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What happened in history on this day: December 24?
On December 24 in ...
- 1776 - General George Washington crosses the Delaware River to surprise Hessians at Trenton, New Jersey.
- 1814 - In Ghent, Belgium, a peace agreement is signed between the US and Great Britain.
- 1851 - The U.S. Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. experiences its worst fire, which destroys 35,000 books, about two-thirds of the Library's collection.
- 1864 - Battle of Gordonsville, Virginia.
- 1865 - Several Confederate States of America war veterans form the Ku Klux Klan in Pulaski, Tennessee.
- 1906 - In Massachusetts, USA, Reginald Fessenden transmits the first radio broadcast, consisting of a poetry reading, a violin solo, and a speech.
- 1924 - School in Babb's Switch, Oklahoma, USA catches fire; 36 die.
- 1936 - The first radioactive isotope medicine is administered in Berkeley, California.
- 1941 - (about 0930 hours) US forces on Wake Island surrender to the Japanese.
- 1943 - US President Franklin Roosevelt appoints General Dwight Eisenhower supreme commander of Allied forces.
- 1946 - US General MacNarney gives 800,000 "minor Nazis" amnesty.
- 1948 - First US house completely sunheated is occupied (Dover, Massachusetts).
- 1966 - US Air Force CL-44 military charter crashes near Binh Thai, Vietnam killing 129.
- 1968 - The crew of Apollo 8 (Frank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders) become the first men to orbit the Moon.
- 1970 - Buena Vista releases the animated feature film The Aristocats to theatres. It cost US$4 million to make. It is Disney's first animated feature film completed without Walt Disney.
- 1973 - In New Mexico, USA, a magnitude 4.1 earthquake occurs.
- 1980 - Americans remember Iran hostages by shining lights for 417 seconds.
- 1987 - In the USA, the Illinois State Lottery draw for US$39.5 million is split between four winners.
- 1992 - US President Bush pardons Caspar Weinberger of role in Iran-contra affair.
- 2003 - A BSE (mad cow disease) outbreak in Washington State is announced. Several countries including Brazil, Australia and Taiwan ban the import of beef from the United States of America.
- 2009 - The Barack Obama administration pledges to back mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac up to US$810 billion during 2010, up from the current US$200 billion, no matter how big their losses may be in the next three years.
Births on December 24
- 1809 - Birth of Christopher "Kit" Carson in Kentucky, USA; Union Brigadier-General/Indian fighter.
- 1893 - Birth of Harry Warren AKA Salvatore Guaragna in Brooklyn, New York, USA; songwriter ("I Only Have Eyes for You", "42nd Street", "Chattanooga Choo-Choo", "Serenade in Blue", "Jeepers Creepers", "You're Getting to Be a Habit with Me", won Best Song Oscars for "Lullaby of Broadway", "You'll Never Know", "On the Atcheson, Topeka and Santa Fe").
- 1907 - Birth of Isidore Feinstein Stone AKA I.F. Stone AKA Izzy Stone in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; US journalist (IF Stone's Weekly, Columbia Award 1971) (dies 1989).
- 1910 - Birth of Mitchell Ayres in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; musical director for Columbia records, orchestra director for Perry Como's TV career, and on The Hollywood Palace.
- 1920 - Birth of Dave Bartholomew in Louisiana, USA; jazz artist/songwriter ("Blueberry Hill").
- 1922 - Birth of Ava Gardner in Grabtown, North Carolina, USA; actress (On the Beach, Night of the Iguana).
- 1924 - Birth of [Irving] Lee Dorsey in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; vocalist ("Working in the Coal Mine").
- 1927 - Birth of Mary Higgins Clark in Bronx, New York, USA; author (A Cry in the Night, Stillwatch).
- 1940 - Birth of Jorma Kaukonen in Washington DC, USA; rock guitarist/vocalist (Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna).
- 1944 - Birth of Mike Curb in Savannah, Georgia, USA; singer (Mike Curb Congregation).
- 1946 - Birth of Sharon Farrell in Sioux City, Iowa, USA; actress (Lori - Hawaii Five-0, The Young and the Restless).
- 1955 - Birth of Clarence Gilyard Junior in Moses Lake, Washington, USA; actor (Chips, Duck Factory).
- 1964 - Birth of Mark Valley in Odgensvurg, New York, USA; actor (Days of Our Lives).
- 1965 - Birth of Nancy Reno in Elmhurst, Illinois, USA; WPVA volleyball player (Olympics-1996).
- 1966 - Birth of Deidrich Bader in Washington DC; actor (Oswald - The Drew Carey Show).
- 1969 - Birth of Kenny "Damn" Kelly in Paterson, New Jersey, USA; rapper (Riff - "Judy had a Boyfriend").
- 1971 - Birth of Ricky Martin in Puerto Rico; singer (Menudo), actor (General Hospital).
- 1971 - Birth of Tamir Bloom in New York City, New York, USA; fencer-epee (Olympics-1996).
- 1973 - Birth of Eddie Pope in Greensboro, North Carolina, USA; soccer defender (Olympics-gold-1996).
- 1980 - Birth of Tomas Kalnoky; American musician (Streetlight Manifesto).
Deaths on December 24
- 1869 - Death of Edwin McMasters Stantonat age 55; US Attorney General (1860-61), US Secretary of War (1862-68).
- 1985 - Right wing extremist David Lewis Rice murders civil rights attorney Charles Goldmark as well as Goldmark's wife and two children in Seattle, Washington.
- 1993 - Alexander Mackendrick, British/US director (Lady Killers, Whiskey Galore!), dies at age 81.
- 1994 - Julie Haydon [Donella Donaldson], US actress (Scoundrel), dies at age 84.
- 2000 - The Texas 7 rob a sports store in Irving, Texas; police officer Aubrey Hawkins is shot dead.
- 2022 - Death of Kathy Whitworth at age 83; American golfer (highest number of tournament wins).
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