A Brief History On December 26, 1776, George Washington led his Continental Army across the Delaware River to surprise and attack the German Hessians employed by the British, killing about 22 of the German mercenaries and capturing another 800 to 900 for the loss of only two Americans killed. In fact, the dead Americans died from the winter weather and not Hessian bullets! Digging Deeper Mercenaries, soldiers for hire usually from other lands, have been used throughout history, sometimes to great advantage but also many times leading to failure and defeat. While the French Foreign Legion is famous for its…
Browsing: December 26
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A Brief History This article presents a chronological list of notable events that happened on December 26th. For each date below, please click on the date to be taken to an article covering that date’s event. Digging Deeper On December 26, 1776, George Washington led his Continental Army across the Delaware River to surprise and attack the German Hessians employed by the British, killing about 22 of the German mercenaries and capturing another 800 to 900 for the loss of only two Americans killed. On December 26, 1871, the famous opera writing duo of Gilbert and Sullivan collaborated on Thespis, the first…
A Brief History On December 26, 2023, hordes of recipients of unwanted Christmas gifts will start the annual pilgrimage to the stores to return those disliked gifts. Traditionally, people make fun of fruitcake as a disliked gift, but we go further and list some of the most disliked gifts, although lists you find vary considerably. What gifts do you dislike the most? Digging Deeper Candles, as apparently folks like to pick their own fragrances. Clothes and Shoes, especially baby and toddler clothes. Exercise equipment and weight loss related items are often seen as an insult. Glassware and coffee cups since…
A Brief History On December 26, 2022, the British world, including Canada, celebrate Boxing Day, a holiday historically when well off people would give gifts to their servants, lower working class, and poor people. The day after Christmas is good for some other things, too, especially resting after all the hubbub of Christmas Eve and Christmas. Digging Deeper Here are some notable events related to December 26th: 1776: American forces, led by George Washington after his famous crossing of the Delaware River, won the Battle of Trenton. 1898: Marie and Pierre Curie announce the isolation of Radium. 1919: Babe Ruth…
A Brief History On December 26, 1871, the famous opera writing duo of Gilbert and Sullivan collaborated on Thespis, the first of many operas the much beloved pair worked together on. Today we use this occasion to list some of the greatest musical collaboration teams in the history of musical entertainment. Feel free to nominate other musical collaborators that you think should belong on this list, or to denounce any of our picks. Honorable mention: Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, the 2 Swedes that wrote most of ABBA’s hit songs, some of the biggest hits of their time (including “Dancing…