A Brief History On December 25, 1941, US Navy Admiral, later Fleet Admiral, Chester Nimitz arrived at the devastated Pearl Harbor Naval Base to take command of the US Pacific Fleet. Nimitz had been appointed Commander of the Pacific Fleet a week earlier and would go on to conduct an incredibly successful campaign across the vast reaches of the Pacific, overcoming great odds to defeat Imperial Japan and win the War in the Pacific. Digging Deeper Nimitz was also appointed as Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas, leading all Allied war efforts against Japan. US Army General Douglas MacArthur, later…
Browsing: December 25
Read More
A Brief History Today, December 25, 2023, I, Dr. Zar, wish all of my family, friends, colleagues, students, and subscribers a Merry Christmas! Digging Deeper With the year nearing its end, I can reflect back upon many positive moments in 2023 from my wonderful time teaching my students to the awesome events experienced with my friends, and especially meeting my new puppy. I hope that all of you have also had an abundance of happiness this past year. Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: What has been your favorite moment of 2023? If you liked this article and would…
A Brief History This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on December 25th. For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event. Digging Deeper On December 25, AD 1, Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, in what is now Israel, or so the story goes. On December 25, 336, the first documented celebration of December 25th as “Christmas” celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ occurred in Rome. On December 25, 1826, cadets at the United States Military Academy at West Point cracked the annals of history…
A Brief History On December 25, 1991, on the day that Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as President of the Soviet Union, Ukraine’s referendum was completed, meaning Ukraine was no longer part of the USSR. In fact, the next day, the USSR itself ceased to exist. Digging Deeper Ukrainian independence had been declared back on August 24, 1991, but became official when the December 1, 1991 national vote on leaving the USSR became finalized. In Ukraine at the time of independence, Christmas was usually celebrated on January 7th, although the horrible events surrounding the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine caused Ukrainians to…
A Brief History Hello, everyone! I am Dr. Zar and today, I want to wish my family, friends, colleagues, students, and subscribers a Merry Christmas 2022! Digging Deeper Did you know that the music for the popular Christmas carol titled “Carol of the Bells” is based on the Ukrainian folk chant titled “Shchedryk” by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych? If you have some spare time during this winter break and if you have not yet already done so, I encourage you to read Mr. Markham’s recent biography of Napoleon titled Simply Napoleon. Also, to see some of Mr. Halsall’s films, please…