Clara Harlowe Barton, Oxford Mass, nurse/founder (American Red Cross)
12/25/1823 - Birth-Preston Smith, Brig General (Confederate Army), died in 1863
12/25/1824 - Barbara Krudener, mystic visionary who renounced nobility, dies at 60
12/25/1825 - Birth-Esteban Salas y Castro, composer
12/25/1829 - Birth-Patrick S Gilmore, composer
12/25/1830 - Hector Berlioz's "Symphony Fantastic," premieres
12/25/1831 - Birth-Johann Herbeck, composer
12/25/1831 - Louisiana & Arkansas are 1st states to observe Christmas as holiday
12/25/1832 - Birth-Thomas Alfred Smyth, Major General (Union volunteers), died in 1865
12/25/1832 - Charles Darwins celebrates Christmas in St Martin at Cape Receiver
12/25/1833 - Charles Darwins celebrates Christmas in Port Desire, Patagonia
12/25/1834 - Charles Darwins celebrates Christmas on Beagle at Tres Montes, Chile
12/25/1835 - Charles Darwins company celebrates Christmas in Pahia, New Zealand
12/25/1837 - Battle of Okeechobee-US forces defeat Seminole Indians
12/25/1837 - Birth-Cosima Liszt, wife of Austrian composer Richard Wagner
12/25/1842 - Bedrich Divis Weber, composer, dies at 76
12/25/1843 - 1st theatre matinee (Olympic Theatre, NYC)
12/25/1848 - Johann Erik Nordblom, composer, dies at 60
12/25/1848 - New Haven Railroad opens
12/25/1855 - Birth-James Galvin, pitcher, shut-out every opposing team in 1884
12/25/1859 - Birth-Raoul Gunsbourg, composer
12/25/1862 - 40,000 watch Union army men play baseball at Hilton Head, SC
12/25/1863 - Birth-E Fern ndez Arb¢s, Spanish violinist/conductor/composer
12/25/1865 - Birth-Evangeline Cory Booth, Salvation Army general (1904-34)
12/25/1867 - Birth-Alfred Kerr, writer
12/25/1868 - Birth-Eugenie Besserer, Watertown NY, actress (Jazz Singer)
12/25/1868 - Despite bitter opposition, Pres A Johnson grants unconditional pardon to all persons involved in Southern rebellion (Civil War)
12/25/1868 - Linus Yale, developer of cylinder lock, dies
12/25/1875 - Birth-Theodor Innitzer, cardinal/archbishop Vienna
12/25/1875 - Birth-Walter Lees, cricketer (Surrey pace bowler toured for Eng 1905-06)
12/25/1875 - Lambs Club in NY forms
12/25/1876 - Birth-Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Karachi, founded Pakistan (1947)/gov (1947-58)
12/25/1878 - Anna Claypoole Peale, US painter of miniatures, dies
12/25/1878 - Birth-W Starling Burgess, yacht designer (America Cup's Enterprise)
12/25/1881 - Birth-Joseph V McCarthy, baseball manager (NY Yankees)
12/25/1883 - Birth-Fran Lhotka, composer
12/25/1883 - Birth-Maurice Utrillo, France, painter (Port St Martin, Montmartre)
12/25/1883 - Marek Konrad Sokolowski, composer, dies at 65
12/25/1887 - Birth-Conrad Hilton, hotel mogul (Hilton Hotels)
12/25/1887 - Birth-Jacobus W G Balfoort, Dutch actor (Bulldog Drummond)
12/25/1887 - Birth-John Davidson, NYC, actor (Charlie Chan-Chinese Cat)
12/25/1888 - 1st indoor baseball game played at fairgrounds in Philadelphia
12/25/1891 - Birth-Clarrie Grimmett, cricketer (in Dunedin Great Australian leg-spinner)
12/25/1891 - Birth-Earle Foxe, Oxford OH, actor (Dance Fools Dance)
12/25/1891 - Birth-Kenneth A N Anderson, British general (Dunkerk, North Africa)
12/25/1892 - Birth-Rebecca West, [Cicely Isabel Fairfield], English author
12/25/1893 - Birth-Bert Bertram, actor (How to Steal a Million)
12/25/1893 - Birth-Fred Hillebrand, Bkln NY, actor (Martin Kane)
12/25/1893 - Birth-Ropert L Ripley, Santa Rosa Calif, cartoonist (Believe It or Not)
12/25/1894 - 1st midwestern football team to play on west coast, U of Chicago defeats Stanford 24-4 at Palo Alto, CA in football
12/25/1895 - Raul d'Avila Pompeia, Brazilian writer (Boarding-school), dies at 32
12/25/1896 - "Stars & Stripes Forever" written by John Philip Sousa
12/25/1898 - Birth-Theo Swagemakers, Dutch portrait painter
12/25/1899 - Birth-Frank Fergusson, actor (My Friend Flicka, Peyton Place)
12/25/1899 - Birth-Humphrey Bogart, NYC, actor, Here's looking at you, kid (Casablanca)
12/25/1899 - Birth-Raphael Soyer, artist (Depression Scenes in NYC)
12/25/1899 - Farmers send/guide belegerd Ladysmith Kerstpudding/desire in grenade
12/25/1900 - Arthur Schnitzlers "Leutnant Gustl" forbidden in Germany
12/25/1900 - Birth-Barton Maclane, Columbia SC, actor (Gen Peterson-I Dream of Jeannie)
12/25/1900 - Birth-Gladys Swarthout, Deepwater Missouri, mezzo soprano (La Gioconda)
12/25/1900 - Birth-W L "Tich" Cornford, cricketer (Sussex keeper played for England 1930)
12/25/1901 - Battle at Tweefontein Orange-Free state: Boers surprise attack Brits
12/25/1901 - Birth-Alice C, English duchess of Gloucester/aunt of Elizabeth II
12/25/1902 - Birth-Barton MacLane, SC, actor (Geisha Boy, Peterson-I Dream of Jeannie)
12/25/1902 - Clyde Fitch' "Girl with Green Eyes," premieres in NYC
12/25/1903 - Albert Sch“ffle, German sociologist, dies at 72
12/25/1903 - Birth-Antiochos Evanghelatos, composer
12/25/1903 - Birth-Corry Lievens, [Isabella MJ Adriaens], Flemish actress (Blue Bird)
12/25/1903 - Birth-J Edward Bromberg, Hungary, actor (Mark of Zorro, Under 2 Flags)
12/25/1904 - Birth-Gerhard Herzberg, Can, physicist (molecular structure-Nobel 1971)
12/25/1904 - Per Jonas Fredrik Vilhelm Svedbom, composer, dies at 61
12/25/1905 - V Herbert/H Blossoms musical "Mlle Modiste," premieres in NYC
12/25/1906 - Birth-Clark M Clifford, US Secretary of Defense (1968-69)
12/25/1906 - Birth-Herman J Scheltema, [NEM Pareau], Dutch jurist/poet
12/25/1906 - Birth-Lew Grade, British TV mogul (ATV)/movie producer (Boys from Brazil)
12/25/1906 - Birth-William McChesney Martin, Chairman of Federal Reserve Bank (1951-70)
12/25/1907 - Birth-Cab[ell] Calloway, Rochester, bandleader (Minnie the Moocha, Jazzball)
12/25/1908 - Birth-Frank Ferguson, Calif, actor (Wagons West, Dynamite, My Gal Sal)
12/25/1908 - Birth-Helen Twelvetrees, actress (State's Attorney, Painted Desert)
12/25/1908 - Birth-Jan Seidel, composer
12/25/1908 - Jack Johnson KO Tommy Burns & becomes 1st black heavyweight champ
12/25/1909 - Birth-Louis van Lint, Belgian painter
12/25/1909 - Birth-Marguerite Churchill, actress (Dracula's Daughter, Big Trail)
12/25/1909 - Birth-Mike Mazurki, Tarnopal Austria, actor/wrestler (Centerfold Girls)
12/25/1910 - Birth-David Lichine, [Lichtenstein], Russian/US dancer (Make Mine Music)
12/25/1911 - Birth-Burne Hogarth, strip-cartoon artist
12/25/1911 - Edward Knoblock's "Kismet," premieres in NYC
12/25/1912 - Birth-Donald McRae, cricketer (Test for NZ, the 1946 debacle vs Australia)
12/25/1912 - Birth-Herman W Filarski, Dutch bridge journalist
12/25/1912 - Birth-Leighton Noble, singer/bandleader
12/25/1912 - Birth-Tony Martin, Oakland Cal, singer (Tony Martin Show, Tonight We Love)
12/25/1912 - Birth-Werner Fussan, composer
12/25/1912 - Birth-Willian Noel Moffat, architect
12/25/1913 - Birth-Henri Nannen, journalist
12/25/1914 - Birth-Tony Martin, [Alvin Morris], SF, singer (It's a Blue World, To Each)
12/25/1914 - Legendary/unofficial "Christmas Truce" takes place (Brits & Germans)
12/25/1915 - Birth-Noelle de Mosa, Neth/British dancer/teacher (Brigadoon)
12/25/1915 - Birth-Nora Dunfee, actress (Forrest Gump, Lorenzo's Oil)
12/25/1915 - Birth-Pete Rugolo, bandleader/arranger (Fugitive)
12/25/1915 - Irving Berlin & Harry B Smith's musical premieres in NYC
12/25/1916 - Birth-Daniel Devoto, composer
12/25/1917 - "Why Marry," 1st drama to win Pulitzer Prize, premieres in NYC
12/25/1917 - Hirsch/Harbach's musical "Going Up," premieres in NYC
12/25/1918 - Birth-Anwar el-Sadat, Egyptian Pres (1970-81, Nobel 1978)
12/25/1918 - Birth-Eddie Safranski, Pitts Pa, orch leader (Jonathan Winters Show)
12/25/1920 - Birth-Artur Agostinho, Lisbon Port, actor (Capas Negras, Leao da Estrela)
12/25/1920 - Birth-Henry Charnock, oceanographer
12/25/1921 - Hans Huber, composer, dies at 69
12/25/1921 - Korolenko, writer, dies
12/25/1922 - -Dec 26] Lenin dictates his "Political testament"
12/25/1922 - Alphonse Goovaerts, composer, dies at 75
12/25/1922 - Birth-Kitty Kallen, Phila Pa, singer (Judge For Yourself)
12/25/1923 - Birth-Louis Lane, Eagle Pass Texas, conductor (Oere Orch 1968-73)
12/25/1923 - Birth-N"el Vandernotte, France, cox (Olympic-bronze 1936)
12/25/1923 - Imperial Theater opens at 249 W 45th St NYC
12/25/1924 - Birth-Mih ly V ci, Hungarian poet/politician
12/25/1925 - Birth-Christmas F Tinto, South African ANC'er/UDF-leader
12/25/1925 - Birth-Ossi Reichert, German FR, giant slalom (Olympic gold-1956)
12/25/1925 - Sergei Jessenin, writer, dies at 30
12/25/1926 - Hirohito becomes emperor of Japan (1926-1989)
12/25/1926 - Yoshihito, 123rd Emperor of Japan (1912-26), dies at 47
12/25/1927 - Birth-Nellie Fox, White Sox infielder (AL MVP 1959)
12/25/1927 - Sergei D Sazonov, Russian Foreign minister (1910-16), dies at 66
12/25/1928 - Birth-Earl Brown, Salt Lake City Ut, actor (Stovall Operation Petticoat)
12/25/1928 - Christmas Day attendance at cricket MCG (Vic v NSW) 14,887
12/25/1928 - NSW (v Vic) go from 8-74 to 9-113 to be 9-367 at stumps
12/25/1929 - Birth-Billy Horton, rocker (The Silhouettes-Get a Job)
12/25/1929 - Birth-Chris Kenner, rocker
12/25/1929 - Birth-Irish McCalla, Pawnee City Neb, actress (Sheena Queen of Jungle)
12/25/1929 - Grimmett takes 6-146 for SA, Queensland all out 380 Crowd 5,390
12/25/1930 - 1st US bobsled run open to public (Lake Placid, NY)
12/25/1930 - Harvey Worthington Loomis, composer, dies at 65
12/25/1930 - Mt Van Hoevenberg bobsled run at Lake Placid, NY opens
12/25/1930 - Slinger Nitschke scores 142 SA v Qld at Adelaide before 5,422
12/25/1930 - Tasmania all out 280, WI 2-139 at Hobart Crowd 2,500
12/25/1931 - Albert Lonergan scores 137 SA v Qld at Adelaide before 5,697
12/25/1931 - Birth-Carlos Castaneda, US, writer/mystic (Eagle's Gift, Fire From Within)
12/25/1931 - Birth-Uzo Egonu, painter/print maker
12/25/1931 - Fleetwood-Smith takes 5-69 Victoria v Tas at Hobart
12/25/1931 - NY's Metropolitan Opera broadcasts an entire opera over radio
12/25/1932 - Birth-Jos’ Maria Capricorne, Curaýaos graphically designer/painter
12/25/1932 - Birth-Peter John Swales, football club chairman
12/25/1932 - During King George V Christmas dinner speech, his chair collapes
12/25/1933 - Another Christmas Day five-wicket haul by Clarrie Grimmett
12/25/1933 - Belgian Working people's party accept Henry de Mans Plan of Labor
12/25/1933 - Stan Smith takes 8-33 for Victoria v Tasmania at Hobart
12/25/1934 - Birth-Bob Martinez, (Gov-Fl)
12/25/1934 - Birth-Giancarlo Baghetti, racing driver/journalist
12/25/1934 - Birth-John Ashley, KC Mo, actor (Clipper-Straightaway)
12/25/1934 - Birth-McKinley Mitchell, US gospel/singer (The Town I Live In)
12/25/1934 - Four centuries for SA as they make 7-644 v Qld before 6,180
12/25/1934 - Samson Raphaelson's "Accent on Youth," premieres in NYC
12/25/1935 - Birth-Gunter Friedrichs, composer
12/25/1936 - Belgian bishops condemn fascism & communism
12/25/1936 - Birth-Alexandra HEOC, English princess/daughter of sir Angus Ogilvy
12/25/1936 - Birth-Ismail Merchant, Bombay India, producer (Householder)
12/25/1936 - Pierre Maurice, composer, dies at 68
12/25/1936 - Ron Hamence scores 104 for SA v Queensland before 4,865
12/25/1937 - Arturo Toscanini conducts 1st Symphony of the Air over NBC Radio
12/25/1937 - Birth-O'Kelly Isley, Cincinnati Ohio, singer (Isley Brothers-Twist & Shout)
12/25/1937 - Queensland all out for 93 v SA in front of 10,436
12/25/1938 - Birth-David Borden, composer
12/25/1938 - Birth-Wibo van de Linde, Dutch TV host/director (Avro)
12/25/1938 - George Cukor announces Vivien Leigh will play Scarlett O'Hara
12/25/1938 - Karel Capek, Czech author/antifascist (B¡l Nemoc), dies at 48
12/25/1939 - Birth-Bob James, rocker
12/25/1939 - Birth-Christopher Wates, English real estate developer/multi-millionaire
12/25/1939 - Grimmett & Ward rip through Qld except Bill Brown (156)
12/25/1939 - Montgomery Ward introduces Rudolph the 9th reindeer
12/25/1940 - Agnes Ayres, actress (Johnny Belinda, Sheik), dies at 42
12/25/1940 - Birth-Frans Moor, Dutch MP (PvdA)
12/25/1940 - Birth-Peter Brown, Chicago Il, rocker
12/25/1940 - Bradman out 1st ball for SA v Victoria before 6213
12/25/1940 - Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Harts "Pal Joey," premieres in NYC
12/25/1941 - Birth-Don Pullen, pianist/composer
12/25/1941 - Birth-Lex Hixon, religious teacher/author
12/25/1941 - Birth-Ronald Perera, composer
12/25/1941 - Japan announces surrender of British-Canadian garrison at Hong Kong
12/25/1941 - Japanese aircraft carriers Akagi/Kagu back in Kure, Japan
12/25/1942 - Admiral Dalans murderer of Bosinier de la Chapelle, sentenced to death
12/25/1942 - Birth-Franýoise Durr, France, tennis player (1976 US indoor Doubles)
12/25/1942 - Birth-Mani Kaul, director (Idiot, Nazar, Dhrupad, Duvidha)
12/25/1942 - British Col S W Bailey reaches Mihailovics headquarter
12/25/1942 - Russian artillery/tank battle on German armies at Stalingrad
12/25/1942 - Vojislav Vuckovic, composer, dies at 32
12/25/1943 - Birth-Hanna Schygulla, Katowice Silesia, actress (Love is Colder than Death)
12/25/1943 - Birth-Hedley Howarth, cricketer (brother of Geoff, NZ lefty spinner 1969-77)
12/25/1943 - Birth-Ravish Malhotra, India cosmonaut (Soyuz T-11 backup)
12/25/1943 - Birth-Trevor Lucas, rocker (Fairport Convention)
12/25/1943 - Ilona Durigo, Hungarian singer, dies at 62
12/25/1943 - Raymond Huntington Woodman, composer, dies at 82
12/25/1944 - Birth-Henry Vestine, rock guitarist (Canned Heat-On the Road Again)
12/25/1944 - Birth-Rick Berman, [Richard], producer (Star Trek Generations)
12/25/1945 - Birth-Gary Sandy, Dayton Ohio, actor (Andy-WKRP in Cincinnati)
12/25/1945 - Birth-Ken "The Snake" Stabler, NFL quarterback (Oak Raiders, Super Bowl XI)
12/25/1945 - Birth-Kenny Everett, British TV personality (Kenny Everett Show)
12/25/1945 - Birth-Noel Redding, rocker (The Jimi Hendrix Experience Purple Haze)
12/25/1945 - Birth-Steve Mancha, [Clyde Wilson], US singer/songwriter (Too Many Cooks)
12/25/1946 - Birth-Jimmy Buffet, Mobile Alabama, vocalist (Margaritaville)
12/25/1946 - Birth-Larry Csonka, NFL running back (Miami Dolphins, NY Giants)
12/25/1946 - Constitution accepted in Taiwan
12/25/1946 - W C Fields, writer/comedian (Bank Dick, It's A Gift), dies at 67
12/25/1947 - Birth-Connie Petracek, Chambersburg PA, swimmer (Olympics-92, 96)
12/25/1947 - Taiwan passes Human Rights laws (Day of Earth Law)
12/25/1948 - Birth-Barbara Mandrell, Houston Tx, singer/TV host (Mandrell Sisters)
12/25/1948 - Birth-Merry Clayton, rocker
12/25/1949 - Birth-Dan Pastorini, NFL QB (Raiders) [or May 26]
12/25/1949 - Birth-Sissy Spacek, Quitman Tx (Carrie, Badlands, Coal Miner's Daughter)
12/25/1950 - Birth-Barry Pearson, NFLer
12/25/1950 - Birth-Manny Trillo, baseball infielder (Phila Phillies)
12/25/1950 - Cleve Browns beat LA Rams 30-28 in NFL championship game
12/25/1950 - Coronation Stone, taken from Scone in Scotland by Edward I in 1296, stolen from Westminster Abbey & smuggled back to Scotland
12/25/1950 - Dick Tracy marries Tess Truehart
12/25/1950 - Xavier Villaurrutia, Mexican poet (Nostalgia de la muerte), dies at 47
12/25/1951 - 1st Christmas Day in Test Crickets, Aust v WI at Adelaide
12/25/1951 - Birth-Ria Thielsch, Dutch singer (Luv)
12/25/1951 - Harry T Moore, Florida NAACP official, killed by bomb
12/25/1951 - West Indies defeat Australia by 6 wkts on 3rd day of 3rd Test Cricket
12/25/1953 - Avalanche of lava kills 150 (Ruapehu volcano, New Zealand)
12/25/1953 - Birth-Arnella Flynn, Rome Italy, Errol Flynn's daughter
12/25/1953 - Birth-Dave Wasick, NFLer
12/25/1954 - Birth-Annie Lennox, Aberdeen Scotld, vocalist (Eurythmics-Sweet Dreams, Why)
12/25/1954 - Birth-Robin Campbell, British reggae vocalist/guitarist (UB40-Red Red Wine)
12/25/1954 - Birth-Steve Wariner, Noblesville Indiana, country singer (Small Town Girl)
12/25/1954 - Johnny Ace, Memphis rocker, accidently shot self in head at 25
12/25/1954 - Liberty Hyde Bailey, US botanist (Plantbreeding), dies at 96
12/25/1954 - Rosario Scalero, composer, dies at 84
12/25/1954 - WSFA TV channel 12 in Montgomery, AL (NBC) begins broadcasting
12/25/1955 - Birth-Claus Strigel, director (Obituary for the Automobile, Act of God)
12/25/1955 - Birth-William Andrews, actor (Sealed Cargo)
12/25/1955 - Cleveland Browns win NFL championship
12/25/1955 - Pope Pius XII encyclical on sacred music & popular music
12/25/1956 - Birth-Mansoor Akhtar, cricketer (Pakistani batsman early 80's)
12/25/1956 - Robert Walser, writer, dies at 78
12/25/1957 - Birth-Jan Rot, Dutch composer/writer (Wrong Nights)
12/25/1957 - Birth-Jillie Mack, Mrs Tom Selleck/actress (Magnum PI)
12/25/1957 - Birth-Shane McGowan, rock vocalist (Pogues-Red Roses For Me)
12/25/1957 - Ed Gein found insane of murder
12/25/1957 - Frederick Law Olmsted, US architect (Central Park), dies at 87
12/25/1958 - Alan Freed's Christmas Rock & Roll Spectacular opens
12/25/1958 - Birth-Joop Hiele, soccer player (Dordrecht '90, Go Ahead Eagles)
12/25/1958 - Birth-Rickey Henderson, Chic, baseball player (stolen base king, A's, Yanks)
12/25/1959 - A synagogue in Cologne Germany desecrated with swatstikas
12/25/1959 - Birth-Chris Spice, Australian field hockey coach (Olympics-96)
12/25/1959 - Birth-Michael P Anderson, Plattsburgh NY, major USAF/astronaut (STS 89)
12/25/1959 - Birth-Missy Cleveland, Jackson Miss, playmate (April, 1979)
12/25/1959 - Birth-Ton Lokhoff, Dutch soccer player (NAC)
12/25/1959 - Richard Starkey receives his 1st drum set
12/25/1959 - Sony brings transistor TV 8-301 to the market
12/25/1960 - Birth-Amy Grant, vocalist (That's What Love Is, Baby Baby)
12/25/1961 - Birth-Storm Davis, baseball player
12/25/1961 - Rheinhold Rudenberg, inventor of electron microscope, dies
12/25/1962 - Birth-Dean Cameron, Morrison Ill, actor (Herbie-Spencer)
12/25/1962 - Birth-Mary Ellen Clark, Abington Pa, diver (Olympics-2 bronze-92, 96)
12/25/1962 - USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR
12/25/1963 - Birth-Joop Gall, Dutch soccer player (FC Groningen)
12/25/1963 - Tristan Tzara, writer, dies at 67
12/25/1963 - Walt Disney's "The Sword in the Stone" is released
12/25/1964 - "Goldfinger" premieres in US
12/25/1964 - Birth-Anil Kaul, Amritsar India, Canadian badminton player (Olympics-96)
12/25/1964 - Birth-Janet Soulsby, Corbridge Australia, golfer (Curtis Cup 1982)
12/25/1964 - Birth-Peter Hanson, English/Sierra Leone/Dutch actor (Darling How Could You)
12/25/1964 - Birth-Raymond Libregts, soccer player (MVV)
12/25/1964 - Cheerio Meredith, actress (One Happy Family), dies at 74
12/25/1964 - George Harrison's girlfriend Patti Boyd attacked by female Beatle fans
12/25/1965 - Birth-Dmitri Mironov, Moscow Rus, NHL defenseman (Pitts Penguins, Anaheim)
12/25/1965 - Birth-Kathleen Luciano, Munich Ger, WPVA volleyballer (Nationals-17th-1993)
12/25/1966 - Birth-Craig Veasey, NFL defensive tackle/defensive end (Houston Oilers)
12/25/1966 - Birth-Javier Frana, Rafaela Argentina, tennis star
12/25/1966 - Birth-Sandy Corn, model/Penthouse Pet (March, 1991)
12/25/1967 - Birth-Kathleen Franey, Brooklyn NY, 1.5k runner
12/25/1967 - Paul McCartney & Jane Asher get engaged
12/25/1968 - Birth-Corey Widmer, NFL linebacker (NY Giants)
12/25/1968 - Birth-Don Silvestri, NFL/WLAF kicker (NY Jets, London Monarchs)
12/25/1968 - Birth-Helena Christensen, Copenhagen Denmark, model/actress (Inferno)
12/25/1968 - Birth-Jim Dowd, Brick, NHL center (Vancouver Canucks)
12/25/1968 - Birth-Scott Bullett, Martinsburg WV, outfielder (Chic Cubs)
12/25/1968 - Frank Borman's Christmas reading while orbiting Moon
12/25/1969 - 5 Israeli gunboats escape from Cherbourg harbor
12/25/1969 - Birth-Bernhard Jr, Prince of Netherlands
12/25/1969 - India all out for 163 at Madras v Aust, Ashley Mallett 5-91
12/25/1970 - Birth-Azhar Saeed, UAE cricketer (opening batsman 1996 World Cup)
12/25/1970 - Birth-Ghalid Salamat, soccer player (MVV)
12/25/1970 - Birth-Stu Barnes, Spruce Grove, NHL center (Florida Panthers)
12/25/1971 - Birth-Marlon Forbes, safety (Chicago Bears)
12/25/1971 - Birth-Noel Hogan, musician (Cranberries)
12/25/1971 - Birth-Terry Vaughn, CFL receiver (Calgary Stampeders)
12/25/1971 - Byron Arnold, composer, dies at 70
12/25/1971 - Longest NFL game (82m40s) as Dolphins beat Chiefs 27-24
12/25/1971 - Operation PUSH (People United to Save Humanity) form Jesse Jackson
12/25/1971 - Worst hotel fire in history kills 163 at Taeyokale Hotel in Seoul
12/25/1972 - Birth-Fantasia, [Tonya Manley], Detroit Mich, dancer/actress (Pump it Up)
12/25/1972 - England beat India by six wickets in the 1st Test Cricket at Delhi
12/25/1973 - Ismet In"n [Mustapha Ismet Pasha], Turkish PM (1923..65), dies at 89
12/25/1973 - Tommy Chambers (Scotland) finishes 51 yr cycle tour (799,405 miles)
12/25/1974 - Birth-Chris Naeole, guard (New Orleans Saints)
12/25/1974 - Birth-Grayson Shillingford, NFL wide receiver (Seattle Seahawks)
12/25/1974 - Cyclone Tracy virtually destroys Darwin Australia
12/25/1975 - Gaston Gallimard, French publisher (Library Gallimard), dies at 94
12/25/1976 - Arthur Mitchell, cricketer (batted in 6 Tests for Eng 1933 36), dies
12/25/1976 - Birth-Scott Vermillion, Independence MO, soccer defender (Olympics-gold-96)
12/25/1976 - Birth-Yazmin Fiallos, Miss Universe-Honduras (1996)
12/25/1976 - Egyptian SS Patria sinks in Red Sea, about 100 killed
12/25/1976 - Frankie Darro, actor (Radio Ranch, Valley of Wanted Men), dies at 58
12/25/1976 - Takeo Fukuda becomes Japanese premier
12/25/1977 - Charlie Chaplin, actor (Modern Times), dies in Switzerland at 88
12/25/1977 - Israeli PM Menachem Begin meets Egyptian Pres Sadat in Egypt
12/25/1979 - Joan Blondell, actress (Real McCoys), dies at 70
12/25/1979 - Lee Bowman, actor (Ellery Queen, Miami Undercover), dies at 64
12/25/1979 - Opening day of 4th Test Cricket, India 8-112 v Pakistan at Kanpur
12/25/1979 - USSR airlifts invasionary army to Afghanistan
12/25/1980 - Fred Emney, actor (Adventures of a Private Eye), dies at 80
12/25/1980 - Louis Neefs, Belgian singer, dies at 43
12/25/1980 - Oscar Romero, archbishop of El Salvador, murdered
12/25/1982 - Mudassar Nazar scores century, then Imran rips through Indians
12/25/1983 - 1st live telecast of Christmas Parade
12/25/1983 - Joan Miro, Spanish surrealist, dies at his home in Majorca at 90
12/25/1984 - NBA's Bernard King scores 60 points
12/25/1985 - George Rhodes, orch leader (Sammy Davis Jr Show), dies at 66
12/25/1987 - Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, who escaped 2 days earlier, recaptured
12/25/1989 - Barrel Regtien, student leader, dies
12/25/1989 - Billy Martin, NY Yankee manager, killed in a car accident at 61
12/25/1989 - Elena Ceausescu, wife of Romania's dictator Nicolea, executed
12/25/1989 - Japanese scientist achieve -271.8øC, coldest temp ever recorded
12/25/1989 - Nicolea Ceausescu, dictator of Romania, executed
12/25/1989 - Roger Pigaut, actor (Indoptable Ang’lique), dies
12/25/1989 - Ton Regtien, Dutch student leader, dies at 51
12/25/1990 - "Godfather III" premieres
12/25/1990 - Marguerite N Wittenberg, entertainer, dies of cancer at 77
12/25/1991 - Curt Bois, actor (Great Waltz, Boat is Full), dies at 90
12/25/1991 - Last day of a washout Pakistan v Sri Lanka at Gujranwala
12/25/1991 - Mahmood Hussain, cricketer (27 Tests for Pakistan, 68 wickets), dies
12/25/1991 - Mikhail Gorbachev formally resigned as Pres of USSR
12/25/1991 - Orane Demazis, French actress (Marius, Fanny et C’sar), dies at 87
12/25/1991 - Sal Provenza, entertainer, dies of lymphoma at 45
12/25/1992 - Garrison H Davidson, US lt-gen commandant (West Point), dies
12/25/1992 - Helen B M Fennell Joseph, English/South Afr anti apartheid, dies at 87
12/25/1992 - Monica Dickens, English/US journalist/author, dies at 77
12/25/1992 - Ted Croker, RAF-pilot/sect English soccer team (sponsoring), dies
12/25/1994 - "Comedy Tonight" closes at Lunt-Fontanne Theater NYC after 8 perfs
12/25/1994 - Pierre Dreyfus, French director of Renault (1955-75), dies at 87
12/25/1994 - Zail Singh, president of India (1982-87), dies at 78
12/25/1995 - Dean Martin, singer/actor (Return to Me), dies at 78
12/25/1995 - Emmanuel Levinas, philosopher, dies at 89
12/25/1995 - Jimmy Boucher, cricketer (great Irish all-rounder 1929 54), dies
12/25/1995 - Nikolai [Nicolas Leonidovich] Slonimsky, musicologist, dies at 101
12/25/1996 - Derek Prouse, writer actor/director (Le Scandale), dies at 74
12/25/1996 - Jon Benet Ramsey, Colo child beauty queen, murdered at 6
12/25/1996 - Rupert John, gov-gen of Grenadines (1970-76), dies
12/25/1997 - Anatoli Boukreev, mountaineer, dies at 39
12/25/1997 - Denver Pyle, actor (Dukes of Hazzard), dies at 77
12/25/1997 - For 1st time US movie box office receipts pass $6 billion
12/25/1997 - Giorgio Strehler, theatre director, dies at 76
12/25/1997 - Jerry Seinfeld says this is the final season of his TV show
12/25/1997 - Laurence Gower, academic, dies at 84