What happened on December 26? There are more than 278 events that were made this day in history. Here are the important historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.
Interesting Facts & Myths About December 26
December 26 is the 361st day of the year 2024. There are 5 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Thursday. This day falls under the 52nd week of the year 2024.
On this day in Palestine, West Virginia 26160 sunrise will occur at 07:41 AM and sunset will occur at 05:11 PM (local time).
The zodiac sign of a person born on this day is Capricorn. The modern birthstone for this month is Turquoise while the mystical birthstone is Onyx.
According to the Chinese calendar, there are 34 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year (January 29, 2025).
Is your birthday coming up in two days? Are you not curious to find out who is sharing your special day? Discover all the April 29 famous birthdays. There are fun facts about that day that you must know. (Sponsored link)
Historical Events For December 26
- 1135Coronation of King Stephen of England.
- 1481Battle of Westbroek: Holland defeats troops of Utrecht.
- 1613Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset, marries Frances Howard.
- 1776American Revolutionary War: The British are defeated in the Battle of Trenton.
- 1790Louis XVI of France gives his public assent to Civil Constitution of the Clergy during the French Revolution.
- 1792The final trial of Louis XVI of France begins in Paris, France.
- 1793Second Battle of Wissembourg: French defeat Austrians.
- 1793The wedding of Prince Friedrich Ludwig of Prussia and Frederica of Mecklenburg-Strelitz takes place.
- 1799Four thousand people attend George Washington’s funeral where Henry Lee declares him as “first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen.”
- 1805Austria and France sign the Treaty of Pressburg.
- 1806Battles of Pultusk and Golymin: Russian forces hold French forces under Napoleon.
- 1811A theater fire in Richmond, Virginia kills the Governor of Virginia George William Smith and the president of the First National Bank of Virginia Abraham B. Venable.
- 1825Advocates of liberalism in Russia rise up against Tsar Nicholas I and are put down in the Decembrist Revolt in St. Petersburg.
- 1846Trapped in snow in the Sierra Nevadas and without food, members of the Donner Party resort to cannibalism.
- 1860The first ever inter-club football match takes place between Hallam F.C. and Sheffield F.C. at the Sandygate Road ground in Sheffield, England.
- 1861American Civil War: The Trent Affair: Confederate diplomatic envoys James M. Mason and John Slidell are freed by the United States government, thus heading off a possible war between the United States and United Kingdom.
- 1862American Civil War: The Battle of Chickasaw Bayou begins.
- 1862Four nuns serving as volunteer nurses on board USS Red Rover are the first female nurses on a U.S. Navy hospital ship.
- 1862The largest mass-hanging in U.S. history took place in Mankato, Minnesota, 38 Native Americans die.
- 1870The 12.8-km long Fréjus Rail Tunnel through the Alps is completed.
- 1871Gilbert and Sullivan collaborate for the first time, on their lost opera, Thespis. It does modestly well, but the two would not collaborate again for four years.
- 1883The Harbour Grace Affray between Irish Catholics and Protestant Orangemen causes five deaths in Newfoundland.
- 1898Marie and Pierre Curie announce the isolation of radium.
- 1900A relief crew arrives the the lighthouse on the Flannan Isles of Scotland, only to find the previous crew has disappeared without a trace.
- 1919Babe Ruth of the Boston Red Sox is sold to the New York Yankees by owner Harry Frazee.
- 1925Turkey adopts the Gregorian Calendar.
- 1933FM radio is patented.
- 1941U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs a bill establishing the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day in the United States.
- 1943World War II: German warship Scharnhorst is sunk off of Norway’s North Cape after a battle against major Royal Navy forces.
- 1944World War II: Patton’s Third Army breaks the encirclement of surrounded U.S. forces at Bastogne, Belgium.
- 1945CFP franc and CFA franc are created.
- 1948Cardinal József Mindszenty is arrested in Hungary and accused of treason and conspiracy.
- 1966The first Kwanzaa is celebrated by Maulana Karenga, the chair of Black Studies at California State University, Long Beach.
- 1972Vietnam War: As part of Operation Linebacker II, 120 American B-52 Stratofortress bombers attacked Hanoi, including 78 launched from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, the largest single combat launch in Strategic Air Command history.
- 1975The Tupolev Tu-144 SST goes into service in Soviet Union.
- 1976The Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist-Leninist) is founded.
- 1980Aeroflot puts the Ilyushin Il-86 into service.
- 1982Time’s Man of the Year is for the first time a non-human, the personal computer.
- 1986The first long-running American television soap opera, Search for Tomorrow, airs its final episode after 35 years on the air.
- 1991The Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union meets and formally dissolves the Soviet Union.
- 1994Four Armed Islamic Group hijackers seize control of Air France Flight 8969. When the plane lands at Marseille, a French Gendarmerie assault team boards the aircraft and kills the perpetrators.
- 1996Six-year-old beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey is found beaten and strangled in the basement of her family’s home in Boulder, Colorado.
- 1996Start of the largest strike in South Korean history.
- 1997The Soufriere Hills volcano on the island of Montserrat explodes, creating a small tsunami offshore.
- 1998Iraq announces its intention to fire upon U.S. and British warplanes that patrol the northern and southern no-fly zones.
- 1999The storm Lothar sweeps across Central Europe, killing 137 and causing US$1.3 billion in damage.
- 2003A magnitude 6.6 earthquake devastates southeast Iranian city of Bam, killing tens of thousands and destroying the citadel of Arg-é Bam.
- 2004A 9.3 magnitude earthquake creates a tsunami causing devastation in Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, the Maldives and many other areas around the rim of the Indian Ocean, killing over 230,000 people including over 1700 on a moving train.
- 2004Orange Revolution: The final run-off election in Ukraine is held under heavy international scrutiny.
- 2005A gang-related shooting on a busy shopping street in Toronto kills one and injures six.
- 2006A 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit Hengchun, Pingtung, Taiwan, killing two people and causing severe communication disruptions in southeast Asia.
- 2006An oil pipeline in Lagos, Nigeria explodes, killing at least 260.
Who Were Born On December 26?
- 1194Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1250)
- 1532Guilielmus Xylander, German classical scholar (d. 1576)
- 1536Yi I, Korean Confucian scholar (d. 1584)
- 1646Robert Bolling, English settler in Virginia (d. 1709)
- 1687Johann Georg Pisendel, German musician (d. 1755)
- 1716Jean François de Saint-Lambert, French poet (d. 1803)
- 1716Thomas Gray, English writer (d. 1771)
- 1723Friedrich Melchior, baron von Grimm, German writer (d. 1807)
- 1737Prince Josias of Coburg, Austrian general (d. 1815)
- 1751Clemens Maria Hofbauer, Austrian missionary and saint (d. 1820)
- 1771Julie Clary, queen consort of Naples (d. 1845)
- 1780Mary Fairfax Somerville, British mathematician (d. 1872)
- 1782Filaret Drozdov, Metropolitan of Moscow (d. 1867)
- 1791Charles Babbage, English mathematician and inventor (d. 1871)
- 1819E. D. E. N. Southworth, American novelist (d. 1899)
- 1820Dion Boucicault, Irish actor and playwright (d. 1890)
- 1837George Dewey, U. S. admiral (d. 1917)
- 1837Morgan Bulkeley, American politician, 54th Governor of Connecticut and baseball commissioner (d. 1922)
- 1853René Bazin, French novelist (d. 1932)
- 1859William Stephens, American politician and 24th Governor of California (d. 1944)
- 1863Charles Pathé, French pioneer of film and record industries (d. 1957)
- 1867Phan Boi Chau, Vietnamese nationalist (d. 1940)
- 1872Norman Angell, British politician, Nobel laureate (d. 1967)
- 1873Thomas Wass, English cricketer (d. 1953)
- 1883Maurice Utrillo, French artist (d. 1955)
- 1887Arthur Ernest Percival, British Army officer (d. 1966)
- 1890Uncle Charlie Osborne, American fiddler (d. 1992)
- 1891Henry Miller, American writer (d. 1980)
- 1893Mao Zedong, Chinese military leader and politician (d. 1976)
- 1894Jean Toomer, American writer (d. 1967)
- 1902Anatoli Lvovich Kaplan, Russian painter (d. 1980)
- 1903Elisha Cook Jr., American actor (d. 1995)
- 1904Alejo Carpentier, Cuban writer (d. 1980)
- 1905William Loeb III, American newspaper publisher, (d. 1981)
- 1906Imperio Argentina, Argentine actress and singer (d. 2003)
- 1907Al Gore Sr., American Politician (d. 1998)
- 1911Arsenio Lacson, Filipino politician and sportswriter (d. 1962)
- 1913Frank Swift, English footballer and journalist (d. 1958)
- 1914Annemarie Wendl, German actress (d. 2006)
- 1914Richard Widmark, American actor (d. 2008)
- 1918George Rallis, Greek politician, Prime Minister of Greece (d. 2006)
- 1921Steve Allen, American comedian (d. 2000)
- 1922Richard Mayes, English actor (d. 2006)
- 1924Frank Broyles, American athlete, long time athletic director of the University of Arkansas
- 1926Gina Pellón, Cuban painter
- 1927Alan King, American comedian (d. 2004)
- 1927Denis Quilley, British actor (d. 2003)
- 1927Stu Miller, American baseball player
- 1929Régine, French singer and nightclub owner
- 1930Donald Moffat, English-born actor
- 1930Jean Ferrat, French singer and songwriter
- 1933Caroll Spinney, American puppeteer
- 1933Ugly Dave Gray, Australian television personality
- 1935Abdul “Duke” Fakir, American singer (The Four Tops)
- 1935Norm Ullman, Canadian hockey player
- 1937Jay Heimowitz, American poker player
- 1937John Horton Conway, British mathematician
- 1938Alamgir Kabir, Bangladeshi film director (d. 1989)
- 1938Bahram Beizai, Iranian playwright and film director
- 1939Fred Schepisi, Australian film director
- 1939Phil Spector, American music producer
- 1940Edward C. Prescott, American economist, Nobel laureate
- 1940Ray Sadecki, American Major league baseball pitcher
- 1941Daniel Schmid, Swiss film director (d. 2006)
- 1942Gray Davis, American politician and 37th Governor of California
- 1942Marco Vinicio Cerezo Arévalo, Guatemalan president
- 1944Jane Lapotaire, British actress
- 1945John Walsh, American talk show host
- 1946Alan Frumin, Parliamentarian of the United States Senate
- 1947Carlton Fisk, American baseball player
- 1947James T. Conway, 34th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps
- 1947Richard L. McCormick, President of Rutgers University
- 1948Candy Crowley, American journalist
- 1949José Ramos-Horta, President of East Timor, Nobel laureate
- 1951John Scofield, American jazz guitarist
- 1951Richard Skinner, British radio presenter
- 1953Henning Schmitz, German musician (Kraftwerk)
- 1953Leonel Fernández, Dominican politician and current President of the Dominican Republic
- 1953Toomas Hendrik Ilves, President of Estonia
- 1954Ozzie Smith, American baseball player
- 1954Peter Hillary, New Zealand mountaineer
- 1954Steve Steen, English actor
- 1954Tony Rosato, Italian-Canadian actor
- 1955Evan Bayh, American politician, 46th Governor of Indiana, and United States Senator from Indiana
- 1956David Sedaris, American essayist
- 1957Dermot Murnaghan, British broadcaster
- 1958Adrian Newey, British engineer
- 1959Koji Morimoto, Japanese animated film director
- 1960Christian Müller, German footballer
- 1960Jim Toomey, American syndicated cartoonist
- 1960Temuera Morrison, New Zealand actor
- 1960Tina Wesson, Winner of Survivor: The Australian Outback
- 1961Andrew Lock, Australian mountaineer
- 1961John Lynch, Irish actor
- 1963Bill Wennington, Canadian basketball player
- 1963Lars Ulrich, Danish-born drummer (Metallica)
- 1964Elizabeth Kostova, American author
- 1966Jay Farrar, American musician and songwriter
- 1966Jay Yuenger, American musician and producer
- 1966Sandra Taylor, American model and actress
- 1966Tim Legler, American basketball player
- 1968Dennis Knight, American professional wrestler
- 1968Tricia Leigh Fisher, American actress
- 1970James Mercer, American musician (The Shins)
- 1970Krissada Terrence, Thai singer and actor
- 1971Jared Leto, American actor and singer (30 Seconds to Mars)
- 1971Jonathan M. Parisen, American film director
- 1971Mika Nurmela, Finnish footballer
- 1972Esteban Fuertes, Argentine footballer
- 1972Robert Muchamore, English children’s author
- 1972Shane Meadows, British filmmaker
- 1973Gianluca Faliva, Italian rugby player
- 1973Paulão, Brazilian footballer
- 1973Reichen Lehmkuhl, American television personality
- 1974Joshua John Miller, American actor
- 1974Josie Ho, Hong Kong singer and actor
- 1974Tiffany Brissette, American TV actress
- 1974Zach Blair, American guitarist (Rise Against)
- 1975Marcelo Ríos, Chilean tennis player
- 1976Lea De Mae, Czech actress (d. 2004)
- 1976Nadia Litz, Canadian actress
- 1976Simon Goodwin, Australian rules footballer
- 1977Sofia Bekatorou, Greek sailing champion
- 1978Kaoru Sugayama, Japanese volleyball player
- 1979Chris Daughtry, American singer
- 1979Craig Wing, Australian Rugby League Player
- 1979Dimitry Vassiliev, Russian ski jumper
- 1979Fabián Carini, Uruguayan footballer
- 1980Todd Dunivant, American soccer player
- 1981Pablo Canavosio, Argentine-born Italian rugby player
- 1982Aksel Lund Svindal, Norwegian skier
- 1982Kenneth Darby, American football player
- 1982Oguri Shun, Japanese actor/model
- 1984Alex Schwazer, Italian race walker
- 1984Leonardo Ghiraldini, Italian rugby player
- 1985Beth Behrs, American actress
- 1985Yuu Shirota, Japanese Idol
- 1986Hugo Lloris, French goalkeeper
- 1987Adam Walker, British flautist
- 1989Jennica Garcia, Filipina actress
- 1990Aaron Ramsey, Welsh footballer
- 1990Andrew Biersack, singer, Black veil brides, Ana’s Boyfriend
- 1994Souleymane Coulibaly, Ivorian footballer
- 1995Zach Mills, American actor
- 2000Samuel Sevian, American chess player
Who Died On December 26?
- 268Pope Dionysius
- 418Pope Zosimus
- 1350Jean de Marigny, French bishop
- 1458Arthur III, Duke of Brittany (b. 1393)
- 1476Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan (b. 1444)
- 1530Babur, Emperor of the Mogul empire (b. 1483)
- 1574Charles of Guise, French cardinal (b. 1524)
- 1624Simon Marius, German astronomer (b. 1573)
- 1731Antoine Houdar de la Motte, French writer (b. 1672)
- 1771Claude Adrien Helvétius, French philosopher (b. 1715)
- 1780John Fothergill, English physician (b. 1712)
- 1784Seth Warner, American revolutionary leader (b. 1743)
- 1786Gasparo Gozzi, Italian critic and dramatist (b. 1713)
- 1869Jean Louis Marie Poiseuille, French physiologist (b. 1797)
- 1890Heinrich Schliemann, German archaeologist (b. 1822)
- 1909Frederic Remington, American artist (b. 1861)
- 1923Dietrich Eckart, German Nazi politician (b. 1868)
- 1931Melvil Dewey, inventor of the Dewey decimal classification (b. 1851)
- 1933Anatoly Lunacharsky, Russian literary critic and politician (b. 1875)
- 1933Henry Watson Fowler, English schoolmaster and lexicographer (b. 1858)
- 1960Watsuji Tetsuro, Japanese philosopher (b. 1889)
- 1963“Gorgeous” George Wagner, American professional wrestler and television personality (b. 1915)
- 1966Herbert Otto Gille, German SS officer (b. 1897)
- 1970Lillian Board, British track and field athlete (b. 1948)
- 1972Harry S. Truman, 33rd President of the United States (b. 1884)
- 1973Harold B. Lee, 11th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (b. 1899)
- 1974Farid al-Atrash, Arab composer (b. 1915)
- 1974Jack Benny, American comedian (b. 1894)
- 1977Howard Hawks, American film director and writer (b. 1896)
- 1980Tony Smith, American sculptor (b. 1912)
- 1981Amber Reeves, British feminist writer (b. 1887)
- 1981Savitri, Indian actress (b. 1937)
- 1983Violet Carson, British actress (b. 1898)
- 1985Dian Fossey, American gorilla specialist (b. 1932)
- 1985Harold P. Warren, American movie director (d. 1928)
- 1985Margarete Schön, German actress (b. 1895)
- 1986Elsa Lanchester, British-born actress (b. 1902)
- 1988Glenn McCarthy, American oil tycoon and businessman (b. 1907)
- 1988Pablo Sorozábal, Basque-Spanish composer (b. 1897)
- 1989Doug Harvey, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1924)
- 1990Gene Callahan, American film art and production designer (b. 1923)
- 1992Nikita Magaloff, Russian pianist (b. 1912)
- 1994Parveen Shakir, Pakistani poetess (b. 1952)
- 1996Kostas Palios, Greek actor (b. 1926)
- 1997Cornelius Castoriadis, Greek philosopher and economist (b. 1922)
- 1999Curtis Mayfield, American musician (b. 1942)
- 1999Shankar Dayal Sharma, President of India (b. 1918)
- 2000Jason Robards, American actor (b. 1922)
- 2001Nigel Hawthorne, English actor (b. 1929)
- 2002Armand Zildjian, American cymbal manufacturer (b. 1921)
- 2002Herb Ritts, American photographer (b. 1952)
- 2004Aki Sirkesalo, Finnish musician (b. 1962)
- 2004Jonathan Drummond-Webb, South African heart surgeon (b. 1959)
- 2004Khun Bhumi Jensen, Thai Royal Family member (b. 1983)
- 2004Marianne Heiberg, Norwegian mediator (b. 1945)
- 2004Mieszko Talarczyk, Polish-born Swedish musician (Nasum) (b. 1974)
- 2004Reggie White, American football player (b. 1961)
- 2004Sigurd Køhn, Norwegian jazz musician (b. 1959)
- 2004Sir Angus Ogilvy, British businessman (b. 1928)
- 2004Troy Broadbridge, Australian rules footballer (b. 1980)
- 2005Erich Topp, German submarine commander (b. 1914)
- 2005Kerry Packer, Australian businessman (b. 1937)
- 2005Muriel Costa-Greenspon, American mezzo-soprano (b. 1937)
- 2005Vincent Schiavelli, American actor (b. 1948)
- 2006Gerald Ford, 38th President of the United States (b. 1913)
- 2006Ivar Formo, Norwegian skier (b. 1951)
- 2006Munir Niazi, Urdu poet from Pakistan (b. 1928)
- 2007Joe Dolan, Irish entertainer (b. 1943)
- 2007John A. Garraty, American author (b. 1920)
- 2007Stu Nahan, American sportscaster (b. 1926)
- 2008Gösta Krantz, Swedish actor (b. 1925)
- 2009Felix Wurman, American cellist and composer (b. 1958)
- 2010Edward Bhengu, South African activist (b. 1934)
- 2010Teena Marie, American singer and composer (b. 1956)
- 2011Fred Fono, Solomon Islands politician (b. 1962)
- 2011Houston Antwine, American football player (b. 1939)
- 2011James Rizzi, American pop artist (b. 1950)
- 2011Joe Bodolai, American comedy writer (b. 1948)
- 2011Pedro Armendáriz, Jr., Mexican actor (b. 1940)
- 2011Sam Rivers, American jazz musician (b. 1923)
- 2011Sarekoppa Bangarappa, Indian politician (b. 1932)
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