88 sourced historical events are currently published for December 24. Browse the chronology below or filter this date by place and event type. This collection is expanding, not an exhaustive account of the day.
The published December 24 chronology runs from 502 to 2022, a span of 1,520 years. It contains 88 sourced records across 33 countries and 8 event categories. These figures describe the current collection, not all events that occurred on this date.
Start at the earliest published record or jump to the latest. The counts below show where this collection is concentrated.
These pairs share a category and calendar date; the pairing does not imply a historical connection.
Some events have more than one location, so country counts can overlap. Read about our sources and editorial approach.
Emperor Wu of Liang appointed Xiao Tong crown prince on 24 December 502 in the Julian calendar.
The Book of Liang records the appointment on the jiazi day of the eleventh month of Tianjian 1. The December 24 date uses the Julian calendar, not the proleptic Gregorian calendar.
China · Politics & society · Checked 2026-11-02
Pope John IV (Latin: Ioannes IV; died 12 October 642) was the bishop of Rome from 24 December 640 to his death on 12 October 642. His election followed a four-month vacancy. He wrote to the clergy of Ireland and Scotland to tell them of the mistakes they were making with regard to the time of keeping Easter and condemned Monothelitism as heresy.
Location not yet verified · Politics & society · Checked 2026-10-18
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The first Qarmatian invasion of Egypt took place in 971, when the Qarmatians of Bahrayn unsuccessfully invaded Egypt, which had recently been conquered by the Fatimid Caliphate. Both the Qarmatians and the Fatimids were offshoots of the Isma'ili sect of Shi'a Islam, but belonged to different and rival branches. Following the takeover of Egypt under the general Jawhar in 969, the Fatimids began their expansion into the Levant.
Battle of Ayn Shams: The Fatimids under Jawhar defeat the Qarmatians at the gates of Cairo, putting an end to the First Qarmatian invasion of Egypt.
Location not yet verified · War & conflict · Checked 2026-10-18
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Imad al-Din Zengi captured Edessa, capital of the crusader County of Edessa, on December 24 after a siege that began in November. The loss of the city became a major cause of the Second Crusade. Edessa is the present-day city of Şanlıurfa in southeastern Turkey.
Edessa (present-day Şanlıurfa), Turkey · War & conflict · Checked 2026-09-23
The Battle of Ephesus took place on 24 December 1147 during the Second Crusade. The French Crusader army, led by Louis VII of France, successfully fended off an ambush by the Seljuks of Rum outside Ephesus.
Turkey · War & conflict · Checked 2026-10-18
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Pope Boniface VIII (Latin: Bonifacius PP. VIII, Italian: Bonifacio VIII; born Benedetto Caetani; c. 1230 – 11 October 1303) was head of the Catholic Church and leader of the Papal States from 24 December 1294 until his death in 1303. The Caetani family was of baronial origin with connections to the papacy. He succeeded Pope Celestine V, who had abdicated from the papal throne.
Location not yet verified · Politics & society · Checked 2026-10-18
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The Battle of the Melstica was fought between the army of the Kingdom of Hungary and the Ottoman Empire in 1443.
Bulgaria · War & conflict · Checked 2026-10-18
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The siege of the Castle of Saint George, also known as the siege of Cephalonia, occurred from 8 November until 24 December 1500, when following a series of Venetian disasters at the hands of the Turks, the Spanish-Venetian army under Captain Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba and Benedetto Pesaro succeeded in capturing the Ottoman stronghold of Cephalonia.
This entry records the event's end date, as given in the source infobox.
Location not yet verified · War & conflict · Checked 2026-10-18
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The second rebellion of the Alpujarras (Arabic: ثورة البشرات الثانية; 1568–1571), sometimes called the War of the Alpujarras or the Morisco Revolt, was triggered by Philip II of Spain's Pragmatic Sanction of 1567 and was the second Morisco revolt against the Castilian Crown in the mountainous Alpujarra region and on the Granada Altiplano region, northeast of the city of Granada.
This entry records the event's start date, as given in the source infobox.
Location not yet verified · War & conflict · Checked 2026-10-18
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The Swedish garrison at Stralsund surrendered at the end of the allied siege on 24 December 1715, during the Great Northern War.
This records the end of the 1715 siege, not the end of the Great Northern War.
Germany · War & conflict · Checked 2026-11-02
The Battle of Bhopal was fought on 24 December 1737 in Bhopal between the Maratha Empire and the combined army of Mughals and their allies (Rajputs of Amber).
India · War & conflict · Checked 2026-09-23
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The 1754 Taunton by-election to the Parliament of Great Britain was held across thirteen days, from 10 to 24 December 1754 in Taunton, the county town of the southwestern English county of Somerset. It took place following the death of the incumbent Whig Member of Parliament, John Halliday. The by-election was contested by Robert Maxwell on behalf of the Whigs, and Sir John Pole, 5th Baronet for the Tories.
Location not yet verified · Politics & society · Checked 2026-10-18
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The Battle of Taraori in 1759 was a military engagement between the Durrani Empire and Maratha Empire and the Mughals in the fields of Taraori, in which the Afghans were victorious.
Location not yet verified · War & conflict · Checked 2026-10-18
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James Cook visited Kiritimati, also called Christmas Island, on 24 December 1777 during his third Pacific voyage.
This is Kiritimati in the present-day Republic of Kiribati, not Australia’s Christmas Island. It is not a claim that Cook was the island’s first human visitor.
Kiribati · Exploration · Checked 2026-11-02
The French fleet sailed from Brest on 24 December 1794 to begin the Croisière du Grand Hiver, a campaign in the Atlantic intended to attack British merchant shipping.
This records the departure from Brest; the campaign continued into 1795.
France · War & conflict · Checked 2026-11-02
A bomb exploded on Rue Saint-Nicaise in Paris on December 24 as First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte was traveling to the opera. Bonaparte survived the assassination attempt. The attack became known as the Plot of the Rue Saint-Nicaise or the machine infernale plot.
Rue Saint-Nicaise, Paris, France · War & conflict · Checked 2026-09-23
Maratha defenders withdrew from Deeg toward Bharatpur on 24 December 1804 after British East India Company forces breached and assaulted the fort during the Second Anglo-Maratha War.
This records the defenders’ withdrawal, not the disputed start date of the entire siege.
India · War & conflict · Checked 2026-11-02
The War of the Sixth Coalition (French: Guerre de la Sixième Coalition; December 1812 – May 1814), sometimes known in Germany as the Wars of Liberation (German: Befreiungskriege) saw a coalition of Austria, Prussia, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, Sardinia, and a number of German states defeat the First French Empire and force Napoleon into exile on Elba.
This entry records the event's start date, as given in the source infobox.
France · War & conflict · Checked 2026-10-18
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The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign, the Second Polish War, and in Russia as the Patriotic War of 1812, was initiated by Napoleon with the aim of forcing the Russian Empire to comply with the continental blockade of the United Kingdom. Widely studied, Napoleon's incursion into Russia remains a focal point in military history, recognized as among the most devastating military endeavors to ever unfold.
This entry records the event's end date, as given in the source infobox.
Location not yet verified · War & conflict · Checked 2026-10-18
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The Battle of Lomas de Santa María was a battle of the War of Mexican Independence that occurred from 23 to 24 December 1813 in the area around Lomas de Santa María, in the municipality of Valladolid (present day Morelia). The battle was fought between the royalist forces loyal to the Spanish crown and the Mexican rebels fighting for independence from the Spanish Empire.
This entry records the event's end date, as given in the source infobox.
Mexico · War & conflict · Checked 2026-10-18
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The siege of Hamburg took place from December 1813 to May 1814, at the end of the wars of the War of the Sixth Coalition. The French garrison of Hamburg, commanded by Marshal Davout, resisted the coalition forces of Prussia, the Russian Empire, and Sweden for nearly six months.
This entry records the event's start date, as given in the source infobox.
France · War & conflict · Checked 2026-10-18
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British and American negotiators signed the Treaty of Ghent on December 24 in the city now in Belgium. The agreement set the terms for ending the War of 1812 and largely restored the two sides to their prewar territorial positions. Signing did not immediately stop the fighting: the treaty still needed ratification, and news crossed the Atlantic slowly. The Battle of New Orleans was fought before word of the agreement reached the United States. The treaty took effect after ratification in February 1815. Its signing marked a decisive diplomatic step toward ending the conflict between Britain and the United States.
Ghent, present-day Belgium · Politics & society · Checked 2026-09-23
On 24 December 1818, Silent Night was first performed at the Church of St. Nikola in Oberndorf, in present-day Austria. Franz Xaver Gruber composed the music to words by Joseph Mohr.
Church of St. Nikola, Oberndorf, Austria · Arts & culture · Checked 2026-11-01
The Battle of Luchana (Lutxana in Basque) occurred at Bilbao and its vicinities during the night of December 23, 1836 and went on until December 24, 1836. The Carlists were besieging Bilbao and controlled the water and land routes towards the city. The battle of Luchana took place in the district belonging to the parish of Deusto and the municipality of Erandio, on the banks of the Asúa River, which empties into the Nervión at the spot known as Luchana.
This entry records the event's end date, as given in the source infobox.
Spain · War & conflict · Checked 2026-10-18
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The 1860 New South Wales colonial election was held between 6 December and 24 December 1860. This election was for all of the 72 seats in the New South Wales Legislative Assembly and it was conducted in 52 single-member constituencies, six 2-member constituencies and two 4-member constituencies, all with a first past the post system.
Australia · Politics & society · Checked 2026-10-20
On December 24, 1863, Union troops began an expedition in western Tennessee to cut off Confederate commander Nathan Bedford Forrest’s retreat to Mississippi. Regimental service histories record the operation as lasting through December 31. Forrest avoided capture and returned to Mississippi by the end of December.
December 24 marks the start of this 1863 pursuit, not Forrest’s separate raid of December 1862–January 1863.
United States · War & conflict · Checked 2026-11-05
The Battle of Hallue was a battle of the Franco-Prussian War on 23 and 24 December 1870. The battle was fought between 40,000 French under General Louis Faidherbe and 22,500 Prussian troops under Edwin Freiherr von Manteuffel. The French lost heavily in the village lying in front of their position. However, the Prussians were unable to carry the entrenchments on the heights.
Amiens, France · War & conflict · Checked 2026-09-23
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Aida (or Aïda, Italian: [aˈiːda]) is a tragic opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 December 1871, in a performance conducted by Giovanni Bottesini. Today the work holds a central place in the operatic canon, receiving performances every year around the world.
Location not yet verified · Arts & culture · Checked 2026-10-18
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The Hyacinth incident was a 1910 British military action against suspected gun runners based in Dubai, then one of the Trucial States and now one of the United Arab Emirates, which resulted in street fighting between the town's citizens and British soldiers and culminated in the shelling of Dubai by HMS Hyacinth using high explosive munitions.
Location not yet verified · War & conflict · Checked 2026-10-18
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A Christmas Eve party for striking copper miners and their families ended in disaster at Italian Hall in Calumet, Michigan. Someone shouted that there was a fire, triggering a rush toward the stairs from the crowded upstairs hall. Seventy-three people died, many of them children. The identity and motive of the person who raised the alarm remained unresolved, so claims of deliberate sabotage should not be stated as fact. The tragedy occurred during a bitter labor dispute in Michigan's Copper Country and remains part of the region's public memory. A memorial now marks the former hall site.
Calumet, Michigan, United States · Disasters · Checked 2026-09-23
Unofficial Christmas truces began along parts of the Western Front in France and Belgium on 24 December 1914. Some soldiers exchanged greetings, but fighting continued in other sectors.
The truces were local and began at different times; this was not a coordinated ceasefire along the whole front.
France · Belgium · War & conflict · Checked 2026-11-02
The 1916 Tie Cup final was the final match to decide the winner of the Tie Cup, the 17th edition of the international competition organised by the Argentine and Uruguayan Associations together. The final was contested by Argentine side Rosario Central and Uruguayan club Peñarol, In the match, played at Racing Stadium in Avellaneda, Peñarol beat Rosario Central 3–0 with three goals by José Piendibene, winning the first and only Tie Cup trophy in the history of the club.
Location not yet verified · Sport · Checked 2026-10-18
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The Grey by-election of 1917 was a by-election held during the 18th New Zealand Parliament.
New Zealand · Politics & society · Checked 2026-10-18
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In the immediate aftermath of World War I, the region of Međimurje was occupied by forces loyal to the National Council of the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, one of the predecessor states to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, in November and December 1918. Predominantly inhabited by Croats, this territory was a part of the Kingdom of Hungary until it was captured by Yugoslav forces.
This entry records the event's end date, as given in the source infobox.
Location not yet verified · War & conflict · Checked 2026-10-18
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The 1918 Christmas crisis (German: Weihnachtskämpfe or Weihnachtsaufstand; lit. 'Christmas battles' or 'Christmas rebellion') was a brief battle between the socialist revolutionary Volksmarinedivision and regular German army units on 24 December 1918 during the German Revolution of 1918–19. It grew out of an attempt by the government to reduce the division's size and move it out of Berlin. The fighting, which took place at the Berlin Palace, cost 67 lives.
Location not yet verified · War & conflict · Checked 2026-10-18
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The Third Battle of Changsha (24 December 1941 – 15 January 1942; Chinese: 第三次長沙會戰) was the first major offensive in China by Imperial Japanese forces following the Japanese attack on the Western Allies and the attack on Pearl Harbor, and Japan's third of four attempts to capture the Chinese city of Changsha. It was conducted with the purpose of severing Chinese lines of communication with British Hong Kong, and seizing control of Changsha's food production.
People's Republic of China · War & conflict · Checked 2026-09-23
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The islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, a colony of France off the coast of Newfoundland, were taken over by Free French Naval Forces on 24 December 1941. At the time, the islands' authorities had sworn their allegiance to the Vichy French government.
Saint Pierre and Miquelon · War & conflict · Checked 2026-09-23
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British forces recaptured Benghazi, in present-day Libya, on 24 December 1941 during Operation Crusader. This was one of several changes of control of the city during the North African campaign.
This is the December 1941 recapture, not the separate British return in November 1942.
Libya · War & conflict · Checked 2026-11-02
Kuching, the capital of Sarawak, surrendered to Japanese forces during World War II. The defenders had been stationed there to protect the airfield and withdrew into the interior.
Kuching, Malaysia · War & conflict · Checked 2026-11-06
Fernand Bonnier de La Chapelle (French pronunciation: [fɛʁnɑ̃ bɔnje də la ʃapɛl]; 4 November 1922 – 26 December 1942) was an anti-Vichy member of the French Resistance during World War II. He assassinated Admiral of the Fleet François Darlan, a key political figure of Vichy France and the high commissioner of French North Africa and West Africa, on 24 December 1942 in Algiers.
Location not yet verified · War & conflict · Checked 2026-10-18
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The Zhitomir–Berdichev offensive (Russian: Житомирско-Бердичевская операция; Ukrainian: Житомирсько-Бердичівська наступальна операція), known on the German side as the Defensive battle at Zhitomir and Berdichev (German: Abwehrschlacht bei Shitomir und Berditschew), was part of the strategic offensive of the Red Army in the right-bank Ukraine, the Dnieper–Carpathian offensive. The successful offensive operation was conducted by the forces of the 1st Ukrainian Front commanded by General of Army Nikolai Vatutin during World War II, from 24 December 1943 through to 14 January 1944.
Location not yet verified · War & conflict · Checked 2026-10-18
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In a Christmas Eve radio address on December 24, 1943, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt publicly announced that General Dwight D. Eisenhower had been chosen to lead the coming Allied attack in Western Europe. Roosevelt spoke from Hyde Park, New York. The decision to give Eisenhower command had been made earlier; this entry records its public announcement, months before the Normandy landings.
Public announcement on December 24, not the original command decision or the June 1944 invasion.
United States · War & conflict · Checked 2026-10-24
On 24 December 1943, United States Marine patrols on Bougainville found that Japanese forces had abandoned Hill 600A during the night, ending the fighting for the position.
This is the patrols’ confirmation of the withdrawal, not the start of the battle.
Papua New Guinea · War & conflict · Checked 2026-11-02
The troopship Léopoldville was torpedoed by the German submarine U-486 and sank near Cherbourg, France, on 24 December 1944. It was carrying American troops from Southampton to France.
Off Cherbourg, France · War & conflict · Checked 2026-11-02
On 24 December 1946, Andrew Yao, a computer scientist, was born.
China · Births & deaths · Checked 2026-10-26
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The Battle of Konitsa was a conflict of the Greek Civil War (1946-1949); between the Communist led Democratic Army of Greece and the Greek Army of the Kingdom of Greece. It was a failed initiative to capture the northwestern Greek town of Konitsa, in order to establish a capital for the Provisional Democratic Government; a rival authority to the recognized government in Athens.
This entry records the event's start date, as given in the source infobox.
Location not yet verified · War & conflict · Checked 2026-10-18
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The Second Phase Offensive (25 November – 24 December 1950) or Second Phase Campaign (Chinese: 第二次战役; pinyin: Dìèr Cì Zhànyì) of the Korean War was an offensive by the Chinese People's Volunteer Army (PVA) against United Nations Command (U.S./UN) forces, most of which were soldiers of South Korea and the United States.
This entry records the event's end date, as given in the source infobox.
North Korea · War & conflict · Checked 2026-10-18
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The Hungnam evacuation or Heungnam redeployment (Korean: 흥남 철수 작전; Hanja: 興南撤收作戰), also known as the Miracle of Christmas, was the evacuation of United Nations (UN) forces and North Korean civilians from the port of Hungnam, Hamhung, North Korea, between 15 and 24 December 1950, during the Korean War.
This entry records the event's end date, as given in the source infobox.
North Korea · War & conflict · Checked 2026-10-18
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Libya became independent as the Kingdom of Libya under King Idris I on 24 December 1951.
Libya · Politics & society · Checked 2026-11-02
Idris (Arabic: إدريس, romanized: Idrīs, Muhammad Idris bin Muhammad al-Mahdi al-Sanusi; 13 March 1890 – 25 May 1983) was King of Libya from 24 December 1951 until his ousting in the 1969 Libyan revolution. He ruled over the United Kingdom of Libya from 1951 to 1963, after which the country became known as simply the Kingdom of Libya.
Location not yet verified · Politics & society · Checked 2026-10-18
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The Handley Page Victor is a British jet-powered strategic bomber developed and produced by Handley Page during the Cold War. It was the third and final 'V bomber' to be operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF), the other two being the Vickers Valiant and the Avro Vulcan. Entering service in 1958, the Victor was initially developed as part of the United Kingdom's airborne nuclear deterrent.
Location not yet verified · Technology & industry · Checked 2026-10-18
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The Christmas Eve Battle took place during the Mau Mau Uprising on 24 December 1953 between British, African and Mau Mau forces and resulted in the death of Earl Wavell, the only son of Archibald Wavell. It took place around 25 miles north of Nairobi. Wavell was leading a patrol of British troops and African police pursuing from Mau Mau who had beheaded a loyal Kikuyu tribesman in the Thaika area. They tracked down about 20 of the Mau Mau who opened fire, killing Wavell immediately. The battle went for ten hours. Wavell had lost an arm during World War II.
Thika, Kenya · War & conflict · Checked 2026-09-23
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The Tangiwai disaster was a railway accident that occurred at 10:21 p.m. on 24 December 1953, when a railway bridge over the Whangaehu River collapsed beneath an express passenger train at Tangiwai, North Island, New Zealand. The locomotive and the first six carriages derailed into the river, killing 151 people. The subsequent board of inquiry found that the accident was caused by the failure of the tephra dam holding back nearby Mount Ruapehu's Crater Lake, creating a rapid mudflow (lahar) in the Whangaehu River which destroyed one of the bridge piers at Tangiwai only minutes before the train reached the bridge.
New Zealand · Disasters · Checked 2026-09-23
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From December 16 to 25, 1955, devastating flooding struck portions of California. It was caused by heavy rainfall and a levee break on the Feather River, and directly resulted in the deaths of 74 people, leaving damages of an estimated $150 million (1955 USD), one of the costliest floods ever recorded in California. The floods are commonly known as the Yuba–Sutter floods as there was extensive damage in Yuba and Sutter counties.
Location not yet verified · Disasters · Checked 2026-10-18
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Flying Tiger Line Flight 282 refers to the crash of a Lockheed Super Constellation aircraft, N6915C, shortly after takeoff from San Francisco International Airport in the early morning hours of Thursday, December 24, 1964.
Location not yet verified · Disasters · Checked 2026-10-18
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The Brinks Hotel in Saigon, also known as the Brink Bachelor Officers Quarters (BOQ), was bombed by the Vietcong on the evening of 24 December 1964, during the Vietnam War. Two Vietcong operatives detonated a car bomb underneath the hotel, which housed United States Army officers. The explosion killed two Americans, an officer and an NCO, and injured approximately 60, including military personnel and Vietnamese civilians.
Location not yet verified · War & conflict · Checked 2026-10-18
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On December 24, 1966, a Flying Tiger Line Canadair CL-44 flying from Tachikawa Air Force Base in Japan to Da Nang Airport struck an obstacle, stalled, and crashed into Binh Thai village, killing all four crew members and 107 people on the ground. The flight was on a subcontract for the United States Air Force. This was the first fatal accident for the CL-44 and the deadliest as well.
Da Nang, Vietnam · Disasters · Checked 2026-11-01
Allegheny Airlines Flight 736 was a regularly scheduled flight that crashed while attempting to land at Bradford Regional Airport in Bradford, Pennsylvania, on December 24, 1968. Of the 47 occupants on board, 20 were killed.
Pennsylvania, United States · Disasters · Checked 2026-09-23
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On Christmas Eve, December 24, 1968, the crew of Apollo 8, the first humans to orbit the Moon, read from the Hebrew Bible’s Book of Genesis during a television broadcast. During their ninth orbit of the Moon astronauts Bill Anders, Jim Lovell, and Frank Borman recited verses 1 through 10 of the Genesis creation narrative from the King James Bible.
Location not yet verified · Exploration · Checked 2026-10-18
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William Anders photographed Earth rising above the lunar horizon from Apollo 8. The crew was the first to orbit the Moon.
Location not yet verified · Exploration · Checked 2026-11-06
The Invasion of Umuahia (March 20-December 24, 1969) was a military conflict during the Biafran War between Nigerian and Biafran soldiers. The Invasion of Umuahia occurred during the final stages of the Civil War and happened eight months prior to the Biafran surrender.
This entry records the event's end date, as given in the source infobox.
Location not yet verified · War & conflict · Checked 2026-10-18
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LANSA Flight 508 was a Lockheed L-188A Electra turboprop operated as a scheduled domestic passenger flight by Lineas Aéreas Nacionales Sociedad Anonima (LANSA) that crashed in a thunderstorm en route from Lima to Pucallpa in Peru on 24 December 1971, killing 91 people – all 6 crew on board and 85 of its 86 passengers.
Peru · Disasters · Checked 2026-09-23
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The 1971 Italian presidential election was held in Italy on 9–24 December 1971. Only members of Parliament and regional delegates were entitled to vote, most of these electors having been elected in the 1968 general election and in the 1970 regional elections. As head of state of the Italian Republic, the President has a role of representation of national unity and guarantees that Italian politics comply with the Italian Constitution, in the framework of a parliamentary system.
This entry records the event's end date, as given in the source infobox.
Italy · Politics & society · Checked 2026-10-18
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The District of Columbia Home Rule Act is a United States federal law passed on December 24, 1973, which devolved certain congressional powers of the District of Columbia to local government, furthering District of Columbia home rule. In particular, it includes the District Charter (also called the Home Rule Charter), which provides for an elected mayor and the Council of the District of Columbia.
This entry records the signing, as dated in the source infobox.
Location not yet verified · Politics & society · Checked 2026-10-19
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Presidential elections were held in Rwanda on 24 December 1978, a week after the country's new constitution was approved in a referendum. The constitution had made the country a one-party state with the National Revolutionary Movement for Development the sole legal party. Its leader, incumbent President Juvénal Habyarimana, who had taken power in a coup in 1973, was the only candidate.
Rwanda · Politics & society · Checked 2026-09-23
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The 1979 Australian Open was a tennis tournament played on outdoor grass courts at the Kooyong Stadium in Melbourne in Victoria in Australia and was held from 24 December 1979 through 2 January 1980. It was the 68th edition of the Australian Open and the fourth Grand Slam tournament of the year. The singles titles were won by Argentinian Guillermo Vilas and American Barbara Jordan.
Australia · Sport · Checked 2026-09-23
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Ariane 1 made its first successful flight on December 24, 1979, from the European Space Agency’s spaceport at Kourou in French Guiana. The launch followed two earlier countdown attempts that were halted or postponed. It began Europe’s independent Ariane rocket programme.
French Guiana, France · Exploration · Checked 2026-10-24
CAAC Flight 2311 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Changsha Datuopu Airport, in Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province, China, to the former Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport. On 24 December 1982, it was flown by an Ilyushin Il-18B (registered in China as B-202). After landing at Baiyun Airport, a fire in the cabin produced toxic smoke whereupon the crew stopped the aircraft on the runway and evacuated the passengers.
People's Republic of China · Disasters · Checked 2026-10-25
Aeroflot Flight 601 was a scheduled Soviet domestic passenger flight from Arkhangelsk to Leshukonskoye in the Russian SSR, operated by Aeroflot. The Antonov An-24RV that was involved crashed on 24 December 1983 during approach to Leshukonskoye. Forty-four people were killed; five survived the accident. Pilot error was cited as the cause of the accident.
Location not yet verified · Disasters · Checked 2026-10-18
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The eighth legislative assembly election for Tamil Nadu was held on December 24, 1984. Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (ADMK) won the election and its leader, incumbent M. G. Ramachandran (MGR) was sworn in as Chief Minister, for the third time. The election victory was mainly attributed to the sympathy wave created by Indira Gandhi's assassination and MGR's illness coupled with Rajiv Gandhi's popularity.
India · Politics & society · Checked 2026-09-23
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The 1984 Indian general election in Delhi was held to elect representatives of the 7 seats of the NCT of Delhi in the Lok Sabha. The Indian National Congress won all the seven seats of Delhi and won two-thirds of the votes. This was the second of three times in which the Congress won all seven seats of Delhi, the first time being in the 1971 Indian general election.
India · Politics & society · Checked 2026-10-18
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On December 24, 1989, forces led by Charles Taylor crossed from Côte d’Ivoire into Nimba County, Liberia. The incursion marked the beginning of the First Liberian Civil War, which continued until 1997.
Liberia · War & conflict · Checked 2026-11-05
The 1990 Surinamese coup d'état, usually referred to as the Telephone Coup (Dutch: De Telefooncoup), was a military coup in Suriname on 24 December 1990. The coup was carried out by the acting commander-in-chief of the Suriname National Army (SNL), Police Chief Ivan Graanoogst. As a result of the coup, President Ramsewak Shankar was dismissed from power, and parliament and government were disbanded.
Paramaribo, Suriname · War & conflict · Checked 2026-09-23
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On 24 December 1994, Air France Flight 8969 was hijacked at Houari Boumediene Airport in Algiers. The incident continued until 26 December, when French GIGN officers stormed the aircraft at Marseille Provence Airport and rescued the remaining hostages.
The anniversary uses the start date. The locations cover the Algiers phase on 24–25 December and the Marseille rescue on 26 December, rather than placing every stage on 24 December.
Houari Boumediene Airport, Algiers, Algeria · Marseille Provence Airport, France · Disasters · Checked 2026-11-01
Presidential elections were held in Kyrgyzstan on 24 December 1995. The result was a victory for incumbent President Askar Akayev, who received 72% of the vote. Voter turnout was reported to be 86%. These were the first presidential elections in Kyrgyzstan since independence.
Kyrgyzstan · Politics & society · Checked 2026-09-23
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General elections were held in Turkey on Sunday 24 December 1995, triggered by the newly re-established Republican People's Party's (CHP) withdrawal from a coalition government with the True Path Party (DYP). The coalition had been in government for four years, having been formed by the Social Democratic Populist Party, the CHP's predecessor. The elections inaugurated a 550-member parliament, its largest membership.
Turkey · Politics & society · Checked 2026-10-18
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On Christmas Eve 1996, a Learjet 35A business jet disappeared near Dorchester, New Hampshire, United States. The crash led to the longest missing aircraft search in the state's history, lasting almost three years. Media attention eventually resulted in congressional legislation mandating improved emergency locator transmitters (ELTs) be installed in U.S.-registered business jets.
Location not yet verified · Disasters · Checked 2026-10-18
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The Sid El-Antri massacre was a mass killing of civilians in the hamlets of Shari and Sidi el Antar, near Tiaret, Algeria, on the night of 23-24 December 1997, during the Algerian Civil War. Contemporary reports gave sharply different casualty figures. Algerian authorities said that 48 people were killed near Tiaret, while newspaper reports placed the toll for the two hamlets at between 81 and 120 dead.
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Location not yet verified · War & conflict · Checked 2026-10-18
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Indian Airlines Flight 814, commonly known as IC 814, was an Indian Airlines Airbus A300 that was hijacked on 24 December 1999 by five members of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen. The passenger flight, en route from Kathmandu to Delhi, was taken over shortly after it entered Indian airspace at about 16:53 IST. The aircraft had 190 occupants: 179 passengers and 11 crew members including Captain Devi Sharan, First Officer Rajinder Kumar, and Flight Engineer Anil Kumar Jaggia.
India · Nepal · Disasters · Checked 2026-09-23
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Gubernatorial elections in 2000 took place in 41 regions of the Russian Federation. Four years after the campaign of 1996 nearly a half of 89 governors' seats were contested again. In January, the second rounds of the December 1999 elections took place in Moscow, Novosibirsk and Tver Oblasts. In seven regions, the elections were moved to the federal election day on 26 March 2000 due to cost reasons.
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Russia · Politics & society · Checked 2026-10-18
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2012 Empress's Cup Final was the 34th final of the Empress's Cup competition. The final was played at Omiya Football Stadium in Saitama on December 24, 2012. INAC Kobe Leonessa won the championship.
Location not yet verified · Sport · Checked 2026-10-18
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Starting in late January 2015, a coalition of West African troops launched an offensive against the Boko Haram insurgents in Nigeria.
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Location not yet verified · War & conflict · Checked 2026-10-18
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On 24 December 2016, Ben Xi, a singer, died.
China · Births & deaths · Checked 2026-10-26
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2017 Empress's Cup Final was the 39th final of the Empress's Cup competition. The final was played at Osaka Nagai Stadium in Osaka on December 24, 2017. Nippon TV Beleza won the championship.
Location not yet verified · Sport · Checked 2026-10-18
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On December 24, 2018, a helicopter carrying Martha Érika Alonso Hidalgo, the newly elected governor of the Mexican state of Puebla, and her husband, senator and former governor Rafael Moreno Valle Rosas, crashed on a hill in Coronango near the city of Puebla. All five people on board the helicopter were killed in the crash: Alonso, Moreno, the two pilots, Captain Roberto Coppe Obregón and Captain Marco Antonio Tavera Romero, and an assistant to the senator.
Location not yet verified · Disasters · Checked 2026-10-18
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On December 24, 2019, militants from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara attacked the Burkinabe government military base in Arbinda, Sahel Region, Burkina Faso along with the town of Arbinda itself. The attack was halted due to French and Burkinabe air intervention, although 35 civilians were killed in the jihadists' massacre. The Arbinda attack was the deadliest incident in the jihadist insurgency in Burkina Faso in several years.
Burkina Faso · War & conflict · Checked 2026-09-23
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The Mo So Massacre, also known as the Christmas Eve Massacre, was a mass killing of civilians that occurred on the afternoon of 24 December 2021, in Hpruso Township in Kayah State, Myanmar. During the massacre, Myanmar Army troops killed and burned over forty people. The following day, the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF) found the victims burned in their vehicles.
Myanmar · War & conflict · Checked 2026-09-23
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On 24 December 2022, Zhang Jinzhe, a pediatric surgeon, died.
China · Births & deaths · Checked 2026-10-26
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