Vintage News · Odd history for December 25

What Happened On December 25

Q: What happened on December 25?

1758: Halley's Comet is sighted by Johann Georg Palitzsch, confirming Edmund Halley's prediction of its passage. This was the first passage of a comet predicted ahead of time. 1809: American physician Ephraim McDowell performed the world's first removal of an ovarian tumor. 1758: Based on predictions by Edmond Halley in 1705, Johann Georg Palitzsch observed a comet that was later named Halley's Comet . 1725: J. S. Bach led the first performance of the Christmas cantata Unser Mund sei voll Lachens, BWV 110, making laughter audible in singing. 1724: Johann Sebastian Bach led the first performance of Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ, based on the Christmas hymn written by Martin Luther in 1524. 1100: Baldwin I was crowned the first king of Jerusalem (depicted) in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. 1870: Wagner's Siegfried Idyll is first performed. 1831: The Great Jamaican Slave Revolt begins; up to 20% of Jamaica's slaves mobilize in an ultimately unsuccessful fight for freedom. 1815: The Handel and Haydn Society, oldest continually performing arts organization in the United States, gives its first performance. 1814: Rev. Samuel Marsden holds the first Christian service on land in New Zealand at Rangihoua Bay.

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10 odd things that happened on December 25

1758 First ever
Halley's Comet is sighted by Johann Georg Palitzsch, confirming Edmund Halley's prediction of its passage. This was the first passage of a comet predicted ahead of time.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1809 First ever
American physician Ephraim McDowell performed the world's first removal of an ovarian tumor.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1758 Oddly true
Based on predictions by Edmond Halley in 1705, Johann Georg Palitzsch observed a comet that was later named Halley's Comet .
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1725 First ever
J. S. Bach led the first performance of the Christmas cantata Unser Mund sei voll Lachens, BWV 110, making laughter audible in singing.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1724 First ever
Johann Sebastian Bach led the first performance of Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ, based on the Christmas hymn written by Martin Luther in 1524.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1100 First ever
Baldwin I was crowned the first king of Jerusalem (depicted) in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1870 First ever
Wagner's Siegfried Idyll is first performed.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1831 Oddly true
The Great Jamaican Slave Revolt begins; up to 20% of Jamaica's slaves mobilize in an ultimately unsuccessful fight for freedom.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1815 First ever
The Handel and Haydn Society, oldest continually performing arts organization in the United States, gives its first performance.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0
1814 First ever
Rev. Samuel Marsden holds the first Christian service on land in New Zealand at Rangihoua Bay.
Read more →
Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

Observed today

2024Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243 crashes in Aktau, Kazakhstan, killing 38 of its occupants. Wikipedia →
2021The James Webb Space Telescope is launched. Wikipedia →
2020An explosion in Nashville, Tennessee, occurs, leaving three civilians in the hospital. Wikipedia →
2019Twenty people are killed and thousands are left homeless by Typhoon Phanfone in the Philippines. Wikipedia →
2016A Russian Defence Ministry Tupolev Tu-154 carrying members of the Alexandrov Ensemble crashes into the Black Sea shortly after takeoff, killing all 92 people on board. Wikipedia →
2012An Antonov An-72 plane crashes close to the city of Shymkent, killing 27 people. Wikipedia →
2012Air Bagan Flight 011, a Fokker 100, crashes on approach to Heho Airport in Heho, Myanmar, killing two people. Wikipedia →
2007A Siberian tiger named Tatania escapes her exhibit at the San Francisco Zoo and attacks three people, killing one and injuring two more. Wikipedia →
2004The Cassini orbiter releases Huygens probe which successfully landed on Saturn's moon Titan on January 14, 2005. Wikipedia →
2003UTA Flight 141, a Boeing 727-223, crashes at the Cotonou Airport in Benin, killing 141 people. Wikipedia →
2003The ill-fated Beagle 2 probe, released from the Mars Express spacecraft on December 19, stops transmitting shortly before its scheduled landing. Wikipedia →
1999Cubana de Aviación Flight 310, a Yakovlev Yak-42, crashes near Bejuma, Carabobo State, Venezuela, killing 22 people. Wikipedia →
1996The body of American child beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey was found in her family's Boulder, Colorado, home. Her murder remains unsolved. Wikipedia →
1991Mikhail Gorbachev resigns as President of the Soviet Union (the union itself is dissolved the next day). Ukraine's referendum is finalized and Ukraine officially leaves the Soviet Union. Wikipedia →
1989Romanian Revolution: Deposed President of Romania Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife, Elena, are condemned to death and executed after a summary trial. Wikipedia →
1986Iraqi Airways Flight 163, a Boeing 737-270C, is hijacked and crashes in Arar, Saudi Arabia, killing 63 people. Wikipedia →
1977Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin meets in Egypt with its president Anwar Sadat. Wikipedia →
1976EgyptAir Flight 864, a Boeing 707-366C, crashes on approach to Don Mueang International Airport, killing 71 people. Wikipedia →
1971A fire at the Daeyeonggak Hotel in Seoul, South Korea kills 164 people. Wikipedia →
1968Apollo program: Apollo 8 performs the first successful Trans-Earth injection (TEI) maneuver, sending the crew and spacecraft on a trajectory back to Earth from Lunar orbit. Wikipedia →
1968Kilvenmani massacre: Forty-four Dalits (untouchables) are burnt to death in Kizhavenmani village, Tamil Nadu, a retaliation for a campaign for higher wages by Dalit laborers. Wikipedia →
1963Turkish Cypriot Bayrak Radio begins transmitting in Cyprus after Turkish Cypriots are forcibly excluded from Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation. Wikipedia →
1962The Soviet Union conducts its final above-ground nuclear weapon test, in anticipation of the 1963 Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Wikipedia →
1951A bomb explodes at the home of Harry T. Moore and Harriette V. S. Moore, early leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, killing Harry instantly and fatally wounding Harriette. Wikipedia →
1950The Stone of Scone, traditional coronation stone of British monarchs, is taken from Westminster Abbey by Scottish nationalist students. It later turns up in Scotland on April 11, 1951. Wikipedia →
1946The first European self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction is initiated within the Soviet Union's F-1 nuclear reactor. Wikipedia →
1941Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, appointed commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet on December 17, arrives at Pearl Harbor. Wikipedia →
1941World War II: Battle of Hong Kong ends, beginning the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong. Wikipedia →
1941Admiral Émile Muselier seizes the archipelago of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, which become the first part of France to be liberated by the Free French Forces. Wikipedia →
1932A magnitude 7.6 earthquake in Gansu, China kills 275 people. Wikipedia →
1927B. R. Ambedkar and his followers burn copies of the Manusmriti in Mahad, Maharashtra, to protest its treatment of Dalit people. Wikipedia →
1915The National Protection War breaks out against the Empire of China, as military leaders Cai E and Tang Jiyao proclaim the independence of Yunnan and begin a campaign to restore the Republic. Wikipedia →
1914World War I: A series of unofficial truces occur across the Western Front to celebrate Christmas. Wikipedia →
1913Disfellowshipped Adventist lay preacher Felix Manalo begins the new religious movement known as the Iglesia ni Cristo with the baptism of its first members. Wikipedia →
1870Wagner's Siegfried Idyll is first performed. Wikipedia →
1868Pardons for ex-Confederates: United States President Andrew Johnson grants an unconditional pardon to all Confederate veterans. Wikipedia →
1837Second Seminole War: American general Zachary Taylor leads 1,100 troops against the Seminoles at the Battle of Lake Okeechobee. Wikipedia →
1831The Great Jamaican Slave Revolt begins; up to 20% of Jamaica's slaves mobilize in an ultimately unsuccessful fight for freedom. Wikipedia →
1826The Eggnog Riot at the United States Military Academy concludes after beginning the previous evening. Wikipedia →
1815The Handel and Haydn Society, oldest continually performing arts organization in the United States, gives its first performance. Wikipedia →
1814Rev. Samuel Marsden holds the first Christian service on land in New Zealand at Rangihoua Bay. Wikipedia →
1809Dr. Ephraim McDowell performs the first ovariotomy, removing a 22-pound tumor. Wikipedia →
1793Northwest Indian War: General "Mad Anthony" Wayne and a 300 man detachment identify the site of St. Clair's 1791 defeat by the large number of unburied human remains at modern Fort Recovery, Ohio. Wikipedia →
1776American Revolutionary War: General George Washington and the Continental Army cross the Delaware River at night to attack Hessian forces serving Great Britain at Trenton, New Jersey, the next day. Wikipedia →
1766Mapuches in Chile launch a series of surprise attacks against the Spanish starting the Mapuche uprising of 1766. Wikipedia →
1758Halley's Comet is sighted by Johann Georg Palitzsch, confirming Edmund Halley's prediction of its passage. This was the first passage of a comet predicted ahead of time. Wikipedia →
1725J. S. Bach leads the first performance of the Christmas cantata Unser Mund sei voll Lachens, BWV 110, making laughter audible in singing. Wikipedia →
1724J. S. Bach leads the first performance of Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ, BWV 91, in Leipzig, based on Luther's 1524 Christmas hymn. Wikipedia →
1559Pope Pius IV is elected, four months after his predecessor's death. Wikipedia →
1553Battle of Tucapel: Mapuche rebels under Lautaro defeat the Spanish conquistadors and executes the governor of Chile, Pedro de Valdivia. Wikipedia →
1492The carrack Santa María, commanded by Christopher Columbus, runs onto a reef off Haiti due to an improper watch. Wikipedia →
1356Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor, promulgates the Golden Bull, a constitution for his empire. Wikipedia →
1261Eleven-year-old John IV Laskaris of the restored Eastern Roman Empire is deposed and blinded by orders of his co-ruler Michael VIII Palaiologos. Wikipedia →
1130Count Roger II of Sicily is crowned the first king of Sicily. Wikipedia →
1100Baldwin of Boulogne is crowned the first King of Jerusalem in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Wikipedia →
1076Coronation of Bolesław II the Generous as king of Poland. Wikipedia →
1066William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy is crowned king of England, at Westminster Abbey, London. Wikipedia →
1046Henry III is crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Clement II. Wikipedia →
1025Coronation of Mieszko II Lambert as king of Poland. Wikipedia →
1013Sweyn Forkbeard takes control of the Danelaw and is proclaimed king of England. Wikipedia →
1000The foundation of the Kingdom of Hungary: Hungary is established as a Christian kingdom by Stephen I of Hungary. Wikipedia →
820Eastern Emperor Leo V is murdered in a church of the Great Palace of Constantinople by followers of Michael II. Wikipedia →
800The coronation of Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor, in Rome. Wikipedia →
597Augustine of Canterbury and his fellow-labourers baptise in Kent more than 10,000 Anglo-Saxons. Wikipedia →
508Clovis I, king of the Franks, is baptized into the Catholic faith at Reims, by Saint Remigius. Wikipedia →
350Vetranio meets Constantius II at Naissus (Serbia) and is forced to abdicate his imperial title. Constantius allows him to live as a private citizen on a state pension. Wikipedia →
336First documented sign of Christmas celebration in Rome. Wikipedia →
333Roman Emperor Constantine the Great elevates his youngest son Constans to the rank of Caesar. Wikipedia →
274A temple to Sol Invictus is dedicated in Rome by Emperor Aurelian. Wikipedia →
36Forces of Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han, under the command of Wu Han, conquer the separatist Chengjia empire, reuniting China. Wikipedia →

Facts from Wikipedia On This Day API (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Wikimedia. Thumbnails CC BY-SA. Headlines via The Guardian Open Platform. Historic pages via Library of Congress Chronicling America. Curated by OddlyTrue.