25th December — Christmas Day
Welcome to 25th December! It's Christmas Day. Explore 69 historical events, birthdays, deaths, and milestones that shaped this day. From remarkable moments in local and world history to the people who left their mark — find out what makes today special. Tonight's moon is in its waning gibbous phase, and the zodiac sign of the day is Capricorn. If you're curious about the history of a day — this page brings together everything worth knowing about this 25th December.
Thursday, 25 December falls under the zodiac sign of Capricorn, which spans late December to late January. The moon is in its waning gibbous phase, gradually decreasing in illumination as it moves away from the full moon and approaches the new moon phase.
On this day
On 25 December 1989, Nicolae Ceaușescu, the communist dictator of Romania, and his wife Elena were executed following their conviction on multiple charges during the Romanian Revolution. Their deaths marked a dramatic turning point in Eastern European history and symbolised the collapse of communist regimes across the region during that pivotal year.
Two centuries earlier, on 25 December 1809, American physician Ephraim McDowell performed the world's first successful removal of an ovarian tumour, a groundbreaking surgical achievement that established him as a pioneer in abdominal surgery and saved countless lives in the decades that followed. In more recent times, on 25 December 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev delivered a televised speech announcing his resignation as President of the Soviet Union, formally marking the end of the USSR and reshaping the global political landscape.
Christmas Day
Christmas Day commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ and is one of the most significant dates in the Christian calendar. Celebrated on 25 December since the 4th century, the date was chosen by the early Church although the exact date of Christ's birth remains historically uncertain. The festival has been observed for approximately 1,700 years and has become a major secular holiday in many Western countries, marked by family gatherings, gift-giving, and festive traditions. Christmas Day is a public holiday in numerous nations across Europe, the Commonwealth, and beyond.
DayAtlas provides weather data, historical events, and notable births and deaths for any specified date and location, allowing users to explore what happened on any day throughout history.
Explore everything about today 23rd June.
The broken instrument teaches what the tuned one conceals.
Fortune of the Day
25th December in the Stars – Star Sign Capricorn
Personality Profile
Personality Those born on December 25th blend classic Capricorn discipline with Mercury's intellect, creating a rare mix of ambition and communicative ease. They think structurally, speak with precision, and appear approachable despite their inner drive for achievement. Numerology 1 reinforces their natural leadership instinct and independence.
Strengths & Weaknesses Their strengths lie in strategic thinking, persistence, and translating complex ideas into clear language. They tend toward detail-checking and can slip into perfectionism. Emotional spontaneity doesn't come naturally, sometimes creating emotional distance.
Love In relationships, these individuals show reliability and deep—though guarded—emotional attachment. Intellectual connection and practical partnership matter equally to them. Personal growth space ranks higher than romantic gestures.
Caree & Finance Those born this day thrive in roles combining strategy, communication, and responsibility: management, science, consulting. Financial security is their natural aim; long-term investing and frugality are their signature moves.
Health These natives benefit from structured exercise and clear nutritional routines. Mental rest is often overlooked; regular breaks and mindfulness prevent chronic stress. Bones and teeth warrant special attention.
That night, the moon was in its waning gibbous phase.
Chinese year of the Snake (Wood).
Fun Facts About 25th December
Name Days in Your Language: Anastasia, Hollie, Holly, Jesus, Noel, Noelle, Stacey, Stacie, Stacy
Someone born on this day would be just 180 days old today — roughly 4,329 hours, 259,773 minutes, or 15,586,388 seconds spent on Earth so far.
It's the 359. day of the year. In 2025, 25th December falls on a Thursday.
There are 6 days still to come.
We’re currently in Week 52 — the year marches on.
Famous Birthdays on 25th December
On this day, 229 notable people were born on 25th December — spanning from 1250 to 2000. From world leaders to artists and scientists, discover who shares this birthday.
25/12/2000
Wilfried Singo, Ivorian footballer
Wilfried Stephane Singo is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a defender for Süper Lig club Galatasaray and the Ivory Coast national team.
25/12/1999
Adut Akech, South Sudanese-Australian fashion model
Adut Akech Bior is a South Sudanese-Australian model. Akech made her fashion week runway debut as an exclusive in the Saint Laurent S/S 17 show and went on to close both their F/W 17 and S/S 18 shows as an exclusive. In 2018, she was chosen as "Model of the Year" by models.com, an honour which was repeated the next year. Models.com includes Akech in its list of the "New Supers".
25/12/1996
Emiliano Buendía, Argentine footballer
Emiliano Buendía Stati is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger for Premier League club Aston Villa and the Argentina national team.
25/12/1993
Emi Takei, Japanese actress, fashion model and singer
Emi Takei is a Japanese actress and model.
25/12/1992
Mitakeumi Hisashi, Japanese sumo wrestler
Mitakeumi Hisashi is a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Agematsu, Nagano. He is in the Dewanoumi stable. He is a pusher thruster-type wrestler. A former amateur champion at Toyo University, he made his professional debut in March 2015, reaching the top makuuchi division in November of the same year. He has ten special prizes for Fighting Spirit, Technique and Outstanding Performance, as well two gold stars for defeating a yokozuna while ranked as a maegashira. His highest rank has been ōzeki. He won his first top division championship (yūshō) in July 2018, his second in September 2019, and his third in January 2022. All three yūshō were won at the rank of sekiwake.
25/12/1991
Avu-chan, Japanese musician, songwriter, actor, model and producer
Avu-chan is a Japanese singer, songwriter, producer and actor. They debuted as the lead vocalist and songwriter of the band Queen Bee in 2009, and took on a side project as the lead vocalist and trumpeter of the supergroup Gokumontō Ikka in 2015. As a producer and songwriter, Avu-chan uses the name Avu Barazono , and has written songs for Meg, Rina Satō, Ai Shinozaki, Hey! Say! JUMP, LiSA, KERENMI, and the SUPERNOVA sub-unit Funky Galaxy. They also produce the alternative vocal-and-dance boy group Ryugujo, formed in 2023 through the audition program "0th Class 0 - Avu-chan's Classroom".
25/12/1988
Eric Gordon, American basketball player
Eric Ambrose Gordon Jr. is a Bahamian-American professional basketball player who last played for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). In high school, he was named Indiana Mr. Basketball during his senior year while playing at North Central High School. He is known, in part, as the subject of a recruiting competition between the University of Illinois and Indiana University in the spring and summer of 2006; because of Gordon's talent and high level of play that year, his recruitment was the subject of media coverage.
Lukas Hinds-Johnson, German rugby player
Lukas Hinds-Johnson is a German international rugby union player, playing for the RK 03 Berlin in the Rugby-Bundesliga and the German national rugby union team.
Joãozinho, Brazilian footballer
João Natailton Ramos dos Santos or simply Joãozinho is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a right or left winger for Brasiliense.
25/12/1987
Ceyhun Gülselam, Turkish footballer
Ceyhun Gülselam is a Turkish professional footballer who plays as a center back and defensive midfielder. He plays for Altay.
Demaryius Thomas, American football player (died 2021)
Demaryius Antwon Thomas was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Denver Broncos. He played college football for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, earning third-team All-American honors in 2009. Thomas was selected by the Broncos in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft. With Denver, he made five Pro Bowls and won Super Bowl 50 against the Carolina Panthers. Thomas also played for the Houston Texans, New England Patriots, and New York Jets.
25/12/1985
Martin Mathathi, Kenyan runner
Martin Irūngū Mathathi is a Kenyan long-distance runner, who competes in track, cross country and road running events. Mathathi won the bronze medal in the 10,000 metres at the 2007 World Championships in Osaka. He represented his country in the same event at the 2008 Summer Olympics. He holds the 10 miles world junior record of 44:51.
Rusev, Bulgarian-American professional wrestler
Miroslav Petrov Barnyashev is a Bulgarian and American professional wrestler and actor. As of April 2025, he is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Rusev. He is also known for his time in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) from 2020 to 2025, where he performed under the ring name Miro.
Yulia Svyrydenko, Ukrainian politician, 19th Prime Minister of Ukraine
Yulia Anatoliivna Svyrydenko is a Ukrainian politician who has served since 17 July 2025 as the 19th prime minister of Ukraine. Before that, she was the first deputy prime minister and Minister of Economic Development and Trade from 2021, until she replaced Denys Shmyhal as prime minister as part of a government reshuffle proposed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
25/12/1984
Chris Cahill, Samoan footballer
Christopher Cahill is a retired professional footballer. Born in Australia, he represented Samoa at international level.
Alastair Cook, English cricketer
Sir Alastair Nathan Cook is an English commentator and a former cricketer and captain of the England Test and One-Day International (ODI) cricket teams. Known for his compact technique and ability to bat for long periods, Cook is widely regarded as one of the greatest batters of his era and one of the greatest opening batsman of all time. He is the sixth-highest Test run scorer of all time and second-highest run scorer for England. He is England's second most-capped Test batsman and captained the England team in 59 Tests, as well as in 69 ODIs. He was also the youngest player to score 12,000 test runs. Cook retired from Test cricket in September 2018 and played for Essex in English domestic cricket until 2023, while also working for the BBC radio programme Test Match Special.
Chris Richard, American basketball player
Chris Richard is an American former professional basketball player. Richard, a power forward, played college basketball for the Florida Gators. He has a wingspan of 7'4½". His role was that of the sixth man that came off the bench for the Florida Gators national championship men's team during the 2006–07 season. He is a former Mr. Basketball in the state of Florida (2002) and scored 8 points to go along with 8 rebounds in his final game of his college career. He was taken 1st overall in 2008 D-League draft by the Tulsa 66ers.
25/12/1982
Shawn Andrews, American football player
Shawn Cornelius Andrews is an American former professional football player who was an offensive lineman for the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks, and was a two-time consensus All-American. Philadelphia selected him in the first round of the 2004 NFL draft, and he earned two Pro Bowl selections during his career. He was inducted to the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.
Rob Edwards, Welsh footballer
Robert Owen Edwards is a professional football manager and former player who was most recently the head coach of EFL Championship club Wolverhampton Wanderers. Born in England, he represented Wales internationally.
Ethan Kath, Canadian keyboard player, songwriter and producer
Claudio Paolo Palmieri, known professionally as Ethan Kath, is a Canadian musician. He was the co-founder and songwriter/producer for Crystal Castles and bassist of Kïll Cheerleadër and Die Mannequin.
Chris Rene, American singer-songwriter and producer
Chris Rene is an American singer-songwriter. Rene auditioned for the first season of The X Factor USA with an original song entitled "Young Homie". He became the last contestant eliminated in the competition. "Young Homie" was released as a single on March 13, 2012; it was the lead single from Rene's EP I'm Right Here.
25/12/1981
Trenesha Biggers, American wrestler and model
Trenesha Biggers is an American former model and professional wrestler. She is best known for her appearances with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling under the ring name Rhaka Khan; she also appeared with WWE as Trenesha, competing in the 2005 WWE Diva Search.
Camille Herron, American ultramarathon runner
Jacquelyn Camille Herron is an American ultramarathon runner. She has achieved 12 world records in ultramarathon distances.
Christian Holst, Danish-Faroese footballer
Christian Lamhauge Holst is a Faroese former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He gained 50 caps for the Faroe Islands national football team.
Willy Taveras, Dominican baseball player
Willy Taveras is a Dominican former professional baseball center fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played a total of seven seasons for the Houston Astros, Colorado Rockies, Cincinnati Reds, and Washington Nationals.
25/12/1980
Laura Sadler, English actress (died 2003)
Laura Ruth Sadler was an English actress. She played pupil Judi Jeffreys in the children's school drama series Grange Hill, and nurse Sandy Harper in the BBC One hospital drama series Holby City for three years from 2000 until her death in 2003.
Marcus Trufant, American football player
Marcus Lavon Trufant is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons. He played college football for the Washington State Cougars, and was chosen by the Seattle Seahawks 11th overall in the 2003 NFL draft.
25/12/1979
Ferman Akgül, Turkish singer-songwriter
İbrahim Ferman Akgül is a Turkish singer, songwriter, TV host and actor. He is the lead singer of Turkish rock band maNga. In 2015 he opened the independent record label 06 Records and released his first solo single "İstemem Söz Sevmeni" in early 2016.
Laurent Bonnart, French footballer
Laurent Noël Bonnart is a French former professional footballer who played as a full-back.
Robert Huff, English race car driver
Robert Peter Huff is a British racing driver currently competing in the British Touring Car Championship for Toyota Gazoo Racing UK. He was the 2012 World Touring Car Championship champion and the 2020 Scandinavian Touring Car Championship champion.
Hyun Young-min, South Korean footballer
Hyun Young-min is a South Korean football coach and a former player. He is the manager of the Under-18 squad of Ulsan Hyundai.
25/12/1978
Simon Jones, Welsh cricketer
Simon Philip Jones is a Welsh former cricketer, who played internationally for the England cricket team. Jones played in eighteen Test matches for England, before injury ended his international career. He played county cricket for Glamorgan, Worcestershire and Hampshire, before retiring in 2013. His father, Jeff Jones, played cricket for Glamorgan and England in the 1960s.
Joel Porter, Australian footballer and manager
Joel William Porter is an Australian football (soccer) manager and former player.
Jeremy Strong, American actor
Jeremy Strong is an American actor. Known for his intense method acting style in roles across both stage and screen, he has received accolades including a Tony Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award and a British Academy Film Award. In 2022, Strong was featured on Time's list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
25/12/1977
Ali Tandoğan, Turkish footballer
Ali Tandoğan is a Turkish former football player and coach who was most recently the manager of Şanlıurfaspor.
Israel Vázquez, Mexican boxer (died 2024)
Israel Vázquez Castañeda was a Mexican professional boxer who competed from 1995 to 2010. He was a three-time super bantamweight world champion, having held the IBF title from 2004 to 2005; and the WBC, The Ring titles twice from 2005 to 2008. Vázquez is best known for his series of four fights against fellow Mexican Rafael Márquez.
25/12/1976
Tuomas Holopainen, Finnish keyboard player, songwriter, and producer
Tuomas Lauri Johannes Holopainen is a Finnish musician, songwriter, and record producer, best known as the primary songwriter, keyboardist, and founding member of the symphonic metal band Nightwish. He has stated that his songwriting is influenced by harmonic film music.
Atko Väikmeri, Estonian footballer
Atko Väikmeri is an Estonian football coach and former football defender. He played for several clubs in his native country, including JK Tervis Pärnu.
Armin van Buuren, Dutch DJ and record producer
Armin Jozef Jacobus Daniël van Buuren OON is a Dutch DJ, musician and record producer. Since 2001, he has hosted A State of Trance (ASOT), a weekly radio show, which is broadcast to nearly 40 million listeners in 84 countries on over 100 FM radio stations. According to the website DJs and Festivals, "the radio show propelled him to stardom and helped cultivate an interest in trance music around the world".
25/12/1975
Hideki Okajima, Japanese baseball player
Hideki Okajima is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher. Okajima pitched for the Yomiuri Giants, Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, and Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball, and the Boston Red Sox and Oakland Athletics of Major League Baseball. Okajima was elected to the 2007 Major League Baseball All-Star Game as a first time All-Star via the All-Star Final Vote. He became the first Japanese-born pitcher to play in the World Series in Game 2 of the 2007 World Series. On July 18, 2016, Okajima announced his retirement.
Choi Sung-yong, South Korean footballer and manager
Choi Sung-yong is a former South Korean footballer who played as a wing-back or midfielder. Known for his good stamina and concentration, Choi was noted for his ability for man-to-man defense. He performed a role to concentrate on marking Hidetoshi Nakata, considered the best Asian player at the time, when South Korea played against Japan in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Marcus Trescothick, English cricketer
Marcus Edward Trescothick is an English former cricketer who played first-class cricket for Somerset County Cricket Club, and represented England in 76 Test matches and 123 One Day Internationals. He was Somerset captain from 2010 to 2016 and temporary England captain for several Tests and ODIs. Since retirement he has commentated and coached at both county and international level.
25/12/1973
Robbie Elliott, English footballer and coach
Robert James Elliott is an English football coach and former professional player, who is the strength coach for the United States U20 men's football team.
Chris Harris, American wrestler
Christopher Eric Harris is an American professional wrestler, better known by the ring name "Wildcat" Chris Harris. He is best known for his time with NWA Total Nonstop Action (TNA) as one-half of the tag team America's Most Wanted alongside James Storm, where the duo won the NWA World Tag Team Championship six times. He is also known for his appearances with World Wrestling Entertainment as Braden Walker.
Daisuke Miura, Japanese baseball player and coach
Daisuke Miura is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher and coach. He played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars from 1992 to 2016. He served as a coach for the team in two separate stints from 2014 to 2020 before being hired to become manager for the BayStars in 2021. In five seasons from 2021 to 2025, he led the team to the Climax Series four times, with the 2024 team reaching and winning the Japan Series for the first time in 26 years.
Alexandre Trudeau, Canadian journalist and director
Alexandre Emmanuel Trudeau is a Canadian filmmaker, journalist and author of Barbarian Lost. He is the second son of Canada's former prime minister, Pierre Trudeau, and Margaret Trudeau, and the younger brother of Canada's former prime minister, Justin Trudeau.
25/12/1972
Qu Yunxia, Chinese runner
Qu Yunxia is a Chinese Olympic athlete who specialised in the 1500 metres.
25/12/1971
Justin Trudeau, Canadian educator and politician, 23rd Prime Minister of Canada
Justin Pierre James Trudeau is a Canadian politician who served as the 23rd prime minister of Canada from 2015 to 2025. He led the Liberal Party from 2013 until his resignation in 2025 and was the member of Parliament (MP) for Papineau from 2008 until 2025.
25/12/1970
Emmanuel Amunike, Nigerian footballer and manager
Emmanuel Amunike is a Nigerian professional football manager and former footballer who played as a winger.
Rodney Dent, American basketball player
Rodney Dent is an American former professional basketball player. Born in Edison, Georgia, Dent played college basketball at the University of Kentucky. He was drafted by the Orlando Magic in the 1994 NBA draft. He was selected by the Vancouver Grizzlies in the 1995 NBA expansion draft in exchange for a second-round draft pick.
25/12/1969
Nicolas Godin, French musician
Nicolas Godin is a French musician best known for being one half of the music duo Air.
Noel Goldthorpe, Australian rugby league player
Noel Goldthorpe is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the halves in the 1990s. He played most of his career for the St George Dragons. Goldthorpe also played for the Western Suburbs Magpies, Hunter Mariners, Adelaide Rams and the North Queensland Cowboys, whom he captained.
Frederick Onyancha, Kenyan runner
Frederick ("Fred") Onyancha is a Kenyan 800 metres runner who won the bronze medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta in a personal best time of 1:42.79 minutes.
25/12/1968
Jim Dowd, American ice hockey player
James Thomas Dowd is an American former professional ice hockey center who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for ten different teams over the course of 17 NHL seasons. Dowd, who won the 1995 Stanley Cup with his hometown New Jersey Devils, was the second New Jersey high school hockey player to make it to the NHL. He is also a frequent guest on NHL Live.
25/12/1967
Andreas Haitzer, Austrian politician
Andreas Haitzer is an Austrian politician and member of the National Council. A member of the Social Democratic Party, he has represented Salzburg since October 2024. He was a member of the Salzburg Landtag from June 2013 to March 2015.
Jason Thirsk, American bass player (died 1996)
Jason Matthew Thirsk was an American musician who was the bass player of the California punk rock band Pennywise from 1988 through his death in 1996. He grew up in Hermosa Beach, California.
25/12/1966
Toshi Arai, Japanese race car driver
Toshihiro Arai is a Japanese rally driver and team owner. He is the first Japanese FIA world champion.
25/12/1965
Ed Davey, English politician, Leader of the Liberal Democrats
Sir Edward Jonathan Davey is a British politician who has served as Leader of the Liberal Democrats since 2019. He served in the Cameron–Clegg coalition as Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change from 2012 to 2015 and as Deputy Leader to Jo Swinson in 2019. An "Orange Book" liberal, he has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Kingston and Surbiton since 2017, a seat he previously held from 1997 to 2015.
Dmitri Mironov, Russian ice hockey player
Dmitri Olegovich Mironov is a Russian former professional ice hockey defenseman. He was drafted in the eighth round, 160th overall, by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1991 NHL entry draft. He was part of the 1998 Stanley Cup winning Detroit Red Wings.
David Rath, Czech physician and politician
David Rath is a Czech medical doctor, former politician who served as Minister of Health from 2005 to 2006, and convicted criminal. He was a member of the Czech Social Democratic Party (ČSSD) until 16 May 2012 when he resigned after being charged with bribery. He also served as Member of the Chamber of Deputies (MP) from 2006 to 2013, first as representative from Prague and then from Central Bohemian Region where he was Governor between 2008 and 2012.
25/12/1964
Ian Bostridge, English tenor
Ian Charles Bostridge CBE is an English tenor, well known for his performances as an opera and lieder singer.
Gary McAllister, Scottish footballer and manager
Gary McAllister is a Scottish professional football coach and former player.
Bob Stanley, British musician and writer
Bob Stanley is a British musician, journalist, author, and film producer. He is a member of the indie pop group Saint Etienne and has had a parallel career as a music journalist and author, writing for NME, Melody Maker, Mojo, The Guardian and The Times, as well as writing several books on music and football. His second book, Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!: The Story of Modern Pop, was published by Faber & Faber in 2013. His third book Let's Do It: The Birth of Pop Music: A History was published by Pegasus in 2022. He also has a career as a DJ and as a producer of record labels, and has collaborated on a series of films about London.
25/12/1962
Francis Dunnery, English musician
Francis Dunnery is an English musician, singer-songwriter, record producer and record label owner.
25/12/1961
Íngrid Betancourt, Colombian political scientist and politician
Íngrid Betancourt Pulecio is a Colombian-French politician, former senator, and anti-corruption activist. She gained international prominence after being kidnapped by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in 2002 while campaigning for the Colombian presidency as a Green candidate. She was rescued in 2008 during Operation Jaque, a military operation conducted by Colombian security forces.
Ghislaine Maxwell, British socialite, former owner of the TerraMar Project, and sex offender.
Ghislaine Noelle Marion Maxwell is a British convicted child sex offender and former socialite. In 2021, she was convicted of child sex trafficking, and in 2022 was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
25/12/1959
Michael P. Anderson, American colonel, pilot, and astronaut (died 2003)
Michael Phillip Anderson was a United States Air Force officer and NASA astronaut. He and his six fellow crew members were killed in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster when the craft disintegrated during its re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. Anderson served as the payload commander and lieutenant colonel in charge of science experiments on the Columbia. He was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.
Ramdas Athawale, Indian poet and politician
Ramdas Bandu Athawale is an Indian politician, social activist and trade unionist from Maharashtra. Since 1999, he is the president of the Republican Party of India (A), a splinter group of the Republican Party of India, which has its roots in the Scheduled Castes Federation led by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar. Since 2016, he has served as the Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India and represented Maharashtra in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of India's Parliament since 2014. Previously, he was Lok Sabha MP from Pandharpur from 1999 to 2009 and from Mumbai North Central Lok Sabha constituency from 1998 to 1999. He was also Cabinet minister of Maharashtra from 1990 to 1995 and a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Council from 1990 to 1996.
25/12/1958
Cheryl Chase, American voice actress and singer
Cheryl Chase is an American actress and children's book author. She is best known for voicing Angelica Pickles in the television series Rugrats and its spinoffs All Grown Up, Angelica and Susie's Pre-School Daze, and on the revival.
Rickey Henderson, American baseball player and coach (died 2024)
Rickey Nelson Henley Henderson, nicknamed "Man of Steal", was an American professional baseball left fielder who played 25 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for nine teams from 1979 to 2003, including four separate tenures with his original team, the Oakland Athletics. He is widely regarded as baseball's greatest leadoff hitter and baserunner. He holds MLB records for career stolen bases, runs, unintentional walks, and leadoff home runs. At the time of his last major league game in 2003, the 10-time American League (AL) All-Star ranked among the sport's top 100 all-time home run hitters and was its all-time leader in walks. In 2009, he was inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
Konstantin Kinchev, Russian singer-songwriter and guitarist
Konstantin Evgenievich Kinchev (Panfilov) (Russian: Константи́н Евге́ньевич Ки́нчев (Панфи́лов); born December 25, 1958) is a Russian rock singer, musician, frontman and the main songwriter for the Russian rock/hard rock band Alisa.
Alannah Myles, Canadian singer-songwriter and actress
Alannah Myles is a Canadian singer-songwriter who has won both a Grammy and a Juno Award for the song "Black Velvet". The song was a top-ten hit in Canada and a number one hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1990.
25/12/1957
Mansoor Akhtar, Pakistani cricketer
Mansoor Akhtar is a Pakistani former cricketer who played in 19 Test matches and 41 One Day Internationals between 1980 and 1990. In his Test career Mansoor scored one century and three half-centuries, with a highest score of 111 against Australia in Faisalabad. In his ODI career he failed to even record a half century and took only two wickets.
Chris Kamara, English footballer and sportscaster
Christopher Kamara is an English former professional footballer and manager who worked as a presenter and football analyst at Sky Sports for 30 years from 1992 to 2022.
25/12/1954
Annie Lennox, Scottish singer-songwriter and pianist
Ann Lennox is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving moderate success in the late 1970s as part of the new wave band the Tourists, she and fellow musician Dave Stewart went on to achieve international success in the 1980s as Eurythmics. When she appeared in the 1983 music video for "Sweet Dreams " with orange cropped hair and wearing a men’s lounge suit, the BBC wrote, "all eyes were on Annie Lennox, the singer whose powerful androgynous look defied the male gaze". Subsequent hits with Eurythmics include "There Must Be an Angel ", "Love Is a Stranger" and "Here Comes the Rain Again".
25/12/1953
Kaarlo Maaninka, Finnish runner
Kaarlo Hannes Maaninka is a Finnish former long-distance runner who won a silver medal in the 10,000 metres and a bronze medal in the 5,000 metres at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Maanink later admitted to using blood transfusions during the 1980 Olympics, although this practice was not prohibited under the rules at that time.
25/12/1952
Tolossa Kotu, Ethiopian runner and coach
Tolossa Kotu Terfe is an Ethiopian long-distance runner and coach. He placed fourth in men's 10,000 metres at the 1980 Summer Olympics and has coached the national teams of both Ethiopia and Bahrain.
Desireless, French singer and songwriter
Claudie Fritsch-Mentrop, known by her stage name Desireless, is a French singer. She gained international recognition between 1986 and 1988 with her hit single, "Voyage, voyage", which topped music charts in multiple countries. The music video, directed by Bettina Rheims, features Desireless in a cold, androgynous style, reminiscent of other contemporary female artists such as Annie Lennox and Grace Jones.
25/12/1951
Warren Robinett, American video game designer
Joseph Warren Robinett Jr. is an American video game designer. He is most notable as the developer of the Atari 2600's Adventure and as a founder of The Learning Company, where he designed Rocky's Boots and Robot Odyssey. More recently he has worked on virtual reality projects.
25/12/1950
Peter Boardman, English mountaineer and author (died 1982)
Peter Boardman was an English mountaineer and author. He is best known for a series of bold and lightweight expeditions to the Himalayas, often in partnership with Joe Tasker, and for his contribution to mountain literature. Boardman and Tasker died on the North East Ridge of Mount Everest in 1982. The Boardman Tasker Prize for Mountain Literature was established in their memory.
Karl Rove, American political strategist and activist
Karl Christian Rove is an American Republican political consultant, policy advisor, and lobbyist. He was Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff during the George W. Bush administration until his resignation on August 31, 2007. He has also headed the Office of Political Affairs, the Office of Public Liaison, and the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives. Rove was one of the architects of the Iraq War.
Manny Trillo, Venezuelan baseball player and manager
Jesús Manuel Marcano Trillo, nicknamed "Indio", is a Venezuelan former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a second baseman, most prominently with the Chicago Cubs where he established himself as an All-Star player, and then with the Philadelphia Phillies where he was an integral member of the 1980 World Series winning team.
25/12/1949
Simone Bittencourt de Oliveira, Brazilian singer
Simone Bittencourt de Oliveira, better known as Simone, is a Brazilian singer of Música Popular Brasileira (MPB) who has recorded more than 30 albums.
Nawaz Sharif, Pakistani politician, 12th Prime Minister of Pakistan
Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif is a Pakistani politician and businessman who served as the prime minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms, first serving from 1990 to 1993, then from 1997 to 1999 and later from 2013 to 2017. He is the longest-serving prime minister in the country's history, having served a total of more than 9 years across three tenures, with each term ending in his ousting.
25/12/1948
Merry Clayton, American singer and actress
Merry Clayton is an American soul and gospel singer. She contributed vocals to numerous tracks and worked with many major recording artists for decades, including a duet with Mick Jagger on the Rolling Stones song "Gimme Shelter". Clayton is prominently featured in 20 Feet from Stardom, the Oscar-winning documentary about background singers and their contributions to the music industry.
Kay Hymowitz, American sociologist and writer
Kay S. Hymowitz is an American author and sociologist that is perhaps best known for her 2011 non-fiction book, Manning Up: How the Rise of Women Has Turned Men Into Boys.
Barbara Mandrell, American singer-songwriter and actress
Barbara Ann Mandrell is an American retired country music singer and musician. She is also credited as an actress and author. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, she was considered among country's most successful music artists. She had six number one singles and 25 top ten singles reach the Billboard country songs chart. She also hosted her own prime-time television show in the early 1980s that featured music, dance numbers and comedy sketches. Mandrell also played a variety of musical instruments during her career that helped earn her a series of major-industry awards.
Joel Santana, Brazilian footballer and manager
Joel Natalino Santana is a Brazilian football coach and former player. He was recently in charge of Vasco da Gama in 2014.
25/12/1946
Jimmy Buffett, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and actor (died 2023)
James William Buffett was an American singer-songwriter, author, and businessperson. He was known for his tropical music sound blending country, rock, folk, calypso, and his persona, which often portrayed a lifestyle described as "island escapism." It promoted enjoying life and following passions. Buffett recorded many hit songs, including those known as "The Big 8": "Margaritaville" (1977), which is ranked 234th on the Recording Industry Association of America's list of "Songs of the Century"; "Come Monday" (1974); "Fins" (1979); "Volcano" (1979); "A Pirate Looks at Forty" (1974); "Cheeseburger in Paradise" (1978); "Why Don't We Get Drunk" (1973); and "Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes" (1977). His other popular songs include "Son of a Son of a Sailor" (1978), "One Particular Harbour" (1983), and "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" with Alan Jackson (2003). Buffett formed the Coral Reefer Band in 1975.
25/12/1945
Rick Berman, American screenwriter and producer
Richard Keith Berman is an American television producer and screenwriter. He is best known for his work as the executive producer of several of the Star Trek television series: Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise, as well as several of the Star Trek films, and for ultimately succeeding Gene Roddenberry as head of the Star Trek franchise until the cancellation of Star Trek: Enterprise in 2005.
Mike Pringle, Zambian-Scottish lawyer and politician
Mike Pringle is a Scottish Liberal Democrat politician. He was the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Edinburgh South from 2003 to 2011.
Noel Redding, English singer-songwriter and bass player (died 2003)
David Noel Redding was an English rock musician, best known as the bass player for the Jimi Hendrix Experience and guitarist/singer for Fat Mattress.
Ken Stabler, American football player and sportscaster (died 2015)
Kenneth Michael Stabler was an American professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons, primarily with the Oakland Raiders. Nicknamed "Snake", he played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide and was selected by the Raiders in the second round of the 1968 NFL/AFL draft. During his 10 seasons in Oakland, Stabler received four Pro Bowl selections and was named Most Valuable Player in 1974. Stabler also helped the Raiders win their first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XI. He was posthumously inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2016.
25/12/1944
Kenny Everett, British comedian and broadcaster (died 1995)
Kenny Everett was an English radio DJ and television comedian, known for his zany comedic style.
Jairzinho, Brazilian footballer
Jair Ventura Filho, better known as Jairzinho, is a Brazilian former professional footballer. A quick, skillful, and powerful right winger known for his finishing ability and eye for goal, he was a key member and leading scorer of the Brazil national team that won the 1970 FIFA World Cup.
Sam Strahan, New Zealand rugby player (died 2019)
Samuel Cuningham Strahan was a New Zealand rugby union player. He represented Manawatu at a provincial level and the New Zealand national team, the All Blacks. He was a lock and was said to be the best lineout jumper in the country.
25/12/1943
Wilson Fittipaldi Júnior, Brazilian race car driver and businessman (died 2024)
Wilson Fittipaldi Júnior was a Brazilian racing driver and Formula One team owner. He participated in 38 World Championship Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 1 May 1972, scoring a total of three championship points. He ran the Fittipaldi Formula One team between 1974 and 1982. He also participated in numerous non-Championship Formula One races.
Ravish Malhotra, Indian pilot and military officer
Ravish Malhotra is a retired air commodore of the Indian Air Force. He was an Air Force test pilot stationed at the test centre in Bangalore. He was also the Air Officer Commanding of Hindon Air Force Station near Delhi.
Eve Pollard, English journalist and author
Evelyn, Lady Lloyd is an English author and journalist, and has been the editor of several tabloid newspapers.
Hanna Schygulla, German actress
Hanna Schygulla is a German actress and chanson singer best known for her work with director Rainer Werner Fassbinder. She first worked with Fassbinder in 1965 and became an active participant in the New German Cinema. Schygulla won the 1979 Silver Bear for Best Actress for Fassbinder's The Marriage of Maria Braun, and the 1983 Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress for the Marco Ferreri film The Story of Piera.
Jacqui McShee, English singer
Jacqueline McShee is an English singer. Since 1966, she has performed with Pentangle, a jazz-influenced folk rock band.
25/12/1942
Françoise Dürr, French tennis player and coach
Françoise Dürr is a retired French tennis player. She won 50 singles titles and over 60 doubles titles.
Barbara Follett, English politician
Daphne Barbara Follett is a British Labour Party politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Stevenage from 1997 to 2010. During this time she held several parliamentary and ministerial positions.
Barry Goldberg, American keyboard player, songwriter, and producer (died 2025)
Barry Joseph Goldberg was an American blues and rock keyboardist, songwriter, and record producer. Goldberg co-produced albums by Percy Sledge, Charlie Musselwhite, James Cotton, and the Textones, plus Bob Dylan's version of Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready".
Enrique Morente, Spanish singer-songwriter (died 2010)
Enrique Morente Cotelo, known as Enrique Morente, was a Spanish flamenco singer and a celebrated figure within the world of contemporary flamenco. After his orthodox beginnings, he plunged into experimentalism, writing new melodies for cante and jamming with musicians of all styles, without renouncing his roots in traditional flamenco singing, which he kept on cultivating despite criticism."It hasn't been easy. First came the accusations of corruption of the music, of treachery in his struggle to disfigure what was already perfectly coded. When some albums and some categorical evidence of his knowledge of the classical approach laid these malicious comments bare, then came the most twisted condemnations. That the pace of the compás waned, that he didn't really make you feel and that kind of thing."
25/12/1941
Kenneth Calman, Scottish physician and academic
Sir Kenneth Charles Calman was a Scottish doctor and academic who worked as a surgeon, oncologist and cancer researcher, and held the position of Chief Medical Officer of Scotland, and then England. He was Warden and Vice-Chancellor of Durham University from 1998 to 2006 before becoming Chancellor of the University of Glasgow. He held the position of Chair of the National Cancer Research Institute from 2008 until 2011. From 2008 to 2009, he was convener of the Calman Commission on Scottish devolution.
25/12/1940
Hilary Spurling, English journalist and author
Susan Hilary Spurling is a British writer, known for her work as a journalist and biographer.
25/12/1939
Ghulam Ahmad Bilour, Pakistani businessman and politician
Ghulam Ahmad Bilour is a Pakistani politician who served as a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan from 2008 to 2018. He additionally served as Federal Minister for Railways twice and as Federal Minister for Local Government and Rural Development once.
Bob James, American keyboard player, songwriter, and producer
Robert McElhiney James is an American jazz keyboardist, arranger, and record producer. He founded the band Fourplay and wrote "Angela", the theme song for the TV show Taxi. According to VICE, music from his first seven albums has often been sampled and believed to have contributed to the formation of hip hop. Among his most well known recordings are "Nautilus", "Westchester Lady", "Tappan Zee", and his version of "Take Me to the Mardi Gras".
Akong Rinpoche, Tibetan-Chinese spiritual leader (died 2013)
Chöje Akong Tulku Rinpoche was a tulku in the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism and co-founder of the Samye Ling Monastery in Scotland, Tara Rokpa Therapy and charity ROKPA International.
25/12/1938
Duane Armstrong, American painter
Duane Albert Armstrong is an American painter, best known for his oil on canvas paintings. He was born in Fresno California, and was raised near San Luis Obispo California. His foster mother taught him to paint as a child.
Noel Picard, Canadian ice hockey player (died 2017)
Joseph Jean-Noël Yves Picard was a Canadian ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1965 to 1973.
25/12/1937
Maung Aye, Burmese military officer
Maung Aye is a retired Burmese army general who played a significant role in Myanmar's military government. He served as Vice Chairman of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), the ruling military junta of Myanmar, from July 1993 to March 2011, holding the second highest-ranking position in the regime. He graduated from the Defence Services Academy in Pyin Oo Lwin and began his military career by commanding the Northeast Region in 1968, followed by the Eastern Region in 1988. His career progression included promotions to major-general in 1990 and Army Chief in 1992. In 1993, he was appointed as Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Defence Services, and the following year, he assumed the role of Deputy Chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), which later evolved into the SPDC. Despite rumours of resignation in August 2010, Maung Aye remained deputy head of state until the SPDC was dissolved on 30 March 2011 by Senior General Than Shwe, marking a significant transition in Myanmar's governance.
O'Kelly Isley Jr., American R&B/soul singer-songwriter (died 1986)
O'Kelly "Kelly" Isley Jr. was an American singer and one of the founding members of the family group the Isley Brothers.
25/12/1936
Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy
Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy, is a member of the British royal family. She is the only daughter of Prince George, Duke of Kent, and Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark, the only living granddaughter of George V, a niece of Edward VIII and George VI, and a first cousin of Elizabeth II. Alexandra's mother was also a first cousin of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, consort of Elizabeth II, making her both a second cousin and first cousin once removed of Charles III.
Ismail Merchant, Indian-English director and producer (died 2005)
Ismail Merchant was an Indian film producer. He worked for many years in collaboration with Merchant Ivory Productions which included film director James Ivory as well as screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. Together they made film adaptations from the novels of E.M. Forster and Henry James. Merchant received the BAFTA Award for Best Film for A Room with a View (1985), and Howards End (1992). He received Academy Award nominations for Best Live Action Short Film for The Creation of a Woman (1959) and for Best Picture for A Room with a View (1985), Howards End (1992), and The Remains of the Day (1993).
25/12/1935
Sadiq al-Mahdi, Sudanese politician, Prime Minister of Sudan (died 2020)
Sadiq al-Mahdi, also known as Sadiq as-Siddiq, was a Sudanese political and religious figure who was Prime Minister of Sudan from 1966 to 1967 and again from 1986 to 1989. He was head of the National Umma Party and Imam of the Ansar, a Sufi order that pledges allegiance to Muhammad Ahmad (1844–1885), who claimed to be the Mahdi, the messianic saviour of Islam.
Stephen Barnett, American scholar and academic (died 2009)
Stephen Roger Barnett was an American law professor and legal scholar who campaigned against the Newspaper Preservation Act of 1970 and the effects its antitrust exemptions had on newspaper consolidation. He also criticized the California Supreme Court for practices that hid information from the public.
Jeanne Hopkins Lucas, American educator and politician (died 2007)
Jeanne Hopkins Lucas was the first African-American woman elected to serve in North Carolina's state Senate.
25/12/1933
Basil Heatley, English runner (died 2019)
Benjamin Basil Heatley was a British competitive long-distance runner, who was an Olympic marathon silver medallist and former world marathon record-holder. Although he favoured cross country running, he was also a skilled marathon runner and, despite running shoe technology being in its infancy, he was able to adapt easily to the change of conditions underfoot.
25/12/1932
Mabel King, American actress and singer (died 1999)
Mabel King was an American actress and singer. She was known for her role as Mabel "Mama" Thomas on the ABC sitcom What's Happening!! from its premiere in 1976 until the end of its second season in 1978. King was also known for portraying Evillene the Witch, a role she originated in the stage musical The Wiz and reprised in Sidney Lumet's 1978 film adaptation. She recorded on the Rama Records and Amy Records labels.
25/12/1930
Emmanuel Agassi, Iranian-American boxer and coach (died 2021)
Emmanuel "Mike" Agassi was an amateur boxer, casino worker, tennis coach, and the father and coach of American tennis player Andre Agassi. He was born in Iran which he represented at the 1948 and 1952 Summer Olympics. After moving to the United States and becoming an American citizen, he won the Chicago Golden Gloves three times.
Armenak Alachachian, Armenian basketball player and coach (died 2017)
Armenak Misakovich Alachachian was an Armenian-Soviet basketball player and coach. During his club playing career, the point guard reached European stardom with CSKA Moscow and the senior men's Soviet Union national team. He was the first person to ever win a EuroLeague title, as both a player and a head coach.
Mary Rose Tuitt, Montserrat politician (died 2005)
Mary Rose Tuitt was an educator and politician from the island of Montserrat, a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. She was the first woman to serve as a government minister in that country.
25/12/1929
Christine M. Jones, American educator and politician (died 2013)
Christine M. Jones was an American politician who represented District 26 in the Maryland House of Delegates.
China Machado, Chinese-born Portuguese-American fashion model, editor and television producer (died 2016)
Noelie Dasouza Machado, known as China Machado, was a Chinese-born American fashion model, editor, and television producer. She was the first model of color to appear in a major American fashion magazine, in the February 1959 issue of Harper’s Bazaar.
Chris Kenner, American singer and songwriter (died 1976)
Christophe Kenner was an American, New Orleans–based R&B singer and songwriter, best known for two hit singles in the early 1960s, "I Like It Like That" and "Land of 1000 Dances", which became staples in the repertoires of many other musicians.
25/12/1928
Irish McCalla, American actress and model (died 2002)
Nellie Elizabeth "Irish" McCalla was an American film and television actress and artist best known as the title star of the 1950s television series Sheena, Queen of the Jungle. She co-starred with actor Chris Drake. McCalla was also a "Vargas Girl" model for pin-up girl artist Alberto Vargas.
Dick Miller, American actor, director, and screenwriter (died 2019)
Richard Miller was an American character actor who appeared in more than 180 films, including many produced by Roger Corman. He later appeared in the films of directors who began their careers with Corman, including Joe Dante, James Cameron, and Martin Scorsese, with the distinction of appearing in every film directed by Dante. His turn in Dante's 1985 sci-fi drama Explorers earned Miller a nomination for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor. He was known for playing the beleaguered everyman, often in one-scene appearances.
25/12/1927
Nellie Fox, American baseball player and coach (died 1975)
Jacob Nelson Fox was an American professional baseball player. Fox was one of the best second basemen of all time, and the third-most difficult hitter to strike out in Major League Baseball (MLB) history. Fox played in the big leagues from 1947 through 1965 and spent the majority of his career as a member of the Chicago White Sox; his career was bookended by multi-year stints for the Philadelphia Athletics and, later, the Houston Astros.
Ram Narayan, Indian sarangi player (died 2024)
Ram Narayan, often referred to with the title Pandit, was an Indian musician who popularised the bowed instrument sarangi as a solo concert instrument in Hindustani classical music and became the first internationally successful sarangi player.
25/12/1926
Enrique Jorrín, Cuban violinist and composer (died 1987)
Enrique Jorrín was a Cuban charanga violinist, composer and music director. He is considered the inventor of the cha-cha-chá, a popular style of ballroom music derived from danzón.
25/12/1925
Carlos Castaneda, Peruvian-American anthropologist and author (died 1998)
Carlos Castaneda was a Peruvian-American writer, trained as an anthropologist. Starting in 1968, Castaneda published a series of books that describe alleged training in shamanism that he received under the tutelage of a Yaqui "Man of Knowledge" named Don Juan Matus. While Castaneda's work was accepted as factual by many when the books were first published, the character of Don Juan and the training he described is now generally considered to be fabricated and to have little relation to the actual cultural practices of the Yaqui. Castaneda's early writings featuring Don Juan were bestsellers with the general public, and are considered to be a significant influence on neoshamanism and the New Age movement more broadly.
Ned Garver, American baseball player (died 2017)
Ned Franklin Garver was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a right-handed pitcher for the St. Louis Browns (1948–1952), the Detroit Tigers (1952–1956), the Kansas City Athletics (1957–1960), and the Los Angeles Angels (1961). Garver and Irv Young are the only pitchers in the modern era of baseball to win 20 or more games for a team that lost 100 games.
Sam Pollock, Canadian businessman (died 2007)
Samuel Patterson Smyth Pollock, was a Canadian sports executive who was general manager of the National Hockey League's Montreal Canadiens for 14 years during which they won nine Stanley Cups. Pollock also was chairman and CEO of the Toronto Blue Jays baseball club.
25/12/1924
Rod Serling, American screenwriter and producer, created The Twilight Zone (died 1975)
Rodman Edward Serling was an American screenwriter and television producer, widely known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his anthology television series The Twilight Zone. Serling was active in politics, both on and off the screen, and helped form television industry standards. He was known as the "angry young man" of Hollywood, clashing with television executives and sponsors over a wide range of issues, including censorship, racism, and war. He was nominated for nine Primetime Emmy Awards, winning six times.
Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Indian poet and politician, 10th Prime Minister of India (died 2018)
Atal Bihari Vajpayee was an Indian statesman and a poet who served as the prime minister of India, from 1998 to 2004, and previously for two weeks in 1996. He was the first non-Congress prime minister to serve a full term in the office. Vajpayee was one of the co-founders and a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He was a volunteer and full-time functionary (pracharak) of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a right-wing Hindutva paramilitary volunteer organisation. Vajpayee combined cultural nationalism with political moderation, shaping a distinctive strand of post-Independence Indian conservatism rooted in civilisational identity. Vajpayee represented a current in Hindu nationalism that sought to harmonise cultural identity with democratic pluralism.
25/12/1923
René Girard, French-American historian, philosopher, and critic (died 2015)
René Noël Théophile Girard was a French academic best known for developing mimetic theory, which posits that human desire is fundamentally imitative, leading to rivalry, violence and the scapegoat mechanism as foundations of religion and culture. Holding academic appointments primarily in literature departments in the United States, his interdisciplinary work influenced fields ranging from theology to economics to psychology and cultural studies.
Louis Lane, American conductor and educator (died 2016)
Louis Gardner Lane was an American conductor. Born in Eagle Pass, Texas, Lane studied composition with Kent Kennan at the University of Texas at Austin where he earned his bachelor's in music degree in 1943, and with Bohuslav Martinů at the Tanglewood Music Center, and with Bernard Rogers at the Eastman School of Music. He also studied opera with Sarah Caldwell (1950).
25/12/1922
William Demby, American author (died 2013)
William Demby was an African-American writer, whose works include Beetlecreek (1950), The Catacombs (1965), Love Story Black (1978) and King Comus.
25/12/1921
Zaib-un-Nissa Hamidullah, Indian-Pakistani journalist and author (died 2000)
Zaib-un-Nissa Hamidullah was a Pakistani writer and journalist. Begum Hamidullah was a pioneer of Pakistani literature and journalism in English, and also of feminism in Pakistan. She was Pakistan's first female editor and publisher, and the country's first female columnist writing in English. Zaibunnisa Street in Karachi was named after her.
Steve Otto, Polish-Canadian lawyer and politician (died 1989)
Steven Otto was a Canadian politician.
25/12/1919
Naushad Ali, Indian composer and director (died 2006)
Naushad Ali was an Indian composer for Hindi films. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest and foremost music directors of the Hindi film industry. He is respectfully remembered as "Moseeqar-e-Azam" in the Hindi film industry. He is particularly known for popularising the use of classical music in films.
Paul David, Canadian cardiologist and politician, founded the Montreal Heart Institute (died 1999)
Paul David was a Canadian cardiologist, founder of the Montreal Heart Institute, and Senator.
Noele Gordon, English actress (died 1985)
Joan Noele Gordon was an English actress and television presenter, of Scottish descent. She played the role of Meg Mortimer in the long-running British soap opera Crossroads from 1964 to 1981, with a brief return in 1983.
25/12/1917
Arseny Mironov, Russian scientist, engineer, pilot, oldest active researcher in aircraft aerodynamics and flight testing (died 2019)
Arseny Dmitrievich Mironov was a Russian scientist, aerospace engineer, and aviator. He was one of the oldest researchers in aircraft aerodynamics and flight testing, a Gromov Flight Research Institute (GFRI) director from 1981 to 1985, a recipient of the Stalin Prize in 1948 and the USSR State Prize in 1976, and an honorary citizen of Zhukovsky.
Lincoln Verduga Loor, Ecuadorian journalist and politician (died 2009)
Lincoln Savonarola Verduga Loor was an Ecuadorian journalist and politician known for a long career in public service in his country.
25/12/1916
Ahmed Ben Bella, Algerian soldier and politician, 1st President of Algeria (died 2012)
Ahmed Ben Bella was an Algerian politician, soldier and revolutionary who served as the head of government of Algeria from 27 September 1962 to 15 September 1963 and then the first president of Algeria from 15 September 1963 until his overthrow on 19 June 1965.
25/12/1915
Pete Rugolo, Italian-American composer and producer (died 2011)
Pietro Rugolo, known professionally as Pete Rugolo, was an American jazz composer, arranger, and record producer.
25/12/1914
James Fletcher Jnr, New Zealand businessman (died 2007)
Sir James Muir Cameron Fletcher, often known as Jim or JC Junior, was a New Zealand industrialist known for heading Fletcher Construction, one of the country's largest firms. His father, also Sir James Fletcher, founded the company in 1908.
Oscar Lewis, American anthropologist of Latin America (died 1970)
Oscar Lewis, born Lefkowitz was an American anthropologist. He is best known for his vivid depictions of the lives of slum dwellers and his argument that a cross-generational culture of poverty transcends national boundaries. Lewis contended that the cultural similarities occurred because they were "common adaptations to common problems" and that "the culture of poverty is both an adaptation and a reaction of the poor classes to their marginal position in a class-stratified, highly individualistic, capitalistic society." He won the 1967 U.S. National Book Award in Science, Philosophy and Religion for La vida: a Puerto Rican family in the culture of poverty--San Juan and New York.
25/12/1913
Candy Candido, American singer, bass player, and voice actor (died 1999)
Jonathan Joseph "Candy" Candido was an American radio performer and voice actor. He was best remembered for his famous line "I'm feeling mighty low" on Jimmy Durante's radio show. He voiced characters in several Disney animated movies, including Peter Pan (1953), Sleeping Beauty (1959) and Robin Hood (1973). Candido was known for providing many animal vocalizations in his movies and was dubbed "The Man of a Thousand Voices".
Tony Martin, American singer (died 2012)
Alvin Morris, known professionally as Tony Martin, was an American actor and singer of popular music.
25/12/1911
Louise Bourgeois, French-American sculptor and painter (died 2010)
Louise Joséphine Bourgeois was a French-American artist. Although she is best known for her large-scale sculpture and installation art, Bourgeois was also a prolific painter and printmaker. She explored a variety of themes over the course of her long career including domesticity and the family, sexuality and the body, as well as death and the unconscious. These themes connect to events from her childhood which she considered to be a therapeutic process. Although Bourgeois exhibited with the abstract expressionists and her work has a lot in common with Surrealism and feminist art, she was not formally affiliated with a particular artistic movement.
25/12/1909
Zora Arkus-Duntov, Belgian-American engineer (died 1996)
Zachary "Zora" Arkus-Duntov was a Russian and American engineer whose work on the Chevrolet Corvette earned him the nickname "Father of the Corvette." He is sometimes erroneously referred to as the inventor of the Corvette; that title belongs to Harley Earl. He was also a racing driver, appearing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans four times and taking class wins in 1954 and 1955.
25/12/1908
Quentin Crisp, English author and illustrator (died 1999)
Quentin Crisp was an English raconteur whose personal expression broke social norms of the era. Crisp gained notoriety for the 1968 memoir The Naked Civil Servant, popularized by its 1975 screen adaptation. Her flamboyant personality, fashion, and wit made Crisp a queer icon, and a sensation in live solo appearances later in life.
Ernest L. Massad, American general (died 1993)
Ernest Louis "Iron Mike" Massad was a college football star, major general of the U.S. Army, and successful oilman.
Jo-Jo Moore, American baseball player (died 2001)
Joe Gregg Moore, Sr. was a left fielder in Major League Baseball who played his entire career with the New York Giants from 1930 through 1941. Moore batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He was born in Gause, Texas, and nicknamed the "Gause Ghost." He was 5' 11" and weighed 155 pounds.
25/12/1907
Cab Calloway, American singer-songwriter and bandleader (died 1994)
Cabell Calloway III was an American jazz singer, songwriter, bandleader, and actor. He was a regular performer at the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he became a popular vocalist of the swing era. His niche of mixing jazz and vaudeville won him acclaim during a career that spanned over 65 years.
Mike Mazurki, Ukrainian-American wrestler and actor (died 1990)
Mike Mazurki was a Ukrainian-American actor and professional wrestler who appeared in more than 142 films. Although educated as an attorney, his hulking 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) presence, craggy face, and croaking voice had him often typecast as brainless athletes, tough guys, thugs, and gangsters. Memorable roles included Moose Malloy in Murder, My Sweet (1944), Splitface in Dick Tracy (1945), Yusuf in Sinbad the Sailor (1947), and "The Strangler" in Night and the City (1950). He was the founder and first president of the Cauliflower Alley Club.
Glenn McCarthy, American businessman, founded the Shamrock Hotel (died 1988)
Glenn Herbert McCarthy was an American oil tycoon. The media often referred to him as "Diamond Glenn" and "The King of the Wildcatters". McCarthy was an oil prospector and entrepreneur who owned many businesses in various sectors of the economy. McCarthy founded the Shamrock Hotel in Houston, which garnered him national fame and inspired the fictional character Jett Rink in Edna Ferber's 1952 novel Giant which, in 1956, became a film, which starred James Dean in the role.
25/12/1906
Lew Grade, Baron Grade, Ukrainian-English film producer (died 1998)
Lew Grade, Baron Grade, was a British media proprietor and impresario. Born to Jewish parents in the Russian Empire, he emigrated to the United Kingdom as a child and was raised in London. Originally a dancer, and later a talent agent, Grade's interest in television production began in 1954 when he founded the Incorporated Television Company to distribute programmes.
Ernst Ruska, German physicist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1988)
Ernst August Friedrich Ruska was a German physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1986 for his work in electron optics, including the design of the first electron microscope.
25/12/1904
Gerhard Herzberg, German-Canadian physicist and chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1999)
Gerhard Heinrich Friedrich Otto Julius Herzberg, was a German-Canadian pioneering physicist and physical chemist, who won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1971, "for his contributions to the knowledge of electronic structure and geometry of molecules, particularly free radicals". Herzberg's main work concerned atomic and molecular spectroscopy. He is well known for using these techniques that determine the structures of diatomic and polyatomic molecules, including free radicals which are difficult to investigate in any other way, and for the chemical analysis of astronomical objects. Herzberg served as Chancellor of Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada from 1973 to 1980.
Philip Vera Cruz, Filipino-American labor leader and farmworker (died 1994)
Philip Villamin Vera Cruz was a Filipino American labor leader and farmworker. He helped found the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC), which later merged with the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) to become the United Farm Workers (UFW) in 1966. In 1971, he was appointed as the organization’s second vice president, the highest-ranking Filipino American in the union. He wanted his work to cross both ethnic and generational lines. Thus, it included Filipino, Mexican, and Black workers, and he advocated for retirees he found were neglected in the broader movement for racial equality in America. Some of his major projects included chairing efforts to build the Paulo Agbayani Retirement Village, opened in 1974, which housed Filipino farmworkers who had aged out of the labor force and helping organize the Delano Grape Strike. In 1977, Vera Cruz resigned from the UFW. He had grown apart from the president, Cesar Chavez, due to disagreements over the Union's mission and actions.
25/12/1903
Antiochos Evangelatos, Greek composer and conductor (died 1981)
Antiochos Evangelatos was a Greek classical composer and conductor.
25/12/1902
William Bell, American tuba player and educator (died 1971)
William John Bell was the premier player and teacher of the tuba in America during the first half of the 20th century. In 1921, he joined the band of John Philip Sousa, and from 1924 to 1937 he served as Principal Tuba with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. In 1937 General Electric's David Sarnoff invited conductor Arturo Toscanini to select personnel for The NBC Symphony Orchestra. William Bell was the third musician selected by Toscanini, after his concertmaster Mischa Mischakoff and principal oboe Philip Ghignatti.
Barton MacLane, American actor, playwright, and screenwriter (died 1969)
Barton MacLane was an American actor, playwright, and screenwriter. He appeared in many classic films from the 1930s through the 1960s, including his role as General Martin Peterson on the 1960s NBC television comedy series I Dream of Jeannie, with Barbara Eden and Larry Hagman.
25/12/1901
Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester (died 2004)
Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, was a member of the British royal family. She was the wife of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, the third son of King George V and Queen Mary. She was the mother of Prince William of Gloucester and Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester.
25/12/1899
Humphrey Bogart, American actor (died 1957)
Humphrey DeForest Bogart, nicknamed Bogie, was an American actor. His performances in classic Hollywood cinema made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film Institute selected Bogart as the greatest male star of classic American cinema.
25/12/1891
Kenneth Anderson, Indian-English general and politician, Governor of Gibraltar (died 1959)
General Sir Kenneth Arthur Noel Anderson, was a senior British Army officer who saw service in both world wars. He is mainly remembered as the commander of the British First Army during Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of North Africa and the subsequent Tunisian campaign which ended with the capture of almost 250,000 Axis soldiers. An outwardly reserved character, he did not court popularity either with his superiors or with the public.
Clarrie Grimmett, New Zealand-Australian cricketer (died 1980)
Clarence Victor Grimmett was a New Zealand-born Australian cricketer. He was one of the finest spin bowlers of his time and usually credited as the developer of the flipper.
25/12/1890
Noel Odell, English geologist and mountaineer (died 1987)
Noel Ewart Odell FRSE FGS was an English geologist and mountaineer. In 1924 he was an oxygen officer on the Everest expedition in which George Mallory and Andrew Irvine famously perished during their summit attempt. Odell spent two weeks living above 23,000 feet (7,000 m), and twice climbed to 26,800 feet (8,200 m) and higher, all without supplemental oxygen. In 1936, Odell with Bill Tilman climbed Nanda Devi, at the time the highest mountain climbed.
25/12/1889
Lila Bell Wallace, American publisher and philanthropist, co-founded Reader's Digest (died 1984)
Lila Bell Wallace was an American magazine publisher and philanthropist. She co-founded Reader's Digest with her husband Dewitt Wallace, publishing the first issue in 1922.
25/12/1887
Conrad Hilton, American entrepreneur (died 1979)
Conrad Nicholson Hilton was an American hotel magnate and politician who founded the Hilton Hotels chain. From 1912 to 1916, Hilton was a Republican representative in the first New Mexico Legislature, but became disillusioned with the "inside deals" of politics. In 1919, he purchased his first hotel, the Mobley Hotel in Cisco, Texas, for US$40,000 and subsequently capitalized on the oil boom. The rooms were rented out in eight-hour shifts. He continued to purchase and sell hotels, and eventually established the world's first international hotel chain. When he died in 1979, he left the bulk of his estate to the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
25/12/1886
Malak Hifni Nasif, Egyptian poet and activist (died 1918)
Malak Hifni Nasif was an Egyptian feminist who contributed greatly to the intellectual and political discourse on the advancement of Egyptian women in the early 20th century.
Kid Ory, American trombonist and bandleader (died 1973)
Edward "Kid" Ory was an American jazz composer, trombonist and bandleader. One of the early users of the glissando technique, he helped establish it as a central element of New Orleans jazz.
25/12/1884
Samuel Berger, American boxer (died 1925)
Samuel Berger was an American heavyweight boxer who won the first Olympic Gold Medal in heavyweight boxing in 1904, competed as a professional, and acted as a promoter and manager for heavyweight Jim Jeffries in the first two decades of the 20th century.
Evelyn Nesbit, American model and actress (died 1967)
Florence Evelyn Nesbit was an American model, Broadway actress, writer, sculptor, and silent film star. Widely recognized as the world's first supermodel, she is best known for her varied career in New York City.
25/12/1883
Hugo Bergmann, Czech-Israeli philosopher and academic (died 1975)
Hugo Bergmann was an Israeli philosopher, born in Prague.
Hana Meisel, Belarusian-Israeli agronomist and politician (died 1972)
Hana Meisel was a Jewish agronomist, feminist and Zionist leader.
25/12/1878
Louis Chevrolet, American race car driver and businessman, co-founded Chevrolet (died 1941)
Louis-Joseph Chevrolet was a Swiss-born American racing driver, mechanic, and entrepreneur who co-founded the Chevrolet Motor Car Company in 1911.
Noël, Countess of Rothes, British philanthropist, social leader and heroine of Titanic disaster (died 1956)
Lucy Noël Martha Leslie, Countess of Rothes was a British philanthropist and social leader. She was seen as a heroine of the Titanic disaster, famous for taking the tiller of her lifeboat and later helping row the craft to the safety of the rescue ship Carpathia.
Joseph M. Schenck, Russian-American film producer (died 1961)
Joseph Michael Schenck was a Russian-born American film studio executive. He was best known as one of the co-founders of film studio 20th Century Fox and one of the five founders of the Academy Awards.
25/12/1876
Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Indian-Pakistani lawyer and politician, 1st Governor-General of Pakistan (died 1948)
Muhammad Ali Jinnah was a barrister, statesman, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the inception of Pakistan on 14 August 1947, and then as Pakistan's first governor-general until his death a year later in 1948.
Adolf Otto Reinhold Windaus, German chemist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (died 1959)
Adolf Otto Reinhold Windaus was a German chemist who won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1928 for his work on sterols and their relation to vitamins. He was the doctoral advisor of Adolf Butenandt who also won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1939.
25/12/1875
Francis Aveling, Canadian psychologist and priest (died 1941)
Francis Arthur Powell Aveling MC ComC was a Canadian psychologist and Catholic priest. He married Ethel Dancy of Steyning, Sussex in 1925.
Theodor Innitzer, Austrian cardinal (died 1955)
Theodor Innitzer was Archbishop of Vienna and a cardinal of the Catholic Church.
25/12/1874
Lina Cavalieri, Italian soprano and actress (died 1944)
Natalina "Lina" Cavalieri was an Italian operatic dramatic soprano, actress, and monologist.
25/12/1873
Otto Frederick Hunziker, Swiss-American agriculturalist and educator (died 1959)
Otto Frederick Hunziker was a pioneer in the American and international dairy industry, as both an educator and a technical innovator. Hunziker was born and raised in Switzerland, emigrated to the U.S., and studied at Cornell University. He started and developed the dairy program at Purdue University when such programs were at their infancy. At this same time, Hunziker was heavily involved with the development of the American Dairy Science Association (ADSA) and the standardization and improvement of many dairy tests and processes. Hunziker wrote several of the leading dairy processing texts, which continue to be cited. After leaving Purdue University, Hunziker managed research and operations at a large, national condensary, continued to drive ADSA's standardization and publishing efforts, represented the U.S. at international dairy congresses, and facilitated dairy industry improvements across the globe.
25/12/1872
Helena Rubinstein, Polish-American businesswoman and philanthropist (died 1965)
Helena Rubinstein was a Polish-American businesswoman, art collector, and philanthropist. A cosmetics entrepreneur, she was the founder and eponym of Helena Rubinstein Incorporated cosmetics company, which made her one of the world's richest women.
25/12/1869
Charles Finger, English-American journalist and author (died 1941)
Charles Joseph Finger was a British born American writer. He also directed an orchestra and taught piano.
25/12/1865
Evangeline Booth, English 4th General of The Salvation Army (died 1950)
Evangeline Cory Booth OF was a British evangelist and the fourth General of The Salvation Army from 1934 to 1939. She was the first woman to hold the post.
25/12/1861
Francis Henry Buzzacott, American hunter, explorer and army scout famous for writing Buzzacott's Masterpiece (died 1947)
Francis Henry Buzzacott (1861–1947) was an American hunter, conservationist, army scout, and explorer famous for writing the Hunter's and Trapper's Complete Guide and the Complete American and Canadian Sportsman's Encyclopedia, better known today as Buzzacott's Masterpiece.
Madan Mohan Malaviya, Indian educator, lawyer, and politician, President of the Indian National Congress (died 1946)
Madan Mohan Malaviya was an Indian scholar, educational reformer, and activist notable for his role in the Indian independence movement. He was president of the Indian National Congress four times and the founder of Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha. He was addressed as Pandit, a title of respect. Malaviya is known as the founder of one of the most prestigious universities of India named Banaras Hindu University.
25/12/1856
Pud Galvin, American baseball player and manager (died 1902)
James Francis "Pud" Galvin was an American Major League Baseball pitcher in the 19th century. He was MLB's first 300-game winner and was posthumously inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1965.
25/12/1829
Patrick Gilmore, Irish-American composer and bandleader (died 1892)
Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore was an Irish-born American composer and military bandmaster who lived and worked in the United States after 1848. While serving in the Union Army during the U.S. Civil War, Gilmore wrote the lyrics to the song "When Johnny Comes Marching Home". This was published under the pseudonym Louis Lambert in September 1863.
25/12/1825
Stephen F. Chadwick, American lawyer and politician, 5th Governor of Oregon (died 1895)
Stephen Fowler Chadwick was an American Democratic politician who served as the fifth governor of Oregon from 1877 to 1878. Chadwick was the first person to obtain the governorship by way of the state's line of succession.
25/12/1821
Clara Barton, American nurse and humanitarian, founder of the American Red Cross (died 1912)
Clarissa Harlowe "Clara" Barton was an American nurse who founded the American Red Cross. She was a hospital nurse in the American Civil War, a teacher, and a patent clerk. Since nursing education was not very formalized, and she did not attend nursing school, she provided self-taught nursing care. Barton is noteworthy for doing humanitarian work and civil rights advocacy at a time before women had the right to vote. She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1973.
25/12/1810
L. L. Langstroth, American apiarist, clergyman and teacher (died 1895)
Lorenzo Lorraine Langstroth was an American apiarist, clergyman, and teacher, who has been called the father of American beekeeping. He recognized the concept of bee-space, a minimum distance that bees avoid sealing up. Although not his own discovery, the use of this principle allowed for the use of frames that the bees leave separate and this allowed the use of rectangular frames within the design of what is now called the Langstroth hive.
25/12/1776
Sydney, Lady Morgan, Irish author and poet (died 1859)
Sydney, Lady Morgan, was an Irish novelist, best known for The Wild Irish Girl (1806), a romantic, and some critics suggest, "proto-feminist", novel with political and patriotic overtones. Her work, including continental travelogues, sparked controversy and faced censorship. She counted Percy Bysshe Shelley and Lord Byron among her defenders.
25/12/1771
Dorothy Wordsworth, English diarist and poet (died 1855)
Dorothy Mae Ann Wordsworth was an English author, poet, and diarist. She was the sister of the Romantic poet William Wordsworth, and the two were close all their adult lives. Dorothy Wordsworth had no ambitions to be a public author, yet she left behind numerous letters, diary entries, topographical descriptions, poems, and other writings.
25/12/1766
Christmas Evans, Welsh Nonconformist preacher (died 1838)
Christmas Evans was a Welsh nonconformist minister, who, according to D. M. Lloyd-Jones, was "the greatest preacher that the Baptists have ever had in Great Britain."
25/12/1757
Benjamin Pierce, American general and politician, 17th Governor of New Hampshire (died 1839)
Benjamin Pierce was an American politician who twice served as the governor of New Hampshire from 1827 to 1828 and from 1829 to 1830. Pierce fought during the American Revolutionary War before becoming a Democratic-Republican Party politician. He was the father of Franklin Pierce, the 14th president of the United States.
25/12/1745
Chevalier de Saint-Georges, Caribbean-French violinist, composer, and conductor (died 1799)
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-George(s) was a French violinist, conductor, composer, and soldier of African descent. Moreover, he demonstrated excellence as a fencer, an athlete, and a dancer. His historical significance lies partly in his distinctive background as a biracial free man of colour. Bologne was the first classical composer of African descent to attain widespread acclaim in Western music. He composed an array of violin concertos, string quartets, sinfonia concertantes, violin duets, sonatas, two symphonies, and an assortment of stage works, notably opéra comique.
25/12/1730
Filippo Mazzei, Italian-American physician and philosopher (died 1816)
Philip Mazzei, originally Filippo Mazzei, and sometimes erroneously cited as Philip Mazzie, was an Italian physician, philosopher, diplomat, winemaker, merchant, and author. A neighbor of Thomas Jefferson, he was a supporter of the American Revolution and the American colonies' war for independence from Britain.
25/12/1728
Johann Adam Hiller, German composer and conductor (died 1804)
Johann Adam Hiller was a German composer, conductor and writer on music, regarded as the creator of the Singspiel, an early form of German opera. In many of these operas he collaborated with the poet Christian Felix Weiße.
25/12/1717
Pope Pius VI (died 1799)
Pope Pius VI was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 15 February 1775 to his death in August 1799.
25/12/1716
Johann Jakob Reiske, German physician and scholar (died 1774)
Johann Jakob Reiske was a German scholar and physician. He was a pioneer in the fields of Arabic and Byzantine philology as well as Islamic numismatics.
25/12/1711
Jean-Joseph de Mondonville, French violinist and composer (died 1772)
Jean-Joseph de Mondonville, also known as Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville, was a French violinist and composer. He was a younger contemporary of Jean-Philippe Rameau and enjoyed great success in his day. Pierre-Louis Daquin claimed, "If I couldn't be Rameau, there's no one I would rather be than Mondonville".
25/12/1700
Leopold II, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau (died 1758)
Leopold II Maximilian, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau, was a German prince of the House of Ascania and ruler of the principality of Anhalt-Dessau from 1747 to 1751; he also was a Prussian general.
25/12/1686
Giovanni Battista Somis, Italian violinist and composer (died 1763)
Giovanni Battista Somis was an Italian violinist and composer of the Baroque music era.
25/12/1674
Thomas Halyburton, Scottish minister and theologian (died 1712)
Rev Prof Thomas Halyburton was a Scottish divine. Thomas was educated there at Erasmus's school, in Rotterdam, where his mother had taken him to avoid persecution. He returned to Scotland in 1682, graduated at the university of St. Andrews on 24 July 1696 and, after serving as a private chaplain, was licensed by the presbytery of Kirkaldy on 22 June 1699. He was ordained to the parish of Ceres, Fifeshire, 1 May 1700, but he injured his health by excessive labour. On 1 April 1710 he was appointed by Queen Anne, at the instance of the synod of Fife, professor of divinity at St. Mary's. He devoted his inaugural lecture to an attempt to confute the deistical views lately promulgated by Dr. Archibald Pitcairn in 1688. He died at St. Andrews on 23 September 1712, aged only 38.
25/12/1665
Lady Grizel Baillie, Scottish-English poet and songwriter (died 1746)
Lady Grizel Baillie was a Scottish gentlewoman and songwriter. Her accounting ledgers, in which she kept details about her household for more than 50 years, provide information about social life in Scotland in the eighteenth century.
25/12/1652
Archibald Pitcairne, Scottish physician, anatomist, and scholar (died 1713)
Archibald Pitcairne or Pitcairn was a Scottish physician. He was a physician and poet who first studied law at Edinburgh and Paris graduating with an M.A. from Edinburgh in 1671. He turned his attention to medicine, and commenced to practise in Edinburgh, around 1681. He was appointed professor of physic at Leyden, in 1692, resigning his chair. On returning to Edinburgh, however, around 1693, he was suspected of being at heart an atheist, chiefly on account of his mockery of the puritanical strictness of the Presbyterian church. He was the reputed author of two satirical works, 'The Assembly, or Scotch Reformation: a Comedy,' 1692, and Habel, a Satirical Poem,' 1692. He wrote also a number of Latin verses. He was one of the most celebrated physicians of his time.
25/12/1642
Isaac Newton, English physicist and mathematician (died 1727)
Sir Isaac Newton was an English polymath who was a mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, author and inventor. He was a key figure in the Scientific Revolution and the Enlightenment that followed. His book Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, first published in 1687, achieved the first great unification in physics and established classical mechanics. Newton also made seminal contributions to optics, and shares credit with the German mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz for formulating infinitesimal calculus, although he developed calculus years before Leibniz. Newton contributed to and refined the scientific method, and his work is considered the most influential in bringing forth modern science.
25/12/1628
Noël Coypel, French painter and educator (died 1707)
Noël Coypel was a French painter, and was also called Coypel le Poussin, because he was heavily influenced by Poussin.
25/12/1601
Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Gotha (died 1675)
Ernest I, called Ernest the Pious, was duke of Saxe-Gotha and Saxe-Altenburg, later united as Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. He was a surviving son of Johann II, Duke of Saxe-Weimar and Dorothea Maria of Anhalt. He is remembered for rebuilding and reforming his lands after the Thirty Years' War. A devout Lutheran, he allied with Sweden in 1631 and fought at Lech, Nördlingen, Lützen, and the siege of Nuremberg; after the Peace of Prague (1635) he withdrew from warfare to focus on administration and recovery.
25/12/1584
Margaret of Austria, Queen of Spain (died 1611)
Margaret of Austria was Queen of Spain and Portugal by her marriage to King Philip III & II.
25/12/1583
Orlando Gibbons, English organist and composer (died 1625)
Orlando Gibbons was an English composer and keyboard player who was one of the last masters of the English Virginalist School and English Madrigal School. The best known member of a musical family dynasty, by the 1610s he was the leading composer and organist in England, with a career cut short by his untimely death in 1625. As a result, Gibbons's oeuvre was not as large as that of his contemporaries, like the elder William Byrd, but he made considerable contributions to many genres of his time. Musicologists characterize his music as exemplifying the transition from the Renaissance to the Baroque periods.
25/12/1564
Johannes Buxtorf, German Calvinist theologian (died 1629)
Johannes Buxtorf was a celebrated Hebraist, member of a family of Orientalists; professor of Hebrew for thirty-nine years at Basel and was sometimes informally styled magister rabbinorum, or "Master of the Rabbis", by early modern European authors such as Edward Pococke and Johann Christoph Wolf. His massive tome, De Synagoga Judaica, scrupulously documents the customs and society of German Jewry in the early modern period.
25/12/1505
Christine of Saxony, German noblewoman (died 1549)
Christine of Saxony was a German noblewoman, landgravine consort of Hesse by her marriage to Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse. She was the regent of Hesse during the absence of her husband from 1547 to 1549.
25/12/1493
Antoinette de Bourbon, French noblewoman (died 1583)
Antoinette of Bourbon, Duchess of Guise, was a French noblewoman of the House of Bourbon. She was the wife of Claude, Duke of Guise.
25/12/1490
Francesco Marinoni, Italian Roman Catholic priest (died 1562)
Francesco Marinoni was an Italian Roman Catholic priest who was a member of the Theatines. He assumed the name Giovanni upon his admittance into the order. His cult was confirmed and acted as his formal beatification in 1764 under Pope Clement XIII. His life of heroic virtue was approved and Pope Benedict XVI added the title of Venerable to him despite the fact he was beatified. A miracle - now under investigation - is needed for his canonization.
25/12/1461
Christina of Saxony, Queen consort of Denmark (died 1521)
Christina of Saxony was Queen of Denmark, Norway and Sweden as the wife of King John.
25/12/1424
Margaret Stewart, Dauphine of France (died 1445)
Margaret Stewart was a princess of Scotland and the dauphine of France. She was the firstborn child of King James I of Scotland and Joan Beaufort.
25/12/1400
John Sutton, 1st Baron Dudley, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (died 1487)
John Sutton VI, 1st Baron Dudley was an English nobleman, diplomat, and councillor of King Henry VI. He fought in several battles during the Hundred Years' War and the Wars of the Roses, as well as acted as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from 1428 to 1430.
25/12/1281
Alice de Lacy, 4th Countess of Lincoln (died 1348)
Alice de Lacy, suo jure 4th Countess of Lincoln, suo jure 5th Countess of Salisbury was an English peeress, descendant of both English and Welsh royalty.
25/12/1250
John IV Laskaris, Byzantine emperor (died 1305)
John IV Doukas Laskaris was the fourth emperor of the Nicaean Empire from August 16, 1258 to December 25, 1261, one of the Greek successor states formed after the Sack of Constantinople by the Roman Catholics during the Fourth Crusade. He was the last emperor from the prominent Laskarid dynasty and the last to only rule Nicaea before the Reconquest of Constantinople by his successor in 1261.
Lives Remembered on 25th December
On 25th December, 133 remarkable people passed away — from 304 to 2024. Remember the lives and legacies of those we lost on this day.
25/12/2024
Britt Allcroft, English writer (born 1943)
Britt Allcroft was an English screenwriter, producer, director, and voice actress. She adapted Wilbert Awdry's The Railway Series in the form of the children's television series Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends. She created Shining Time Station, Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales, and Magic Adventures of Mumfie. She also wrote, co-produced, and directed the film Thomas and the Magic Railroad (2000).
Bill Bergey, American football player (born 1945)
William Earl Bergey was an American professional football linebacker who played for 12 seasons, most notably with the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals of the American Football League (AFL) in the 1969 NFL/AFL draft, the year before the AFL–NFL merger was completed and continued to play with the Bengals in the NFL until 1973. Bergey signed with the Eagles the following year, where he played seven seasons until retiring in 1981.
Jax Dane, American professional wrestler (born 1976)
Jeremy Dane Laymon was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Jax Dane. He was known for his tenure with various National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) member promotions. He was a former NWA World Heavyweight Champion, NWA National Heavyweight, NWA North American Heavyweight and NWA World Tag Team Champion. He was also known for his work for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), Impact Wrestling, and Ring of Honor (ROH).
M. T. Vasudevan Nair, Indian author and screenwriter (born 1933)
Madath Thekkepaattu Vasudevan Narayanan Nair was an Indian author, lecturer, screenplay writer, filmmaker and literary statesman. He was a prolific and versatile writer in modern Malayalam literature, and was one of the masters of post-Independence Indian literature. Randamoozham, which retells the story of the Mahabharata from the point of view of Bhimasena, is widely credited as his masterpiece.
Osamu Suzuki, Japanese businessman (born 1930)
Osamu Suzuki , was a Japanese businessman and the chairman of Suzuki Motor Corporation. From 1978, Suzuki served as the CEO, president, and chairman of the company. In February 2021, Suzuki Motor Corporation announced that he would retire in June 2021 and assume the role of adviser.
25/12/2023
Jim Breaks, British wrestler (born 1940)
James Breaks was an English professional wrestler. A holder of several of the Mountevans championships he regularly competed for these and in other matches on ITV's wrestling coverage particularly on World of Sport. These matches were previewed in national listings magazine TVTimes which also gave Breaks further in-depth coverage.
25/12/2022
Fabián O'Neill, Uruguayan footballer (born 1973)
Fabián Alberto O'Neill Domínguez was a Uruguayan professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
25/12/2021
Wayne Thiebaud, American artist (born 1920)
Wayne Thiebaud was an American painter known for his colorful works depicting commonplace objects—pies, cakes, lipsticks, paint cans, ice cream cones, pastries, and hot dogs—as well as for his landscapes and figure paintings. Thiebaud is regarded as one of the United States' most beloved and recognizable artists. Thiebaud is associated with the pop art movement because of his interest in objects of mass culture, though he slightly predated the classic pop artists, producing his early works of this style in the fifties and sixties. Thiebaud used heavy pigment and exaggerated colors to depict his subjects, his work almost always including the well-defined shadows characteristic of advertisements.
25/12/2020
K. C. Jones, American basketball player and coach (born 1932)
K.C. Jones Jr. was an American professional basketball player and coach. He is best known for his association with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA), with whom he won 11 of his 12 NBA championships. As a player, he is tied for third for most NBA championships in a career, and is one of three NBA players with an unsurpassed 8–0 record in NBA Finals series. He is the only African-American coach other than Bill Russell to have won multiple NBA championships, and one of eight players to ever achieve the basketball Triple Crown. Jones was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1989.
25/12/2019
Ari Behn, Norwegian writer (born 1972)
Ari Mikael Behn was a Norwegian author, playwright, and visual artist, best known for his marriage to Princess Märtha Louise of Norway from 2002 to 2017. He held no title or special status, and he remained a private citizen during the marriage.
25/12/2018
Sulagitti Narasamma, Indian midwife (born 1920)
Sulagitti Narasamma was an Indian midwife from Pavagada town, Tumakuru district of Karnataka state. She performed more than 20,000 traditional deliveries free of charge over a 70-year period of service in deprived regions of Karnataka with no medical facilities. Her work was honored with the National Citizen's award of India in 2012 and the country's fourth highest civilian award, the Padma Shri, in 2018.
25/12/2017
D. Herbert Lipson, American magazine publisher (Philadelphia, Boston) (born 1929)
David Herbert Lipson was an American magazine publisher and longtime owner of Philadelphia and Boston magazines. Born in Philadelphia to newspaper owner S. Arthur Lipson, he graduated from Lafayette College in 1952, and joined his father at what would become Philadelphia. He became publisher in 1963 and owner in 1968. He purchased Boston in 1970, and launched Manhattan, inc. in 1984. He married three times and had three children. He died in Philadelphia at the age of 88.
25/12/2016
Valery Khalilov, Russian military musician and composer (born 1952)
Valery Mikhailovich Khalilov was an Uzbek-born Russian military band conductor and composer. A lieutenant general in the Russian military, he was the Senior Director of Music of the Military Band Service of the Armed Forces of Russia and Chief Military Conductor, most famously conducting the massed Russian military bands at the annual "Victory Day" parade held in the Moscow's Red Square a record 14 times. He died when the plane he was on, en route to Syria, crashed into the Black Sea off Sochi, Russia.
George Michael, British singer and songwriter (born 1963)
George Michael was an English singer-songwriter and record producer. Regarded as a pop culture icon, he is one of the best-selling recording artists of all time. Michael was known as a creative force in songwriting, vocal performance, and visual presentation. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023. The Radio Academy named him the most played artist on British radio during the period 1984–2004.
Vera Rubin, American astronomer (born 1928)
Vera Florence Cooper Rubin was an American astronomer who pioneered work on galaxy rotation rates. She uncovered the discrepancy between the predicted and observed angular motion of galaxies by studying galactic rotation curves, the first evidence for the galaxy rotation problem, one key piece of evidence for dark matter. Measurements by other astronomers using 21 centimeter hydrogen line radio telescopes clinched the case.
25/12/2015
George Clayton Johnson, American author and screenwriter (born 1929)
George Clayton Johnson was an American science fiction writer, who co-wrote with William F. Nolan the novel Logan's Run, the basis for the MGM 1976 film. He also wrote television scripts for The Twilight Zone, and the first telecast episode of Star Trek, entitled "The Man Trap". He also wrote the story and screenplay on which the 1960 film Ocean's 11 and its 2001 remake were based.
Dorothy M. Murdock, American author and historian (born 1961)
Dorothy Milne Murdock, better known by her pen names Acharya S and D. M. Murdock, was an American writer supporting the Christ myth theory, which asserts that Jesus never existed as a historical person, but was rather a mingling of various pre-Christian myths, solar deities and dying-and-rising deities.
25/12/2014
Ricardo Porro, Cuban-French architect (born 1925)
Ricardo Porro Hidalgo was a Cuban-born architect. He graduated in architecture from the Universidad de la Habana in 1949 and built this year his first project Villa Armenteros in Havana, following which he spent two years in post-graduate studies at the Institute of Urbanism at the Sorbonne.
Geoff Pullar, English cricketer (born 1935)
Geoffrey Pullar was an English cricketer, who played for Lancashire and Gloucestershire and in 28 Tests for England.
David Ryall, English actor (born 1935)
David John Ryall was an English stage, film and television actor. He had leading roles in Lytton's Diary and Goodnight Sweetheart, as well as memorable roles in Dennis Potter's The Singing Detective and Andrew Davies's adaptation of To Play the King. He also portrayed Billy Buzzle in the ITV sitcom Bless Me, Father and Grandad Frank in the BBC sitcom Outnumbered.
25/12/2013
Anthony J. Bryant, American historian and author (born 1961)
Anthony J. Bryant was an American author and editor. He worked in Japan for a period of time, and became an authority on medieval Japanese armor and samurai culture.
David R. Harris, English geographer, anthropologist, archaeologist and academic (born 1930)
David Russell Harris, FSA, FBA was a British geographer, anthropologist, archaeologist and academic, well known for his detailed work on the origins of agriculture and the domestication of plants and animals. He was a director of the Institute of Archaeology at University College London, and retained a position as Professor Emeritus of the Human Environment at the Institute.
Wayne Harrison, English footballer (born 1967)
Wayne Harrison was an English professional footballer who played as a striker.
Mike Hegan, American baseball player and sportscaster (born 1942)
James Michael Hegan was an American professional baseball player, who later worked as a sports commentator. In Major League Baseball (MLB) he was a first baseman and outfielder, and played for three different American League (AL) franchises between 1964 and 1977. He was the son of longtime Cleveland Indians catcher Jim Hegan.
Lola Lange, Canadian rural feminist and appointee to the Royal Commission on the Status of Women (born 1922)
Lola M. Lange was a Canadian rural feminist and a member of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women.
Mel Mathay, Filipino politician, 8th Mayor of Quezon City (born 1932)
Ismael "Mel" Austria Mathay Jr. was a Filipino lawyer and politician who last served as the Mayor of Quezon City from 1992 to 2001. Previously, he had also served as vice mayor of Quezon City from 1968 to 1971, secretary to the commissioner of the General Authority Office from 1972 to 1981, vice governor of the Metro Manila Commission from 1979 to 1986, an assemblyman representing Quezon City in the Regular Batasang Pambansa from 1984 to 1986, representative for the city's 4th district from 1987 to 1992, director of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System from 1979 to 1987, and chairman of the Metro Manila Authority from 1993 to 1994.
25/12/2012
Erico Aumentado, Filipino journalist, lawyer, and politician (born 1940)
Erico Boyles Aumentado was a former governor, vice governor, and senior provincial board member of Bohol, and congressman and deputy speaker of the Philippine House of Representatives. He is the first governor of Bohol who served for three consecutive terms (2001-2010).
Halfdan Hegtun, Norwegian radio host and politician (born 1918)
Halfdan Hegtun was a Norwegian radio personality, comedian and writer, former politician for the Liberal Party and later the Liberal People's Party.
Joe Krivak, American football player and coach (born 1935)
Joseph John Krivak was an American football player and coach. He served as head coach for the Maryland Terrapins football team from 1987 to 1991, where he compiled a 20–34–2 record. He also served as an assistant coach at Maryland, Syracuse, Navy, and Virginia. As a coach at Maryland, Krivak mentored future National Football League (NFL) quarterbacks Boomer Esiason, Neil O'Donnell, Frank Reich, Stan Gelbaugh, and Scott Zolak. In all, he coached on seven Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) championship team staffs and in 14 bowl games as an assistant or head coach.
Turki bin Sultan, Saudi Arabian politician (born 1959)
Turki bin Sultan Al Saud was deputy minister of culture and information of Saudi Arabia. He was a member of the House of Saud and was one of the grandsons of Saudi's founder King Abdulaziz.
Şerafettin Elçi, Turkish lawyer, politician, government minister (born 1938)
Şerafettin Elçi was a Kurdish lawyer, politician, government minister and statesman in Turkey. He was one of the pioneers of Kurdish politics in Turkey.
25/12/2011
Giorgio Bocca, Italian journalist (born 1920)
Giorgio Valentino Bocca was an Italian essayist and journalist, also known for his participation in the World War II partisan movement.
Jim Sherwood, American saxophonist (born 1942)
Euclid James "Motorhead" Sherwood was an American rock musician notable for being a member of the original version of Frank Zappa's band the Mothers of Invention, providing soprano, tenor and baritone saxophone, tambourine, vocals and vocal sound effects. He appeared on all the albums of the original Mothers line-up and the 'posthumous' releases Burnt Weeny Sandwich and Weasels Ripped My Flesh, as well as certain subsequent Zappa albums. He also appeared in the films 200 Motels, Video from Hell and Uncle Meat.
Simms Taback, American author and illustrator (born 1932)
Simms Taback was an American writer, graphic artist, and illustrator of more than 35 books. He won the 2000 Caldecott Medal for U.S. picture book illustration, recognizing Joseph Had a Little Overcoat, and was a runner-up in 1998 for There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.
25/12/2010
Carlos Andrés Pérez, Venezuelan politician, 66th President of Venezuela (born 1922)
Carlos Andrés Pérez Rodríguez, also known by his initials CAP and often referred to as El Gocho, was a Venezuelan politician who served as the 47th and 50th president of Venezuela from 1974 to 1979 and again from 1989 to 1993. He was one of the founders of Acción Democrática, the dominant political party in Venezuela during the second half of the twentieth century.
25/12/2009
Vic Chesnutt, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (born 1964)
James Victor Chesnutt was an American singer-songwriter from Athens, Georgia. His first album, Little, was released in 1990. His commercial breakthrough came in 1996 with the release of Sweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation, a charity record of alternative artists covering his songs.
25/12/2008
Eartha Kitt, American singer and actress (born 1927)
Eartha Mae Kitt was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 recordings of "C'est si bon" and the Christmas novelty song "Santa Baby".
25/12/2007
Des Barrick, English cricketer (born 1927)
Desmond William Barrick was an English cricketer who played in 301 first-class matches between 1949 and 1960.
Jim Beauchamp, American baseball player and coach (born 1939)
James Edward Beauchamp was an American Major League Baseball first baseman and outfielder who played from 1963 to 1973 for the St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Colt .45s/Astros, Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, and New York Mets. He attended Grove High School in Grove, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University before being signed by the Cardinals in 1957. He was the father of former minor league baseball player Kash Beauchamp. He was 6'2' and weighed 205 pounds.
25/12/2006
James Brown, American singer-songwriter (born 1933)
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by various nicknames, among them "Mr. Dynamite", "the Hardest-Working Man in Show Business", "Minister of New Super Heavy Funk", "Godfather of Soul", "King of Soul", and "Soul Brother No. 1". In a career that lasted more than 50 years, he influenced the development of several music genres. Brown was one of the first ten inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on January 23, 1986. His music has been heavily sampled by hip-hop musicians and other artists.
25/12/2005
Derek Bailey, English guitarist (born 1930)
Derek Bailey was an English avant-garde guitarist and an important figure in the free improvisation movement. Bailey abandoned conventional performance techniques found in jazz, exploring atonality, noise, and whatever unusual sounds he could produce with the guitar. Much of his work was released on his own label Incus Records. In addition to solo work, Bailey collaborated frequently with other musicians and recorded with collectives such as Spontaneous Music Ensemble and Company.
Robert Barbers, Filipino police officer, lawyer, and politician, 15th Secretary of the Interior and Local Government (born 1944)
Robert Zabala Barbers was a Filipino police officer and politician. Barbers had served in the police force for almost three decades prior to becoming part of the government of the Philippines. He served in the legislature as the representative of the second district of Surigao del Norte (1992–1996), whose second term was ended by his appointment as secretary of the interior and local government, and as senator (1998–2004).
Birgit Nilsson, Swedish operatic soprano (born 1918)
Märta Birgit Nilsson was a Swedish dramatic soprano. Although she sang a wide repertoire of operatic and vocal works, Nilsson was best known for her performances in the operas of Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss. Her voice was noted for its overwhelming force, bountiful reserves of power, and the gleaming brilliance and clarity in the upper register.
Joseph Pararajasingham, Sri Lankan journalist, businessman, and politician (born 1934)
Joseph Pararajasingham was a Sri Lankan Tamil civil servant, journalist, businessman and politician. He was Member of Parliament for Batticaloa District from 1990 to 2004 and a National List Member of Parliament from 2004 to 2005. A member of the Tamil National Alliance, he was shot dead on Christmas Day 2005 as he attended midnight mass at St. Mary's Cathedral, Batticaloa.
25/12/2004
Gennadi Strekalov, Russian engineer and astronaut (born 1940)
Gennady Mikhailovich Strekalov was an engineer, cosmonaut, and administrator at Russian aerospace firm RSC Energia. He flew into space five times and lived aboard the Salyut 6, Salyut 7, and Mir space stations, spending over 268 days in space. The catastrophic explosion of a Soyuz rocket in 1983 led to him being one of only four people to use a launch escape system. He was decorated twice as Hero of the Soviet Union and received the Ashoka Chakra from India.
25/12/2003
Nicholas Mavroules, American politician (born 1929)
Nicholas James Mavroules was an American Democratic Party politician from Massachusetts. He served as Mayor of Peabody, Massachusetts for a decade, then represented Peabody and much of the surrounding North Shore region in the United States House of Representatives from 1979 until 1993. In 1993, he pleaded guilty to 15 counts of racketeering and extortion and later served 15 months in prison.
25/12/2001
Alfred A. Tomatis, French otolaryngologist and academic (born 1920)
Alfred Tomatis was a French otolaryngologist and inventor. He received his Doctorate in Medicine from the Paris School of Medicine. His alternative medicine theories of hearing and listening are known as the Tomatis method or Audio-Psycho-Phonology (APP).
25/12/2000
Neil Hawke, Australian cricketer and footballer (born 1939)
Neil James Napier Hawke was an Australian Test cricketer and leading Australian rules footballer.
Willard Van Orman Quine, American philosopher and academic (born 1908)
Willard Van Orman Quine was an American logician and philosopher in the analytic tradition, recognized as "one of the most influential philosophers of the twentieth century". He was the Edgar Pierce Chair of Philosophy at Harvard University from 1956 to 1978.
25/12/1998
John Pulman, English snooker player (born 1923)
Herbert John Pulman was an English professional snooker player who was the World Snooker Champion from 1957 to 1968. He first won the title at the 1957 Championship and retained it across seven challenges from 1964 to 1968, three of them against Fred Davis and two against Rex Williams. When the tournament reverted to a knockout event in 1969, he lost 18–25 in the first round to the eventual champion John Spencer. After finishing as runner-up to Ray Reardon in 1970, Pulman never again reached the final, although he was a losing semi-finalist in 1977.
25/12/1997
Anatoli Boukreev, Kazakh mountaineer and explorer (born 1958)
Anatoli Nikolaevich Boukreev was a Russian-born Kazakh mountaineer who made ascents of 10 of the 14 eight-thousander peaks—those above 8,000 m (26,247 ft)—without supplemental oxygen. From 1989 through 1997, he made 18 successful ascents of peaks above 8,000 m.
Denver Pyle, American actor (born 1920)
Denver Dell Pyle was an American film and television actor and director. He was well known for a number of television roles from the 1960s through the 1980s, including his portrayal of Briscoe Darling in several episodes of The Andy Griffith Show, as Jesse Duke in The Dukes of Hazzard from 1979 to 1985, as Mad Jack in the NBC television series The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams, and as the main character's father, Buck Webb, in CBS's The Doris Day Show. In many of his roles, he portrayed either authority figures, or gruff, demanding father figures, often as comic relief. Perhaps his most memorable film role was that of Texas Ranger Frank Hamer in the movie Bonnie and Clyde (1967), as the lawman who relentlessly chased down and finally killed the notorious duo in an ambush.
25/12/1996
Bill Hewitt, Canadian sportscaster (born 1928)
Foster William Alfred Hewitt was a Canadian radio and television sportscaster. He was the son of hockey broadcaster Foster Hewitt and the grandson of Toronto Star journalist W. A. Hewitt.
25/12/1995
Emmanuel Levinas, Lithuanian-French philosopher and academic (born 1906)
Emmanuel Levinas was a French philosopher of Lithuanian Jewish ancestry who is known for his work within Jewish philosophy, existentialism, and phenomenology, focusing on the relationship of ethics to metaphysics and ontology.
Dean Martin, American singer and actor (born 1917)
Dean Martin was an American singer, actor, comedian and television host. Nicknamed the "King of Cool", he is regarded as one of the most popular entertainers of the 20th century.
Chang Kee-ryo, Korean surgeon (born 1914)
Chang Kee-ryo was a surgeon, educator, and philanthropist of South Korea.
Vincent Patriarca, Italian-American aviator and mercenary (born 1914)
Vincent Joseph Patriarca, later known as Maresciallo Vincenzo Joseph Patriarca, was an Italian American notable for being one of the few United States citizens to fight for Franco's Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War, rather than in the Republican International Brigades such as the Abraham Lincoln Brigade.
25/12/1994
Zail Singh, Indian politician, 7th President of India (born 1916)
Giani Zail Singh was an Indian politician who served as President of India from 1982 to 1987 and chief minister of Punjab in the 1970s. He was the first Sikh to become president.
25/12/1993
Pierre Victor Auger, French physicist and academic (born 1899)
Pierre Victor Auger was a French physicist, born in Paris. He worked in the fields of atomic physics, nuclear physics, and cosmic ray physics. He is famous for being one of the discoverers of the Auger effect, named after him.
25/12/1992
Monica Dickens, British-American nurse and author (born 1915)
Monica Enid Dickens, MBE was an English writer, the great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens.
25/12/1991
Wilbur Snyder, American football player and wrestler (born 1929)
Wilbur Snyder was an American football player and professional wrestler. He played college football for the Utah Utes.
25/12/1989
Benny Binion, American poker player and businessman (born 1904)
Lester Ben Binion, better known as Benny Binion, was an American casino operator who established illegal gambling operations in the Dallas–Fort Worth area. In 1931, Binion was convicted of shooting and killing a rumrunner, Frank Bolding. In the 1940s, he relocated to Nevada, where gambling was legal, and opened the successful Binion's Horseshoe casino in downtown Las Vegas.
Elena Ceaușescu, Romanian politician, First Lady of Romania (born 1916)
Elena Ceaușescu was a Romanian communist politician and doctor of chemistry who was the wife of Nicolae Ceaușescu, General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party and leader of the Socialist Republic of Romania. She was also the Deputy Prime Minister of Romania. Following the Romanian Revolution in 1989, she was executed alongside her husband on 25 December.
Nicolae Ceaușescu, Romanian general and politician, 1st President of Romania (born 1918)
Nicolae Ceaușescu was a Romanian communist politician who led Romania as general secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 and as president from 1974 until his execution in 1989.
Betty Garde, American actress (born 1905)
Katharine Elizabeth Garde was an American stage, radio, film and television actress.
Frederick F. Houser, American judge and politician, 34th Lieutenant Governor of California (born 1905)
Frederick Francis Houser was an American politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 34th lieutenant governor of California under Governor Earl Warren from 1943 to 1947.
Billy Martin, American baseball player and manager (born 1928)
Alfred Manuel "Billy" Martin Jr. was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) second baseman and manager, who, in addition to leading other teams, was five times the manager of the New York Yankees. First known as a scrappy infielder who made considerable contributions to the championship Yankee teams of the 1950s, he then built a reputation as a manager who would initially make bad teams good, before ultimately being fired amid dysfunction. In each of his stints with the Yankees he managed them to winning records before being fired by team owner George Steinbrenner or resigning under fire.
Robert Pirosh, American director and screenwriter (born 1910)
Robert Pirosh was an American screenwriter and film director. He is most known for his war and military-themed works, inspired by his experiences as a U.S. Army infantryman during World War II. He won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Battleground (1949), a semi-autobiographical account of the Battle of the Bulge. He was nominated for a second Oscar for Go for Broke! (1951), a film about the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.
25/12/1988
Shōhei Ōoka, Japanese author and critic (born 1909)
Shōhei Ōoka was a Japanese novelist, literary critic, and lecturer and translator of French literature who was active during the Shōwa period. Ōoka belongs to the group of postwar writers whose Pacific War experiences at home and abroad figure prominently in their works. Over his lifetime, he contributed short stories and critical essays to almost every literary magazine in Japan.
Edward Pelham-Clinton, 10th Duke of Newcastle, English entomologist and lepidopterist (born 1920)
Edward Charles Pelham-Clinton, 10th Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne, was an English lepidopterist and military officer as well as Duke of Newcastle for less than two months at the end of his life, inheriting the titles from a third cousin. He was thus briefly a member of the House of Lords.
25/12/1983
Joan Miró, Spanish painter and sculptor (born 1893)
Joan Miró i Ferrà was a Catalan painter, sculptor and ceramist from Spain. A museum dedicated to his work, the Fundació Joan Miró, was established in his native city of Barcelona in 1975, and another, the Fundació Pilar i Joan Miró, was established in his adoptive city of Palma, Mallorca in 1981. Earning international acclaim, his work has been interpreted as Surrealism but with a personal style, sometimes also veering into Fauvism and Expressionism. He was notable for his interest in the unconscious or the subconscious mind, reflected in his re-creation of the childlike. His difficult-to-classify works also had a manifestation of Catalan pride. In numerous interviews dating from the 1930s onwards, Miró expressed contempt for conventional painting methods as a way of supporting bourgeois society, and declared an "assassination of painting" in favour of upsetting the visual elements of established painting.
25/12/1980
Fred Emney, English actor and comedian (born 1900)
Frederick Arthur Round Emney was an English character actor and comedian.
25/12/1979
Joan Blondell, American actress and singer (born 1906)
Rose Joan Blondell was an American actress who performed in film and television for 50 years.
Jordi Bonet, Canadian painter and sculptor (born 1932)
Jordi Bonet, known professionally as Jordi Bonet, was a Spanish-born Canadian painter, ceramist, muralist, and sculptor who worked principally in Quebec.
25/12/1977
Charlie Chaplin, English actor and director (born 1889)
Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. was an English comic actor, filmmaker, singer, film editor and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered one of the film industry's most important figures. His career spanned more than 75 years, from his childhood in the Victorian era until a year before his death in 1977.
25/12/1975
Gaston Gallimard, French publisher, founded Éditions Gallimard (born 1881)
Gaston Gallimard was a French publisher.
Gunnar Kangro, Estonian mathematician and author (born 1913)
Gunnar Kangro was an Estonian mathematician. He worked mainly on summation theory. He taught various courses on mathematical analysis, functional analysis and algebra in the University of Tartu and he has written several university textbooks.
25/12/1973
İsmet İnönü, Turkish general and politician, 2nd President of Turkey (born 1884)
Mustafa İsmet İnönü was a Turkish politician and military officer who served as the president of Turkey from 1938 to 1950, and as its prime minister three times: from 1923 to 1924, 1925 to 1937, and 1961 to 1965.
Gabriel Voisin, French pilot and engineer (born 1880)
Gabriel Voisin was a French aviation pioneer and the creator of Europe's first manned, engine-powered, heavier-than-air aircraft capable of a sustained (1 km), circular, controlled flight, which was made by Henri Farman on 13 January 1908 near Paris, France. During World War I, the company founded by Voisin became a major producer of military aircraft, notably the Voisin III. Subsequently, he switched to the design and production of luxury automobiles under the name Avions Voisin.
25/12/1970
Michael Peto, Hungarian-English photographer and journalist (born 1908)
Michael Peto was an internationally recognized Hungarian-British photojournalist of the twentieth century. Emigrating to London before World War II through business, in the postwar years he became one of a generation of Hungarian artists working abroad. During the war, he worked for the British Ministry of Labour. With exiled Hungarians, he also worked to found a postwar socialist government in Hungary, but they were defeated by the Soviet Union.
25/12/1963
Tristan Tzara, Romanian-French poet, playwright, painter, and critic (born 1896)
Tristan Tzara was a Romanian and French avant-garde poet, essayist and performance artist. Also active as a journalist, playwright, literary and art critic, composer and film director, he was known best for being one of the founders and central figures of the anti-establishment Dada movement. Under the influence of Adrian Maniu, the adolescent Tzara became interested in Symbolism and co-founded the magazine Simbolul with Ion Vinea and painter Marcel Janco.
25/12/1961
Owen Brewster, American captain, lawyer, and politician, 54th Governor of Maine (born 1888)
Ralph Owen Brewster was an American politician from Maine. Brewster, a Republican, served as the 54th governor of Maine from 1925 to 1929, in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1935 to 1941 and in the U.S. Senate from 1941 to 1952. Brewster was a close confidant of Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin and an antagonist of Howard Hughes. He was defeated by Frederick G. Payne, whose campaign was heavily funded by Hughes, in the 1952 Republican primary.
Otto Loewi, German-American pharmacologist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1873)
Otto Loewi was a German-born pharmacologist and psychobiologist who discovered the role of acetylcholine as an endogenous neurotransmitter. For this discovery, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1936, which he shared with Sir Henry Dale, who was a lifelong friend that helped to inspire the neurotransmitter experiment. Loewi met Dale in 1902 when spending some months in Ernest Starling's laboratory at University College, London.
25/12/1957
Charles Pathé, French record producer, founded Pathé Records (born 1863)
Charles Morand Pathé was a pioneer of the French film and recording industries. As the founder of Pathé Frères, its roots lie in 1896 Paris, France, when Pathé and his brothers pioneered the development of the moving image. Pathé adopted the national emblem of France, the cockerel, as the trademark for his company. The firm, as Compagnie Générale des Éstablissements Pathé Frères Phonographes & Cinématographes, invented the cinema newsreel with Pathé-Journal.
25/12/1956
Robert Walser, Swiss author and playwright (born 1878)
Robert Walser was a German language Swiss writer. He additionally worked as a copyist, an inventor's assistant, a butler, and in various other low-paying trades. Despite marginal early success in his literary career, the popularity of his work gradually diminished over the second and third decades of the 20th century, making it increasingly difficult for him to support himself through writing. He eventually had a nervous breakdown and spent the remainder of his life in sanatoriums.
25/12/1953
Patsy Donovan, Irish-American baseball player and manager (born 1865)
Patrick Joseph Donovan was an Irish born right fielder and manager in Major League Baseball who played for several teams from 1890 to 1907, most notably the Pittsburgh Pirates. Donovan started his career with Boston in 1890 but shuffled over to Brooklyn before the season ended, which saw him win the National League pennant. He played for Louisville and Washington of the American Association for a season each before he found himself with the Pirates in 1892, where he would play for the next seven years. In his first full season with the team, he had his first .300 season as a National League player, batting .317 with 46 stolen bases and 158 hits in 113 games. He batted .300 in each of the next five seasons with Pittsburgh before his tenure ended in 1899. He joined St. Louis in 1900 and played the next four seasons for the team, which saw him bat .300 three straight times and lead the NL in stolen bases with 45 in 1900. He played a season in Washington before sitting out 1905; he played eight combined games in 1906 and 1907 with Brooklyn to end his career.
William Haselden, British cartoonist (born 1872)
William Kerridge Haselden was an English cartoonist and caricaturist.
25/12/1952
Margrethe Mather, American photographer (born 1886)
Margrethe Mather was an American photographer. She was one of the best known female photographers of the early 20th century. Initially she influenced and was influenced by Edward Weston while working in the pictorial style, but she independently developed a strong eye for patterns and design that transformed some of her photographs into modernist abstract art. She lived a mostly uncompromising lifestyle in Los Angeles that alternated between her photography and the creative Hollywood community of the 1920s and 1930s. In later life she abandoned photography, and she died unrecognized for her photographic accomplishments."in artistic matters Margaret was, of course, the teacher, Edward (Weston) the pupil" — Imogen Cunningham
25/12/1950
Neil Francis Hawkins, English politician (born 1903)
Neil Lanfear Maclean Francis Hawkins was a British writer and politician who was a leading proponent of British fascism in the United Kingdom both before and after the Second World War. He played a leading role in the British Union of Fascists and controlled the organisational structure of the movement.
25/12/1949
Leon Schlesinger, American animator and producer, founded Warner Bros. Cartoons (born 1884)
Leon Schlesinger was an American film producer and businessman who founded Leon Schlesinger Productions, later known as Warner Bros. Cartoons, a prolific producer of animated short films during the Golden Age of American animation.
25/12/1947
Gaspar G. Bacon, American lawyer and politician, 51st Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts (born 1886)
Gaspar Griswold Bacon Sr. was an American politician who served as the president of the Massachusetts Senate from 1929 to 1932 and as the 51st lieutenant governor of Massachusetts from 1933 to 1935.
25/12/1946
W. C. Fields, American actor, comedian, juggler, and screenwriter (born 1880)
William Claude Dukenfield, better known as W. C. Fields, was an American actor, comedian, juggler and writer. His career in show business began in vaudeville, where he attained international success as a silent juggler. He began to incorporate comedy into his act and was a featured comedian in the Ziegfeld Follies for several years. He became a star in the Broadway musical comedy Poppy (1923), in which he played a colorful small-time con man. His subsequent stage and film roles were often similar scoundrels or henpecked everyman characters.
25/12/1944
George Steer, South African-English journalist and author (born 1909)
George Lowther Steer was a South African-born British journalist, author and war correspondent who reported on wars preceding the Second World War, especially the Second Italo-Ethiopian War and the Spanish Civil War. During those wars, he was employed by The Times, and his eyewitness reports did much to alert Western nations of war crimes committed by the Italians in Ethiopia and by the Germans in Spain although little was done to prevent them by the League of Nations. His 1937 exclusive on the bombing of Guernica inspired Pablo Picasso to paint his anti-war masterpiece, Guernica. He returned to Ethiopia after the start of the Second World War and helped the campaign that defeated the Italians and restored Hailie Selassie to the throne.
25/12/1941
Richard S. Aldrich, American lawyer and politician (born 1884)
Richard Steere Aldrich was an American politician. He was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and served in the Rhode Island State Senate and the Rhode Island House of Representatives.
25/12/1940
Agnes Ayres, American actress (born 1898)
Agnes Ayres was an American actress who rose to fame during the period of silent films. She was known for her role as Lady Diana Mayo in The Sheik opposite Rudolph Valentino.
25/12/1938
Karel Čapek, Czech author and playwright (born 1890)
Karel Čapek was a Czech writer, playwright, critic and journalist. He has become best known for his science fiction, including his novel War with the Newts (1936) and play R.U.R., which introduced the word robot. He also wrote many politically charged works dealing with the social turmoil of his time. Influenced by American pragmatic liberalism, he campaigned in favor of free expression and strongly opposed the rise of both fascism and communism in Europe.
25/12/1935
Paul Bourget, French author and critic (born 1852)
Paul Charles Joseph Bourget was a French poet, novelist and critic. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature five times.
25/12/1933
Francesc Macià, Catalan colonel and politician, 122nd President of Catalonia (born 1859)
Francesc Macià i Llussà was a Catalan politician who served as the 122nd president of the Generalitat of Catalonia, and formerly an officer in the Spanish Army.
25/12/1930
Jakob Mändmets, Estonian journalist and author (born 1871)
Jakob Mändmets was an Estonian writer and journalist.
25/12/1928
Miles Burke, American boxer (born 1885)
Miles J. Burke was an American flyweight boxer who competed in the early twentieth century. He died in St. Louis, Missouri.
25/12/1926
Emperor Taishō of Japan (born 1879)
Emperor Taishō was Emperor of Japan from 29 July 1912 until his death in 1926. His reign was marked by a domestic political shift toward liberal democracy, called Taishō Democracy. He oversaw Japan's participation in World War I on the side of the Allies, the Spanish flu epidemic, and the Great Kantō Earthquake of 1923. His poor health limited his public duties and contributed to his death at age 47.
25/12/1925
Karl Abraham, German psychoanalyst and author (born 1877)
Karl Abraham was an influential German psychoanalyst, and a collaborator of Sigmund Freud, who called him his 'best pupil'.
25/12/1921
Vladimir Korolenko, Russian journalist, author, and activist (born 1853)
Vladimir Galaktionovich Korolenko was a Russian writer, journalist and humanitarian of Ukrainian origin. His best-known work includes the short novel The Blind Musician (1886), as well as numerous short stories based upon his experience of exile in Siberia. Korolenko was a strong critic of the Tsarist regime and in his final years of the Bolsheviks.
25/12/1916
Albert Chmielowski, Polish saint, founded the Albertine Brothers (born 1845)
Albert Chmielowski – born Adam Hilary Bernard Chmielowski – was a Polish Franciscan tertiary, painter, and disabled veteran of the Uprising of 1863. He was founder of both the Albertine Brothers and Albertine Sisters who are servants of the homeless and destitute.
25/12/1880
Fridolin Anderwert, Swiss lawyer and politician, President of the Swiss National Council (born 1828)
Fridolin Anderwert was a Swiss politician.
25/12/1875
Young Tom Morris, Scottish golfer (born 1851)
Thomas Morris, better known as Young Tom Morris, was a Scottish professional golfer. He is considered one of the pioneers of professional golf, and was the first young prodigy in golf history. He won four consecutive titles in the Open Championship, and did this by the age of 21.
25/12/1868
Linus Yale, Jr., American engineer and businessman (born 1821)
Linus Yale Jr. was an American businessman, inventor, mechanical engineer, and metalsmith. He was a co-founder with millionaire Henry R. Towne of the Yale Lock Company, which became the premier manufacturer of locks in the United States. He was the country's leading expert on bank locks and its most important maker. By the early 20th century, about three-quarters of all banks in America used his bank locks. He is best remembered for his inventions of locks, especially the cylinder lock, and his basic lock design is still widely distributed today, and constitutes a majority of personal locks and safes.
25/12/1866
Hayrullah Efendi, Ottoman physician, historian, and official (born 1818)
Hayrullah Efendi was an Ottoman historian, medical doctor, and statesman, who served as the Ottoman ambassador to Iran from 1865 until his death.
25/12/1824
Barbara von Krüdener, German mystic and author (born 1764)
Beate Barbara Juliane Freifrau von Krüdener, often called by her formal French name, Madame de Krüdener, was a Baltic German religious mystic, author, and Pietist Lutheran theologian who exerted influence on wider European Protestantism, including the Swiss Reformed Church and the Moravian Church, and whose ideas influenced Tsar Alexander I of Russia.
William Lawless, Irish revolutionary, later French Army general (born 1772)
General William Lawless was a Dublin-born surgeon and important member of the Society of the United Irishmen, a revolutionary republican organisation in late 18th century Ireland.
25/12/1796
Velu Nachiyar, Queen of Sivagangai (born 1730)
Rani Velu Nachiyar was a queen of Sivaganga estate from c. 1780–1790. She was the first Indian queen to wage war with the East India Company (EIC) in India. She is also known by the epithet Veeramangai.
25/12/1784
Yosa Buson, Japanese poet and painter (born 1716)
Yosa (no) Buson was a Japanese poet and painter of the Edo period. He lived from 1716 – January 17, 1784. Along with Matsuo Bashō and Kobayashi Issa, Buson is considered among the greatest poets of the Edo Period. He is also known for completing haiga as a style of art, working with haibun prose, and experimenting with a mixed Chinese-Japanese style of poetry.
25/12/1758
James Hervey, English priest and author (born 1714)
James Hervey was an English clergyman and writer.
25/12/1730
Henry Scott, 1st Earl of Deloraine, Scottish peer and general (born 1676)
Major-General Henry Scott, 1st Earl of Deloraine, KB was a British Army officer and politician.
25/12/1708
Jørgen Thormøhlen, German-Norwegian merchant (born c.1640)
Jørgen Thormøhlen was a German-born Norwegian merchant, shipowner, slave trader and industrialist.
25/12/1683
Kara Mustafa Pasha, Ottoman general and politician, 111th Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire (born 1634)
Kara Mustafa Pasha was an Ottoman nobleman, military figure and grand vizier, who was a central character in the Ottoman Empire's last attempts at expansion into both Central and Eastern Europe.
25/12/1676
William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle, English soldier and politician, Lord Lieutenant of Nottinghamshire (born 1592)
William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne, was an English courtier and supporter of the arts. He was a renowned horse breeder, as well as being patron of the playwright Ben Jonson and the intellectual group known as the Welbeck Circle.
Matthew Hale, English lawyer and jurist, Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales (born 1609)
Sir Matthew Hale was an influential English lawyer, most noted for his treatise Historia Placitorum Coronæ, or The History of the Pleas of the Crown. He occupied various public offices both under the Cromwellian Commonwealth and the Stuart Restoration. From 1671 until his retirement in 1676, he served as Chief Justice of the King's Bench. Hale is widely regarded as one of the key figures in the development of the common law.
25/12/1635
Samuel de Champlain, French soldier, geographer, and explorer (born 1567)
Samuel de Champlain was a French explorer, navigator, cartographer, soldier, geographer, diplomat, and chronicler who founded Quebec City and established New France as a permanent French colony in North America.
25/12/1634
Lettice Knollys, English noblewoman (born 1543)
Lettice Knollys was an English noblewoman and mother to the courtiers Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, and Penelope, Lady Rich. She was Countess of Essex during her first marriage to Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex and became Countess of Leicester after her second marriage to Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. She was also the granddaughter of Mary Boleyn. With her marriage to her cousin Elizabeth I's favourite, she incurred the Queen's unrelenting displeasure.
25/12/1553
Pedro de Valdivia, Spanish explorer and politician, 1st Royal Governor of Chile (born 1500)
Pedro Gutiérrez de Valdivia or Valdiva was a Spanish conquistador and the first Governor of Colonial Chile. After having served with the Spanish army in Italy and Flanders, he was sent to South America in 1535, where he served as a soldier under the Pizarro brothers in Peru, gradually rising in power.
25/12/1505
George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent, English politician (born 1454)
George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent, was the son of Edmund Grey, 1st Earl of Kent and Lady Katherine Percy. He was the Second Earl of Kent from 1490 to 1505.
25/12/1406
Henry III of Castile (born 1379)
Henry III of Castile, called the Suffering due to his ill health, was the son of John I and Eleanor of Aragon. He succeeded his father as King of Castile in 1390.
25/12/1395
Elisabeth, Countess of Neuchâtel, Swiss ruler
Elisabeth, Countess of Neuchâtel or Isabelle de Neuchâtel was ruling countess suo jure of the County of Neuchâtel from 1373 until 1395. She was the daughter of Louis I of Neuchâtel and Jeanne de Montfaucon and married Rodolphe IV de Nidau.
25/12/1294
Mestwin II, Duke of Pomerania
Mestwin II was a Duke of Gdańsk Pomerania, member of the Samborides dynasty. He ruled Gdańsk Pomerania as a sole ruler from 1273 to 1294.
25/12/1156
Peter the Venerable, French abbot and saint (born 1092)
Peter the Venerable, also known as Peter of Montboissier, was the abbot of the Benedictine abbey of Cluny. He has been honored as a saint although he was never canonized in the Middle Ages. Since in 1862 Pope Pius IX confirmed his historical cult, and the Martyrologium Romanum, issued by the Holy See in 2004, regards him as a blessed.
Sverker the Elder, king of Sweden
Sverker the Elder, also known as Sverker I, was King of Sweden from about 1132 until his murder. Of non-royal descent, he founded the House of Sverker, the rulers of which alternated with the rival House of Erik over the next century.
25/12/1147
Guy II, Count of Ponthieu (born c. 1120)
Guy II of Ponthieu was the son of William III of Ponthieu and Helie of Burgundy.
25/12/0940
Makan ibn Kaki, Iranian general
Abu Mansur Makan ibn Kaki was a Daylamite military leader active in northern Iran in the early 10th century. He became involved in the succession disputes of the Alids of Tabaristan, and managed to establish himself as the ruler of Tabaristan and Gurgan for short periods of time, in competition to other Daylamite warlords such as Asfar ibn Shiruya or the Ziyarid brothers Mardavij and Vushmgir. He alternately opposed and secured support from the Samanid governors of Khurasan, and eventually fell in battle against a Samanid army.
25/12/0936
Zhang Jingda, general of Later Tang
Zhang Jingda, courtesy name Zhitong (志通), nickname Shengtie, was a Chinese military general and politician of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period Later Tang state. At the end of Later Tang, when Shi Jingtang rebelled against Later Tang's last emperor Li Congke, Zhang commanded the Later Tang army against Shi, but was defeated by the joint forces of Shi and Emperor Taizong of Liao. His deputy Yang Guangyuan then killed him and surrendered, leading to Later Tang's fall.
25/12/0820
Emperor Leo V
Leo V the Armenian was the Byzantine emperor from 813 to 820. He is chiefly remembered for ending the decade-long war with the Bulgars, as well as initiating the second period of Byzantine iconoclasm.
25/12/0795
Pope Adrian I
Pope Adrian I was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 1 February 772 until his death on 25 December 795. Descended from a family of the military aristocracy of Rome known as domini de via Lata, he was the son of Theodore, who died when Hadrian was still very young; he was welcomed by his paternal uncle Theodotus consul, dux et primicerius Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae.
25/12/0304
Saint Anastasia
Saint Anastasia is a Christian saint and martyr who died at Sirmium in the Roman province of Pannonia Secunda. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, she is venerated as St. Anastasia the Pharmakolytria, i.e. "Deliverer from Potions". This epithet is also translated as "One who Cures (Wounds)" in Lampe's A Patristic Greek Lexicon.
Celebrations & Special Days Worldwide on 25th December
Christmas Day, Christian festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. (Internationally observed)
Christmas is an annual celebration commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A liturgical feast central to Christianity, Christmas preparation begins on the First Sunday of Advent. Advent is followed by Christmastide, which historically in the West lasts twelve days and culminates on Twelfth Night. Christmas Day is a public holiday in many countries and is observed by a majority of Christians; it is also celebrated culturally by many non-Christians and forms an integral part of the annual holiday season.
Christian feast day: Anastasia of Sirmium (Catholic Church)
Saint Anastasia is a Christian saint and martyr who died at Sirmium in the Roman province of Pannonia Secunda. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, she is venerated as St. Anastasia the Pharmakolytria, i.e. "Deliverer from Potions". This epithet is also translated as "One who Cures (Wounds)" in Lampe's A Patristic Greek Lexicon.
Christian feast day: Stephen (Armenian Apostolic Church)
Stephen is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first martyr of Christianity. According to the Acts of the Apostles, he was a deacon in the early church at Jerusalem who angered members of various synagogues by his teachings. Accused of blasphemy at his trial, he made a speech denouncing the Jewish authorities who were sitting in judgment on him and was then stoned to death. Saul of Tarsus, a Pharisee and Roman citizen who would later become Paul the Apostle, was also involved as a witness in Stephen's execution.
Christian feast day: December 25 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
December 24 - Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar - December 26
Children's Day (Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Republic of Congo)
Children's Day is a commemorative date celebrated annually in honour of children, whose date of observance varies by country. In 1925, International Children's Day was first proclaimed in Geneva during the World Conference on Child Welfare. Since 1950, it is celebrated on 1 June in many countries that were part of the Eastern Bloc and Non-Aligned Movement, which follow the suggestion from Women's International Democratic Federation. World Children's Day is celebrated on 20 November to commemorate the issuance of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child by the UN General Assembly on 20 November 1959, along with the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child on that date in 1989. In some countries, it is Children's Week and not Children's Day.
Tulsi Pujan Diwas (India)
Asumal Sirumalani Harpalani, known by devotees as Asaram, is an Indian spiritual leader and convicted rapist, who started to come into the limelight in the early 1970s. By 2013, he was estimated to have established over 400 ashrams and 40 schools in India and abroad.
Constitution Day (Taiwan)
The following are considered holidays in Taiwan. Some are official holidays, and some are not.
Good Governance Day (India)
Good Governance Day is observed in India annually on the twenty-fifth day of December, the birth anniversary of former-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Good Governance Day was established in 2014 to honor Prime Minister Vajpayee by fostering awareness among the Indian people of accountability in government.
Quaid-e-Azam's Day (Pakistan)
Jinnah's birthday, officially Quaid-e-Azam Day and sometimes known as Quaid Day, is a public holiday in Pakistan observed annually on 25 December to celebrate the birthday of the founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, known as Quaid-i-Azam. A major holiday, commemorations for Jinnah began during his lifetime in 1942, and have continued ever since. The event is primarily observed by the government and the citizens of the country where the national flag is hoisted at major architectural structures such as private and public buildings, particularly at the top of Quaid-e-Azam House in Karachi.
Takanakuy (Chumbivilcas Province, Peru)
Takanakuy is an annual established practice of fighting fellow community members held on 25 December, by the inhabitants of Chumbivilcas Province, near Cuzco, in Peru. The practice started in Santo Tomás, the capital of Chumbivilcas, and subsequently spread to other villages and cities, the prominent ones being Cuzco and Lima. The festival consists of dancing and of individuals fighting each other to settle old conflicts.
What Happened on 25th December?
69 significant events took place on Monday, 25th December — stretching from 36 to 2024. Explore the moments that shaped history on this day.
25/12/2024
Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243 crashes in Aktau, Kazakhstan, killing 38 of its occupants.
Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243 was a scheduled international passenger flight from Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku, Azerbaijan, to Kadyrov Grozny International Airport near Grozny, Russia, operated by Azerbaijan Airlines. On 25 December 2024, the Embraer E190 operating the flight was severely damaged by a Russian surface-to-air missile during the aircraft's approach to Grozny. The pilots attempted to divert but the hydraulic system failed, leading to a loss of control and ultimately a crash near Aktau International Airport in Aktau, Kazakhstan, with 62 passengers and 5 crew on board. Of those 67 people, 38 died in the accident, including both of the pilots and a flight attendant, while 29 people survived with injuries.
25/12/2021
The James Webb Space Telescope is launched.
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is a space telescope designed to conduct infrared astronomy. It is the largest telescope in space, and is equipped with high-resolution and high-sensitivity instruments, allowing it to view objects too old, distant, or faint for the Hubble Space Telescope. This enables investigations across many fields of astronomy and cosmology, such as observation of the first stars and the formation of the first galaxies, and detailed atmospheric characterization of potentially habitable exoplanets.
25/12/2020
An explosion in Nashville, Tennessee, occurs, leaving three civilians in the hospital.
On December 25, 2020, Anthony Quinn Warner detonated a recreational vehicle (RV) bomb in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, United States, killing himself and injuring eight others, damaging dozens of buildings in the surrounding area. The incident took place at 166 Second Avenue North between Church Street and Commerce Street at 6:30 am, adjacent to an AT&T network facility, resulting in days-long communication service outages.
25/12/2019
Twenty people are killed and thousands are left homeless by Typhoon Phanfone in the Philippines.
Typhoon Phanfone, locally named Ursula, was a strong and deadly tropical cyclone which traversed the Philippines on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in 2019, the first typhoon to do so since Nock-ten in 2016.
25/12/2016
A Russian Defence Ministry Tupolev Tu-154 carrying members of the Alexandrov Ensemble crashes into the Black Sea shortly after takeoff, killing all 92 people on board.
The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation is the governing body of the Russian Armed Forces. The president of Russia is the commander-in-chief of the forces and directs the activity of the ministry. The minister of defence exercises day-to-day administrative and operational authority over the forces. The General Staff of the Armed Forces executes the instructions and orders of the president and the defence minister.
25/12/2012
An Antonov An-72 plane crashes close to the city of Shymkent, killing 27 people.
The Antonov An-72 is a transport aircraft, developed and produced by the Ukrainian aircraft manufacturer Antonov. The An-72 and the related An-74 get their nickname, Cheburashka, from the large engine intake ducts, which resemble the oversized ears of the popular Soviet animated character of the same name.
Air Bagan Flight 011, a Fokker 100, crashes on approach to Heho Airport in Heho, Myanmar, killing two people.
Air Bagan Flight 011 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight of a Fokker 100 twinjet from Yangon to Heho, Myanmar. On 25 December 2012, the aircraft crash-landed short of the runway at Heho Airport in fog, coming to a stop in a paddy field and bursting into flames. One of the 71 people on board and a motorcyclist on the ground were killed and more than 10 people were injured.
25/12/2007
A Siberian tiger named Tatania escapes her exhibit at the San Francisco Zoo and attacks three people, killing one and injuring two more.
The Siberian tiger or Amur tiger is a population of the tiger subspecies Panthera tigris tigris native to Northeast China, the Russian Far East, and possibly North Korea. It once ranged throughout the Korean Peninsula, but was eradicated in the area during the period of Japanese rule between 1910 and 1945, and currently inhabits mainly the Sikhote-Alin mountain region in the south-west of Primorsky Krai in the Russian Far East. In 2005, there were 331–393 adult and subadult Siberian tigers in this region, with a breeding adult population of about 250 individuals. The population had been stable for more than a decade because of intensive conservation efforts, but partial surveys conducted after 2005 indicate that the Russian tiger population was declining. An initial census held in 2015 indicated that the Siberian tiger population had increased to 480–540 individuals in the Russian Far East, including 100 cubs. This was followed up by a more detailed census which revealed there was a total population of 562 wild Siberian tigers in Russia. As of 2014, about 35 individuals were estimated to range in the international border area between Russia and China. As of 2022, about 756 Siberian tigers including 200 cubs were estimated to inhabit the Russian Far East.
25/12/2004
The Cassini orbiter releases Huygens probe which successfully landed on Saturn's moon Titan on January 14, 2005.
Cassini–Huygens, commonly called Cassini, was a joint space-research mission by NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Italian Space Agency (ASI) to send a space probe to study the planet Saturn and its system, including its rings and natural satellites. The Flagship-class robotic spacecraft comprised both NASA's Cassini space probe and ESA's Huygens lander, which landed on Saturn's largest moon, Titan. Cassini was the fourth space probe to visit Saturn and the first to enter its orbit, where it stayed from 2004 to 2017. The two craft took their names from the astronomers Giovanni Cassini and Christiaan Huygens.
25/12/2003
UTA Flight 141, a Boeing 727-223, crashes at the Cotonou Airport in Benin, killing 141 people.
UTA Flight 141 was a scheduled international passenger flight operated by Guinean regional airline Union des Transports Africains de Guinée, flying from Conakry to Dubai with stopovers in Benin, Libya and Lebanon. On Christmas Day 2003, the Boeing 727–223 operating the flight struck a building and crashed into the Bight of Benin while rolling for take off from Cotonou, killing 141 people. The crash of Flight 141 is the deadliest crash in Benin's aviation history.
The ill-fated Beagle 2 probe, released from the Mars Express spacecraft on December 19, stops transmitting shortly before its scheduled landing.
The Beagle 2 is an inoperative British Mars lander that was transported by the European Space Agency's 2003 Mars Express mission. It was intended to conduct an astrobiology mission that would have looked for evidence of past life on Mars.
25/12/1999
Cubana de Aviación Flight 310, a Yakovlev Yak-42, crashes near Bejuma, Carabobo State, Venezuela, killing 22 people.
Cubana de Aviación Flight 310 was a scheduled international flight from José Martí International Airport, Havana, Cuba, to Arturo Michelena International Airport, Valencia, Venezuela, which crashed near Bejuma, Venezuela, on 25 December 1999. All 10 passengers and 12 crew on board were killed.
25/12/1996
The body of American child beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey was found in her family's Boulder, Colorado, home. Her murder remains unsolved.
On the night of December 25, 1996, six‑year‑old JonBenét Patricia Ramsey was killed in her family's home at 755 15th Street in Boulder, Colorado. She was reported missing early on December 26, and her body was found about seven hours later in the basement of the house. Her skull had been fractured, and a garrote was tied around her neck. The autopsy determined that the cause of death was asphyxia by strangulation associated with craniocerebral trauma, and the case was ruled a homicide.
25/12/1991
Mikhail Gorbachev resigns as President of the Soviet Union (the union itself is dissolved the next day). Ukraine's referendum is finalized and Ukraine officially leaves the Soviet Union.
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev was a Soviet and Russian politician who was the last leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 until the country's dissolution in 1991. He served as General Secretary of the Communist Party from 1985, and additionally as head of state from 1988. Ideologically, he initially adhered to Marxism–Leninism, but moved towards social democracy by the early 1990s.
25/12/1989
Romanian Revolution: Deposed President of Romania Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife, Elena, are condemned to death and executed after a summary trial.
The Romanian revolution was a period of violent civil unrest in the Socialist Republic of Romania during December 1989 as a part of the revolutions of 1989 that occurred in several countries around the world, primarily within the Eastern Bloc. The Romanian revolution started in the city of Timișoara and soon spread throughout the country, ultimately culminating in the drumhead trial and execution of longtime Romanian Communist Party (PCR) General Secretary Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife Elena, and the end of 42 years of Communist rule in Romania. It was also the last removal of a Marxist–Leninist government in a Warsaw Pact country during the events of 1989, and the only one that violently overthrew a country's leadership and executed its leader; according to estimates, over one thousand people died and thousands more were injured.
25/12/1986
Iraqi Airways Flight 163, a Boeing 737-270C, is hijacked and crashes in Arar, Saudi Arabia, killing 63 people.
Iraqi Airways Flight 163 was a Boeing 737-270C, registered YI-AGJ, that was hijacked in 1986. On 25 December 1986, en route from Baghdad's Saddam International Airport to Amman, Jordan, Flight 163 was hijacked by four men. Iraqi Airways security personnel tried to stop the hijackers, but a hand grenade was detonated in the passenger cabin, forcing the crew to initiate an emergency descent. Another hand grenade exploded in the cockpit, causing the aircraft to crash near Arar, Saudi Arabia, where it broke in two and caught fire.
25/12/1977
Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin meets in Egypt with its president Anwar Sadat.
Menachem Begin was an Israeli politician who founded Herut and Likud and served as prime minister of Israel from 1977 to 1983.
25/12/1976
EgyptAir Flight 864, a Boeing 707-366C, crashes on approach to Don Mueang International Airport, killing 71 people.
EgyptAir Flight 864 was an international scheduled passenger flight from Rome Fiumicino Airport to Tokyo International Airport, via Cairo, Bombay, and Bangkok. On 25 December 1976, the Boeing 707 crashed into an industrial complex in Bangkok. All 52 people on board were killed, and 19 plus on the ground in the crash.
25/12/1971
A fire at the Daeyeonggak Hotel in Seoul, South Korea kills 164 people.
The Daeyeonggak Hotel fire was a skyscraper fire in Seoul, South Korea on 25 December 1971, which killed 164 people and injured 63. It remains the deadliest hotel fire in history.
25/12/1968
Apollo program: Apollo 8 performs the first successful Trans-Earth injection (TEI) maneuver, sending the crew and spacecraft on a trajectory back to Earth from Lunar orbit.
The Apollo program, also known as Project Apollo, was the United States human spaceflight program led by NASA, which landed the first humans on the Moon in 1969. Apollo was conceived in 1960 in the Dwight D. Eisenhower presidency during Project Mercury and executed after Project Gemini. Apollo was later dedicated to President John F. Kennedy's national goal, "before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth" in his address to the U.S. Congress on May 25, 1961.
Kilvenmani massacre: Forty-four Dalits (untouchables) are burnt to death in Kizhavenmani village, Tamil Nadu, a retaliation for a campaign for higher wages by Dalit laborers.
The Kilvenmani massacre was an incident in Kizhavenmani village, Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu state in India on 25 December 1968 in which a group of around 44 people, the families of striking Dalit village labourers, were murdered by a gang, allegedly led by their landlords. The chief accused was Gopalakrishnan Naidu.
25/12/1963
Turkish Cypriot Bayrak Radio begins transmitting in Cyprus after Turkish Cypriots are forcibly excluded from Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation.
Bayrak Radio and Television Corporation, is the official radio and television broadcasting corporation of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. It operates BRT1 and BRT2.
25/12/1962
The Soviet Union conducts its final above-ground nuclear weapon test, in anticipation of the 1963 Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
The Soviet Union, officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until its dissolution in 1991. It was the world's third-most populous country, the largest by area, and bordered twelve countries. A diverse multinational state, it was organized as a federal union of national republics, with the largest and most populous being the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (SFSR). In practice, its government and economy were highly centralized. As a one-party state governed by the Communist Party, it was the flagship communist state. Its capital and largest city was Moscow.
25/12/1951
A bomb explodes at the home of Harry T. Moore and Harriette V. S. Moore, early leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, killing Harry instantly and fatally wounding Harriette.
Harry T. Moore and his wife, Harriette V. S. Moore, were pioneer activists and leaders of the early Civil Rights Movement in the United States and became the first martyrs of the movement. On the night of Christmas, December 25, 1951, a bomb that had been planted under the bedroom floor of the Moores' home in Mims, Florida, exploded. They had celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary earlier that day. Harry died in the ambulance in transit from the attack, and Harriette died from her injuries nine days later, on January 3, 1952. Their deaths were the first assassination of any activist to occur during the Civil Rights Movement and the only time that a husband and wife were killed during the history of the movement.
25/12/1950
The Stone of Scone, traditional coronation stone of British monarchs, is taken from Westminster Abbey by Scottish nationalist students. It later turns up in Scotland on April 11, 1951.
The Stone of Scone is an oblong block of red sandstone that was used in the coronation of Scottish monarchs until the 13th century when it was seized by Edward I during the First War of Scottish Independence and taken to England. Thereafter, it was used in the coronation of English and later British monarchs.
25/12/1946
The first European self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction is initiated within the Soviet Union's F-1 nuclear reactor.
In nuclear physics, a nuclear chain reaction occurs when one single nuclear reaction causes an average of one or more subsequent nuclear reactions, thus leading to the possibility of a self-propagating series or "positive feedback loop" of these reactions. The specific nuclear reaction may be the fission of heavy isotopes. A nuclear chain reaction releases several million times more energy per reaction than any chemical reaction.
25/12/1941
Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, appointed commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet on December 17, arrives at Pearl Harbor.
Chester William Nimitz was a fleet admiral in the United States Navy. He played a major role in the naval history of World War II as Commander in Chief, US Pacific Fleet, and Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas, commanding Allied air, land, and sea forces during World War II.
World War II: Battle of Hong Kong ends, beginning the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong.
World War II, or the Second World War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated. Tanks and aircraft played major roles, the latter enabling the strategic bombing of cities and delivery of the only nuclear weapons used in war. World War II was the deadliest conflict in history, causing the death of 60 to 75 million people. Millions died as a result of massacres, starvation, disease, and genocides, including the Holocaust. After the Allied victory, Germany, Austria, Japan, and Korea were occupied, and German and Japanese leaders were tried for war crimes.
Admiral Émile Muselier seizes the archipelago of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, which become the first part of France to be liberated by the Free French Forces.
Émile Henry Muselier was a French admiral who led the Free French Naval Forces during World War II. He was responsible for the idea of distinguishing his fleet from that of Vichy France by adopting the Cross of Lorraine, which later became the emblem of all of the Free French. After entering the French Naval Academy in 1899, he embarked on a brilliant and eventful military career. He ran unsuccessfully in the legislative elections of 1946 as vice-president of the Rally of Republican Lefts and then entered private life as a consulting engineer before his retirement in 1960. He is buried in the cemetery of St. Pierre, at Marseille.
25/12/1932
A magnitude 7.6 earthquake in Gansu, China kills 275 people.
The 1932 Changma earthquake occurred at 10:04:27 local time on 25 December. With an estimated magnitude of 7.6 on the surface-wave magnitude scale, and a maximum felt intensity of X (Extreme) on the Mercalli intensity scale, the quake destroyed 1,167 houses and caused 275 to 70,000 deaths and 320 injuries.
25/12/1927
B. R. Ambedkar and his followers burn copies of the Manusmriti in Mahad, Maharashtra, to protest its treatment of Dalit people.
Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar was an Indian jurist, economist, social reformer and politician who chaired the committee that drafted the Constitution of India based on the debates of the Constituent Assembly of India and the first draft of Sir Benegal Narsing Rau. Ambedkar served as Law and Justice minister in the first cabinet of Jawaharlal Nehru. He later renounced Hinduism and converted to Buddhism, inspiring the Dalit Buddhist movement. He was also a member of the Simon Commission in British India.
25/12/1915
The National Protection War breaks out against the Empire of China, as military leaders Cai E and Tang Jiyao proclaim the independence of Yunnan and begin a campaign to restore the Republic.
The National Protection War, also known as the Anti-Monarchy War, or the Third Revolution, was a civil war that took place in China from December 1915 to July 1916. Following the overthrow of the Qing dynasty three years previously, the Republic of China was established in its place. The war was caused by President Yuan Shikai's proclamation of the Empire of China, with himself as the Hongxian Emperor.
25/12/1914
World War I: A series of unofficial truces occur across the Western Front to celebrate Christmas.
World War I, or the First World War, also known as the Great War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Central Powers. Major areas of conflict included Europe and the Middle East, as well as parts of Africa and the Asia-Pacific. The war saw important developments in weaponry including tanks, aircraft, artillery, machine guns, and chemical weapons. One of the deadliest conflicts in history, it resulted in an estimated 15 to 22 million military and civilian casualties and genocide. The movement of large numbers of people was a major factor in the deadly Spanish flu pandemic.
25/12/1870
Wagner's Siegfried Idyll is first performed.
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor, best known for his operas, although his mature works are often referred to as music dramas. Unlike most composers, Wagner wrote both the libretti and the music for all of his stage works. He first achieved recognition with works in the Romantic tradition of Carl Maria von Weber and Giacomo Meyerbeer, but revolutionised the genre through his concept of the Gesamtkunstwerk, which sought to unite poetic, musical, visual, and dramatic elements. In this approach, the drama unfolds as a continuously sung narrative, with the music evolving organically from the text rather than alternating between arias and recitatives. Wagner outlined these ideas in a series of essays published between 1849 and 1852, most fully realising them in the first half of his four-opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen.
25/12/1868
Pardons for ex-Confederates: United States President Andrew Johnson grants an unconditional pardon to all Confederate veterans.
Both during and after the American Civil War, pardons for ex-Confederates were given by US presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson and were usually extended for those who had served in the military above the rank of colonel or civilians who had exercised political power under the Confederate government. The power to pardon offences to the US government was given to the chief executive in the US Constitution under Article II.
25/12/1837
Second Seminole War: American general Zachary Taylor leads 1,100 troops against the Seminoles at the Battle of Lake Okeechobee.
The Second Seminole War, also known as the Florida War, was a conflict from 1835 to 1842 in Florida between the United States and groups of people collectively known as Seminoles, consisting of Creek and Black Seminoles as well as other allied tribes. It was part of a series of conflicts called the Seminole Wars. The Second Seminole War, often referred to as the Seminole War, is regarded as "the longest and most costly of the Indian conflicts of the United States". After the Treaty of Payne's Landing in 1832 that called for the Seminoles' removal from Florida, tensions rose until fierce hostilities occurred in Dade's massacre in 1835. This engagement officially started the war although there were a series of incidents leading up to the Dade battle. The Seminoles and the U.S. forces engaged in mostly small engagements for more than six years. By 1842, only a few hundred native people remained in Florida. Although no peace treaty was ever signed, the war was declared over on August 14, 1842, by Colonel William Jenkins Worth.
25/12/1831
The Great Jamaican Slave Revolt begins; up to 20% of Jamaica's slaves mobilize in an ultimately unsuccessful fight for freedom.
The Baptist War was an eleven-day rebellion that started on 25 December 1831 and involved up to 60,000 of the 300,000 slaves in the Colony of Jamaica. The uprising was led by a black Baptist deacon, Samuel Sharpe, and waged largely by his followers. The revolt, though militarily unsuccessful, played a major part in the abolition of slavery throughout the British Empire. It is also known as the Sam Sharp Rebellion, the Christmas Rebellion, the Christmas Uprising and the Great Jamaican Slave Revolt of 1831–32.
25/12/1826
The Eggnog Riot at the United States Military Academy concludes after beginning the previous evening.
The eggnog riot, sometimes known as the grog mutiny or the Christmas 1826 cadet mutiny, was a riot that took place at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, on 24–25 December 1826. It was caused by a drunken Christmas party in the north barracks of the academy. Two days prior to the incident, a large quantity of whiskey was smuggled into the academy to make eggnog for the party, giving the riot its name. As described by Albert E. Church, who was absent on Christmas leave and missed the happenings but later became a math professor at the academy, "A large number of the cadets got on a spree, and became excessively riotous, setting all officers at defiance and even, with a drawn sword, chasing one to his room-throwing missiles through the halls, breaking windows and the railings of the stairs, &c. The scene, as described to me two days afterwards, was fit for Bedlam."
25/12/1815
The Handel and Haydn Society, oldest continually performing arts organization in the United States, gives its first performance.
The Handel and Haydn Society is an American chorus and period instrument orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. Known colloquially as 'H+H', the organization has been in continual performance since its founding in 1815, the longest serving such performing arts organization in the United States.
25/12/1814
Rev. Samuel Marsden holds the first Christian service on land in New Zealand at Rangihoua Bay.
Samuel Marsden was an English-born priest of the Church of England in Australia and a prominent member of the Church Missionary Society. He played a leading role in cross-cultural interchange with Māori people and bringing Christianity to New Zealand. Marsden was a prominent figure in early New South Wales, partly through his role as the colony's senior Anglican cleric and as a pioneer of the Australian wool industry. He is also remembered for his harsh punishments meted out as a magistrate at Parramatta, his bigoted social views and his self-serving financial dealings, all of which attracted contemporary criticism.
25/12/1809
Dr. Ephraim McDowell performs the first ovariotomy, removing a 22-pound tumor.
Ephraim McDowell was an American medical doctor and pioneer surgeon. The first person to successfully remove an ovarian tumor, he has been called "the father of ovariotomy" as well as founding father of abdominal surgery.
25/12/1793
Northwest Indian War: General "Mad Anthony" Wayne and a 300 man detachment identify the site of St. Clair's 1791 defeat by the large number of unburied human remains at modern Fort Recovery, Ohio.
The Northwest Indian War was an armed conflict for control of the Northwest Territory between the United States and a loose confederation of Native American peoples who called themselves the United Indian Nations but are better known today as the Northwestern Confederacy. The United States Army considers the conflict to be the first of the American Indian Wars.
25/12/1776
American Revolutionary War: General George Washington and the Continental Army cross the Delaware River at night to attack Hessian forces serving Great Britain at Trenton, New Jersey, the next day.
The American Revolutionary War, also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence or simply the American Revolution, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which American Patriot forces organized as the Continental Army and commanded by George Washington defeated the British Army. The conflict was fought in North America, the Caribbean, and the Atlantic Ocean. The war's outcome seemed uncertain for most of the war, but Washington and the Continental Army's decisive victory in the Siege of Yorktown in 1781 led King George III and the Kingdom of Great Britain to negotiate an end to the war. In 1783, in the Treaty of Paris, the British monarchy acknowledged the independence of the Thirteen Colonies, leading to the establishment of the United States as an independent and sovereign nation.
25/12/1766
Mapuches in Chile launch a series of surprise attacks against the Spanish starting the Mapuche uprising of 1766.
The Mapuche, also known as Araucanians, are a group of Indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina, including parts of Patagonia. The collective term refers to a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who share a common social, religious, and economic structure, as well as a common linguistic heritage as Mapudungun speakers. Their homelands once extended from Choapa Valley to the Chiloé Archipelago and later spread eastward to Puelmapu, a land comprising part of the Argentine pampa and Patagonia. Today, the Mapuche represent 77.16% of Chile’s indigenous peoples and about 8.8% of the total national population. The Mapuche are concentrated in the Araucanía region. Many have migrated from rural areas to the cities of Santiago and Buenos Aires to pursue economic opportunities. Around 92% of the Mapuches are from Chile.
25/12/1758
Halley's Comet is sighted by Johann Georg Palitzsch, confirming Edmund Halley's prediction of its passage. This was the first passage of a comet predicted ahead of time.
Halley's Comet is the only known short-period comet that is consistently visible to the naked eye from Earth, appearing roughly every 75–76 years, though with the majority of recorded apparitions occurring after 75–77 years. It last appeared in the inner parts of the Solar System in 1986 and will next appear in mid-2061. Officially designated 1P/Halley, it is also commonly called Comet Halley, or sometimes simply Halley.
25/12/1725
J. S. Bach leads the first performance of the Christmas cantata Unser Mund sei voll Lachens, BWV 110, making laughter audible in singing.
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms, including the orchestral Brandenburg Concertos; solo instrumental works such as the Cello Suites and Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin; keyboard works such as the Goldberg Variations and The Well-Tempered Clavier; organ works such as the Schübler Chorales and the Toccata and Fugue in D minor; and choral works such as the St. Matthew Passion and the Mass in B minor. He is known for his mastery of counterpoint, as heard in The Musical Offering and The Art of Fugue. Felix Mendelssohn precipitated the Bach Revival with a performance of the St. Matthew Passion in 1829. Ever since, Bach has been acclaimed as one of the greatest composers in the history of Western music.
25/12/1724
J. S. Bach leads the first performance of Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ, BWV 91, in Leipzig, based on Luther's 1524 Christmas hymn.
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety of instruments and forms, including the orchestral Brandenburg Concertos; solo instrumental works such as the Cello Suites and Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin; keyboard works such as the Goldberg Variations and The Well-Tempered Clavier; organ works such as the Schübler Chorales and the Toccata and Fugue in D minor; and choral works such as the St. Matthew Passion and the Mass in B minor. He is known for his mastery of counterpoint, as heard in The Musical Offering and The Art of Fugue. Felix Mendelssohn precipitated the Bach Revival with a performance of the St. Matthew Passion in 1829. Ever since, Bach has been acclaimed as one of the greatest composers in the history of Western music.
25/12/1559
Pope Pius IV is elected, four months after his predecessor's death.
Pope Pius IV, born Giovanni Angelo Medici, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 December 1559 to his death, in December 1565.
25/12/1553
Battle of Tucapel: Mapuche rebels under Lautaro defeat the Spanish conquistadors and executes the governor of Chile, Pedro de Valdivia.
The Battle of Tucapel is the name given to a battle fought between Spanish conquistador forces led by Pedro de Valdivia and Mapuche (Araucanian) Indians under Lautaro that took place at Tucapel, Chile on December 25, 1553. The battle occurred in the context of the first stage of the Arauco War, named the "offensive war" within a larger uprising by Araucanians against the Spanish conquest of Chile. It was a defeat for the Spaniards, resulting in the capture and eventual death of Valdivia.
25/12/1492
The carrack Santa María, commanded by Christopher Columbus, runs onto a reef off Haiti due to an improper watch.
A carrack is a three- or four-masted ocean-going sailing ship that was developed in the 14th to 15th centuries in Europe, most notably in Portugal and Spain. Evolving from the single-masted cog, the carrack was first used for European trade from the Mediterranean to the Baltic and quickly found use with the newly found wealth of the trade between Europe and Africa and then the trans-Atlantic trade with the Americas. In their most advanced forms, they were used by the Portuguese and Spaniards for trade between Europe, Africa and Asia starting in the late 15th century, before being gradually superseded in the late 16th and early 17th centuries by the galleon.
25/12/1356
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor, promulgates the Golden Bull, a constitution for his empire.
Charles IV was Holy Roman Emperor from 1355 until his death in 1378. He was elected King of Germany in 1346 and became King of Bohemia that same year. He was a member of the House of Luxembourg from his father's side and the Bohemian House of Přemyslid from his mother's side; he emphasized the latter due to his lifelong affinity for the Bohemian side of his inheritance, and also because his direct ancestors in the Přemyslid line included two saints.
25/12/1261
Eleven-year-old John IV Laskaris of the restored Eastern Roman Empire is deposed and blinded by orders of his co-ruler Michael VIII Palaiologos.
John IV Doukas Laskaris was the fourth emperor of the Nicaean Empire from August 16, 1258 to December 25, 1261, one of the Greek successor states formed after the Sack of Constantinople by the Roman Catholics during the Fourth Crusade. He was the last emperor from the prominent Laskarid dynasty and the last to only rule Nicaea before the Reconquest of Constantinople by his successor in 1261.
25/12/1130
Count Roger II of Sicily is crowned the first king of Sicily.
Roger II or Roger the Great was King of Sicily and Africa, son of Roger I of Sicily and successor to his brother Simon. He began his rule as Count of Sicily in 1105, became Duke of Apulia and Calabria in 1127, then King of Sicily in 1130 and King of Africa in 1148.
25/12/1100
Baldwin of Boulogne is crowned the first King of Jerusalem in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.
Baldwin I was the first count of Edessa from 1098 to 1100 and king of Jerusalem from 1100 to his death in 1118. He was the youngest son of Eustace II, Count of Boulogne, and Ida of Lorraine and married a Norman noblewoman, Godehilde of Tosny. He received the County of Verdun in 1096, but he soon joined the crusader army of his brother Godfrey of Bouillon and became one of the most successful commanders of the First Crusade.
25/12/1076
Coronation of Bolesław II the Generous as king of Poland.
Bolesław II the Bold, also known as the Generous, was Duke of Poland from 1058 to 1076 and King of Poland from 1076 to 1079. He was the eldest son of Duke Casimir I the Restorer and Maria Dobroniega of Kiev.
25/12/1066
William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy is crowned king of England, at Westminster Abbey, London.
William the Conqueror, sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was Duke of Normandy from 1035 onward. By 1060, following a long struggle, his hold on Normandy was secure. In 1066, following the death of Edward the Confessor, William invaded England, leading a Franco-Norman army to victory over the Anglo-Saxon forces of Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings. He suppressed subsequent English revolts in what has become known as the Norman Conquest. The rest of his life was marked by struggles to consolidate his hold over England and his continental lands, and by difficulties with his eldest son, Robert Curthose.
25/12/1046
Henry III is crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Clement II.
Henry III, called Heinrich the Pious, was Holy Roman Emperor from 1046 until his death in 1056. A member of the Salian dynasty, he was the eldest son of Conrad II and Gisela of Swabia.
25/12/1025
Coronation of Mieszko II Lambert as king of Poland.
Mieszko II Lambert was King of Poland from 1025 to 1031 and Duke from 1032 until his death.
25/12/1013
Sweyn Forkbeard takes control of the Danelaw and is proclaimed king of England.
Swein Forkbeard was King of Denmark from c. 986 and briefly King of England from December 1013. He was also overlord of Norway c. 986 – c. 994 and from c.1000.
25/12/1000
The foundation of the Kingdom of Hungary: Hungary is established as a Christian kingdom by Stephen I of Hungary.
1000 (M) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar, the 1000th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 1000th and last year of the 1st millennium, the 100th and last year of the 10th century, and the 1st year of the 1000s decade. As of the start of 1000, the Gregorian calendar was 5 days ahead of the Julian calendar, which was the dominant calendar of the time.
25/12/0820
Eastern Emperor Leo V is murdered in a church of the Great Palace of Constantinople by followers of Michael II.
Leo V the Armenian was the Byzantine emperor from 813 to 820. He is chiefly remembered for ending the decade-long war with the Bulgars, as well as initiating the second period of Byzantine iconoclasm.
25/12/0800
The coronation of Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor, in Rome.
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian Empire from 800. He united most of Western and Central Europe and was the first recognised emperor to rule from the west after the fall of the Western Roman Empire approximately three centuries earlier. Charlemagne's reign was marked by political and social changes that had lasting influence on Europe throughout the Middle Ages.
25/12/0597
Augustine of Canterbury and his fellow-labourers baptise in Kent more than 10,000 Anglo-Saxons.
Augustine of Canterbury was a Christian monk who became the first Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 597. He was the prior of a Benedictine monastery in Rome when Pope Gregory I chose him in 595 to lead a mission, usually known as the Gregorian mission, to Britain to Christianize King Æthelberht and his Kingdom of Kent from Anglo-Saxon paganism.
25/12/0508
Clovis I, king of the Franks, is baptized into the Catholic faith at Reims, by Saint Remigius.
Clovis I was the first Frankish king to unite the Franks, changing the form of leadership from a group of petty kings to rule by a single king, and ensuring that the kingship was passed down to his heirs. He is considered the founder of the Merovingian dynasty, which ruled the Frankish kingdom for the next two centuries. Clovis is an important figure in the history of France. According to Charles de Gaulle, he was "the first king of what would become France."
25/12/0350
Vetranio meets Constantius II at Naissus (Serbia) and is forced to abdicate his imperial title. Constantius allows him to live as a private citizen on a state pension.
Vetranio was briefly an imperial usurper and emperor in the Roman Empire in 350, during which time he controlled Illyricum between the rival emperors Magnus Magnentius and Constantius II, eventually capitulating to the latter.
25/12/0336
First documented sign of Christmas celebration in Rome.
Christmas is an annual celebration commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A liturgical feast central to Christianity, Christmas preparation begins on the First Sunday of Advent. Advent is followed by Christmastide, which historically in the West lasts twelve days and culminates on Twelfth Night. Christmas Day is a public holiday in many countries and is observed by a majority of Christians; it is also celebrated culturally by many non-Christians and forms an integral part of the annual holiday season.
25/12/0333
Roman Emperor Constantine the Great elevates his youngest son Constans to the rank of Caesar.
Constantine I, also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337 and the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. He played a pivotal role in elevating the status of Christianity in the Roman Empire, the Edict of Milan decriminalising Christian practice and ceasing Christian persecution. This was a turning point in the Christianisation of the Roman Empire. He founded the city of Constantinople and made it the capital of the Empire, which it remained for over a millennium.
25/12/0274
A temple to Sol Invictus is dedicated in Rome by Emperor Aurelian.
The Temple of the Sun was a temple in the Campus Agrippae in Rome. It was dedicated to Sol Invictus on 25 December 274 by the emperor Aurelian to fulfill a vow he made following his successful campaign against Palmyra in 272 and funded by spoils from that campaign. A college of pontifices (Dei) Solis and annual games with circus races was established for the cult, as well as four-year games to be held at the end of the Saturnalia.
25/12/0036
Forces of Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han, under the command of Wu Han, conquer the separatist Chengjia empire, reuniting China.
AD 36 (XXXVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Allenius and Plautius. The denomination AD 36 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.