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Today in History Dec 25

1
1st Christmas, according to calendar-maker Dionysus Exiguus

274
Roman Emperor Aurelian dedicates a temple to Sol Invictus on the supposed day of the winter solstice and day of rebirth of the Sun.

1492
Christopher Columbus' flagship the Santa María runs aground and sinks on the north coast of Hispaniola. The crew are left to found a colony as Columbus returns to Spain

1939
Montgomery Ward introduces Rudolph the 9th red-nosed reindeer

1973
Tommy Chambers (Scotland) finishes 51 yr cycle tour (799,405 miles)

1989
Show trial of Romanian Communist dictator Nicolae Ceau?escu and his wife Elena on charges of genocide and personal enrichment. The couple are found guilty and executed by firing squad the same day.

1996
1,500 year anniversary of Catholicism in France commemorating the baptism of Clovis I in Rheims

2020
An RV detonates in downtown Nashville, Tennessee causing damage to people and property; prior to detonating, a recorded message playing from speakers warned anyone in earshot to evacuate prior to an explosion

2020
New Orleans running back Alvin Kamara equals Ernie Nevers 1929 NFL record of 6 touchdowns in a match in the Saints' 52-33 win over the Minnesota Vikings at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome

2022
Rare polar rain aurora, stretching for 3,000 km, is visible across the North Pole, caused by charged particles flowing from the Sun

Born on Dec 25

Baby Jesus


1642
Isaac Newton English physicist, mathematician and astronomer (Gravity, Laws of Motion), born in Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth, England

1954
Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán Mexican drug lord who heads the Sinaloa Cartel, a criminal organization named after the Mexican Pacific coast state of Sinaloa where it was formed.

1973
Alexandre Trudeau, Canadian journalist, born in Ottawa, Canada

Joke of the Day

NASA was preparing for the Apollo project.

When NASA was preparing for the Apollo project, some of the training of the astronauts took place on a Navajo reservation.
One day, a Navajo elder and his son were herding sheep and came across the space crew. The old man, who spoke only Navajo, asked a question that his son translated. "What are these guys in the big suits doing?"
A member of the crew said they were practicing for their trip to the moon. The old man got all excited and asked if he could send a message to the moon with the astronauts. Recognizing a promotional opportunity, the NASA folks found a tape recorder.
After the old man recorded his message, they asked his son to translate it. He refused. The NASA PR people brought the tape to the reservation, where the rest of the tribe listened and laughed, but refused to translate the elder's message.
Finally, the NASA crew called in an official government translator. His translation of the old man's message was: "Watch out for these guys; they have come to steal your land."