History of the Day for:
December 24
- 1814: The War of 1812 between America and Britain ended with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent.
- 1818: Franz Gruber of Oberndorf, Germany, composed the music for "Silent Night" to words written by Josef Mohr. The traditional song was sung for the first time during Midnight Mass.
- 1851: Fire devastated the Library of Congress in Washington, destroying approximately 35,000 volumes.
- 1871: "Aida," an Italian opera by Giuseppe Verdi, was first performed in Cairo, where the story is set.
- 1889: The bicycle brake operated by backward pedal was patented with a back pedal seat by Daniel Stover and William Hance.
- 1893: Henry Ford completed his first useful gas motor.
- 1905: Howard Hughes, U.S. millionaire industrialist and film producer who later became a recluse, was born.
- 1943: Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower was appointed supreme commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force preparing for the invasion of France.
- 1948: The first house to be completely solar heated was occupied in Dover, Mass.
- 1964: Shooting began on "The Cage," the pilot for "Star Trek."
- 1989: Ousted Panamanian ruler Manuel Noriega, who had succeeded in eluding U.S. forces sent to his country as part of Operation "Just Cause," took refuge at the Vatican's diplomatic mission in Panama City.
- 1992: President George Bush pardoned Caspar Weinberger and five other Reagan aides involved in the Iran-contra affair.
- 1997: The Sid El-Antri massacre (or Sidi Lamri) in Algeria kills 50-100 people.
- 1997: The Dominican Republic becomes a member of the Berne Convention copyright treaty.
- 2000: The Texas 7 hold up a sports store in Irving, Texas. Police officer Aubrey Hawkins is shot during the robbery.
- 2003: The Spanish police thwart an attempt by ETA to detonate 50 kg of explosives at 3:55 p.m. inside Madrid's busy Chamartín Station.