December 26 is the 360th day of the year (361st in leap years ) in the Gregorian calendar . There are five days remaining until the end of the year. This date is slightly more likely to fall on a Monday, Wednesday or Saturday (58 in 400 years each) than on Thursday or Friday (57), and slightly less likely to occur on a Tuesday or Sunday (56).
887 – Berengar I is elected as king of Italy by the lords of Lombardy . He is crowned with the Iron Crown of Lombardy at Pavia .[1] 1481 – Battle of Westbroek : Holland defeats troops of Utrecht .1489 – The forces of the Catholic Monarchs , Ferdinand and Isabella , take control of Almería from the Nasrid ruler of Granada , Muhammad XIII .1776 – American Revolutionary War : In the Battle of Trenton , the Continental Army attacks and successfully defeats a garrison of Hessian forces .1790 – Louis XVI of France gives his public assent to Civil Constitution of the Clergy during the French Revolution .1793 – Second Battle of Wissembourg : France defeat Austria.1799 – Henry Lee III 's eulogy to George Washington in congress declares him as "first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen". (This is not to confused with Washington's funeral on December 18th.1805 – Austria and France sign the Treaty of Pressburg .1806 – Battles of Pultusk and Golymin : Russian forces hold French forces under Napoleon .1811 – A theater fire in Richmond, Virginia kills the Governor of Virginia George William Smith and the president of the First National Bank of Virginia Abraham B. Venable .1825 – Advocates of liberalism in Russia rise up against Czar Nicholas I but are suppressed in the Decembrist revolt in Saint Petersburg .1860 – The first ever inter-club English association football match takes place between Hallam and Sheffield football clubs in Sheffield .1861 – American Civil War : The Trent Affair Confederate diplomatic envoys James Murray Mason and John Slidell are freed by the United States government, thus heading off a possible war between the United States and the United Kingdom.1862 – American Civil War: The Battle of Chickasaw Bayou begins.1862 – Four nuns serving as volunteer nurses on board USS Red Rover are the first female nurses on a U.S. Navy hospital ship.
1862 – The largest mass-hanging in U.S. history took place in Mankato, Minnesota , 38 Native Americans died.
1871 – Gilbert and Sullivan collaborate for the first time, on their lost opera, Thespis 1898 – Marie and Pierre Curie announce the isolation of radium .1919 – Babe Ruth of the Boston Red Sox is sold to the New York Yankees by owner Harry Frazee , allegedly establishing the Curse of the Bambino superstition.1925 – Turkey adopts the Gregorian calendar .1941 – U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs a bill establishing the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day in the United States.1943 – World War II : German warship Scharnhorst North Cape after a battle against major Royal Navy forces .1944 – World War II: George S. Patton 's Third Army breaks the encirclement of surrounded U.S. forces at Bastogne , Belgium.1948 – Cardinal József Mindszenty is arrested in Hungary and accused of treason and conspiracy.1963 – The Beatles ' "I Want to Hold Your Hand " and "I Saw Her Standing There " are released in the United States, marking the beginning of Beatlemania on an international level.1966 – The first Kwanzaa is celebrated by Maulana Karenga , the chair of Black Studies at California State University, Long Beach .1972 – Vietnam War : As part of Operation Linebacker II , 120 American B-52 Stratofortress bombers attacked Hanoi , including 78 launched from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam , the largest single combat launch in Strategic Air Command history.1975 – Tu-144 , the world's first commercial supersonic aircraft , surpassing Mach 2 , went into service.1991 – The Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union meets and formally dissolves the Soviet Union .1994 – Four Armed Islamic Group hijackers seize control of Air France Flight 8969 . When the plane lands at Marseille , a French Gendarmerie assault team boards the aircraft and kills the hijackers.1998 – Iraq announces its intention to fire upon U.S. and British warplanes that patrol the northern and southern no-fly zones .1999 – The storm Lothar sweeps across Central Europe, killing 137 and causing US$1.3 billion in damage.2003 – The 6.6 Mw Bam earthquake shakes southeastern Iran with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent ), leaving more than 26,000 dead and 30,000 injured.2004 – The 9.1–9.3 Mw Indian Ocean earthquake shakes northern Sumatra with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent ). One of the largest observed tsunamis follows, affecting the coastal areas of Thailand , India, Sri Lanka , the Maldives , Malaysia , Myanmar , Bangladesh , and Indonesia ; death toll is between 230,000–280,000.2004 – Orange Revolution : The final run-off election in Ukraine is held under heavy international scrutiny.
2006 – An oil pipeline in Lagos, Nigeria explodes , killing at least 260 people.2009 – China opens the world's longest high-speed rail route , which links Beijing and Guangzhou .
1194 – Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor (d. 1250)1446 – Charles de Valois, Duke de Berry , French noble (d. 1472)1532 – Wilhelm Xylander , German scholar and academic (d. 1576)1536 – Yi I , Korean philosopher and scholar (d. 1584)1581 – Philip III, Landgrave of Hesse-Butzbach (d. 1643)1646 – Robert Bolling , English-American merchant and planter (d. 1709)1687 – Johann Georg Pisendel , German violinist and composer (d. 1755)1716 – Jean François de Saint-Lambert , French soldier and philosopher (d. 1803)1716 – Thomas Gray , English poet and scholar (d. 1771)
1723 – Friedrich Melchior, Baron von Grimm , German-French author and playwright (d. 1807)1737 – Prince Josias of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (d. 1815)1751 – Lord George Gordon , English lieutenant and politician (d. 1793)1751 – Clemens Maria Hofbauer , Austrian priest, missionary, and saint (d. 1820)
1769 – Ernst Moritz Arndt , German writer and poet (d. 1860)1780 – Mary Somerville , Scottish mathematician, astronomer, and author (d. 1872)1785 – Étienne Constantin de Gerlache , Belgian lawyer and politician, 1st Prime Minister of Belgium (d. 1871)1782 – Philaret Drozdov , Russian metropolitan and saint (d. 1867)1791 – Charles Babbage , English mathematician and engineer, invented the Difference engine (d. 1871)1803 – Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald , Estonian physician and author (d. 1882)1819 – E. D. E. N. Southworth , American author and educator (d. 1899)1820 – Dion Boucicault , Irish actor and playwright (d. 1890)1837 – Morgan Bulkeley , American soldier and politician, 54th Governor of Connecticut (d. 1922)1837 – George Dewey , American admiral (d. 1917)
1852 – Johannes François Snelleman , Dutch zoologist, orientalist, and ethnographer (d. 1938)1853 – René Bazin , French author and academic (d. 1932)1854 – José Yves Limantour , Mexican financier and politician, Mexican Secretary of Finance (d. 1935)1859 – William Stephens , American lawyer and politician, 24th Governor of California (d. 1944)1863 – Charles Pathé , French record producer, co-founded Pathé Records (d. 1957)1864 – Yun Chi-ho , Korean activist and politician (d. 1945)1867 – Phan Bội Châu , Vietnamese activist (d. 1940)1869 – Mathieu Cordang , Dutch cyclist (d. 1942)1872 – Norman Angell , English journalist, academic, and politician, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1967)1873 – Thomas Wass , English cricketer (d. 1953)1874 – Khan Bahadur Ahsanullah , Bangladeshi theologian and academic (d. 1965)1883 – Maurice Utrillo , French painter (d. 1955)1887 – Arthur Percival , English general (d. 1966)1888 – Marius Canard , French orientalist and historian (d. 1982)1890 – Percy Hodge , English runner (d. 1967)1890 – Konstantinos Georgakopoulos , Greek lawyer and politician, Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1973)
1891 – Henry Miller , American author and painter (d. 1980)1892 – Don Barclay , American actor and illustrator (d. 1975)1893 – Mao Zedong , Chinese politician, Chairman of the Communist Party of China (d. 1976)1894 – Jean Toomer , American author and poet (d. 1967)1901 – Elmar Muuk , Estonian linguist and author (d. 1941)1902 – Anatoli Lvovich Kaplan , Russian painter and sculptor (d. 1980)1903 – Elisha Cook, Jr. , American actor (d. 1995)1904 – Alejo Carpentier , Swiss-Cuban musicologist and author (d. 1980)1905 – William Loeb III , American publisher (d. 1981)1907 – Albert Gore, Sr. , American lawyer and politician (d. 1998)1908 – Ralph Hill , American runner (d. 1994)1909 – Matt Gordy , American pole vaulter (d. 1989)1910 – Imperio Argentina , Argentine-Spanish actress and singer (d. 2003)1910 – Marguerite Churchill , American actress (d. 2000)
1912 – Arsenio Lacson , Filipino journalist and politician, Mayor of Manila (d. 1962)1913 – Frank Swift , English footballer and journalist (d. 1958)1914 – Richard Widmark , American actor (d. 2008)1915 – Rolf Botvid , Swedish actor and screenwriter (d. 1998)1918 – Olga Lopes-Seale , Guyanese-Barbadian singer and radio host (d. 2011)1918 – Georgios Rallis , Greek lieutenant and politician, 173rd Prime Minister of Greece (d. 2006)
1921 – John Severin , American illustrator (d. 2012)1921 – Steve Allen , American actor, singer, talk show host, and screenwriter (d. 2000)
1922 – Richard Mayes , English actor (d. 2006)1923 – Richard Artschwager , American painter, illustrator, and sculptor (d. 2013)1924 – Frank Broyles , American football player, coach, and sportscaster1926 – Earle Brown , American composer (d. 2002)1927 – Denis Gifford , English journalist and historian (d. 2000)1927 – Alan King , American actor, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2004)
1927 – Stu Miller , American baseball player (d. 2015)
1927 – Denis Quilley , English actor (d. 2003)
1929 – Kathleen Crowley , American actress1929 – Régine Zylberberg , Belgian-French singer and actress
1930 – Jean Ferrat , French singer-songwriter and poet (d. 2010)1930 – Harry Gamble , American football player, coach, and manager (d. 2014)
1930 – Donald Moffat , English-American actor
1933 – Caroll Spinney , American puppeteer and voice actor1935 – Rohan Kanhai , Guyanese cricketer1935 – Norm Ullman , Canadian ice hockey player
1936 – Peep Jänes , Estonian architect1936 – Trevor Taylor , English race car driver (d. 2010)
1938 – Bahram Beyzai , Iranian director, producer, and screenwriter1938 – Robert Hamerton-Kelly , South African-American pastor, scholar, and author (d. 2013)
1938 – Alamgir Kabir , Bangladeshi director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1989)
1938 – Mirko Kovač , Yugoslav-Croatian author, playwright, and screenwriter (d. 2013)
1939 – Fred Schepisi , Australian director and screenwriter1939 – Phil Spector , American singer-songwriter and producer
1940 – Edward C. Prescott , American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate1940 – Ray Sadecki , American baseball player (d. 2014)
1941 – Daniel Schmid , Swiss actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2006)1942 – Vinicio Cerezo , Guatemalan politician, 28th President of Guatemala 1942 – Catherine Coulter , American author
1942 – Gray Davis , American captain, lawyer, and politician, 37th Governor of California
1944 – William Ayers , American academic and activist1945 – John Walsh , American television host, producer, and activist, created America's Most Wanted 1946 – Alan Frumin , American lawyer and politician1946 – Tiit Rosenberg , Estonian historian and academic
1947 – James T. Conway , American general1947 – Jean Echenoz , French author
1947 – Carlton Fisk , American baseball player
1947 – Josef Janíček , Czech singer-songwriter, guitarist, and keyboard player
1947 – Richard Levis McCormick , American historian and academic
1948 – Candy Crowley , American journalist1949 – José Ramos-Horta , East Timorese lawyer and politician, 2nd President of East Timor , Nobel Prize laureate1950 – Raja Pervaiz Ashraf , Pakistani businessman and politician, 17th Prime Minister of Pakistan 1950 – Mario Mendoza , Mexican baseball player and manager
1953 – Leonel Fernández , Dominican lawyer and politician, 51st President of the Dominican Republic 1953 – Toomas Hendrik Ilves , Swedish-Estonian journalist and politician, 4th President of Estonia
1953 – Makis Katsavakis , Greek footballer and manager
1953 – Henning Schmitz , German drummer
1954 – Peter Hillary , New Zealand mountaineer and philanthropist1954 – Ozzie Smith , American baseball player and sportscaster
1955 – Evan Bayh , American lawyer and politician, 46th Governor of Indiana 1956 – David Sedaris , American comedian, author, and radio host1957 – Dermot Murnaghan , English-Northern Irish journalist and game show host1958 – Adrian Newey , English aerodynamicist and engineer1959 – Wang Lijun , Chinese police officer and politician1959 – Kōji Morimoto , Japanese animator and director
1959 – Hans Nielsen , Danish motorcycle racer
1960 – Keith Martin Ball , American mathematician and academic1960 – Ruud Kaiser , Dutch footballer and manager
1960 – Jim Toomey , American cartoonist
1960 – Cem Uzan , Turkish businessman and politician
1961 – Andrew Lock , Australian mountaineer1961 – John Lynch , Northern Irish actor
1962 – Mark Starr , English wrestler (d. 2013)1963 – Lars Ulrich , Danish-American drummer, songwriter, and producer1963 – Bill Wennington , Canadian basketball player and sportscaster
1964 – Elizabeth Kostova , American author1966 – Jay Farrar , American singer-songwriter and guitarist1966 – Tim Legler , American basketball player and sportscaster
1966 – Jay Yuenger , American guitarist and producer
1969 – Isaac Viciosa , Spanish runner1970 – James Mercer , American singer-songwriter and guitarist1971 – Jared Leto , American actor and musician1971 – Mika Nurmela , Finnish footballer
1971 – Tatiana Sorokko , Russian-American model and journalist
1972 – Esteban Fuertes , Argentinian footballer1972 – Robert Muchamore , English author
1973 – Paulo Frederico Benevenute , Brazilian footballer1973 – Gianluca Faliva , Italian rugby player
1973 – Nobuhiko Matsunaka , Japanese baseball player
1973 – Steve Prescott , English rugby player (d. 2013)
1974 – Joshua John Miller , American actor, director, and screenwriter1975 – Chris Calaguio , Filipino basketball player1975 – Marcelo Ríos , Chilean tennis player
1975 – María Vasco , Spanish race walker
1976 – Simon Goodwin , Australian footballer and coach1977 – Fatih Akyel , Turkish footballer and manager1977 – Adrienn Hegedűs , Hungarian tennis player
1978 – Karel Rüütli , Estonian lawyer and politician1978 – Kaoru Sugayama , Japanese volleyball player
1979 – Fabián Carini , Uruguayan footballer1979 – Chris Daughtry , American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1979 – Dimitry Vassiliev , Russian ski jumper
1979 – Craig Wing , Australian rugby player
1980 – Todd Dunivant , American soccer player1981 – Pablo Canavosio , Argentinian-Italian rugby player1982 – Kenneth Darby , American football player1982 – Noel Hunt , Irish footballer
1982 – Aksel Lund Svindal , Norwegian skier
1983 – Yu Takahashi , Japanese singer-songwriter1984 – Ahmed Barusso , Ghanaian footballer1984 – Leonardo Ghiraldini , Italian rugby player
1984 – Alex Schwazer , Italian race walker
1985 – Beth Behrs , American actress1986 – Hugo Lloris , French footballer1986 – Kit Harington , English actor
1986 – Selen Soyder , Turkish actress,beauty queen
1989 – Yohan Blake , Jamaican sprinter1990 – Andy Biersack , American singer-songwriter1990 – Denis Cheryshev , Russian footballer
1990 – Aaron Ramsey , Welsh footballer
1991 – Eden Sher , American actress1992 – Cecilia Costa Melgar , Chilean tennis player1994 – Souleymane Coulibaly , Ivorian footballer
268 – Pope Dionysius 418 – Pope Zosimus 831 – Euthymius of Sardis , Byzantine bishop and saint (b. 754)865 – Zheng , empress of the Tang Dynasty 893 – Masrur al-Balkhi , Muslim general1191 – Reginald Fitz Jocelin , Archbishop-elect of Canterbury 1302 – Valdemar, King of Sweden , 1250 –1275 (b. c. 1238/1239)1350 – Jean de Marigny , French archbishop1352 – John, 3rd Earl of Kent , English politician (b. 1330)1360 – Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent , English commander (b. 1314)1413 – Michele Steno , Doge of Venice (b. 1331)1441 – Niccolò III d'Este , Marquess of Ferrara1458 – Arthur III, Duke of Brittany (b. 1393)1476 – Galeazzo Maria Sforza , Duke of Milan (assassinated) (b. 1444)1530 – Babur , Mongolian emperor (b. 1483)1574 – Charles, Cardinal of Lorraine (b. 1524)1731 – Antoine Houdar de la Motte , French author (b. 1672)1771 – Claude Adrien Helvétius , French philosopher and activist (b. 1715)1780 – John Fothergill , English physician and botanist (b. 1712)1784 – Seth Warner , American colonel (b. 1743)1786 – Gasparo Gozzi , Italian playwright and critic (b. 1713)1863 – Francis Caulfeild, 2nd Earl of Charlemont , Irish politician, Lord Lieutenant of Tyrone (b. 1775)1869 – Jean Léonard Marie Poiseuille , French physician and physiologist (b. 1797)1890 – Heinrich Schliemann , German-Italian archaeologist and author (b. 1822)1909 – Frederic Remington , American painter and illustrator (b. 1861)1923 – Dietrich Eckart , German journalist, poet, and politician (b. 1868)1925 – Jan Letzel , Czech architect, designed the Hiroshima Peace Memorial (b. 1880)1929 – Albert Giraud , Belgian poet (b. 1860)1931 – Melvil Dewey , American librarian and educator, created the Dewey Decimal Classification (b. 1851)1933 – Anatoly Lunacharsky , Russian journalist and politician (b. 1875)1933 – Henry Watson Fowler , English lexicographer and educator (b. 1858)
1959 – Jack Tresadern , English footballer and manager (b. 1890)1960 – Tetsuro Watsuji , Japanese historian and philosopher (b. 1889)1963 – Gorgeous George , American wrestler (b. 1915)1966 – Ina Boudier-Bakker , Dutch author (b. 1875)1966 – Herbert Otto Gille , German general (b. 1897)
1966 – Guillermo Stábile , Argentinian footballer and manager (b. 1905)
1968 – Weegee , Ukrainian-American photographer and journalist (b. 1898)1970 – Lillian Board , South African-English runner (b. 1948)1972 – Harry S. Truman , American colonel and politician, 33rd President of the United States (b. 1884)1973 – Harold B. Lee , American religious leader, 11th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (b. 1899)1974 – Farid al-Atrash , Syrian-Egyptian singer-songwriter, oud player, and actor (b. 1915)1974 – Jack Benny , American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, and violinist (b. 1894)
1974 – Frederick Dalrymple-Hamilton , Scottish admiral (b. 1890)
1977 – Howard Hawks , American director and screenwriter (b. 1896)1980 – Tony Smith , American sculptor and educator (b. 1912)1981 – Amber Reeves , New Zealand-English author and scholar (b. 1887)1981 – Suat Hayri Ürgüplü , Turkish politician, Prime Minister of Turkey (b. 1903)
1986 – Elsa Lanchester , English-American actress (b. 1902)1988 – Glenn McCarthy , American businessman, founded the Shamrock Hotel (b. 1907)1988 – Pablo Sorozábal , German-Spanish composer and conductor (b. 1897)
1989 – Doug Harvey , Canadian ice hockey player and coach (b. 1924)1990 – Gene Callahan , American art director and production designer (b. 1923)1994 – Sylva Koscina , Italian actress (b. 1933)1996 – JonBenét Ramsey , American child beauty queen and prominent unsolved murder victim (b. 1990)1997 – Cahit Arf , Turkish mathematician and academic (b. 1910)1997 – Cornelius Castoriadis , Greek economist and philosopher (b. 1922)
1999 – Curtis Mayfield , American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1942)1999 – Shankar Dayal Sharma , Indian academic and politician, 9th President of India (b. 1918)
2000 – Jason Robards , American actor (b. 1922)2001 – Nigel Hawthorne , English actor (b. 1929)2002 – Herb Ritts , American photographer and director (b. 1952)2002 – Armand Zildjian , American businessman, founded the Avedis Zildjian Company (b. 1921)
2004 – Troy Broadbridge , Australian footballer (b. 1980)2004 – Jonathan Drummond-Webb , South African surgeon and academic (b. 1959)
2004 – Sigurd Køhn , Norwegian saxophonist and composer (b. 1959)
2004 – Angus Ogilvy , English businessman (b. 1928)
2004 – Mieszko Talarczyk , Polish-Swedish singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer (b. 1974)
2004 – Reggie White , American football player and wrestler (b. 1961)
2005 – Muriel Costa-Greenspon , American soprano (b. 1937)2005 – Ted Ditchburn , English footballer and manager (b. 1921)
2005 – Kerry Packer , Australian publisher and businessman (b. 1937)
2005 – Viacheslav Platonov , Russian volleyball player and coach (b. 1939)
2005 – Vincent Schiavelli , American actor (b. 1948)
2005 – Erich Topp , German commander (b. 1914)
2006 – Gerald Ford , American commander, lawyer, and politician, 38th President of the United States (b. 1913)2006 – Ivar Formo , Norwegian skier and engineer (b. 1951)
2006 – Munir Niazi , Indian-Pakistani poet (b. 1928)
2009 – Felix Wurman , American cellist and composer (b. 1958)2010 – Edward Bhengu , South African activist (b. 1934)2010 – Teena Marie , American singer-songwriter and producer (b. 1956)
2011 – Houston Antwine , American football player (b. 1939)2011 – Pedro Armendáriz, Jr. , Mexican-American actor and producer (b. 1940)
2011 – Sarekoppa Bangarappa , Indian politician, 15th Chief Minister of Karnataka (b. 1932)
2011 – Joe Bodolai , American screenwriter and producer (b. 1948)
2011 – James Rizzi , American painter and illustrator (b. 1950)
2012 – Gerry Anderson , English director, producer, and screenwriter (b. 1929)2012 – Gerald McDermott , American author and illustrator (b. 1941)
2012 – Ibrahim Tannous , Lebanese general (b. 1929)
2013 – Paul Blair , American baseball player and coach (b. 1944)2013 – Marta Eggerth , Hungarian-American actress and singer (b. 1912)
2014 – Stanisław Barańczak , Polish-American poet, critic, and scholar (b. 1946)2014 – James B. Edwards , American dentist, soldier, and politician, 3rd United States Secretary of Energy (b. 1927)
2014 – Leo Tindemans , Belgian politician, 43rd Prime Minister of Belgium (b. 1922)
2015 – Sidney Mintz , American anthropologist and academic (b. 1922)2015 – Jim O'Toole , American baseball player (b. 1937)
2016 – Ricky Harris , American comedian, actor (b. 1962)2016 – George S. Irving , American actor, singer and dancer (b. 1922)
Holidays and observances [ edit ]
Boxing Day , except when December 26 is a Sunday. If it is a Sunday, Boxing Day is transferred to December 27 by Royal Proclamation. (Commonwealth of Nations ), and its related observances:
Christian feast day :
Independence and Unity Day (Slovenia) Mauro Hamza Day (Houston, Texas )Mummer's Day (Padstow , Cornwall )St. Stephen's Day (public holiday in Alsace , Austria, Catalonia , Croatia , the Czech Republic, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Ireland , Luxembourg , Poland, Slovakia and Switzerland), and its related observances:
The first day of Kwanzaa , celebrated until January 1 (United States)
The first day of Junkanoo street parade, the second day is on the New Year's Day (The Bahamas )
The second day of the Twelve Days of Christmas (Western Christianity)
Wren Day (Ireland and the Isle of Man )
External links [ edit ] References [ edit ]
