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1919 - The first ship designed to be used as an ambulance for the transport patients was launched. The hospital ship was named USS Relief and had 515 beds.
1922 - The British Broadcasting Corporation began daily news broadcasts.
1941 - During World War II, American forces on Wake Island surrendered to the Japanese.
1990 - Elections in Yugoslavia ended, leaving four of its six republics with non-Communist governments.
Christmas Eve,1818 - The organ at the Church of St. Nicholas in Oberndorf, Austria failed just hours before Midnight Mass. Assistant priest Joseph Mohr, determined not to let the service fall silent, brought a poem he had written two years earlier to the church’s schoolmaster and organist, Franz Xaver Gruber. With no organ available, Gruber composed a simple guitar melody for the poem, titled “Stille Nacht.”
That night, the two men performed the carol for the first time with only guitar accompaniment. The song quickly spread beyond the village after an organ builder, Karl Mauracher, carried the manuscript home. Traveling folk-singing families helped popularize it across Europe and eventually in America.
Though the original church was later destroyed by floods, the carol endured. “Silent Night” survived wars, lost manuscripts, and decades of anonymity, becoming one of the world’s most beloved Christmas hymns.
1814 - The War of 1812 between the U.S. and Britain was ended with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent in Belgium.
1865 - Several veterans of the Confederate Army formed a private social club in Pulaski, TN, called the Ku Klux Klan.
1914 - In World War I, the first air raid on Britain was made when a German airplane dropped a bomb on the grounds of a rectory in Dover.
1943 - U.S. President Roosevelt appointed Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower supreme commander of Allied forces as part of Operation Overlord.
1953 - NBC-TV's "Dragnet" became the first network program to be sponsored.
1968 - The crew of the U.S. Navy ship, Pueblo, was released by North Korea. The Captain of the Pueblo, Commander Lloyd M. Bucher, and 82 of his crew were held for 11 months after the ship was seized by North Korea because of suspected spying by the Americans
First television adaptation of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" debuts in American syndication; low budget 30-minute production stars Taylor Holmes and is narrated by Vincent Price.
1223 - St. Francis of Assisi assembled one of the first Nativity scenes, in Greccio, Italy.
1818 - "Silent Night" was performed for the first time, at the Church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorff, Austria.
1868 - President Andrew Johnson granted an unconditional pardon to all persons involved in the Southern rebellion that resulted in the Civil War.
1917 - The play "Why Marry?" opened at the Astor Theatre in New York City. "Why Marry?" was the first dramatic play to win a Pulitzer Prize.
1939 - "A Christmas Carol," by Charles Dickens, was read on CBS radio for the first time.
1971 - The longest pro-football game to date finally ended when Garo Yepremian kicked a field goal in the second quarter of sudden death overtime. The Miami Dolphins defeated Kansas City, 27-24
Today is Friday, December 26, 2025
The History of Today 1776 -
1865 - The coffee percolator was patented by James H. Mason.
1917 - During World War I, the U.S. government took over operation of the nation's railroads.
1921 - The Catholic Irish Free State became a self-governing dominion of Great Britain.
1944 - Tennessee Williams' play "The Glass Menagerie" was first performed publicly, at the Civic Theatre in Chicago, IL.
1947 - Heavy snow blanketed the Northeast United States, burying New York City under 25.8 inches of snow in 16 hours. The severe weather was blamed for about 80 deaths.
1982 - The Man of the Year in TIME magazine was a computer. It was the first time a non-human received the honors.
Daily Quote
"Whensoever the General Government assumes undelegated powers, its acts are unauthoritative, void, and of no force"
- Thomas Jefferson
Dec 26, 1967
The Wham-O Manufacturing Company was issued a U.S. patent on this day in 1967 for “a saucer-shaped throwing implement,” better known as a Frisbee-brand flying disc. These discs have their roots in the 1870s, when students in Connecticut tossed pie tins around for fun, and helped contribute to the rise of disc golf and other disc sports in the 1970s.
Dec 26, 1967
The Wham-O Manufacturing Company was issued a U.S. patent on this day in 1967 for “a saucer-shaped throwing implement,” better known as a Frisbee-brand flying disc. These discs have their roots in the 1870s, when students in Connecticut tossed pie tins around for fun, and helped contribute to the rise of disc golf and other disc sports in the 1970s.
1831 - Charles Darwin set out on a voyage to the Pacific aboard the HMS Beagle. Darwin's discoveries during the voyage helped him form the basis of his theories on evolution.
1932 - Radio City Music Hall opened its doors to the public for the first time.
1945 - The World Bank was created with an agreement signed by 28 nations.
1947 - The children's television program "Howdy Doody," hosted by Bob Smith, made its debut on NBC.
1971 - Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy and Woodstock of Charles Schulz’ "Peanuts" comic strip were on the cover of "Newsweek" magazine.
1978 - Spain adopted a new constitution and became a democracy after 40 years of dictatorship.
2000 - Mario Lemeiux (Pittsburgh Penguins) returned to the National Hockey League (NHL) as a player after over 3 years of retirement. He was the first owner-player in the modern era of pro sports. Lemieux had purchased the Pittsburgh Penguins during his retirement from playing.
2001 - U.S. President George W. Bush granted China permanent normal trade status with the United States.
Today is Sunday, December 28, 2025
The History of Today 1836 - Mexico's independence was recognized by Spain.
1902 - The first professional indoor football game was played at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Syracuse defeated the Philadelphia Nationals 6-0.
1945 - The U.S. Congress officially recognized the "Pledge of Allegiance."
1964 - Initial filming of the movie "Dr. Zhivago" began on location near Madrid, Spain. The movies total running time is 197 minutes.
1981 - Elizabeth Jordan Carr, the first American test-tube baby, was born in Norfolk, Va.
U.S. President Richard Nixon signed the Endangered Species Act, which obligates federal and state governments to protect all species threatened with extinction that fall within the borders of the United States and its outlying territories.
