What Happened on December 26 in World History?
Early Centuries – December 26 Historic Events – Before 1700
1. December 26, 0268 – Demise of Saint Dionysius, Roman Pope (259-260)
2. December 26, 0795 – Nomination of Leo III to the capacity of Pope from the day his previous Pope was cremated and sanctified the next day
3. December 26, 1198 – French bishop Odo van Sully rebukes Zottenfeest, a carnival
4. December 26, 1481 – Dutch army defeats Utrecht at the battle at Westbroek
5. December 26, 1492 – Christopher Columbus established the first Spanish colony La Navidad in the New World
6. December 26, 1568 – Rebellion by Morisco’s against repression in Granada
7. December 26, 1606 – enacting for the first time, the tragic drama, “King Lear” by William Shakespeare in the court of King James I at Whitehall, London
8. December 26, 1620 – revealing of the crimes and serial killings of the Hungarian Countess Elizabeth Bathory
9. December 26, 1659 – The British Parliament which sat from 1640 to 1660 passed many modifications in Westminster
18th Century – What Happened on December 26 – The 1700s
10. December 26, 1705 – The sons of Guru Gobind Singh, Fateh Singh aged 6, and Zorawar Singh aged 7, were killed by Wazir Khan for not getting changed to Islam; they are now the most honored persons in the Sikh community
11. December 26, 1748 – agreement between France and Austria about Southern Netherlands
12. December 26, 1773 – tea ships from Philadelphia evicted
13. December 26, 1776 – During the American Revolutionary War, George Washington beats Hessians at the Battle of Trenton
14. December 26, 1792 – The court hearing the trial of French King Louis XVI listens to the arguments brought about by Defense Lawyer Raymond Deseze
15. December 26, 1793 – In the battle of Geisberg, the France beat Austrians
16. December 26, 1799 – Colonel Henry Lee praises George Washington as 1st in war, peace, and in the hearts of his citizens
19th Century – December 26 This Day That Year – The 1800s
17. December 26, 1805 – peace of Pressburg agreement between France and Austria
18. December 26, 1805 – founding of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia
19. December 26, 1809 – The invading army of British vacates Vlissingen
20. December 26, 1811 – in a fire accident in a theater in Richmond, Virginia, the Governor of Virginia George William Smith, and the president of the First National Bank of Virginia Abraham B Venable was burnt to death
21. December 26, 1813 – submission of Zamose, Modlin, and Torgau to friendly armies
22. December 26, 1825- Rebellion by Decembrist in Russia against Chief Nicholas I commenced
23. December 26, 1830 – the play “Anna Bolena” by Gaetano Donizetti debuts in Milan
24. December 26, 1830 – the play “Norma” by Vincenzo Bellini debuts in Milan
25. December 26, 1848 – the people searching for gold reach Panama en route to San Francisco
26. December 26, 1848 – William & Ellen Craft run away from slavery cams I Georgia
27. December 26, 1848 – An association of The Phi Delta Theta group established at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio
28. December 26, 1854 – Paper made of wood pulp shown as exhibit for the first time in Buffalo
29. December 26, 1860 – The first ship run on steam power owned by one man (C. Vanderbilt) makes its first sail
30. December 26, 1860 – Major Robert Anderson, during the darkness, reinforces his small army at Ft Sumter
31. December 26, 1860 – Interclub football match, for the first time, played between Hallam FC and Sheffield FC at Sandygate Road ground in Sheffield, England
32. December 26, 1862 – war fought at Dumfries, Virginia
33. December 26, 1862 – a vessel with medical facilities was inaugurated in the US for the first time
34. December 26, 1862 – 38 rebellious Santee Sioux Indians were executed in Mankato
35. December 26, 1865 – copyrights granted to James H Mason (Mass) who invested in the coffee percolator in the US
36. December 26, 1870 – The work on the 12.8 KM long Frejus Rail Tunnel through the Alps mountains accomplished
37. December 26, 1871 – Gilbert and Sullivan join hands for the first time to gain control of their opera gone astray, Thespis. It ran fairly well but the two did not want to work together for another four years
38. December 26, 1872 – maximum snowfall of 18” in NYC
39. December 26, 1877 – maiden conference of the Socialist Labor Party of North America
40. December 26, 1878 – Electric lights fitted in a store in the US for the first time in Philadelphia
41. December 26, 1879 – first performance of “Tragic Ouverture” by Johannes Brahms
42. December 26, 1883 – Fighting at the Harbour Grace between Irish Catholics and Protestant Orangemen results in five deaths in Newfoundland
43. December 26, 1890 – agreement between King Mwanga of Uganda and East Africa Company
44. December 26, 1892 – creation of the Opera “Cristoforo Colombo”
20th Century – Important Events On This Day December 26 – 1900s
45. December 26, 1902 – In a boxing competition, the majority of the knockouts were scored by Christy Williams (43) and Oscar Nelson (5)
46. December 26, 1908 – The first African-American boxer Jack Johnson to defeat the reigning Canadian champion, Tommy Burns in the 14th round in Sydney, Australia to achieve the world heavyweight championship; Burns was the favorite in the 12thround but conquered before the police stopped the play
47. December 26, 1913 – Ambrose Bierce wrote his last letter to his intimate friend Blanche Partington
48. December 26, 1914 – The meddling in the American commercial ships by the British brought angry objections to the American Government; on the same day the Germans declared food items would be declared illegal imports and could be confiscated; this undermined the objections
49. December 26, 1916 – appointment of Joseph Joffre as marshal of France
50. December 26, 1917 – Toronto Maple Leaf Harry Cameron was the 1st NHL defenseman to achieve a goal
51. December 26, 1917 – The American railroads come under the control of the US Federal government during the period of WWI
52. December 26, 1918 – The first day of first 1st-class cricket after WWI in Australia (Vic v NSW)
53. December 26, 1918 – Wilson enjoys the Christmas with the American army in France; participates in the initial discussions in London for the peace conference
54. December 26, 1919 – Babe Ruth, Baseball legend, transferred to the Yankees as per an agreement inked between the Yankees and Red Sox
55. December 26, 1924 – child actress, Judy Garland, 2 ½ starts her business premiere as Baby Frances
56. December 26, 1925 – 25000 sports lovers witnessed the 1st East West soccer play at Ewing Park
57. December 26, 1925 – NY Americans (73) defeat Pitt Pirates (68) (3-1); Jake Forbes saves 67, and Pitt’s Ray Waters 70
58. December 26, 1925 – Establishment of Communist Party of India
59. December 26, 1925 – New York Americans and Pittsburgh Pirates achieve a total of 141 deliveries at the goal in the Americans’ 3-1 victory; Roy Worters makes prodigious 70 saves for Pittsburgh, and Jake Forbes saves 67 for NY
60. December 26, 1928 – Johnny Weissmuller decides to retire from nonprofessional swimming
61. December 26, 1928 – Kippax and Hooker partnership achieved a maximum of 307 runs in a game NSW Vs Vic
62. December 26, 1928 – 1931 – first performance of the Pulitzer Award-winning song, “Of Thee I Sing” by George and Ira Gershwin on Broadway, New York City
63. December 26, 1933 – US rejects military interference in Western Hemisphere
64. December 26, 1933 – copyright given to American engineer Edwin Howard Armstrong for his FM radio
65. December 26, 1934 – the founding of Japan’s 1st professional baseball group by the Yomiuri Giants
66. December 26, 1936 – establishment of Philarmonic Orchestra in Israel
67. December 26, 1938 – first hat trick achieved for England by Tom Goddard for England Vs South Africa
68. December 26, 1939 – Earthquake strikes East Anatolia Turkey
69. December 26, 1939 – coal mine strike in Borinage Brussels
70. December 26, 1940 – Arthur Morris plays his first first-class cricket to score 148 runs
71. December 26, 1940 – first performance of “My Sister Eileen” by JA Fields/J Chodorov in NYC
72. December 26, 1940 – The movie “The Philadelphia Story” based on the theme of the play of the same title, guided by Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn debuts – wins Academy Award Best Actor 1941
73. December 26, 1941 – The first British Prime Minister to deliver a speech to the joint meeting of the US Congress was Winston Churchill; who cautions that the Axis will not “stop at nothing”
74. December 26, 1943 – German warship Scharnhorst submerged by British
75. December 26, 1943 – Chicago Bears defeat Washington Redskins, 41-21 at the National Football League Championship at Wrigley Field, Chicago; 6th achievement for Bears
76. December 26, 1943 – unsuccessful attempts to bomb Hitler’s HQ by Earl Claus von Stauffenberg
77. December 26, 1944 – US General Patton guided the 3rd Army to resist the Germans
78. December 26, 1944 – Soviet army encircles Budapest
79. December 26, 1944 – first performance of “Glass Menagerie” by Tennessee Williams in Chicago
80. December 26, 1945 – establishment of CFP franc and CFA franc
81. December 26, 1946 – premiere of “Beggar’s Holiday” at Broadway Theater NYC to give 111 presentations
82. December 26, 1946 – premiere of “Toplizky of Notre Dame” at Century Theater NYC for 60 presentations
83. December 26, 1946 – USA defeats Australia in Melbourne (5-0) at the 35th Davis Cup
84. December 26, 1946 – inauguration of the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas (start of an era)
85. December 26, 1947 – premiere of “Cradle Will Rock” at Mansfield Theater NYC for 34 shows
86. December 26, 1947 – Transfer of Heard & McDonald Islands in the Indian Ocean to Australia by the British
87. December 26, 1947 – NYC gets submerged under 25.8” of snow in 16 hrs. LA shows a high record of 84 deg. F on the same day
88. December 26, 1948 – bishop Jozsef Mindszezenty of Hungary detained
89. December 26, 1950 – The rights of All-Star & World Series purchased by Gillette & Mutual for $6M for 6 yrs
90. December 26, 1951 – The theme of the novel of 1935, The African Queen, was adopted in the film of the same name “The African Queen” featuring Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn and premiers in LA California (Academy Awards Best Actor 1952)
91. December 26, 1954 – Final broadcast of “The Shadow” on radio
92. December 26, 1954 – Cleveland Browns defeat Detroit Lions, 56-10; Browns’ placekicker Lou Groza scores 8 extra points, at the National Football League Championship, Cleveland Municipal Stadium
93. December 26, 1955 – Cleveland Browns defeat Los Angeles Rams, 38-14; Defending champions Browns retain their title and achieve their NFL 3rd title of 1950 at the National Football League Championship, LA Memorial Coliseum
94. December 26, 1955 – TV acquires the film library of RKO
95. December 26, 1957 – debut performance of the 3rd sonata by Roger Sessions
96. December 26, 1960 – debut performance of the musical: “Do re mi” with Phil Silvers at St James Theater in NYC
97. December 26, 1960 – Philadelphia Eagles defeat Bay Packers, 17-13; only defeat at the extra play for Packers teacher Vince Lombardi before the Packers reign
98. December 26, 1962 – the first release of the opera “Katerina Ismailova” by Dmitri Shostakovich in Moscow
99. December 26, 1963 – the first show of “Double Dublin” at Little Theater NYC to give four presentations
100. December 26, 1963 – The Beatles publicize “I Want To Hold Your Hand” and “I Saw Her Standing There” in the US
101. December 26, 1963 – US supply cereal to USSR
102. December 26, 1964 – the Beatles’ musical, single, “I Feel Fine” reaches #1 and retains #1 for three weeks
103. December 26, 1964 – Buffalo Bills defeat San Diego Charges, 20-7; reigning title holder didn’t overcome the wound to Star RB Keith Lincoln in the 1st quarter
104. December 26, 1964 – last target of Moors Murderers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley
105. December 26, 1965 – last performance of “Funny Girl” on the life of Fanny Brice featuring Barbra Streisand on Broadway
106. December 26, 1965 – Buffalo Bills defeat San Diego Charges, 23-0, a recap of last year’s performance over SD at the AFL Championship, Balboa Stadium San Diego
107. December 26, 1965 – one to one conversation with Paul McCartney on pirate radio station Radio Caroline
108. December 26, 1966 – launch of Kwanzaa (1st fruits of harvest) holiday by Maulana Karenga
109. December 26, 1966 – off-stage composition of “Purple Haze” by Jimi Hendrix at the Upper Cut Club, London
110. December 26, 1967 – “Magical Mystery Tour” transmission by BBC
111. December 26, 1967 – the official splitting of the Dave Brubeck Quartet
112. December 26, 1967 – The best European football player award to Ferencvaros forward Florian Albert earlier to Manchester United midfielder Bobby Charlton and Celtic winger Jimmy Johnstone
113. December 26, 1968 – Arab radicals in Athens shot the EI I Plane killing 1
114. December 26, 1968 – first performance of “Forty Carats” by Jay Allens in NYC
115. December 26, 1968 – first performance of Led Zeppelin’s musical in Denver as an inaugural concert for Rock Band Vanilla Fudge
116. December 26, 1968 – penalty best of Bruin Ted Green for NHL: 3 minors, 2 majors, and 2 play misconducts in a play against NY Rangers in Madison Square Garden, NYC
117. December 26, 1971 – Muhammad Ali defeats German Jurgen Blin with an impressive cross made with his right hand for a 7th-round win in a friendly heavyweight boxing competition in Zurich, Switzerland
118. December 26, 1972 – Best European Football Player honor awarded to Bayern Munich defender Franz Beckenbauer earlier to German pair Gerd Muller and Gunter Netzer (both on par with each other)
119. December 26, 1973 – The awful movie on the theme and screenplay by William Peter Blatty, “The Exorcist” featuring Linda Blair, classified X, debuts – gets nominated for Best Picture
120. December 26, 1973 – record created by 2 Skylab and 3 astronauts for walking in space for 7 hours
121. December 26, 1973 – Spacecraft Soyuz lands on Earth
122. December 26, 1974 – Washington Capitals sell all tickets
123. December 26, 1975 – A very high-speed transport service was introduced in the USSR
124. December 26, 1975 – the first day of Australia and WI MCG cricket test match was witnessed by 85,661 fans
125. December 26, 1976 – last performance of “Music Is” at St James Theater NYC after 8 presentations
126. December 26, 1976 – establishment of The Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist-Leninist)
127. December 26, 1976 – Oakland Riders defeat Pittsburgh Steelers, 24-7 -AFC Championship, Oakland Coliseum
128. December 26, 1976 – Minnesota Vikings defeat Los Angeles Rams, 24-13 for NFC Championship, Metropolitan Stadium, Bloomington
129. December 26, 1977 – Atomic test by USSR at Eastern/Semipalitinsk, USSR
130. December 26, 1978 – Release of Indira Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India from prison
131. December 26, 1979 – seizure of the presidential palace by Soviet Special forces in Kabul, Afghanistan
132. December 26, 1980 – commercial services through aircraft Ilyushin II-866 by Russian Airlines Aeroflot
133. December 26, 1981 – Cricket Match between Australia Vs West Indies at the MCG – one of the great day’s Test cricket
134. December 26, 1982 – computer declared as TIME’s Man of the Year
135. December 26, 1983 – atomic test by USSR at Eastern Kazakh/Semipalitinsk, USSR
136. December 26, 1985 – Steve Waugh plays his first Test Cricket Vs India at the MCG
137. December 26, 1986 – 60 people lost their lives when Iraqi Airways Boeing-737 in Saudi Arabia seized
138. December 26, 1986 – Dough Jarvis, 31, played successively 916 NHL games
139. December 26, 1986 – The soap advertisement on TV, “Search for Tomorrow” completes 35-year performance
140. December 26, 1986 – a 10 game ban was imposed on Mark Messier for picking up a conflict with Jamie Macoun and fracturing his cheekbone
141. December 26, 1987 – premiere show of “Les Miserables” at the National Theatre of Iceland, Reykjavik
142. December 26, 1988 – premiere show of “Legs Diamond” at Mark Hellinger Theater NYC to give 64 presentations
143. December 26, 1988 – revolt by students against Africans in Nanjing, China
144. December 26, 1989 – Australia’s Mark Taylor and Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya play their first ODI cricket match at MCG
145. December 26, 1989 – Milan plays his 1-2-3 second straight; The best football player in Europe title for the 2nd time was awarded to Dutch striker Marco van Basten earlier to Franco Baresi and Frank Rjaard
146. December 26, 1990 – Garry Kasparov defended his chess championship by defeating Anatoly Karpov
147. December 26, 1990 – appointment of Reggie Williams as 1st GM of World League American Footballs’ franchise NY-NJ Knights
148. December 26, 1990 – the collapse of the Senior Professional Baseball Association
149. December 26, 1991 – The NFL’s Chuck Knolls retires after 23 years of service as a coach
150. December 26, 1991 – The gun belonging to Jack Ruby was sold in an auction for $220,000
151. December 26, 1991 – Sikh radicals murder 55 and injure 70 in India
152. December 26, 1991 – The play between NY Islander and NJ Devils ended with a 5-5 tie when Derek Jing of NY Islander scored a point in the last ½ sec of the game
153. December 26, 1991 – right wing Joe Mullen, the would-be Future Hockey Hall of Fame, achieves 4 goals for the second successive NHL play when the Pittsburg Penguins defeat Toronto, 12-1; Mario Lemieux scores 2 goals and 5 assists and Kevin Stevens 2 goals four and assists
154. December 26, 1992 – stepping down of NY Jet announcer Marty Glickman at the age of 75
155. December 26, 1992 – San Jose Sharks of NHL ends his 13-game losing trend by defeating the LA Kings, 7-2, although permitting 59 shots, in the team history; Jeff Hacket achieves 57 saves
156. December 26, 1993 – The crash of Antonov-26 Soviet twin-engine aircraft at Gyumri, Armenia killing 36
157. December 26, 1994 – The French army’s specially trained soldiers end the Air France kidnapping in Marseille
158. December 26, 1995 – Muttiah Muralitharan’s throws were declared as no-balls (SL vs Aust, MCG)
159. December 26, 1995 – Paul Adams at the age of 18 years, 340 days was South Africa’s youngest test cricket player
160. December 26, 1996 – commencement of the biggest strike in South Korea
161. December 26, 1996 – The Law to Combat Desertification enunciated by the United Nations comes into effect
162. December 26, 1996 – murder of JonBenet Ramsey, the six-year-old beauty queen by beating and strangulation in the basement of her family home in Boulder, Colorado
163. December 26, 1997, small tsunami was created offshore when the Soufriere Hills volcano erupted on the island of Montserrat
164. December 26, 1998 – Iraq threatens to destroy US and British war aircraft that fly over the northern and southern no-fly area
165. December 26, 1998 – A heavy typhoon over Ireland, northern England, and Southern Scotland caused damage to electrical power lines in Northern Ireland and Southern Scotland
166. December 26, 1999 – Harsh atmospheric fluctuations in France cause 100 deaths and heavy loss of property, trees, and the French national power grid
21st Century – December 26 This Day In History – The 2000s
167. December 26, 2001 – The assumptions that OPEC will keep through the production cuts, the prices of crude oil on the New York Mercantile Exchange registered the biggest 1-day increase
168. December 26, 2003 – nearly many thousands died and the citadel of Arg-e-Bam was demolished when an earthquake of 6.6 magnitude struck the southeast Iranian city of Bam
169. December 26, 2004 – an earthquake of magnitude 9.3 strikes Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, the Maldives, and the shores of the Indian Ocean, killing 230,000 by causing a tsunami
170. December 26, 2005 – shooting on the active streets of Toronto on Boxing Day
171. December 26, 2006 – Hengchun earthquake with 7.1 strength strikes Taiwan
172. December 26, 2006 – Teddy Sheringham, 40 years, 268 days, scores for West Ham United but loses 2-1, to Portsmouth to become the oldest goal achiever in an EPL career
173. December 26, 2012 – inauguration of the world’s longest high-speed railway line from Beijing to Guangzhou in China
174. December 26, 2015 – El Nino is identified for causing deluges in Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay causing 150,000 to move from their homes
175. December 26, 2018 – The first person to cross Antarctica, alone and without any help after 54 days at the Ross Ice Shelf was the American Colin O’Brady
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