What are the important events that happened on December 24? Here are historical events, facts, and some myths about this day.

December 24: Facts & Myths About This Day

December 24 is the 358^th day of the year 2025 in the Gregorian calendar. There are 7 days remaining until the end of this year. The day of the week is Wednesday.

Under the Julian calendar, this day is December 11, 2025 – a Wednesday. Both day of the week are the same but did you notice the difference with the Gregorian calendar?

When this day started, 1,766,534,400 seconds has elapsed since midnight of January 1, 1970 – the Unix epoch.

Strange as it may, if we name this day after a polygon then it will be called ‘trihectapentacontaoctagon’ day.

Capricorn is the zodiac sign of a person born on this day. Turquoise is the modern birthstone for this month. Onyx is the mystical birthstone from Tibetan origin that dates back over a thousand years.

According to the lunisolar Chinese calendar, there are 55 days remaining before the start of the next Chinese New Year.

The ancient Maya civilization believes that the end of the world will happen on December 21, 2012. There are now 4,751 days since this fabled cataclysmic event.

December 24 Historical Events

• 563 –
  The Byzantine church Hagia Sophia in Constantinople is dedicated for the second time after being destroyed by earthquakes.
• 1777 –
  Kiritimati, also called Christmas Island, is discovered by James Cook.
• 1818 –
  The first performance of “Silent Night” takes place in the church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorf, Austria.
• 1906 –
  Radio: Reginald Fessenden transmits the first radio broadcast; consisting of a poetry reading, a violin solo, and a speech.
• 1953 –
  Tangiwai disaster: A railway bridge is destroyed by a lahar at Tangiwai, in the Central North Island of New Zealand, sending a fully loaded passenger train into the Whangaehu River, and killing 153 people.
• 1966 –
  A Canadair CL-44 chartered by the United States military crashes into a small village in South Vietnam, killing 129.
• 1973 –
  District of Columbia Home Rule Act is passed, allowing residents of Washington, D.C. to elect their own local government.
• 1980 –
  Witnesses report the first of several sightings of unexplained lights near RAF Woodbridge, in Rendlesham Forest, Suffolk, England, an incident called “Britain’s Roswell”.
• 1997 –
  The Sid El-Antri massacre (or Sidi Lamri) in Algeria kills 50-100 people.
• 2005 –
  Chad–Sudan relations: Chad declares a state of war against Sudan following a December 18 attack on Adré, which left about 100 people dead.

Who were born on December 24?

• 1798 –
  Adam Mickiewicz, Polish poet (d. 1855)
• 1868 –
  Emanuel Lasker, German chess player (d. 1941)
• 1887 –
  Louis Jouvet, French actor and producer (d. 1951)
• 1914 –
  Ralph Marterie, American trumpet player and big band leader (d. 1978)
• 1930 –
  Robert Joffrey, American choreographer (d. 1988)
• 1948 –
  Frank Oliver, New Zealand rugby player
• 1954 –
  José María Figueres, Costa Rican politician
• 1955 –
  Clarence Gilyard, American actor
• 1957 –
  Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan
• 1958 –
  Gene Sperling, American economist and government official

Who died on December 24?

• 738 –
  Maslamah ibn Abd al-Malik, Umayyad prince and general
• 1889 –
  Jan Jakob Lodewijk ten Kate, Dutch poet and clergyman (b. 1819)
• 1920 –
  Stephen Mosher Wood, American politician (b. 1832)
• 1976 –
  Duarte Nuno, Duke of Braganza, heir to the throne of Portugal (b. 1907)
• 1992 –
  Bobby LaKind, American musician and singer (The Doobie Brothers) (b. 1945)
• 1992 –
  Peyo, Belgian comics artist, and creator of The Smurfs (b. 1928)
• 1999 –
  Maurice Couve de Murville, French politician, Prime minister of France (b. 1907)
• 2002 –
  Jake Thackray, English singer-songwriter (b. 1938)
• 2006 –
  “Braguinha”, Brazilian songwriter (b. 1907)
• 2009 –
  Marcus Bakker, Dutch politician (b. 1923)