
1831 – Louisiana and Arkansas are the first states to observe Christmas as a holiday.
1896 – “Stars & Stripes Forever” is written by John Philip Sousa.
1914 – Legendary “Christmas Truce” takes place on the battlefields of World War I between British and German troops. Instead of fighting, soldiers exchanged gifts and played football.
1917 – “Why Mary,” the first drama to win the Pulitzer Prize, premieres in New York City.
1933 – Another Christmas Day five-wicket haul by New Zealand-born Australian cricket player Clarrie Grimmett.
1938 – George Cukor announces Vivien Leigh will play Scarlett O’Hara in “Gone With The Wind” at a party at his home.
1939 – Montgomery Ward introduces Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the ninth reindeer on Santa’s team.
1947 – Constitution of the Republic of China comes into effect.
1959 – Sony brings transistor TV 8-301 to the market.
1965 – President Lyndon B. Johnson orders a halt to bombing operations in North Vietnam, hoping to spur peace talks.
1968 – NASA Apollo 8 crew broadcast while orbiting the moon and read passages from the Bible to celebrate Christmas.
1971 – Longest game in NFL history as the Miami Dolphins beat the Kansas City Chiefs 27-24 in 2 overtimes in an American Football League playoff game. Game duration was 82 minutes and 40 seconds.
1983 – First live telecast of the Christmas parade at EPCOT Center, Disney World in Florida.
1989 – Leonard Bernstein conducts Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in East Berlin’s Schauspielhaus to celebrate the fall of the Berlin Wall. Broadcast worldwide to an audience of 100 million.
1995 – Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith scores NFL season-record 25th touchdown in a 37-13 win against Arizona Cardinals at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona.
1999 – Pope John Paul II personally opens the Holy Doors of St. John Lateran in Rome to mark the Jubilee.
2008 – Phil Jackson becomes the sixth coach in NBA history to win 1,000 games as his Los Angeles Lakers beat the Boston Celtics 92-83 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
2013 – “The Wolf of Wall Street,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill, is released.
2020 – An RV detonates in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, causing damage to people and property. Prior to detonating, a recorded message playing from speakers warned anyone in earshot to evacuate prior to an explosion.
2021 – NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope launched in joint effort with ESA (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency on an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, South America.