The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, beginning a decade-long war
MajorSoviet forces entered Afghanistan on Christmas Eve to prop up the struggling communist government. The invasion sparked a guerrilla war that would las...
Historical Events
1979
1974
Cyclone Tracy devastated Darwin, Australia, destroying over 70% of the city's buildings
The small but incredibly intense cyclone struck on Christmas Eve with wind gusts exceeding 217 km/h (135 mph). Out of 12,000 homes in Darwin, only 400...
1968
Apollo 8 astronauts became the first humans to orbit the Moon
MajorFrank Borman, James Lovell, and William Anders completed 10 lunar orbits on Christmas Eve, broadcasting a live television transmission in which they r...
1955
A misprint in a Sears advertisement accidentally gave children the phone number to NORAD's top-secret hotline
Kids trying to call Santa instead reached Colonel Harry Shoup at the Continental Air Defense Command (NORAD's predecessor). Rather than disappoint the...
1951
Libya gained independence from Italy, becoming the first country to achieve independence through the United Nations
King Idris I proclaimed the United Kingdom of Libya as a sovereign nation, ending Italian colonial rule that had lasted since 1911. The country was on...
1943
General Dwight D. Eisenhower was appointed Supreme Commander of Allied Forces for the invasion of Europe
President Roosevelt made the announcement on Christmas Eve, placing Eisenhower in charge of planning and executing D-Day. The decision meant Eisenhowe...
1922
A radio broadcast from the Eiffel Tower reached over 1,000 miles, shocking audiences across Europe
The experimental transmission successfully reached listeners in Morocco, proving that radio could span continents. At the time, most people believed r...
1914
The Christmas Truce brought an unofficial ceasefire between British and German troops during World War I
MajorSoldiers emerged from their trenches, exchanged gifts, sang carols together, and even played impromptu football matches in No Man's Land. Some estimat...
1906
The first radio broadcast of entertainment and music was transmitted
MajorReginald Fessenden successfully broadcast a Christmas concert from Brant Rock, Massachusetts, shocking ship radio operators who were used to hearing o...
1871
Giuseppe Verdi's opera Aida premiered at the Cairo Opera House in Egypt
The opera was commissioned to celebrate the opening of the Suez Canal and set in ancient Egypt, making Cairo the perfect venue. The production was so...
1818
James Prescott Joule, the physicist who discovered the relationship between heat and mechanical work, was born
Joule's experiments with beer brewing led him to discover the mechanical equivalent of heat, proving that energy could be converted from one form to a...
1818
Silent Night was performed for the first time at St. Nicholas Church in Austria
MajorThe church organ had broken down, so priest Joseph Mohr asked his friend Franz Gruber to compose a song that could be played on guitar instead. The si...
1814
The Treaty of Ghent was signed, ending the War of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain
MajorIronically, the treaty was signed two weeks before the Battle of New Orleans, the war's most famous battle. Because communication was so slow, neither...
1166
King John of England was born at Beaumont Palace in Oxford
John would become one of England's most unpopular kings, losing most of England's French territories and being forced to sign the Magna Carta. His rei...