December, 24th in History

[Spiritus Temporis]

Events

Friday 24, 2004:
The 2004 Christmas Eve Snowstorm delivers an extremely unusual snowfall to the southern United States.

Wednesday 24, 2003:
The Spanish police thwarts an attempt by ETA to detonate 50 kg of explosives at 3:55 PM inside Madrid's busy Chamartín Station.

Sunday 24, 2000:
The Texas 7 holds up a sports store in Irving, Texas. Police officer Aubrey Hawkins is shot during the robbery.

Wednesday 24, 1997:
The Dominican Republic becomes a member of the Berne Convention copyright treaty.

Thursday 24, 1987:
Japanese legendary rock band BOØWY declares their breakup at the Shibuya Kokaido.

Tuesday 24, 1985:
A black bull blocks the Cross Harbour Tunnel in Hong Kong for three hours.

Monday 24, 1979:
1979 - The first European Ariane rocket is launched.

Tuesday 24, 1974:
Cyclone Tracy devastates Darwin, Australia.

Wednesday 24, 1969:
Curt Flood writes to Bowie K. Kuhn, the Commissioner of Baseball, asking to be declared a free agent .

Tuesday 24, 1968:
1968 - The crew of Apollo 8 enter into orbit around the Moon, becoming the first humans to do so.

Saturday 24, 1966:
A Canadair CL44 chartered by the United States military crashes into a small village in South Vietnam, killing 129.

Friday 24, 1954:
Laos becomes independent

Thursday 24, 1953:
NBC's Dragnet becomes the first network-sponsored television program

Monday 24, 1951:
Libya becomes independent from Italy. Idris I is proclaimed King of Libya.

Tuesday 24, 1946:
France's Fourth Republic founded

Friday 24, 1943:
US General Dwight D. Eisenhower becomes the supreme Allied commander

Wednesday 24, 1941:
Wake Island is conquered by Japanese forces.

Wednesday 24, 1924:
Albania becomes a republic

Thursday 24, 1914:
World War I: The "Christmas truce" begins

Monday 24, 1906:
The first radio program, consisting of a poetry reading, a violin solo, and a speech, is broadcast.

Sunday 24, 1865:
Several US Civil War Confederate veterans form the Ku Klux Klan

Wednesday 24, 1851:
Library of Congress burns.

Thursday 24, 1818:
"Silent Night" composed by Franz Xaver Gruber

Saturday 24, 1814:
The Treaty of Ghent was signed which ended the War of 1812

Wednesday 24, 1777:
Kiritimati, also called Christmas Island, was discovered by James Cook.

Tuesday 24, 1715:
Swedish troops occupy Norway

Friday 24, 1515:
Thomas Wolsey is named the English Lord Chancellor

Thursday 24, 640:
John IV becomes Pope

Source: http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/24-december/on-this-day.html


People born on December 24

1976:
Jason Macy, New Zealand-born race car driver, writer, and photographer (b: December 24, 1976) (Biography of Jason Macy)

1974:
Ryan Seacrest, American television host (b: December 24, 1974) (Biography of Ryan Seacrest)
Marcelo Salas, Chilean footballer (b: December 24, 1974) (Biography of Marcelo Salas)

1973:
Eddie Pope, American soccer player (b: December 24, 1973) (Biography of Eddie Pope)

1971:
Ricky Martin, Puerto Rican singer (b: December 24, 1971) (Biography of Ricky Martin)

1969:
Mark Millar, Scottish comic-book writer (b: December 24, 1969) (Biography of Mark Millar)

1966:
Diedrich Bader, American actor (b: December 24, 1966) (Biography of Diedrich Bader)

1957:
Hamid Karzai, President of Afghanistan (b: December 24, 1957) (Biography of Hamid Karzai)

1955:
Clarence Gilyard, American actor (b: December 24, 1955) (Biography of Clarence Gilyard)

1950:
Dana Gioia, American poet and chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts (b: December 24, 1950) (Biography of Dana Gioia)

1949:
Randy Neugebauer, American politician (b: December 24, 1949) (Biography of Randy Neugebauer)

1945:
Lemmy Kilmister, British musician (b: December 24, 1945) (Biography of Lemmy Kilmister)
Nicholas Meyer, American author (b: December 24, 1945) (Biography of Nicholas Meyer)

1943:
Tarja Halonen, President of Finland (b: December 24, 1943) (Biography of Tarja Halonen)

1941:
John Levene, British actor (b: December 24, 1941) (Biography of John Levene)

1931:
Mauricio Kagel, Argentine composer (b: December 24, 1931) (Biography of Mauricio Kagel)

1929:
Mary Higgins Clark, American author (b: December 24, 1929) (Biography of Mary Higgins Clark)

1924:
Mohd. Rafi, Indian actor and playback singer (b: December 24, 1924 ; d: July 31, 1980) (Biography of Mohd. Rafi)

1923:
George Patton IV, American general (b: December 24, 1923 ; d: June 27, 2004) (Biography of George Patton IV)

1922:
Ava Gardner, American actress (b: December 24, 1922 ; d: January 25, 1990) (Biography of Ava Gardner)

1920:
Evgeniya Rudneva, Russian World War II heroine (b: December 24, 1920 ; d: April 9, 1944) (Biography of Evgeniya Rudneva)

1914:
Herbert Reinecker, German writer (b: December 24, 1914) (Biography of Herbert Reinecker)

1910:
Fritz Leiber, American writer (b: December 24, 1910 ; d: September 5, 1992) (Biography of Fritz Leiber)

1905:
Howard Hughes, American film producer and inventor (b: December 24, 1905 ; d: April 5, 1976) (Biography of Howard Hughes)

1898:
Baby Dodds, American jazz drummer (b: December 24, 1898 ; d: February 14, 1959) (Biography of Baby Dodds)

1895:
E. Roland Harriman, American financier (b: December 24, 1895 ; d: February 16, 1978) (Biography of E. Roland Harriman)

1886:
Michael Curtiz, Hungarian-born director (b: December 24, 1886) (Biography of Michael Curtiz)

1881:
Juan Ramón Jiménez, Spanish writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b: December 24, 1881 ; d: May 29, 1958) (Biography of Juan Ramón Jiménez)

1868:
Emanuel Lasker, German chess player (b: December 24, 1868 ; d: January 11, 1941) (Biography of Emanuel Lasker)

1845:
King George I of Greece (b: December 24, 1845 ; d: March 18, 1913) (Biography of George I of Greece)

1837:
Elisabeth of Bavaria, Empress of Austria (b: December 24, 1837 ; d: September 10, 1898) (Biography of Elisabeth of Bavaria)

1822:
Matthew Arnold, English poet (b: December 24, 1822 ; d: April 15, 1888) (Biography of Matthew Arnold)

1818:
James Prescott Joule, British physicist (b: December 24, 1818 ; d: October 11, 1889) (Biography of James Prescott Joule)

1812:
Karl Eduard Zachariae, German jurist (b: December 24, 1812) (Biography of Karl Eduard Zachariae)

1809:
Kit Carson, American frontiersman (b: December 24, 1809 ; d: May 23, 1868) (Biography of Kit Carson)

1754:
George Crabbe, English poet and naturalist (b: December 24, 1754) (Biography of George Crabbe)

1698:
William Warburton, English Bishop of Gloucester (b: December 24, 1698 ; d: June 7, 1779) (Biography of William Warburton)

1609:
Philip Warwick, English writer and politician (b: December 24, 1609 ; d: January 15, 1683) (Biography of Philip Warwick)

1508:
Pietro Carnesecchi, Italian humanist (b: December 24, 1508 ; d: October 1, 1567) (Biography of Pietro Carnesecchi)

1491:
Ignatius of Loyola, Spanish founder of the Jesuit order (b: December 24, 1491 ; d: July 31, 1556) (Biography of Ignatius Loyola)

1475:
Thomas Murner, German writer (b: December 24, 1475) (Biography of Thomas Murner)

1389:
John VI, Duke of Brittany (b: December 24, 1389 ; d: August 29, 1442) (Biography of John VI, Duke of Brittany)

1166:
King John of England (b: December 24, 1166) (Biography of John of England)

Source: http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/24-december/births.html

[Spiritus Temporis]

They left us on December 24

2004:
Johnny Oates, baseball player and manager (b: January 21, 1946 ; d: December 24, 2004) (Biography of Johnny Oates)

2002:
Kjell Aukrust, Norwegian author (b: March 19, 1920 ; d: December 24, 2002) (Biography of Kjell Aukrust)

1999:
João Baptista de Oliveira Figueiredo, Brazilian politician (b: January 15, 1918 ; d: December 24, 1999) (Biography of João Baptista de Oliveira Figueiredo)

1997:
Toshiro Mifune, Japanese actor (b: April 1, 1920 ; d: December 24, 1997) (Biography of Toshiro Mifune)

1994:
John Boswell (d: December 24, 1994) (Biography of John Boswell)

1993:
Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, American clergyman (b: May 31, 1898 ; d: December 24, 1993) (Biography of Norman Vincent Peale)

1987:
Joop den Uyl, Prime Minister of the Netherlands (b: August 9, 1919 ; d: December 24, 1987) (Biography of Joop den Uyl)

1986:
Gardner Fox, American writer (b: May 20, 1911 ; d: December 24, 1986) (Biography of Gardner Fox)

1984:
Peter Lawford, English actor (b: September 7, 1923 ; d: December 24, 1984) (Biography of Peter Lawford)

1982:
Louis Aragon, French writer (b: October 3, 1897 ; d: December 24, 1982) (Biography of Louis Aragon)

1980:
Karl Dönitz (d: December 24, 1980) (Biography of Karl Dönitz)

1975:
Bernard Herrmann, American film composer (b: June 29, 1911 ; d: December 24, 1975) (Biography of Bernard Herrmann)

1972:
Gisela Richter, English art historian (b: August 14, 1882 ; d: December 24, 1972) (Biography of Gisela Richter)

1957:
Norma Talmadge, American actress (b: May 26, 1893 ; d: December 24, 1957) (Biography of Norma Talmadge)

1942:
François Darlan (d: December 24, 1942) (Biography of François Darlan)

1938:
Bruno Taut (d: December 24, 1938) (Biography of Bruno Taut)

1935:
Alban Berg, Austrian composer (b: February 9, 1885 ; d: December 24, 1935) (Biography of Alban Berg)

1914:
John Muir, American environmentalist (b: April 21, 1838 ; d: December 24, 1914) (Biography of John Muir)

1889:
Jan Jakob Lodewijk ten Kate, Dutch poet and clergyman (b: December 23, 1819 ; d: December 24, 1889) (Biography of Jan Jakob Lodewijk ten Kate)

1865:
Charles Lock Eastlake (d: December 24, 1865) (Biography of Charles Lock Eastlake)

1863:
William Makepeace Thackeray, English author (b: July 18, 1811 ; d: December 24, 1863) (Biography of William Makepeace Thackeray)

1813:
Empress Go-Sakuramachi of Japan (b: September 23, 1740 ; d: December 24, 1813) (Biography of Empress Go-Sakuramachi of Japan)

1707:
Noël Coypel, French painter (b: December 25, 1628 ; d: December 24, 1707) (Biography of Noël Coypel)

1660:
Mary of Orange, eldest daughter of Charles I of England and mother of W (b: November 4, 1631 ; d: December 24, 1660) (Biography of Mary, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange)

1524:
Vasco da Gama (d: December 24, 1524) (Biography of Vasco da Gama)

1453:
John Dunstable (d: December 24, 1453) (Biography of John Dunstable)

1257:
John I, Count of Hainaut (d: December 24, 1257) (Biography of John I, Count of Hainaut)

820:
Leo V (d: December 24, 820) (Biography of Leo V)

Source: http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/24-december/deaths.html