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December 24 Events in History - December 24 Birthdays - December 24 Deaths
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December 24, 1997 1st time a Channukah candle is officially lit in Vatican City December 24, 1994 4 Moslem fundamentalists capture Air France pilot in Algiers December 24, 1992 President Bush pardons Caspar Weinberger in Iran-contra affair December 24, 1991 Mikhail Gorbachev resigns as head of Soviet Union December 24, 1990 Expos trade Tim Raines to White Sox for Ivan Calderon and Barry Jones December 24, 1990 Saddam says Israel will be Iraq's 1st target December 24, 1989 Charles Taylor enters Liberia to unseat President Samuel K Doe December 24, 1989 Panama's dictator, Manual Noriega seeks asylum at Vatican embassy December 24, 1986 French hostage Aurel Cornea, held in Lebanon for 9 months, released December 24, 1986 Iran offensive against Iraqi islands of Shatt al-Arab December 24, 1984 Palace coup in Mauritania December 24, 1982 Chaminade, with a student body of only 850 students, beats #1 ranked Virginia 77-72 in a Honolulu holiday basketball classic December 24, 1981 Guardian Angels Curtis Sliwa and Lisa Evers marry December 24, 1981 U.S.S.R. performs nuclear test at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk U.S.S.R. December 24, 1980 Americans remembered Iran hostages by shining lights for 417 seconds December 24, 1979 1st Ariane-rocket launched December 24, 1974 Cardinals' Lou Brock is named Sportsman of the Year December 24, 1973 Ferryboat capsized off coast of Equador, drowning 200 December 24, 1971 Peruvian Airlines Electra crashes at headwaters of Amazon, killing all except Juliane Margaret Koepcke found 10 days later December 24, 1970 9 Jews are convicted in Leningrad of hijacking a plane December 24, 1970 Walt Disney's "Aristocats" is released December 24, 1968 Apollo 8 astronauts read passages from Book of Genesis December 24, 1968 WATU (now WAGT) TV channel 26 in Augusta, Georgia (CBS) begins broadcasting December 24, 1967 China PR performs nuclear test at Lop Nor PRC December 24, 1966 "Joyful Noise" closes at Mark Hellinger Theater New York City after 12 performances December 24, 1966 Luna 13 lands on Moon December 24, 1966 USAF C144 military charter crashes near Binh Thai Vietnam kills 129 December 24, 1964 Shooting begins on "The Cage" the pilot for Star Trek December 24, 1963 Greek and Turks riot in Cyprus December 24, 1962 U.S.S.R. performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya U.S.S.R. December 24, 1961 Houston Oilers beat San Diego Chargers 10-3 in AFL championship game December 24, 1960 Dutch bishops question papacy values December 24, 1956 "I Love Lucy" Christmas show airs, never put in syndication December 24, 1956 Ferdinand de Lesseps statue blown up in Port Said Egypt December 24, 1954 Council for the Children Protection forms in Neth December 24, 1954 Laos gains its independence December 24, 1953 2 fast express trains crash head-on killing 103 (Czechoslovakia) December 24, 1953 KHOL (now KHGI) TV channel 13 in Kearney, NB (ABC) begins broadcasting December 24, 1953 KOA (now KCNC) TV channel 4 in Denver, CO (NBC) begins broadcasting December 24, 1953 Rene Coty elected President of France December 24, 1953 Wellington-Auckland (NZ) express train swept away in flood kills 166 December 24, 1951 1st televised opera (Amahl and Night Visitor) December 24, 1951 United Kingdom of Libya gains independence from Italy via UN December 24, 1950 Cleveland Browns win NFL championship, beat LA 30-28 December 24, 1948 1st U.S. house completely sunheated is occupied (Dover Massachusetts) December 24, 1948 Greek government disbands due to state of war, press censorship December 24, 1946 4th French republic established December 24, 1946 US General MacNarney gives 800,000 "minor Nazi's" amnesty December 24, 1943 Franklin D. Roosevelt appoints General Eisenhower supreme commander of Allied forces December 24, 1943 Terence Rattigan's "While the Sun Shines," premieres in London December 24, 1942 1st powered flight of V-1 buzz bomb, Peenemunde, Germany December 24, 1942 Red army occupies German airports at Tasjinskaja and Morozowsk December 24, 1941 1st ships of Admiral Nagumo's Pearl Harbor fleet return to Japan December 24, 1937 Dutch government recognizes Italian king Emanuel III as emperor of Abyssinia December 24, 1936 1st radioactive isotope medicine administered, Berkeley, California December 24, 1935 Bradman scores 233 in 191 mins, SA vs. Queensland, 28 fours 1 six December 24, 1935 National Council of Negro Women forms December 24, 1934 Grimmett takes 9-180 for SA as Queensland make 430 December 24, 1933 Paris express train derails and kills 160, injures 300 (France) December 24, 1932 Arturo Alessandri wins presidental election in Chile December 24, 1930 Bandung, Java: ir Sukarno 4 years jail sentenced December 24, 1930 F Garcia Lorca's "La Zapatera Prodigiosa," premieres in Madrid December 24, 1928 George Abbott Theater (Adelphi, 54 St) opens at 152 W 54th St. New York City December 24, 1927 Test Cricket debut of Walter Hammond, who scored 51 and took 5-36 vs. S Af December 24, 1924 1st radio transmission of NCRV in Netherlands December 24, 1924 Albania becomes a republic (ex-premier Ahmed Zogoe's coup) December 24, 1924 Richard Rodgers Theater (46th St. Chanin's) opens at 226 W 46th New York City December 24, 1924 School in Babb's Switch, Oklahoma catches fire, 36 die December 24, 1922 BBC sends 1st British radio play "Truth about Father Christmas" December 24, 1922 London Coloseum opens December 24, 1920 Enrico Caruso gives his last public performance (New York City) December 24, 1914 German plane drops bombs on Dover England December 24, 1912 Irving Fisher patents archiving system with index cards December 24, 1910 Luisa Tetrazzini sings to 250,000 people at Lotta's Fountain December 24, 1906 Reginald A Fessenden became 1st to broadcast music over radio (Mass) December 24, 1904 German SW Africa abolishes slavery of young children December 24, 1900 Herman Heijermans' "Hope of Blessing" premieres in Amsterdam December 24, 1898 Herman Heijermans' "Ghetto," premieres in Amsterdam December 24, 1894 Scheveningse fishing boats destroyed by storm December 24, 1894 Soccer team Achilles '94 forms in Axes December 24, 1893 Henry Ford completes his 1st useful gas motor December 24, 1889 Daniel Stover and William Hance patent bicycle with back pedal brake December 24, 1884 Austria-Hungary admits King Leopold II's Congo Free State December 24, 1874 Pope Pius IX proclaims a jubilee for 1875 December 24, 1871 Giusseppi Verdi's "Aida" premieres in Cairo, at Suez canal opening December 24, 1865 Several Confederate veterans form Ku Klux Klan in Pulaski, Tn December 24, 1864 Battle of Gordonsville, VA December 24, 1860 Joseph Jefferson's "Rip Van Winkle," premieres in New York City December 24, 1851 Fire devastates Library of Congress in Wash, destroys 35,000 volumes December 24, 1851 US Library of Congress catches fire; 35,000 books burn December 24, 1832 HMS Beagle anchors in Wigwam Bay at Cape Receiver December 24, 1818 "Silent Night" composed by Franz Joseph Gruber; 1st sung next day December 24, 1818 Franz Xaver Gruber composes "Silent Night" December 24, 1814 Treaty of Ghent (end of US-Britain's War of 1812) signed December 24, 1799 Jakobijns plot against Napoleon uncovered December 24, 1798 Russia and England sign Second anti-French Coalition December 24, 1724 Benjamin Franklin arrives in London December 24, 1715 Swedish troops occupy Norway December 24, 1651 John van Riebeeck departs to Cape of Good Hope December 24, 1593 Storm hits Texel: 40 ships hit, 500 killed December 24, 1568 Uprising of Morisco's in Granada December 24, 1565 Compromise of the Nobles closes against inquisition December 24, 1515 Thomas Wolsey appointed English Lord Chancellor December 24, 1476 400 Burgundy soldiers freeze to death during siege of Nancy December 24, 1294 Cardinal Benedetto Gaetani chosen as Pope Boniface VIII December 24, 1046 Pope Clement II, [Suitger] elected December 24, 640 John IV begins his reign as Catholic Pope |