December 25 in history

0 (or 1 AD)ish  – Jesus was born.

33 – Roman Emperor Constantine the Great elevated his youngest son Constans to the rank of Caesar.

350 – Vetranio met Constantius II at Naissus (Serbia) and was forced to abdicate his title (Caesar).

496 – Clovis I, king of the Franks, was baptized into the Catholic faith at Reims, by Saint Remigius.

597 – Augustine of Canterbury and his fellow-labourers baptised more than 10,000 Anglo-Saxons in Kent.

800 Coronation of Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor, in Rome.

1000 Hungary was established as a Christian kingdom by Stephen I of Hungary.

1066  William the Conqueror was crowned as king of England, at Westminster Abbey.

1000 Baldwin of Boulogne was crowned as the first King of Jerusalem in the Church of the Nativity.

1130  Count Roger II of Sicily was crowned as the first King of Sicily.

1223 St. Francis of Assisi assembled the first Nativity scene.

1642 – Sir Isaac Newton, English  physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist and theologian, was born (d. 1727).

1643  Christmas Island was founded and named by Captain William Mynors of the East India Ship Company vessel, the Royal Mary.

1771 – Dorothy Wordsworth, English author and poet (d. 1855)

1814 At Oihi Beach in the Bay of Islands, Samuel Marsden preached in English to a largely Maori gathering, launching the Christian missionary phase of New Zealand history. Marsden’s service was translated by the Nga Puhi leader Ruatara.

1818 The first performance of “Silent Night” took place in the church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorf, Austria.

1821  Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, was born  (d. 1912).

1865 Evangeline Booth, the 4th General of The Salvation Army, was born (d. 1950).

1870 Helena Rubinstein, Polish-born American cosmetics industrialist, was born (d. 1965).

1887 Conrad Hilton, American hotelier, was born (d. 1979).

1889 Lila Bell Wallace, American magazine publisher (Reader’s Digest), was born (d. 1984).

1890  Robert Ripley, collector of odd facts, was born (d. 1949).

1894 – At 1.30 on the afternoon of Christmas Day 1894, Jack Clarke, Tom Fyfe and George Graham became the first to stand atop Aoraki/Mt Cook.

1899 Humphrey Bogart, American actor, was born (d. 1957).

1908 Quentin Crisp, English author, was born (d. 1999).

1913  Tony Martin, American singer and actor, was born  .

1914 Sir James Muir Cameron Fletcher, New Zealand industrialist, was born (d. 2007).

1916 Ahmed Ben Bella,  first President of Algeria, was born (d. 2012).

1918 Anwar Sadat, President of Egypt, Nobel laureate, was born (d. 1981).

1932  A magnitude 7.6 earthquake in Gansu, China killed ~70,000 people.

1941 Battle of Hong Kong ended, beginning the Japanese Occupation of Hong Kong.

1944 Kenny Everett, British entertainer, was born (d. 1995).

1947 The Constitution of the Republic of China went into effect.

1949  Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan was born.

1949 Sissy Spacek, American actress, was born.

1950 The Stone of Scone, traditional coronation stone of British monarchs, was taken from Westminster Abbey by Scottish nationalist students.

1950 Karl Rove, former American presidential advisor, was born.

1954 Annie Lennox, Scottish singer, was born.

1963 Turkish Cypriot Bayrak Radio began transmitting in Cyprus after Turkish Cypriots were forcibly excluded from Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation.

1968 Apollo 8 performed the  first successful Trans Earth Injection (TEI)manoeuvre, sending the crew and spacecraft on a trajectory back to Earth from Lunar orbit.

1989  Nicolae Ceauşescu, former communist dictator of Romania and his wife Elena were condemned to death and executed under a wide range of charges.

1990 The first successful trial run of the system which would become the World Wide Web.

1991  Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as president of the Soviet Union.

1991 Ukraine‘s referendum was finalized and Ukraine officially left the Soviet Union.

2003 – The ill-fated Beagle 2 probe, released from the Mars Express Spacecraft on December 19, disappeared shortly before its scheduled landing.

2004 – Cassini orbiter released Huygens probe which successfully landed on Saturn’s moon Titan on January 14, 2005.

2009 – Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab unsuccessfully attempts a terrorist attack against the US while on board a flight to Detroit Metro Airport Northwest Airlines Flight 253.

2012 – An Antonov An-72 plane crashed close to the city of Shymkent, killing 27 people.

2016 – A Russian Defence Ministry Tupolev Tu-154 carrying members of the Alexandrov Ensemble crashed into the Black Sea shortly after takeoff, killing all 92 people on board.

Sourced from NZ History Online & Wikipedia.

December 25 in history

0 (or 1 AD)ish  – Jesus was born.

33 – Roman Emperor Constantine the Great elevated his youngest sonConstans to the rank of Caesar.

350 – Vetranio met Constantius II at Naissus (Serbia) and was forced to abdicate his title (Caesar).

496 – Clovis I, king of the Franks, was baptized into the Catholic faith at Reims, by Saint Remigius.

597 – Augustine of Canterbury and his fellow-labourers baptised more than 10,000 Anglo-Saxons in Kent.

800 Coronation of Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor, in Rome.

1000 Hungary was established as a Christian kingdom by Stephen I of Hungary.

1066  William the Conqueror was crowned as king of England, at Westminster Abbey.

1000 Baldwin of Boulogne was crowned as the first King of Jerusalem in the Church of the Nativity.

1130  Count Roger II of Sicily was crowned as the first King of Sicily.

1223 St. Francis of Assisi assembled the first Nativity scene.

1642 – Sir Isaac Newton, English  physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist and theologian, was born (d. 1727).

1643  Christmas Island was founded and named by Captain William Mynors of the East India Ship Company vessel, the Royal Mary.

1771 – Dorothy Wordsworth, English author and poet (d. 1855)

1814 At Oihi Beach in the Bay of Islands, Samuel Marsden preached in English to a largely Maori gathering, launching the Christian missionary phase of New Zealand history. Marsden’s service was translated by the Nga Puhi leader Ruatara.

1818 The first performance of “Silent Night” took place in the church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorf, Austria.

1821  Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, was born  (d. 1912).

1865 Evangeline Booth, the 4th General of The Salvation Army, was born (d. 1950).

1870 Helena Rubinstein, Polish-born American cosmetics industrialist, was born (d. 1965).

1887 Conrad Hilton, American hotelier, was born (d. 1979).

1889 Lila Bell Wallace, American magazine publisher (Reader’s Digest), was born (d. 1984).

1890  Robert Ripley, collector of odd facts, was born (d. 1949).

1894 – At 1.30 on the afternoon of Christmas Day 1894, Jack Clarke, Tom Fyfe and George Graham became the first to stand atop Aoraki/Mt Cook.

1899 Humphrey Bogart, American actor, was born (d. 1957).

1908 Quentin Crisp, English author, was born (d. 1999).

1913  Tony Martin, American singer and actor, was born  .

1914 Sir James Muir Cameron Fletcher, New Zealand industrialist, was born (d. 2007).

1916 Ahmed Ben Bella,  first President of Algeria, was born (d. 2012).

1918 Anwar Sadat, President of Egypt, Nobel laureate, was born (d. 1981).

1932  A magnitude 7.6 earthquake in Gansu, China killed ~70,000 people.

1941 Battle of Hong Kong ended, beginning the Japanese Occupation of Hong Kong.

1944 Kenny Everett, British entertainer, was born (d. 1995).

1947 The Constitution of the Republic of China went into effect.

1949  Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan was born.

1949 Sissy Spacek, American actress, was born.

1950 The Stone of Scone, traditional coronation stone of British monarchs, was taken from Westminster Abbey by Scottish nationalist students.

1950 Karl Rove, former American presidential advisor, was born.

1954 Annie Lennox, Scottish singer, was born.

1963 Turkish Cypriot Bayrak Radio began transmitting in Cyprus after Turkish Cypriots were forcibly excluded from Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation.

1968 Apollo 8 performed the  first successful Trans Earth Injection (TEI)manoeuvre, sending the crew and spacecraft on a trajectory back to Earth from Lunar orbit.

1989  Nicolae Ceauşescu, former communist dictator of Romania and his wife Elena were condemned to death and executed under a wide range of charges.

1990 The first successful trial run of the system which would become theWorld Wide Web.

1991  Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as president of the Soviet Union.

1991 Ukraine‘s referendum was finalized and Ukraine officially left the Soviet Union.

2003 – The ill-fated Beagle 2 probe, released from the Mars Express Spacecraft on December 19, disappeared shortly before its scheduled landing.

2004 – Cassini orbiter released Huygens probe which successfully landed on Saturn’s moon Titan on January 14, 2005.

2009 – Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab unsuccessfully attempts a terrorist attack against the US while on board a flight to Detroit Metro AirportNorthwest Airlines Flight 253.

2012 – An Antonov An-72 plane crashed close to the city of Shymkent, killing 27 people.

Sourced from NZ History Online & Wikipedia.

December 25 in history

0 (or 1 AD)ish  – Jesus was born.

33 – Roman Emperor Constantine the Great elevated his youngest sonConstans to the rank of Caesar.

350 – Vetranio met Constantius II at Naissus (Serbia) and was forced to abdicate his title (Caesar).

496 – Clovis I, king of the Franks, was baptized into the Catholic faith at Reims, by Saint Remigius.

597 – Augustine of Canterbury and his fellow-labourers baptised more than 10,000 Anglo-Saxons in Kent.

800 Coronation of Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor, in Rome.

1000 Hungary was established as a Christian kingdom by Stephen I of Hungary.

1066  William the Conqueror was crowned as king of England, at Westminster Abbey.

1000 Baldwin of Boulogne was crowned as the first King of Jerusalem in the Church of the Nativity.

1130  Count Roger II of Sicily was crowned as the first King of Sicily.

1223 St. Francis of Assisi assembled the first Nativity scene.

1642 – Sir Isaac Newton, English  physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist and theologian, was born (d. 1727).

1643  Christmas Island was founded and named by Captain William Mynors of the East India Ship Company vessel, the Royal Mary.

1771 – Dorothy Wordsworth, English author and poet (d. 1855)

1814 At Oihi Beach in the Bay of Islands, Samuel Marsden preached in English to a largely Maori gathering, launching the Christian missionary phase of New Zealand history. Marsden’s service was translated by the Nga Puhi leader Ruatara.

1818 The first performance of “Silent Night” took place in the church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorf, Austria.

1821  Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, was born  (d. 1912).

1865 Evangeline Booth, the 4th General of The Salvation Army, was born (d. 1950).

1870 Helena Rubinstein, Polish-born American cosmetics industrialist, was born (d. 1965).

1887 Conrad Hilton, American hotelier, was born (d. 1979).

1889 Lila Bell Wallace, American magazine publisher (Reader’s Digest), was born (d. 1984).

1890  Robert Ripley, collector of odd facts, was born (d. 1949).

1894 – At 1.30 on the afternoon of Christmas Day 1894, Jack Clarke, Tom Fyfe and George Graham became the first to stand atop Aoraki/Mt Cook.

1899 Humphrey Bogart, American actor, was born (d. 1957).

1908 Quentin Crisp, English author, was born (d. 1999).

1913  Tony Martin, American singer and actor, was born  .

1914 Sir James Muir Cameron Fletcher, New Zealand industrialist, was born (d. 2007).

1916 Ahmed Ben Bella,  first President of Algeria, was born (d. 2012).

1918 Anwar Sadat, President of Egypt, Nobel laureate, was born (d. 1981).

1932  A magnitude 7.6 earthquake in Gansu, China killed ~70,000 people.

1941 Battle of Hong Kong ended, beginning the Japanese Occupation of Hong Kong.

1944 Kenny Everett, British entertainer, was born (d. 1995).

1947 The Constitution of the Republic of China went into effect.

1949  Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan was born.

1949 Sissy Spacek, American actress, was born.

1950 The Stone of Scone, traditional coronation stone of British monarchs, was taken from Westminster Abbey by Scottish nationalist students.

1950 Karl Rove, former American presidential advisor, was born.

1954 Annie Lennox, Scottish singer, was born.

1963 Turkish Cypriot Bayrak Radio began transmitting in Cyprus after Turkish Cypriots were forcibly excluded from Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation.

1968 Apollo 8 performed the  first successful Trans Earth Injection (TEI)manoeuvre, sending the crew and spacecraft on a trajectory back to Earth from Lunar orbit.

1989  Nicolae Ceauşescu, former communist dictator of Romania and his wife Elena were condemned to death and executed under a wide range of charges.

1990 The first successful trial run of the system which would become theWorld Wide Web.

1991  Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as president of the Soviet Union.

1991 Ukraine‘s referendum was finalized and Ukraine officially left the Soviet Union.

2003 – The ill-fated Beagle 2 probe, released from the Mars Express Spacecraft on December 19, disappeared shortly before its scheduled landing.

2004 – Cassini orbiter released Huygens probe which successfully landed on Saturn’s moon Titan on January 14, 2005.

2009 – Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab unsuccessfully attempts a terrorist attack against the US while on board a flight to Detroit Metro AirportNorthwest Airlines Flight 253.

2012 – An Antonov An-72 plane crashed close to the city of Shymkent, killing 27 people.

Sourced from NZ History Online & Wikipedia.

December 25 in history

0 (or 1 AD)ish  – Jesus was born.

33 – Roman Emperor Constantine the Great elevated his youngest sonConstans to the rank of Caesar.

350 – Vetranio met Constantius II at Naissus (Serbia) and was forced to abdicate his title (Caesar).

496 – Clovis I, king of the Franks, was baptized into the Catholic faith at Reims, by Saint Remigius.

597 – Augustine of Canterbury and his fellow-labourers baptised more than 10,000 Anglo-Saxons in Kent.

800 Coronation of Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor, in Rome.

1000 Hungary was established as a Christian kingdom by Stephen I of Hungary.

1066  William the Conqueror was crowned as king of England, at Westminster Abbey.

1000 Baldwin of Boulogne was crowned as the first King of Jerusalem in the Church of the Nativity.

1130  Count Roger II of Sicily was crowned as the first King of Sicily.

1223 St. Francis of Assisi assembled the first Nativity scene.

1642 – Sir Isaac Newton, English  physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist and theologian, was born (d. 1727).

1643  Christmas Island was founded and named by Captain William Mynors of the East India Ship Company vessel, the Royal Mary.

1771 – Dorothy Wordsworth, English author and poet (d. 1855)

1814 At Oihi Beach in the Bay of Islands, Samuel Marsden preached in English to a largely Maori gathering, launching the Christian missionary phase of New Zealand history. Marsden’s service was translated by the Nga Puhi leader Ruatara.

1818 The first performance of “Silent Night” took place in the church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorf, Austria.

1821  Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, was born  (d. 1912).

1865 Evangeline Booth, the 4th General of The Salvation Army, was born (d. 1950).

1870 Helena Rubinstein, Polish-born American cosmetics industrialist, was born (d. 1965).

1887 Conrad Hilton, American hotelier, was born (d. 1979).

1889 Lila Bell Wallace, American magazine publisher (Reader’s Digest), was born (d. 1984).

1890  Robert Ripley, collector of odd facts, was born(d. 1949).

1899 Humphrey Bogart, American actor, was born (d. 1957).

1908 Quentin Crisp, English author, was born (d. 1999).

1913  Tony Martin, American singer and actor, was born  .

1914 Sir James Muir Cameron Fletcher, New Zealand industrialist, was born (d. 2007).

1916 Ahmed Ben Bella,  first President of Algeria, was born (d. 2012).

1918 Anwar Sadat, President of Egypt, Nobel laureate, was born (d. 1981).

1932  A magnitude 7.6 earthquake in Gansu, China killed ~70,000 people.

1941 Battle of Hong Kong ended, beginning the Japanese Occupation of Hong Kong.

1944 Kenny Everett, British entertainer, was born (d. 1995).

1947 The Constitution of the Republic of China went into effect.

1949  Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan was born.

1949 Sissy Spacek, American actress, was born.

1950 The Stone of Scone, traditional coronation stone of British monarchs, was taken from Westminster Abbey by Scottish nationalist students.

1950 Karl Rove, former American presidential advisor, was born.

1954 Annie Lennox, Scottish singer, was born.

1963 Turkish Cypriot Bayrak Radio began transmitting in Cyprus after Turkish Cypriots were forcibly excluded from Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation.

1968 Apollo 8 performed the  first successful Trans Earth Injection (TEI)manoeuvre, sending the crew and spacecraft on a trajectory back to Earth from Lunar orbit.

1989  Nicolae Ceauşescu, former communist dictator of Romania and his wife Elena were condemned to death and executed under a wide range of charges.

1990 The first successful trial run of the system which would become theWorld Wide Web.

1991  Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as president of the Soviet Union.

1991 Ukraine‘s referendum was finalized and Ukraine officially left the Soviet Union.

2003 – The ill-fated Beagle 2 probe, released from the Mars Express Spacecraft on December 19, disappeared shortly before its scheduled landing.

2004 – Cassini orbiter released Huygens probe which successfully landed on Saturn’s moon Titan on January 14, 2005.

2009 – Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab unsuccessfully attempts a terrorist attack against the US while on board a flight to Detroit Metro AirportNorthwest Airlines Flight 253.

2012 – An Antonov An-72 plane crashed close to the city of Shymkent, killing 27 people.

Sourced from NZ History Online & Wikipedia.

December 25 in history

0 (or 1 AD)ish  – Jesus was born.

33 – Roman Emperor Constantine the Great elevated his youngest son Constans to the rank of Caesar.

350 – Vetranio met Constantius II at Naissus (Serbia) and was forced to abdicate his title (Caesar).

496 – Clovis I, king of the Franks, was baptized into the Catholic faith at Reims, by Saint Remigius.

597 – Augustine of Canterbury and his fellow-labourers baptised more than 10,000 Anglo-Saxons in Kent.

800 Coronation of Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor, in Rome.

1000 Hungary was established as a Christian kingdom by Stephen I of Hungary.

1066  William the Conqueror was crowned as king of England, at Westminster Abbey.

1000 Baldwin of Boulogne was crowned as the first King of Jerusalem in the Church of the Nativity.

1130  Count Roger II of Sicily was crowned as the first King of Sicily.

1223 St. Francis of Assisi assembled the first Nativity scene.

1642 – Sir Isaac Newton, English  physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist and theologian, was born (d. 1727).

1643  Christmas Island was founded and named by Captain William Mynors of the East India Ship Company vessel, the Royal Mary.

1771 – Dorothy Wordsworth, English author and poet (d. 1855)

1814 At Oihi Beach in the Bay of Islands, Samuel Marsden preached in English to a largely Maori gathering, launching the Christian missionary phase of New Zealand history. Marsden’s service was translated by the Nga Puhi leader Ruatara.

1818 The first performance of “Silent Night” took place in the church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorf, Austria.

1821  Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, was born  (d. 1912).

1865 Evangeline Booth, the 4th General of The Salvation Army, was born (d. 1950).

1870 Helena Rubinstein, Polish-born American cosmetics industrialist, was born (d. 1965).

1887 Conrad Hilton, American hotelier, was born (d. 1979).

1889 Lila Bell Wallace, American magazine publisher (Reader’s Digest), was born (d. 1984).

1890  Robert Ripley, collector of odd facts, was born(d. 1949).

1899 Humphrey Bogart, American actor, was born (d. 1957).

1908 Quentin Crisp, English author, was born (d. 1999).

1913  Tony Martin, American singer and actor, was born  .

1914 Sir James Muir Cameron Fletcher, New Zealand industrialist, was born (d. 2007).

1916 Ahmed Ben Bella,  first President of Algeria, was born (d. 2012).

1918 Anwar Sadat, President of Egypt, Nobel laureate, was born (d. 1981).

1932  A magnitude 7.6 earthquake in Gansu, China killed ~70,000 people.

1941 Battle of Hong Kong ended, beginning the Japanese Occupation of Hong Kong.

1944 Kenny Everett, British entertainer, was born (d. 1995).

1947 The Constitution of the Republic of China went into effect.

1949  Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan was born.

1949 Sissy Spacek, American actress, was born.

1950 The Stone of Scone, traditional coronation stone of British monarchs, was taken from Westminster Abbey by Scottish nationalist students.

1950 Karl Rove, former American presidential advisor, was born.

1954 Annie Lennox, Scottish singer, was born.

1963 Turkish Cypriot Bayrak Radio began transmitting in Cyprus after Turkish Cypriots were forcibly excluded from Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation.

1968 Apollo 8 performed the  first successful Trans Earth Injection (TEI) manoeuvre, sending the crew and spacecraft on a trajectory back to Earth from Lunar orbit.

1989  Nicolae Ceauşescu, former communist dictator of Romania and his wife Elena were condemned to death and executed under a wide range of charges.

1990 The first successful trial run of the system which would become the World Wide Web.

1991  Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as president of the Soviet Union.

1991 Ukraine‘s referendum was finalized and Ukraine officially left the Soviet Union.

2003 – The ill-fated Beagle 2 probe, released from the Mars Express Spacecraft on December 19, disappeared shortly before its scheduled landing.

2004 – Cassini orbiter released Huygens probe which successfully landed on Saturn’s moon Titan on January 14, 2005.

2009 – Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab unsuccessfully attempts a terrorist attack against the US while on board a flight to Detroit Metro Airport Northwest Airlines Flight 253

Sourced from NZ History Online & Wikipedia.

December 25 in history

0 (or 1 AD)ish  – Jesus was born.

33 – Roman Emperor Constantine the Great elevated his youngest son Constans to the rank of Caesar.

350 – Vetranio met Constantius II at Naissus (Serbia) and was forced to abdicate his title (Caesar).

496 – Clovis I, king of the Franks, was baptized into the Catholic faith at Reims, by Saint Remigius.

597 – Augustine of Canterbury and his fellow-labourers baptises more than 10,000 Anglo-Saxons in Kent.

800 Coronation of Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor, in Rome.

1000 Hungary was established as a Christian kingdom by Stephen I of Hungary.

1066  William the Conqueror was crowned as king of England, at Westminster Abbey.

1000 Baldwin of Boulogne was crowned as the first King of Jerusalem in the Church of the Nativity.

1130  Count Roger II of Sicily was crowned as the first King of Sicily.

1223 St. Francis of Assisi assembled the first Nativity scene.

1642 – Sir Isaac Newton, English  physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist and theologian, was born (d. 1727).

1643  Christmas Island was founded and named by Captain William Mynors of the East India Ship Company vessel, the Royal Mary.

1771 – Dorothy Wordsworth, English author and poet (d. 1855)

1814 At Oihi Beach in the Bay of Islands, Samuel Marsden preached in English to a largely Maori gathering, launching the Christian missionary phase of New Zealand history. Marsden’s service was translated by the Nga Puhi leader Ruatara.

1818 The first performance of “Silent Night” took place in the church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorf, Austria.

1821  Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, was born  (d. 1912).

1865 Evangeline Booth, the 4th General of The Salvation Army, was born (d. 1950).

1870 Helena Rubinstein, Polish-born American cosmetics industrialist, was born (d. 1965).

1887 Conrad Hilton, American hotelier, was born (d. 1979).

1889 Lila Bell Wallace, American magazine publisher (Reader’s Digest), was born (d. 1984).

1890  Robert Ripley, collector of odd facts, was born(d. 1949).

1899 Humphrey Bogart, American actor, was born (d. 1957).

1908 Quentin Crisp, English author, was born (d. 1999).

1913  Tony Martin, American singer and actor, was born  .

1914 Sir James Muir Cameron Fletcher, New Zealand industrialist, was born (d. 2007).

1916 Ahmed Ben Bella,  first President of Algeria, was born (d. 2012).

1918 Anwar Sadat, President of Egypt, Nobel laureate, was born (d. 1981).

1932  A magnitude 7.6 earthquake in Gansu, China killed ~70,000 people.

1941 Battle of Hong Kong ended, beginning the Japanese Occupation of Hong Kong.

1944 Kenny Everett, British entertainer, was born (d. 1995).

1947 The Constitution of the Republic of China went into effect.

1949  Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan was born.

1949 Sissy Spacek, American actress, was born.

1950 The Stone of Scone, traditional coronation stone of British monarchs, was taken from Westminster Abbey by Scottish nationalist students.

1950 Karl Rove, former American presidential advisor, was born.

1954 Annie Lennox, Scottish singer, was born.

1963 Turkish Cypriot Bayrak Radio began transmitting in Cyprus after Turkish Cypriots were forcibly excluded from Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation.

1968 Apollo 8 performed the  first successful Trans Earth Injection (TEI) manoeuvre, sending the crew and spacecraft on a trajectory back to Earth from Lunar orbit.

1989  Nicolae Ceauşescu, former communist dictator of Romania and his wife Elena were condemned to death and executed under a wide range of charges.

1990 The first successful trial run of the system which would become the World Wide Web.

1991  Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as president of the Soviet Union.

1991 Ukraine‘s referendum was finalized and Ukraine officially left the Soviet Union.

2003 – The ill-fated Beagle 2 probe, released from the Mars Express Spacecraft on December 19, disappeared shortly before its scheduled landing.

2004 – Cassini orbiter released Huygens probe which successfully landed on Saturn’s moon Titan on January 14, 2005.

2009 – Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab unsuccessfully attempts a terrorist attack against the US while on board a flight to Detroit Metro Airport Northwest Airlines Flight 253

Sourced from NZ History Online & Wikipedia.

December 25 in history

0 (or 1 AD)  – Jesus was born.

800 Coronation of Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor, in Rome.

1000 Hungary was established as a Christian kingdom by Stephen I of Hungary.

1066  William the Conqueror was crowned as king of England, at Westminster Abbey.

1000 Baldwin of Boulogne was crowned as the first King of Jerusalem in the Church of the Nativity.

1130  Count Roger II of Sicily was crowned as the first King of Sicily.

1223 St. Francis of Assisi assembled the first Nativity scene.

1642 – Sir Isaac Newton, English  physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist and theologian, was born (d. 1727).

1643  Christmas Island was founded and named by Captain William Mynors of the East India Ship Company vessel, the Royal Mary.

1814 At Oihi Beach in the Bay of Islands, Samuel Marsden preached in English to a largely Maori gathering, launching the Christian missionary phase of New Zealand history. Marsden’s service was translated by the Nga Puhi leader Ruatara.

1818 The first performance of “Silent Night” took place in the church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorf, Austria.

1821  Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, was born  (d. 1912).

1865 Evangeline Booth, the 4th General of The Salvation Army, was born (d. 1950).

1870 Helena Rubinstein, Polish-born American cosmetics industrialist, was born (d. 1965).

1887 Conrad Hilton, American hotelier, was born (d. 1979).

1889 Lila Bell Wallace, American magazine publisher (Reader’s Digest), was born (d. 1984).

1890  Robert Ripley, collector of odd facts, was born(d. 1949).

1899 Humphrey Bogart, American actor, was born (d. 1957).

1908 Quentin Crisp, English author, was born (d. 1999).

1913  Tony Martin, American singer and actor, was born  .

1914 James Muir Cameron Fletcher, New Zealand industrialist, was born (d. 2007).

1916 Ahmed Ben Bella,  first President of Algeria, was born (d. 2012).

1918 Anwar Sadat, President of Egypt, Nobel laureate, was born (d. 1981).

1932  A magnitude 7.6 earthquake in Gansu, China killed ~70,000 people.

1941 Battle of Hong Kong ended, beginning the Japanese Occupation of Hong Kong.

1944 Kenny Everett, British entertainer, was born (d. 1995).

1947 The Constitution of the Republic of China went into effect.

1949  Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan was born.

1949 Sissy Spacek, American actress, was born.

1950 The Stone of Scone, traditional coronation stone of British monarchs, was taken from Westminster Abbey by Scottish nationalist students.

1950 Karl Rove, former American presidential advisor, was born.

1954 Annie Lennox, Scottish singer, was born.

1963 Turkish Cypriot Bayrak Radio began transmitting in Cyprus after Turkish Cypriots were forcibly excluded from Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation.

1968 Apollo 8 performed the  first successful Trans Earth Injection (TEI) manoeuvre, sending the crew and spacecraft on a trajectory back to Earth from Lunar orbit.

1989  Nicolae Ceauşescu, former communist dictator of Romania and his wife Elena were condemned to death and executed under a wide range of charges.

1990 The first successful trial run of the system which would become the World Wide Web.

1991  Mikhail Gorbachev resigned as president of the Soviet Union.

1991 Ukraine‘s referendum was finalized and Ukraine officially left the Soviet Union.

2003 – The ill-fated Beagle 2 probe, released from the Mars Express Spacecraft on December 19, disappeared shortly before its scheduled landing.

2004 – Cassini orbiter released Huygens probe which successfully landed on Saturn’s moon Titan on January 14, 2005.

2009 – Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab unsuccessfully attempts a terrorist attack against the US while on board a flight to Detroit Metro Airport Northwest Airlines Flight 253

Sourced from NZ History Online & Wikipedia.

January 4 in history

1490  Anna of Brittany announced that all those who allied with the king of France would be considered guilty of the crime of lese-majesty.

1493 Christopher Columbus left the New World, ending his first journey.

1642 King Charles I of England sent soldiers to arrest members of Parliament, commencing England’s slide into civil war.

1643 Sir Isaac Newton, English mathematician and natural philosopher, was born (d. 1727).

1698  Most of the Palace of Whitehall, the main residence of the English monarchs, was destroyed by fire.

1785 Jacob Grimm, German philologist and folklorist (one of the Brothers Grim), was born (d. 1863).

1809 – Louis Braille, French teacher of the blind and inventor of braille, was born (d. 1852)

1813 Isaac Pitman, English inventor, was born (d. 1897).

1847 Samuel Colt sold his first revolver pistol to the United States government.

1854 The McDonald Islands were discovered by Captain William McDonald aboard the Samarang.

1865 The New York Stock Exchange opened its first permanent headquarters at 10-12 Broad near Wall Street in New York City.

1869 Te Kooti was defeated at Nga Tapa.

1878 Sofia was emancipated from Ottoman rule.

1878 Augustus John, Welsh painter, was born (d. 1961).

1884 The Fabian Society was founded in London.

1885  The first successful appendectomy was performed by William W. Grant on Mary Gartside.

1903 – Topsy, an elephant, was electrocuted by Thomas Edison during the War of Currents campaign.

1912 – The Scout Association was incorporated throughout the British Commonwealth by Royal Charter.

1947 – Rick Stein, English chef and television presenter, was born.

1948 – Burma regained its independence from the United Kingdom.

1958 Sir Edmund Hillary led a New Zealand party to the South Pole.

1958  Sputnik 1 fell to Earth from its orbit.

1959  Luna 1 became the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon.

1962 New York City introduced a train that operated without a crew on-board.

1965 Cait O’Riordan, British musician (The Pogues), was born.

1972  Rose Heilbron became the first female judge to sit at the Old Bailey in London.

1975  Elizabeth Ann Seton became the first American-born saint.

1991  Olivia Tennet, New Zealand actress, was born.

2004 Spirit, a NASA Mars Rover, landed successfully on Mars.

2007 The 110th United States Congress elected Nancy Pelosi as the first female Speaker of the House in U.S. history.

2010 – The Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building was officially opened.

2010 – A ruling by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, removed a ban on people with HIV from entering the country.

Sourced from NZ History Online and Wikipedia.

January 4 in history

On January 4:

1490  Anna of Brittany announced that all those who allied with the king of France would be considered guilty of the crime of lese-majesty.

1493 Christopher Columbus left the New World, ending his first journey.

1642 King Charles I of England sent soldiers to arrest members of Parliament, commencing England’s slide into civil war.

1643  Sir Isaac Newton, English mathematician and natural philosopher, was born (d. 1727).

1698  Most of the Palace of Whitehall, the main residence of the English monarchs, was destroyed by fire.

1785 Jacob Grimm, German philologist and folklorist(one of the Brothers Grim), was born (d. 1863).

1809 – Louis Braille, French teacher of the blind and inventor of braille, was born (d. 1852)

1813 Isaac Pitman, English inventor, was born (d. 1897).

 

1847 Samuel Colt sold his first revolver pistol to the United States government.

1854 The McDonald Islands were discovered by Captain William McDonald aboard the Samarang.

1865 The New York Stock Exchange opened its first permanent headquarters at 10-12 Broad near Wall Street in New York City.

1869 Te Kooti was defeated at Nga Tapa.

1878 Sofia was emancipated from Ottoman rule.

1878 Augustus John, Welsh painter, was born (d. 1961).

1884 The Fabian Society was founded in London.

1885  The first successful appendectomy was performed by William W. Grant on Mary Gartside.

1903 – Topsy, an elephant, was electrocuted by Thomas Edison during the War of Currents campaign.

1912 – The Scout Association was incorporated throughout the British Commonwealth by Royal Charter.

1947 – Rick Stein, English chef and television presenter, was born.

1948 – Burma regained its independence from the United Kingdom.

1958 Sir Edmund Hillary led a New Zealand party to the South Pole.

1958  Sputnik 1 fell to Earth from its orbit.

1959  Luna 1 became the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon.

1962 New York City introduced a train that operated without a crew on-board.

1965 Cait O’Riordan, British musician (The Pogues), was born.

1972  Rose Heilbron became the first female judge to sit at the Old Bailey in London.

1975  Elizabeth Ann Seton became the first American-born saint.  

1991  Olivia Tennet, New Zealand actress, was born.

2004 Spirit, a NASA Mars Rover, landed successfully on Mars.

2007 The 110th United States Congress elected Nancy Pelosi as the first female Speaker of the House in U.S. history.

 

2010 – The Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building was officially opened.

2010 – A ruling by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, removed a ban on people with HIV from entering the country.

Sourced from NZ History Online and Wikipedia.

Tuesday’s answers

Monday’s questions were:

1. What breed of cattle is this?

2. Who said: “The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts.”?

3. Whose third Law of Motion states: “That for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.”?

4. In Spanish it’s estrealla ; in French it’s étoile, in Italian it’s in Maori it’s whetu – what is it in English?

5. Which poet won the poetry section of this year’s NZ Post Book Awards (announced on Friday) for the book Just This?

Eleven people answered:

KG got one right.

Mr Gronk got two (and my general knowledge isn’t as good as the quiz suggests. As any teacher or reporter will tell you, you can get away with not knowing an answer if you knew where to look for it – and Google helps.

G got three.

Chris Bird and Gravedodger earned electronic bouquets for getting five right.

David got three (allowing that Brahman is a breed of Zebu) and a bonus for extra information.

Andrei got three.

Zen Tiger gets a bonus electronic posy for wit and doggerel.

Richard gets a point for honesty -though I’d be very surprised if you saw a Brahman in North Otago, but my farmer said you might have seen a Santa Gertrudis which began as a Shorthorn-Brahman cross.

PDM got three.

Adam got two and a bonus for humour.

Tuesday’s answers follow the break:

Tuesday’s anwers

Monday’s questions were:

1. What is an udometer?

2. What do the following coffee shop terms mean:  brevé, granita and lungo?

3. How many monarchs have come from the House of Windsor?

4. Which book won the 2010 NZ Post Children’s Book Award?

5. Who said: “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants”?

As often happens, the answers show the people who erespond know more about the subject of the questions than I do so I’m prepared to accept variations on the coffee theme.

G got a clean sweep and the electronic bouquet.

David got one right, a bonus for reasoning (even though it led to the wrong conclusion) and another for added information ont he quote.

Bearhunter got two and also gets a bonus for more infomration ont he quote.

Ray got 4 and a bonus for honesty.

Paul got 2 2/3 with a bonus for moder technology.

The answers follow the break.

January 4 in history

On January 4:

1490  Anna of Brittany announced that all those who would ally with the king of France will be considered guilty of the crime of lese-majesty.

1493 Christopher Columbus left the New World, ending his first journey.

1642 King Charles I of England sent soldiers to arrest members of Parliament, commencing England’s slide into civil war.

1643  Sir Isaac Newton, English mathematician and natural philosopher, was born.

1698  Most of the Palace of Whitehall in London, the main residence of the English monarchs, was destroyed by fire.

1785 Jacob Grimm, German philologist and folklorist(one of the Brothers Grim), was born.

1813 Isaac Pitman, English inventor, was born.

 

1847 Samuel Colt sells his first revolver pistol to the United States government.

1854 The McDonald Islands were discovered by Captain William McDonald aboard the Samarang.

1865 The New York Stock Exchange opened its first permanent headquarters at 10-12 Broad near Wall Street in New York City.

1869 Te Kooti was defeated at Nga Tapa.

1878 Sofia was emancipated from Ottoman rule.

1878 Augustus John, Welsh painter, was born.

1884 The Fabian Society is founded in London.

1885  The first successful appendectomy was performed by William W. Grant on Mary Gartside.

1903 – Topsy, an elephant, was electrocuted by Thomas Edison during the War of Currents campaign.

1912 – The Scout Association was incorporated throughout the British Commonwealth by Royal Charter.

1947 – Rick Stein, English chef and television presenter, was born.

1948 – Burma regained its independence from the United Kingdom.

1958 Sir Edmund Hillary led a New Zealand party to the South Pole.

1958  Sputnik 1 fell to Earth from its orbit.

1959  Luna 1 became the first spacecraft to reach the vicinity of the Moon.

1962 New York City introduced a train that operates without a crew on-board.

1965 Cait O’Riordan, British musician (The Pogues), was born.

1972  Rose Heilbron became the first female judge to sit at the Old Bailey in London.

1975  Elizabeth Ann Seton became the first American-born saint.  

1991  Olivia Tennet, New Zealand actress, was born.

2004 Spirit, a NASA Mars Rover, landed successfully on Mars.

2007 The 110th United States Congress elected Nancy Pelosi as the first female Speaker of the House in U.S. history.

 

Sourced from NZ History Online and Wikipedia.