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 with an Eggnog Riot!
On December 25, 1868, much maligned and embattled President of the United States Andrew Johnson issued a blanket pardon for all Confederate veterans of the US Civil War.
World War I had seen its share of bloodshed and tragedy between its onset and its first Christmas on December 25, 1914.
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.
On December 25, 1951, Civil Rights activists Harry T. Moore and Harriette V. S. Moore were killed by a bomb explosion at their home in Sanford, Florida.
On December 25, 1962, To Kill a Mockingbird, an American drama film directed by Robert Mulligan, opened in theaters.
On December 25, 1977, English acting legend Charlie Chaplin died of a stroke at the age of 88.
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.
On December 25, 2009, one of the most bizarre terrorist plots to destroy an airliner and its passengers failed when Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was unable to get his bomb hidden in his underwear to explode.
On December 25, 2014, Beth Michaels said that “if you have never heard of the Christmas Pickle, do not feel bad! ”
On December 12, 2019, as Christmas (December 25, 2019) approached, we asked, “Who doesn’t like the holidays?”
On December 25, 2019, Christians around the world celebrated Christmas as a special time full of cheer and love.
Observed primarily on December 25, 2019, Christmas was perhaps the most joyous time of that year.
On December 25, 2020, people around the world celebrated the Christian holiday of Christmas, honoring the birth of Jesus Christ.
On December 25, 2022, Dr. Zar wished his family, friends, colleagues, students, and subscribers a Merry Christmas!
On December 25, 2023, Dr. Zar wished his family, friends, colleagues, students, and subscribers a Merry Christmas!
Question for students (and subscribers) to ponder: Which event that occurred on today’s date would you like to learn more about?
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Andrews, John and Matt Baker. Timeline of World History. Thunder Bay Press, 2020.
You can also watch video versions of this article on YouTube.