December 25

Today in History
• 352 - 1st definite date Christmas was celebrated on Dec 25th
• 1223 - St Francis of Assisi assembles 1st Nativity scene (Greccio, Italy)
• 1621 - Governor William Bradford of Plymouth Colony forbids game playing on Christmas
• 1656 - Dutch astronomer, mathematician Christiaan Huygens creates 1st pendulum clock
• 1741 - Astronomer Anders Celsius introduces Centigrade temperature scale
• 1776 - American Revolutionary War: George Washington crosses Delaware River into New Jersey
• 1818 - 1st known Christmas carol ("Silent Night, Holy Night") sung (Austria)
• 1831 - Louisiana and Arkansas are first states to observe Christmas as holiday


Holidays - Traditional and Obscure
• A’Phabet Day or No “L” Day
• Christmas
• National Eva Day
• Grav Mass Day
• National Colby Day
• National Pumpkin Pie Day
• Quaid-e-Azam Day
• Mari Lwyd

Birthdays
• 1250 - John IV Laskaris, Byzantine Emperor
• 1461 - Christina of Saxony, queen of Denmark and Norway
• 1642 - Isaac Newton, English physicist, mathematician and astronome
• 1717 - Pius VI, Italian Pope (1775-99)
• 1814 - Jan de Liefde II, Dutch vicar/founder, Coop of Welfare of the People
• 1821 - Clara Barton, American nurse and founder of the American Red Cross
• 1876 - Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Founder of Pakistan who led the All-India Muslim League
• 1890 - Robert Ripley, collector of odd facts (Believe it or Not)