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Historical events on December 24

DECEMBER 24, 1918
Forces united in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes defeated Hungarian forces to end the occupation of Međimurje.
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a country in Southeast and Central Europe that existed from 1918 until 1941. From 1918 to 1929, Read More
DECEMBER 24, 1865
Six Confederate veterans of the American Civil War founded a social club they named the Ku Klux Klan, which later became a white supremacist group.
The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the military land force of the Confederate Read More
DECEMBER 24, 1979
The Soviet government deployed troops in Afghanistan, starting the Soviet–Afghan War.
The Soviet–Afghan War was an armed conflict that took place in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan from December 1979 to February 1989. Read More
DECEMBER 24, 1999
Jihadists linked to al-Qaeda hijacked Indian Airlines Flight 814 to force the release of Islamist figures held in prison in India.
Jihadism is a neologism for modern, armed militant Islamic movements that seek to establish states based on Islamic principles. In a narrower Read More
DECEMBER 24, 1846
The Sultanate of Brunei ceded the island of Labuan to the British Empire.
The Sultanate of Brunei or simply Brunei, also known as the Bruneian Empire, was a Malay sultanate centered around Brunei on the Read More
DECEMBER 24, 1955
According to legend, the NORAD Tracks Santa program began after children began calling the Continental Air Defense Command Center to inquire about Santa Claus's whereabouts due to a misprinted phone number in an advertisement.
NORAD Tracks Santa, also called NORAD Santa Tracker, is an annual official program in which North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) publishes Read More
DECEMBER 24, 2021
Burmese military forces killed at least 40 civilians during the Mo So massacre in Kayah State, Myanmar.
The Tatmadaw, also known as the Sit-Tat, is the armed forces of Myanmar. It is administered by the Ministry of Defence and Read More
DECEMBER 24, 1818
The Christmas carol "Silent Night" (audio featured) by Joseph Mohr and Franz Gruber was first performed in a church in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria.
A Christmas carol is a carol (a song or hymn) on the theme of Christmas, traditionally sung at Christmas itself or during Read More
DECEMBER 24, 1914
World War I: British and German soldiers interrupted fighting to celebrate Christmas, beginning the Christmas truce .
World War I or the First World War, also known as the Great War, was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Read More
DECEMBER 24, 759
The Tang-dynasty poet Du Fu departed for Chengdu, where he lived for the next five years and composed poems about life in his thatched cottage.
The Tang dynasty, or the Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an interregnum Read More
DECEMBER 24, 1973
The U.S. Congress granted home rule to Washington, D.C., allowing the residents to elect their own mayor and a city council.
The United States Congress is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a bicameral legislature, including Read More
DECEMBER 24, 1814
The United Kingdom and the United States signed a peace treaty in Ghent, present-day Belgium, ending the War of 1812.
The Treaty of Ghent was the peace treaty that ended the War of 1812 between the United States and the United Kingdom. Read More
DECEMBER 24, 1964
The Viet Cong bombed the Brinks Hotel in Saigon, killing two U.S. Army officers and raising fears of an escalation of the Vietnam War.
The Viet Cong (VC) was an epithet and umbrella term to refer to the communist-driven armed movement and united front organization in Read More
DECEMBER 24, 1968
Piloted by Jim Lovell, Apollo 8 became the first human spaceflight to reach and orbit the Moon (Earthrise pictured).
James Arthur Lovell Jr. is an American retired astronaut, naval aviator, test pilot and mechanical engineer. In 1968, as command module pilot Read More
DECEMBER 24, 1983
Aeroflot Flight 601 crashed on approach to Leshukonskoye in the Russian SSR, killing 44 out of 49 people on board.
Aeroflot Flight 601 was a scheduled Soviet domestic passenger flight from Arkhangelsk to Leshukonskoye in the Russian SSR, operated by Aeroflot. The Read More
DECEMBER 24, 1953
A railway bridge at Tangiwai on New Zealand's North Island was damaged by a lahar and collapsed beneath a passenger train (wreckage pictured), killing 151 people.
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island Read More
DECEMBER 24, 1777
An expedition led by English explorer James Cook reached Christmas Island (pictured), the largest coral atoll in the world.
Captain James Cook was a British explorer, cartographer, and naval officer famous for his three voyages between 1768 and 1779 to the Read More
DECEMBER 24, 1913
Seventy-three people were crushed to death in a stampede after someone falsely yelled "fire" at a crowded Christmas party in Calumet, Michigan, U.S.
The Italian Hall disaster was a tragedy that occurred on Wednesday, December 24, 1913, in Calumet, Michigan, United States. Seventy-three people – Read More

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