On this day in ... 1777 – Kiritimati, also called Christmas Island, is discovered by James Cook. 1814 - The War of 1812, between the U.S. and Britain, was ended with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent in Belgium. 1818 - The Christmas carol Silent Night, composed by Franz Gruber, is first sung at St Nicholas parish church in Oberndorf, Austria 1851 - A fire devastated the Library of Congress, destroying about 35,000 volumes. 1865 - A group of Confederate veterans got together in Pulaski, Tennessee, to form a secret society: the Ku Klux Klan. 1871 - Giuseppe Verdis Aida premieres in Cairo, at the opening of the Suez canal 1956 - I Love Lucy Christmas show airs, never put in syndication 1968 – The crew of Apollo 8 (James A. Lovell, William Anders and Frank Borman) 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 Christmas Eve Broadcast, one of the most watched programs in history. Seven months later man first landed on the moon. 1992 - President George H.W. Bush pardoned former Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger and five others in the Iran-Contra scandal.
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 12:56:38 +0000
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