December 26 holidays in 2024

Historical Events on December 26

• 1861: Confederate diplomatic envoys, John Slidell and James Murray Mason, that were captured by the U.S government are freed. This prevents a possible war between the U.K and the U.S arising from this event known as the Trent Affair.
• 1862: The Battle of Chickasaw Bayou starts during the American Civil War.
• 1862: Four nuns become the first female nurse to serve on a United States hospital ship when they volunteer their services aboard the USS Red Rover.
• 1862: Almost 40 Native Americans are hung during the biggest mass hanging in United States history which took place in Mankato, Minnesota.
• 1892: Marie Curie and her husband Pierre Curie announce to the world they have isolated radium.
• 1919: Babe Ruth – who was playing for the Boston Red Sox – is sent to the New York Yankees. This would become the basis for the Curse of the Bambino superstitions that would later arrive.
• 1941: The 4^th Thursday in November is established as Thanksgiving Day in the U.S when United States’ President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs a bill setting the date for the holiday.
• 1943: Royal Naval forces sink the German warship Scharnhorst off of Norway’s North Cape.
• 1944: The encirclement of U.S forces at Bastogne in Belgium is broken by General George S. Patton and his Third Army during World War II.

Famous Birthdays on December 26

• English mathematician and inventor of the Difference Engine, Charles Babbage is born in 1791.
• American admiral George Dewey is born in 1837.
• American lawyer and politician, William Stephens is born in 1859.
• American author Henry Miller is born in 1891.
• American actor and illustrator, Don Barclay is born in 1892.
• American poet and author, Jean Toome is born in 1894.
• American actor, screenwriter and TV show personality, Steve Allen is born in 1921.
• English actor Richard Mayes is born in 1922.
• Danish-American drummer and songwriter, Lars Ulrich is born in 1963.
• American author Elizabeth Kostova is born in 1964.