December 26 holidays in 2024

Holiday name Holiday location Holiday type
Boxing Day Multiple [Show] Public Holiday
Family Day Vanuatu Public Holiday
Synaxis of the Mother of God Greece Public Holiday
Independence and Unity Day Slovenia National Holiday
Day of Goodwill Namibia Public Holiday
Day of Goodwill South Africa Public Holiday
National Day of Thanksgiving Solomon Islands Public Holiday
National Candy Cane Day - Unofficial (Food & Drinks)
National Thank You Note Day - Unofficial (Appreciation & Honor)
National Whiner’s Day - Unofficial (Weird & Obscure)
First Day of Hanukkah Multiple [Show] Jewish Holiday
Chanukah/Hanukkah (first day) United States Jewish Holiday
Kwanzaa (first day) United States Observance
Day After Christmas Day United States (KS, NC, SC, TX) State Holiday
Hanukkah I (Holiday of lights) Israel Observance, Hebrew
St. Stephen's Day Multiple [Show] Multiple Types
Second day of Christmas Multiple [Show] National Holiday
St Stephen's Day Multiple [Show] Multiple Types
2nd Christmas Day Denmark National Holiday
Second Day of Christmas Multiple [Show] National Holiday
Hanukkah Starts - Jewish

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 4th 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.

Ash Wednesday

Purim

Pentecost

Memorial Day