December 24

A quick look at Today in History, check out some Celebrity Birthdays, and find out what Days of the Year to celebrate.

TODAY IN HISTORY:

1814 – With the signing of the Treaty of Ghent, the War of 1812 (between the U.S. and England) came to a close.

1818 – Franz Gruber of Oberndorf, Germany composed the music for “Silent Night”. The words were written by Josef Mohr.

1851 – A fire devastated the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, destroying about 35,000 volumes.

1865 – Several veterans of the Confederate Army formed a private social club in Pulaski, TN, called the Ku Klux Klan.

1906 – Canadian physicist Reginald A. Fessenden became the first person to broadcast a music program over radio, from Brant Rock, MA.

1943 – President Franklin Roosevelt appointed Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower supreme commander of Allied forces as part of Operation Overlord.

1948 – For the first time ever, a midnight Mass was broadcast on television. It was held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, NY.

1948 – The first completely solar-heated house became occupied in Dover, MA.

1955 – NORAD tracked Santa for the first time in what would become an annual Christmas Eve tradition.

1966 – The unmanned craft Luna 13 landed on the moon.

1968 – Three astronauts, James A. Lovell, William Anders and Frank Borman, reached the moon. They performed 10 lunar orbits and broadcast live TV pictures that became the famous Christmas Eve Broadcast, one of the most watched programs in history. Seven months later man first landed on the moon.

1992 – Mike Espy was nominated to be Secretary of Agriculture by President Bill Clinton. Upon confirmation, he became the first black person to hold the position.

2000 – 36 minutes after the end of a game, both the New England Patriots and the Miami Dolphins were called back to the playing field. The teams had to play the final 3 seconds of the game which the Dolphins had won 27-24. The end result did not change.

2000 – The “Texas 7,” seven convicts that had escaped a Texas prison, robbed a sports store in Irving, TX. The suspects killed Officer Aubrey Hawkins, stole $70,000, 25 weapons and clothing. The men had escaped on December 13.

BIRTHDAYS:

Anthony Fauci – 85 years old (1940) – Physician, Director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Jonathan Borofsky – 83 years old (1942) – Sculptor and painter

Mike Curb – 81 years old (1944) – Businessman and politician, 42nd Lieutenant Governor of California

Nicholas Meyer – 80 years old (1945) – Screenwriter, film director, and author

Jeff Sessions – 79 years old (1946) – Lawyer and politician, 44th Attorney General of Alabama and 84th Attorney General of the United States

Dana Gioia – 75 years old (1950) – Poet and critic

Libby Larsen – 75 years old (1950) – Composer

John D'Acquisto – 74 years old (1951) – Baseball player

Timothy Carhart – 72 years old (1953) – Actor

Grand L. Bush – 70 years old (1955) – Actor

Lee Daniels – 66 years old (1959) – Director and producer

Mary Barra – 64 years old (1961) – Businesswoman, current CEO and chairwoman of General Motors

Wade Williams – 64 years old (1961) – Actor

Jay Wright – 64 years old (1961) – Basketball player and coach

Jay Bilas – 62 years old (1963) – Basketball player and sportscaster

Mary Ramsey – 62 years old (1963) – Singer-songwriter and violinist

Mark Valley – 61 years old (1964) – Actor

Diedrich Bader – 59 years old (1966) – Actor

Adam Haslett – 55 years old (1970) – Fiction writer and journalist

Stephenie Meyer – 52 years old (1973) – Author and film producer

Ryan Seacrest – 51 years old (1974) – Radio host and television personality, and producer

J.D. Walsh – 51 years old (1974) – Actor, director, and producer

Michael Raymond-James – 48 years old (1977) – Actor

Tomas Kalnoky – 45 years old (1980) – Czech-American singer-songwriter and guitarist

Tim Jennings – 42 years old (1983) – Football player

Austin Stowell – 41 years old (1984) – Actor

Tim Elliott – 39 years old (1986) – Mixed martial artist

Jane Summersett – 38 years old (1987) – Ice dancer

Brigetta Barrett – 35 years old (1990) – High jumper

Sofia Black-D'Elia – 34 years old (1991) – Actress

Eric Moreland – 34 years old (1991) – Basketball player

Taylor Zakhar Perez – 34 years old (1991) – Actor

Davante Adams – 33 years old (1992) – Football player

P. J. Hairston – 33 years old (1992) – Basketball player

Jeremiah Trotter Jr. – 23 years old (2002) – Football player

TODAY IS:

• National Eggnog Day: Gather round the fire and sip on a creamy, frothy festive classic, seasoned with cinnamon or mixed with alcohol for an extra punch.
• Christmas Book Flood:
• Last-Minute Shopper’s Day:
• Christmas Eve:
• Carols by Candlelight:
• Zagreb Advent:
• Christmas Bird Count Week:
• Advent:
• Blue Christmas: While most people are at home opening presents, emergency workers are on duty, ensuring the safety of their communities over the holidays.

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For additional information check out websites like: www.on-this-day.com, www.born-today.com, www.famousbirthdays.com, www.daysoftheyear.com, and www.nationaldaycalendar.com.