Year 759 Calendar » Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu Du Fu Chengdu called departs for Chengdu, where he is hosted by fellow poet Pei Di.
Year 1144 Calendar » The capital of the Crusades called crusader County of Edessa Siege of Edessa known as falls to Imad ad-Din Zengi, the atabeg of Mosul and Aleppo.
Year 1294 Calendar » Pope Boniface VIII is elected Pope, replacing Pope Celestine V or St. Celestine V, who had Papal resignation known as resigned.
Year 1500 Calendar » A joint Venetian–Spanish fleet Siege of the Castle of St. George known as captures the Castle of St. George on the island of Cephalonia.
Year 1777 Calendar » Kiritimati, also called Christmas Island, is discovered by James Cook.
Year 1814 Calendar » The Treaty of Ghent is signed ending the War of 1812.
Year 1818 Calendar » The first performance of "Silent Night" takes place in the church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorf bei Salzburg or Oberndorf, Austria.
Year 1826 Calendar » The Eggnog Riot at the United States Military Academy begins that night, wrapping up the following morning.
Year 1906 Calendar » Radio: Reginald Fessenden transmits the first radio broadcast; consisting of a poetry reading, a violin solo, and a speech.
Year 1911 Calendar » Lackawanna Cut-Off railway line opens in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Year 1913 Calendar » The Italian Hall disaster ("1913 Massacre") in Calumet, Michigan, results in the death of 73 Christmas party goers held by striking mine workers, including 59 children.
Year 1929 Calendar » Assassination attempt on Argentina e.g Argentine President Hipólito Yrigoyen.
Year 1939 Calendar » World War II: Pope Pius XII makes a Christmas Eve appeal for peace.
Year 1941 Calendar » World War II: Kuching is conquered by Japanese forces.
Year 1942 Calendar » World War II: France e.g French monarchist, Fernand Bonnier de La Chapelle, assassinates Vichy French Admiral François Darlan in Algiers, Algeria.
Year 1943 Calendar » World War II: United States called U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower is named Supreme Allied Commander for the Normandy Invasion.
Year 1951 Calendar » Libya becomes independent from Italy. Idris of Libya e.g Idris I is proclaimed King of Libya.
Year 1955 Calendar » NORAD Tracks Santa for the first time in what will become an annual Christmas Eve tradition.
Year 1964 Calendar » Vietnam War: Viet Cong operatives 1964 Brinks Hotel bombing or bomb the Brinks Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City known as Saigon, South Vietnam to demonstrate they can strike an American installation in the heavily guarded capital.
Year 1966 Calendar » A Canadair CL-44 chartered by the United States Armed Forces e.g United States military crashes into a small village in South Vietnam, killing 129.
Year 1968 Calendar » 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 Apollo 8 Genesis reading called Christmas Eve Broadcast, one
Year 1969 Calendar » Charles Manson is allowed to defend himself at the Tate-LaBianca murder trial.
Year 1973 Calendar » District of Columbia Home Rule Act is passed, allowing residents of Washington, D.C. to elect their own local government.
Year 1974 Calendar » Cyclone Tracy devastates Darwin, Northern Territory named Darwin, Australia.
Year 1979 Calendar » The first European Ariane (rocket family) known as Ariane rocket is launched.
Year 1994 Calendar » Air France Flight 8969 is hijacked on the ground at Houari Boumedienne Airport, Algiers, Algeria. Over the course of 3 days 3 passengers are killed, as are all 4 terrorists.
Year 1997 Calendar » The Sid El-Antri massacre (or Sidi Lamri) in Algeria kills 50-100 people.
Year 1999 Calendar » Indian Airlines Flight 814 hijacked in Indian airspace between Kathmandu, Nepal, and Delhi, India; aircraft eventually landed at Kandahar, Afghanistan. Ordeal ended on December 31 with the release of 190 survivors (1 passenger killed).
Year 2000 Calendar » The Texas Seven hold up a sports store in Irving, Texas. Police officer Aubrey Hawkins is murdered during the robbery.
Year 2005 Calendar » Chad–Sudan relations: Chad declares a Declaration of war e.g state of war against Sudan following a December 18 Battle of Adré known as attack on Adré, which left about 100 people dead.