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

• 1851 –
  Library of Congress burns.
• 1865 –
  The Ku Klux Klan is formed.
• 1906 –
  Radio: Reginald Fessenden transmits the first radio broadcast; consisting of a poetry reading, a violin solo, and a speech.
• 1929 –
  Assassination attempt on Argentine President Hipólito Yrigoyen.
• 1941 –
  World War II: Kuching is conquered by Japanese forces.
• 1942 –
  World War II: French monarchist, Fernand Bonnier de La Chapelle, assassinates Vichy French Admiral François Darlan in Algiers.
• 1943 –
  World War II: U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower becomes the Supreme Allied Commander.
• 1966 –
  A Canadair CL-44 chartered by the United States military crashes into a small village in South Vietnam, killing 129.
• 1968 –
  Apollo Program: The crew of Apollo 8 enters into orbit around the Moon, becoming the first humans to do so. They performed 10 lunar orbits and broadcast live TV pictures that became the famous Christmas Eve Broadcast, one of the most watched programs in history.
• 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”.

Who were born on December 24?

• 1798 –
  Adam Mickiewicz, Polish poet (d. 1855)
• 1877 –
  Sigrid Schauman, Finnish painter (d. 1979)
• 1904 –
  Joseph Moses Juran, American industrial engineer and philanthropist (d. 2008)
• 1945 –
  Lemmy, British singer, bassist (Motörhead)
• 1945 –
  Steve Smith, Canadian Comedian, The New Red Green Show, Duct Tape Forever
• 1959 –
  Keith Deller, British darts player
• 1971 –
  Giorgos Alkaios, Greek singer
• 1972 –
  Alvaro Mesen, Costa Rican footballer
• 1981 –
  Dima Bilan, Russian pop artist
• 1991 –
  Louis Tomlinson, Member of British/Irish boy band One Direction

Who died on December 24?

• 1400 –
  Archibald the Grim, Scottish magnate (b. 1328)
• 1524 –
  Vasco da Gama, Portuguese explorer (b. c.1469)
• 1868 –
  Adolphe d'Archiac, French paleontologist and geologist (b. 1802)
• 1873 –
  Johns Hopkins, Baltimore philanthropist and businessman (b. 1795)
• 1984 –
  Peter Lawford, British actor (b. 1923)
• 1992 –
  Bobby LaKind, American musician and singer (The Doobie Brothers) (b. 1945)
• 1997 –
  Toshirō Mifune, Japanese actor (b. 1920)
• 2004 –
  Johnny Oates, baseball player and manager (b. 1946)
• 2007 –
  Akbar Radi, Iranian dramatist and playwright (b. 1939)
• 2010 –
  Eino Tamberg, Estonian composer (b. 1930)