Major Events
- 1565 Compromise of the Nobles in Habsburg Netherlands closes against inquisition
- 1814 Treaty of Ghent signed, ending the War of 1812 between the United States, the United Kingdom and their allies
- 1936 1st radioactive isotope medicine administered in Berkeley, California
- 1943 US President FDR appoints General Eisenhower Supreme Commander of the Allied forces
- More December 24 Events
Dec 24 in Film & TV
- 1922 BBC broadcasts first British radio play "The Truth about Father Christmas"
Dec 24 in Music
- 1871 Giusseppi Verdi's "Aida" opera premieres in Cairo, Egypt
Dec 24 in Sport
Did You Know?
Christmas carol "Silent Night" composed by Franz Xaver Gruber is first sung at St Nicholas parish church in Oberndorf, Austria
King John
Kit Carson
Matthew Arnold
Anthony Fauci
Jeff Sessions
Hamid Karzai
Howard Hughes
Ava Gardner
Lee Daniels
Ricky Martin
Stephenie Meyer
Ryan Seacrest
Louis Tomlinson
Colin Cowdrey
Fun Fact About December 24
Private companies allowed to use the word "postcard" in the US. Previously they were labelled "Private Mailing Cards" and known as "souvenir cards".
Famous Weddings
- 1161 Byzantine Emperor Manuel I Komnenos marries Princess Maria of Antioch in the Hagia Sophia, Constantinople, with chariot races to celebrate in the Hippodrome
- 1914 Agatha Miller (later best selling detective author) marries aviator Archibald Christie
- 1917 Famous pilot James Doolittle (21) weds high school sweetheart Josephine E. Daniels
More December 24 Weddings
Vasco da Gama
Edwin Stanton
John Muir
Karl Dönitz
Toshiro Mifune
Samuel P. HuntingtonArticles, Photos and Quiz
Enter King John – England's Worst-Ever Monarch
Most historians have difficulty finding a good word to say about King John who was born on this day and by general agreement ranks as England’s worst monarch.
December 24, 1167
The Day They Banned Christmas
Gearing up for a day of Christmas festivities, would-be US revellers in Boston faced bad news on this day. All such celebrations had been declared illegal.
December 24, 1659
Treaty of Ghent
The signing of the Treaty of Ghent on Christmas Eve
December 24, 1814
