Christmas Eve
Birthdays:
1971 ~ Ricky Martin (né Enrique Martin Morales), Puerto Rican singer. He is considered the King of Latin Pop. He holds both American and Spanish citizenship. He was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
1962 ~ Kate Spade (née Katherine Noel Frances Brosnahan; d. June 5, 2018), American fashion designer who built a handbag empire. She was best known for her designer handbags. She was born in Kansas City, Missouri. She died at age 55 of an apparent suicide in New York, New York.
1958 ~ Michael Flynn (né Michael Thomas Flynn), American retired lieutenant general in the United States Army. He served as the 24th United States National Security Advisor for 22 days, from January 22 until February 13, 2017 during the Trump administration. He was forced to resign his position amid a growing Russia scandal. In December 2016, prior to Trump’s inauguration, he made several phone calls to the Russian ambassador indicating that Trump would reverse the sanctions placed on Russia by the Obama administration. Flynn later denied making the phone calls.
1957 ~ Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan. He served as President from December 2001 until September 2014. He was born in Karz, Afghanistan.
1955 ~ Scott Fischer (né Scott Eugene Fischer; d. May 11, 1996), American mountaineer and guide. He was best known for his ascents of the world’s highest mountains. In 1996, he was leading a group of hikers up Mt. Everest when a sudden blizzard arose. He did not survive the storm. He was the subject of the book, Into Thin Air: Death on Everest. He was born in Muskegon, Michigan. He was 40 at the time of his death.
1946 ~ Jeff Sessions (né Jefferson Beauregard Sessions, III), American politician and 84th United States Attorney General. He assumed that Office in February 2017 and served during the Trump administration until he was forced to resign in November 2018. Prior to becoming Attorney General, he served as a United States Senator from Alabama. He also served as a United States Senator from January 1997 until February 2017. In 1986, the Senate Judiciary Committee blocked Sessions from becoming a United States attorney on the grounds that he was too racist to become a federal judge. He was born in Selma, Alabama.
1945 ~ Lemmy Kilmister (né Ian Fraser Kilmister; d. Dec. 28, 2015), English musician. He was the founder and lead singer of the rockband Motörhead. He died 4 days after his 70th birthday of prostate cancer and congestive heart failure.
1940 ~ Anthony Fauci (né Anthony Stephen Fauci), American physician immunologist. He is director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. He was the face of reason in the United States during the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic. He was born in Brooklyn, New York.
1930 ~ Robert Joffrey (né Abdullah Jaffa Bey Khan, d. Mar. 25, 1988), American choreographer and founder of the Joffrey Ballet. He was born in Seattle, Washington. He died of AIDS at age 57 in New York, New York.
1929 ~ Frank Tyger (d. May 2, 2011), American cartoonist. He was born in Brooklyn, New York. He died of Parkinson’s Disease at age 81.
1928 ~ Manfred Rommel (d. Nov. 7, 2013), German politician and Wehrmacht general’s son who made amends. His father was Field Marshall Erwin Rommel. He was born and died in Stuttgart, Germany. He died at age 84.
1927 ~ Mary Higgins Clark (née Mary Theresa Eleanor Higgins; d. Jan. 31, 2020), American suspense writer who pumped out best sellers. She began writing after her husband died in 1964 and she had to support her young family. She was born in the Bronx, New York. She died about a month after her 92nd birthday in Naples, Florida.
1925 ~ Yafa Yakoni (d. Jan. 1, 2012), Israeli singer. She died in Tel Aviv, Israel 8 days after her 86th birthday.
1923 ~ General George Patton, IV (né George Smith Patton, IV; d. June 27, 2004), American general. He served in Korea and Vietnam. He was the son of World War II General George S. Patton, Jr. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts and died in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. He died at age 80.
1922 ~ Ava Gardner (née Ava Lavinia Gardner; d. Jan. 25, 1990), American actress. She was married to Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw and Frank Sinatra. She was born in Grabtown, North Carolina. She died of pneumonia a month after her 67thbirthday in London, England.
1921 ~ Bill Dudley (né William McGarvey Dudley; d. Feb. 4, 2010), American NFL halfback who was known as “Bullet Bill.” He was born in Bluefield, Virginia. He died at age 88 in Lynchburg, Virginia.
1910 ~ Max Mideinger (d. Mar. 8, 1980), Swiss typeface designer best known for creating the Helvetica typeface in 1957. He was born and died in Zurich, Switzerland. He died at age 69.
1907 ~ I.F. Stone, (né Isidor Feinstein Stone; d. June 18, 1989), American investigative journalist and writer. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He died of myocardial infarction at age 81 in Boston, Massachusetts.
1905 ~ Howard Hughes (né Howard Robard Hughes, Jr.; d. Apr. 5, 1976), American hermit and aviator. He was born in Humble, Texas. He died in Houston, Texas of kidney failure at age 70.
1903 ~ Ava Pauling (né Ava Helen Miller; d. Dec. 7, 1981), American humanitarian and social activist. She was also the wife of scientist Linus Pauling. She was born in Beavercreek, Oregon. She died 17 days before her 78th birthday in Portola Valley, California following a long battle with stomach cancer.
1880 ~ Johnny Gruelle (né John Barton Gruelle; d. Jan. 9, 1938), American cartoonist, children’s author and creator of the Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls. He was born in Arcola, Illinois. He died 15 days after his 57th birthday of a heart attack in Miami Springs, Florida.
1879 ~ Alexandrine, of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (d. Dec. 28, 1952), Queen consort of Denmark and Iceland and wife of King Christian X. She was of the House of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. She was the daughter of Frederick Francis III, Grand Duke of Meckleburg-Schwerin and Grand Duchess Anastasia Mikhailovna of Russia. She died 4 days after her 73rdbirthday.
1868 ~ Emanuel Lasker (d. Jan. 11, 1941), German mathematician. He was the World Chess Champion for 27 years, from 1894 until 1921. He died of a kidney infection 17 days after his 72nd birthday in New York, New York.
1845 ~ George I, King of Greece (d. Mar. 18, 1913). He was King of Greece from March 1963 until his assassination 50 years later. He was married to Olga Constantinovna of Russia. He was of the House of Glücksburg. He was the son of Christian IX, King of Denmark and Louise of Hesse-Kassel. He was killed at age 67.
1837 ~ Elizabeth of Austria (d. Sept. 10, 1898), Empress consort and wife of Franz Joseph I of Austria. Before she married, she was known as Duchess Elisabeth in Bavaria. She was of the House of Wittelsbach. She was the daughter of Duke Maximilian Joseph in Bavaria and Princess Ludovika of Bavaria. She was assassinated at age 60 in Geneva, Switzerland. Her life story is told in the historical novel, Sisi: Empress on Her Own, by Allison Pataki.
1822 ~ Matthew Arnold (d. Apr. 15, 1888), British poet and social and religious critic. He died at age 65.
1822 ~ Charles Hermite (d. Jan. 14, 1901), French mathematician who studied number theory. He was born in Dieuze, France. He died 3 weeks after his 78th birthday in Paris, France.
1818 ~ James Joule (né James Prescott Joule; d. Oct. 11, 1889), British physicist, mathematician, and brewer. He is best known for studying law of conservation of energy and the first law of thermodynamics. He died at age 70.
1809 ~ Kit Carson (né Christopher Houston Carson; d. May 23, 1868), American general, frontiersman, scout, and Indian agent. He was born in Richmond, Kentucky. He died at age 58 in Fort Lyon, Colorado Territory.
1804 ~ Charles M. Conrad (né Charles Magill Conrad; d. Feb. 11, 1878), politician and United States Senator from Louisiana. He was a senator from April 1842 until 1843. He served as the 22nd United States Secretary of War under Presidents Millard Fillmore and Franklin Pierce from August 1850 until March 1853. After Louisiana seceded from the Union, he served a member of the Confederate Congress. He was born in Winchester, Virginia. He died in New Orleans, Louisiana at age 73.
1747 ~ William Paterson (d. Sept. 9, 1806), Irish-born American Associate Justice of the United State. He was nominated to the Supreme Court by President George Washington. He served on the High Court from March 1793 until his death at age 60 on this date 13 years later. He replaced Thomas Johnson on the Court and was succeeded by Henry Livingston. Prior to serving on the Supreme Court, he served as the 2nd Governor of New Jersey, from October 1790 until March 1793. The town of Paterson, New Jersey is named in his honor. He died in Albany, New York.
1634 ~ Mariana of Austria (d. May 16, 1696), Queen consort of Spain and second wife of Philip IV, King of Spain. She was of the House of Habsburg. She was the daughter of Ferdinand III, Holy Roman Emperor and Maria Anna of Spain. She died at age 61.
1597 ~ Honoré II, Prince of Monaco (d. Jan. 10, 1662). He was the first to be called the Prince of Monaco. He was married to Ippolita Trivulzio. He was of the House of Grimaldi. He was the son of Hercule, Lord of Monaco and Marina Landi. He died 16 days after his 64th birthday. He was succeeded by his grandson, Louis I, Prince of Monaco.
1588 ~ Constance of Austria (d. July 10, 1631), Queen consort of Poland and second wife of Sigismund III Vasa, King of Poland. She was of the House of Habsburg. She was the daughter of Charles II, Archduke of Austria and Maria Anna of Bavaria. She died at age 42.
1166 ~ John I, King of England (d. Oct. 19, 1216). He was also known as John Lackland. He was the youngest of five sons of Henry II, King of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. He was never expected to become king, however, his brothers all died, so he ascended to the throne. He is best known for his association with the Magna Carta. He was married to Isabella, Countess of Gloucester, but their marriage was annulled before he ascended to the throne. He then married Isabella, Countess of Angoulême. He was of the House of Plantagenet/Angevin. He was the son of Henry II, King of England and Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine. He was succeeded by his 9-year-old son, Henry, who would become King Henry III. John died at age 49.
Events that Changed the World:
2016 ~ Chanakah began at sunset.
1979 ~ The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan.
1973 ~ The residents of Washington, D.C., were finally granted the legal authority to elect their own local government, following the passage of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act.
1968 ~ Apollo 8 became the first manned crew to orbit the Moon. The crew was comprised of Frank Borman (b. 1928), James Lovell (b. 1928), and William Anders (b. 1933).
1955 ~ The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) began the annual tradition of tracking Santa Claus.
1951 ~ Libya gained its independence from Italy. Idris I (1889 ~ 1983) was named King. He reigned until 1969, when Colonel Mu’ammar Muhammad al-Qadhafi (1942 ~ 2011) led a revolution. Qadhafi became the head of the Libyan government until he was ousted and killed in 2011.
1945 ~ A fire destroyed the home of George Sodder in Fayetteville, West Virginia. George, his wife and four of their children escaped the fire. The other five children who were in the house at the time of the fire disappeared and their bodies have never been found.
1943 ~ General Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890 ~ 1969) became the Supreme Allied Commander during World War II.
1923 ~ President Calvin Coolidge (1872 ~ 1933) lit the first National Christmas tree.
1914 ~ The World War I Christmas truce began. It was a series of unofficial ceasefires that occurred along the Western Front. British and German soldiers began to exchange Christmas greetings on occasionally entered into the “no-man’s land” to mingle, to exchange food and tokes and sing Christmas songs.
1906 ~ Reginald Fessenden (1866 ~ 1932), a radio pioneer, transmitted the first radio broadcast. It consisted of a poetry reading, a violin solo, and a speech.
1871 ~ Giuseppe Verdi’s opera, Aida, was first performed. The premiere of the opera took place in Cairo, Egypt.
1865 ~ The Ku Klux Klan was formed.
1851 ~ The United States Library of Congress burned. Nearly two-thirds of the volumes stored in the library were destroyed, including most of Thomas Jefferson’s personal library that had been sold to the Library in 1815
1826 ~ Cadets at the United States Military Academy became involved in the Eggnog Riot. A few days prior to the incident, a large quantity of whiskey had been smuggled into the academy to make eggnog for the Christmas party. Things got out of hand, and the drunken cadets began a riot. Following an investigation, several of the cadets were court-martialed.
1818 ~ The first performance of Silent Night was held at St. Nikolaus Church in Oberndorf, Austria.
1814 ~ The Treaty of Ghent was signed by the United States and the United Kingdom, thereby ending the War of 1812.
1777 ~ James Cook (1728 ~ 1779) visited Kiritimati, also known as Christmas Island. A few years earlier, William Mynors discovered the island on Christmas Day, hence its name.
1294 ~ Pope Boniface VIII (1230 ~ 1303) was elected Pope, replacing Pope Celestine V (1215 ~ 1296), who had resigned after serving only a few months. He was succeeded by Pope Benedict XI (1240 ~ 1304).
640 ~ Pope John IV (d. 642) was elected Pope after a 4-month vacancy. He was head of the Catholic Church for just under 2 years. He succeeded Pope Severinus (d. 640) and was followed by Pope Theodore I (d. 649).
Good-byes:
2016 ~ Richard Adams (né Richard George Adams; b. May 9, 1920), British author best known for his novel Watership Down. He died at age 96.
2012 ~ Charles Durning (né Charles Edward Durning; b. Feb. 28, 1923), American actor. He died at age 89.
2012 ~ Jack Klugman (né Jacob Joachim Klugman; b. Apr. 27, 1922), American actor. He is best known for his role as Oscar Madison on the television sit-com, The Odd Couple. He died at age 90.
2008 ~ Harold Pinter (b. Oct. 10, 1930), British playwright and recipient of the 2005 Nobel Prize in Literature. He died at age 78.
2008 ~ Samuel P. Huntington (né Samuel Phillips Huntington; b. Apr. 18, 1927), American scholar who predicted a class of cultures. He was best known for arguing that religion and culture, particularly Christianity and Islam, would fuel the conflicts of the 21st century. He was born in New York, New York. He died in Martha’s Vineyard at age 81.
1999 ~ Bill Bowerman (né William Jay Bowerman; b. Feb. 19, 1911), American sports coach and businessman. He was a co-founder of Nike, Inc. He died at age 88.
1993 ~ Norman Vincent Peale (b. May 31, 1898), American clergyman and author. He is best known for his book, The Power of Positive Thinking. He died at age 95.
1984 ~ Peter Lawford (né Peter Sydney Ernest Alyen; b. Sept. 7, 1923), English-American actor. He was the former brother-in-law to President John F. Kennedy during his marriage to the President’s sister, Patricia. He had married several times, but Patricia Kennety was his first wife. He was born in London, England. He died in Los Angeles, California at age 61 of cardiac arrest, complicated by renal and liver failure.
1982 ~ Louis Aragon (b. Oct. 3, 1897), French poet and leader in the French surrealist movement in France. He died at age 85.
1977 ~ Juan Velasco Alvarado (b. June 16, 1910), Peruvian general, dictator and President of Peru. He ruled Peru as the President of the Revolutionary Government of the Armed Forces of Peru from October 1968 through August 30, 1975. He died at age 67.
1972 ~ Charles Atlas (né Angelo Siciliano; b. Oct. 30, 1893), Italian-born bodybuilder. He died at age 80.
1967 ~ Burt Baskin (b. Dec. 17, 1913), American entrepreneur and co-founder of the Basking and Robbins ice cream franchise. He was born in Streator, Illinois. He died of a heart attack 7 days after his 54th birthday in Los Angeles, California.
1962 ~ Wilhelm Ackermann (né Wilhelm Friedrich Ackermann; b. Mar. 29, 1896), German mathematician. He died at age 66.
1914 ~ John Muir (b. Apr. 21, 1838), Scottish-American environmentalist. He was the founder of the Sierra Club. He died of pneumonia at age 76.
1889 ~ Charles Mackay (b. Mar. 27, 1814), Scottish poet and author. He was born in Perth, Scotland. He died at age 85 in London, England.
1873 ~ Johns Hopkins (b. May 19, 1795), American businessman, abolitionist and philanthropist. Ironically, he and his family actually owned slaves. Johns Hopkins University was one of the beneficiaries of his will. He died at age 78.
1872 ~ William John Macquorn Rankine (b. July 5, 1820), Scottish mathematician and engineer. He died at age 52.
1869 ~ Edwin Stanton (né Edward McMasters Stanton; b. Dec. 19, 1814), 25th United States Attorney General. He served in this position under President James Buchanan. He subsequently served as the 27th Secretary of the Navy under Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson. He was born in Steubenville, Ohio. He died in Washington, D.C., 5 days after his 55th birthday.
1863 ~ William Makepeace Thackerary (b. July 18, 1811), British author. He is best known for his satirical novel Vanity Fair. He died at age 52.
1850 ~ Frédéric Bastiat (né Claude-Frédéric Bastiat; b. June 30, 1801), French economist and diplomat. He was born in Bayonne, France. He died at age 49 in Rome, Italy.
1660 ~ Mary, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange (b. Nov. 4, 1631), Princess consort of Orange. She was the wife of William II, Prince of Orange. They married in 1660. She was of the House of Stuart. She was the daughter of Charles I, King of England and Henrietta Maria of France. She was born and died in London, England. She was Protestant. She died of smallpox at age 29.
1524 ~ Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira (b. 1469), Portuguese explorer. The exact date of his birth is not known.
36 ~ Gongsun Shu, Chinese emperor of Chengjia. He ruled for 12 years before dying from injuries sustained in a battle. The date of his birth is not known.
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