Did you know
Harry T. Moore and Harriette V. S. Moore were both educators, with Harry serving as the executive secretary of the Florida NAACP.
December 25 in History
1951 — A bomb explodes at the home of Harry T
Moore and Harriette V. S. Moore, early leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, killing Harry instantly and fatally wounding Harriette.
December 25 spans 69 recorded events across recorded history, from 36 to 2024. Below is a curated digest of the most significant moments tied to this date.
By thisDay.info Editorial Team · — Wikipedia
Historical Events
69 events
36 – 2024
Today in history
More major events on December 25
The featured story and these ranked highlights form a quick summary. Every recorded event remains available in the chronology below.
- 1968 Apollo program: Apollo 8 performs the first successful Trans-Earth injection (TEI) maneuver, sending the crew and spacecraft on a trajectory back to Earth from Lunar orbit. Source
- 1915 The National Protection War breaks out against the Empire of China, as military leaders Cai E and Tang Jiyao proclaim the independence of Yunnan and begin a campaign to restore the Republic. Source
- 1989 Romanian Revolution: Deposed President of Romania Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife, Elena, are condemned to death and executed after a summary trial. Source
Did you know
The Moores' home in Mims, Florida, was the site of the bombing that took their lives.
Did you know
The FBI investigated the bombing, but no one was ever charged or convicted of the crime.
Did you know
The murders of Harry and Harriette Moore occurred on the 25th anniversary of their wedding, which they had celebrated earlier that day.
Did you know
Harriette Moore died from her injuries on January 3, 1952, at the age of 49, nine days after the bombing.
36
Forces of Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han, under the command of Wu Han, conquer the separatist Chengjia empire, reuniting China.
Fourth decade of the first century AD
274
A temple to Sol Invictus is dedicated in Rome by Emperor Aurelian.
Roman temple in the Campus Agrippae dedicated in 274
333
Roman Emperor Constantine the Great elevates his youngest son Constans to the rank of Caesar.
Roman emperor from 306 to 337
336
First documented sign of Christmas celebration in Rome.
Christian holiday usually on December 25
350
Vetranio meets Constantius II at Naissus (Serbia) and is forced to abdicate his imperial title.
Constantius allows him to live as a private citizen on a state pension.
508
Clovis I, king of the Franks, is baptized into the Catholic faith at Reims, by Saint Remigius.
King of the Franks from 481 to 511
597
Augustine of Canterbury and his fellow-labourers baptise in Kent more than 10,000 Anglo-Saxons.
Missionary, archbishop, and saint (died 604)
800
The coronation of Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor, in Rome.
Carolingian emperor from 800 to 814
820
Eastern Emperor Leo V is murdered in a church of the Great Palace of Constantinople by followers of Michael II.
Byzantine emperor from 813 to 820
1000
The foundation of the Kingdom of Hungary: Hungary is established as a Christian kingdom by Stephen I of Hungary.
Calendar year
1013
Sweyn Forkbeard takes control of the Danelaw and is proclaimed king of England.
King of Denmark and England (died 1014)
1025
Coronation of Mieszko II Lambert as king of Poland.
King of Poland (r. 1025–1031); Duke of Poland (r. 1032–1034)
1046
Henry III is crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Clement II.
Holy Roman Emperor from 1046 to 1056
1066
William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy is crowned king of England, at Westminster Abbey, London.
King of England from 1066 to 1087
1076
Coronation of Bolesław II the Generous as king of Poland.
Duke of Poland (1058–1076); King of Poland (1076–1079)
1100
Baldwin of Boulogne is crowned the first King of Jerusalem in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.
King of Jerusalem from 1100 to 1118
1130
Count Roger II of Sicily is crowned the first king of Sicily.
King of Sicily from 1130 to 1154
1261
Eleven-year-old John IV Laskaris of the restored Eastern Roman Empire is deposed and blinded by orders of his co-ruler Michael VIII Palaiologos.
Emperor of Nicaea from 1258 to 1261
1356
Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor, promulgates the Golden Bull, a constitution for his empire.
Holy Roman Emperor from 1355 to 1378
1492
The carrack Santa María, commanded by Christopher Columbus, runs onto a reef off Haiti due to an improper watch.
14th–18th century masted sailing ship
1553
Battle of Tucapel: Mapuche rebels under Lautaro defeat the Spanish conquistadors and executes the governor of Chile, Pedro de Valdivia.
1553 battle in Chile
1559
Pope Pius IV is elected, four months after his predecessor's death.
Head of the Catholic Church from 1559 to 1565
1724
J.
S. Bach leads the first performance of Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ, BWV 91, in Leipzig, based on Luther's 1524 Christmas hymn.
1725
J.
S. Bach leads the first performance of the Christmas cantata Unser Mund sei voll Lachens, BWV 110, making laughter audible in singing.
1758
Halley's Comet is sighted by Johann Georg Palitzsch, confirming Edmund Halley's prediction of its passage.
This was the first passage of a comet predicted ahead of time.
1766
Mapuches in Chile launch a series of surprise attacks against the Spanish starting the Mapuche uprising of 1766.
Indigenous people of South America
1776
American Revolutionary War: General George Washington and the Continental Army cross the Delaware River at night to attack Hessian forces serving Great Britain at Trenton, New Jersey, the next day.
1775–1783 conflict in North America
1793
Northwest Indian War: General "Mad Anthony" Wayne and a 300 man detachment identify the site of St.
Clair's 1791 defeat by the large number of unburied human remains at modern Fort Recovery, Ohio.
1809
1814
Rev.
Samuel Marsden holds the first Christian service on land in New Zealand at Rangihoua Bay.
1815
The Handel and Haydn Society, oldest continually performing arts organization in the United States, gives its first performance.
American chorus and orchestra based in Boston (1815–present)
1826
The Eggnog Riot at the United States Military Academy concludes after beginning the previous evening.
1826 cadet riot at the United States Military Academy
1831
The Great Jamaican Slave Revolt begins; up to 20% of Jamaica's slaves mobilize in an ultimately unsuccessful fight for freedom.
1831 failed slave rebellion in British-ruled Jamaica
1837
Second Seminole War: American general Zachary Taylor leads 1,100 troops against the Seminoles at the Battle of Lake Okeechobee.
1835–42 war in Florida
1868
Pardons for ex-Confederates: United States President Andrew Johnson grants an unconditional pardon to all Confederate veterans.
U.S. government pardons
1914
World War I: A series of unofficial truces occur across the Western Front to celebrate Christmas.
Global conflict from 1914 to 1918
1915
The National Protection War breaks out against the Empire of China, as military leaders Cai E and Tang Jiyao proclaim the independence of Yunnan and begin a campaign to restore the Republic.
Anti-monarchist civil war in China (1915–16)
1927
B.
R. Ambedkar and his followers burn copies of the Manusmriti in Mahad, Maharashtra, to protest its treatment of Dalit people.
1932
A magnitude 7.6 earthquake in Gansu, China kills 275 people.
1932 earthquake in central China
1941
Admiral Chester W.
Nimitz, appointed commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet on December 17, arrives at Pearl Harbor.
1941
World War II: Battle of Hong Kong ends, beginning the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong.
Global conflict (1939–1945)
1941
Admiral Émile Muselier seizes the archipelago of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, which become the first part of France to be liberated by the Free French Forces.
Free French Naval Forces admiral (1882–1965)
1946
The first European self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction is initiated within the Soviet Union's F-1 nuclear reactor.
When one nuclear reaction causes more
1950
The Stone of Scone, traditional coronation stone of British monarchs, is taken from Westminster Abbey by Scottish nationalist students.
It later turns up in Scotland on April 11, 1951.
1962
The Soviet Union conducts its final above-ground nuclear weapon test, in anticipation of the 1963 Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
Country in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991
1963
Turkish Cypriot Bayrak Radio begins transmitting in Cyprus after Turkish Cypriots are forcibly excluded from Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation.
State funded public broudcaster in Northern Cyprus
1968
Apollo program: Apollo 8 performs the first successful Trans-Earth injection (TEI) maneuver, sending the crew and spacecraft on a trajectory back to Earth from Lunar orbit.
1961–1972 American crewed lunar exploration program
1968
Kilvenmani massacre: Forty-four Dalits (untouchables) are burnt to death in Kizhavenmani village, Tamil Nadu, a retaliation for a campaign for higher wages by Dalit laborers.
1968 massacre in Tamil Nadu, India
1971
A fire at the Daeyeonggak Hotel in Seoul, South Korea kills 164 people.
1971 fire in Seoul, South Korea
1976
EgyptAir Flight 864, a Boeing 707-366C, crashes on approach to Don Mueang International Airport, killing 71 people.
1976 aviation accident in Thailand
1977
Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin meets in Egypt with its president Anwar Sadat.
Prime Minister of Israel from 1977 to 1983
1986
Iraqi Airways Flight 163, a Boeing 737-270C, is hijacked and crashes in Arar, Saudi Arabia, killing 63 people.
1986 aircraft hijacking and crash
1989
Romanian Revolution: Deposed President of Romania Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife, Elena, are condemned to death and executed after a summary trial.
1989 popular uprising in Romania
1991
Mikhail Gorbachev resigns as President of the Soviet Union (the union itself is dissolved the next day).
Ukraine's referendum is finalized and Ukraine officially leaves the Soviet Union.
1996
The body of American child beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey was found in her family's Boulder, Colorado, home.
Her murder remains unsolved.
1999
Cubana de Aviación Flight 310, a Yakovlev Yak-42, crashes near Bejuma, Carabobo State, Venezuela, killing 22 people.
1999 aircraft accident in Venezuela
2003
UTA Flight 141, a Boeing 727-223, crashes at the Cotonou Airport in Benin, killing 141 people.
2003 aviation accident in Benin
2003
The ill-fated Beagle 2 probe, released from the Mars Express spacecraft on December 19, stops transmitting shortly before its scheduled landing.
Failed Mars lander launched in 2003
2004
The Cassini orbiter releases Huygens probe which successfully landed on Saturn's moon Titan on January 14, 2005.
Mission to Saturn (1997–2017)
2007
A Siberian tiger named Tatania escapes her exhibit at the San Francisco Zoo and attacks three people, killing one and injuring two more.
Tiger population in Northeast Asia
2012
An Antonov An-72 plane crashes close to the city of Shymkent, killing 27 people.
Transport aircraft by Antonov
2012
Air Bagan Flight 011, a Fokker 100, crashes on approach to Heho Airport in Heho, Myanmar, killing two people.
2012 aviation accident in Myanmar
2016
A Russian Defence Ministry Tupolev Tu-154 carrying members of the Alexandrov Ensemble crashes into the Black Sea shortly after takeoff, killing all 92 people on board.
Government ministry of Russia
2019
Twenty people are killed and thousands are left homeless by Typhoon Phanfone in the Philippines.
Pacific typhoon in 2019
2020
An explosion in Nashville, Tennessee, occurs, leaving three civilians in the hospital.
Vehicle bombing in Tennessee
2021
The James Webb Space Telescope is launched.
NASA/ESA/CSA space telescope launched in 2021
2024
Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243 crashes in Aktau, Kazakhstan, killing 38 of its occupants.
2024 aircraft shootdown over Russia