TODAY IN HISTORY: Rockefeller donates $100M

December 24

In 1814, the War of 1812 officially ended as the United States and Britain signed the Treaty of Ghent in Belgium. Because of a military stalemate, it was agreed to restore prewar boundaries. However, because of the slowness of communications at that time, both countries fought the “Battle of New Orleans” the following month.

In 1919, American tycoon John D. Rockefeller gave away $100-million — the largest single philanthropic gift to that day. Half of the money was for salary increases for U.S. teachers.

In 1948, Canada officially recognized the state of Israel.

In 1968, the Apollo 8 astronauts read passages from the Old Testament Book of Genesis as part of a Christmas Eve television broadcast to Earth while orbiting the moon.

In 1988, following a bitter two-week debate, the House of Commons approved the Canada-U.S. free trade deal. The vote on final reading — at 1:48 a.m. Eastern time — was 141-to-111.

In 1999, Calgary recorded a record temperature of 17.6 degrees.

December 25

Christian tradition associates the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem with Dec. 25th, however the exact day and year of Christ’s birth have never been determined. The year 6 B.C., two years before the death of King Herod, has been suggested as the possible year of Christ’s birth.

In 1855, the first recorded game of ice hockey was played in Kingston, Ont., by members of the Royal Canadian Rifles. The soldiers tied blades to their boots, borrowed field hockey sticks and played field hockey on ice using a lacrosse ball. Windsor, N.S., also claims credit as the sport’s birthplace.

In 1990, the World Wide Web, the system providing quick access to websites over the Internet, was born in Geneva, Switzerland, as computer scientists Tim Berners-Lee and Robert Cailliau created the world’s first hyperlinked webpage.

In 2016, George Michael, whose debut solo album “Faith” sold 25 million copies and won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, was found dead in bed at his London home by his partner. The cause of death was listed by the coroner dilated cardiomyopathy with myocarditis and a fatty liver.

December 26

In 1865, a patent for a coffee percolator was granted to James Nelson.

In 1932, a massive earthquake in Gansu, China, killed 70,000 people.

In 1957, Elvis Presley got a temporary draft deferment so he could finish the movie “King Creole.”

In 1970, George Harrison’s “My Sweet Lord’ from “All Things Must Pass’ hit No. 1 on the U.S. charts. Although each of the ex-Beatles would have at least two No. 1 singles in the U.S., Harrison became the first to top the charts following the band’s break-up.

In 1976, 21 people died in a nursing home fire in St. John’s, Nfld.

In 1982, Time magazine announced its 1982 Man of the Year was the computer.

In 1985, American naturalist Dian Fossey, who had studied gorillas in the wild, was found hacked to death at a research station in Rwanda. She was 53. Her murder still remains unsolved to this day.

In 2005, teen Jane Creba was killed and six people wounded when they were caught in the crossfire of a gun battle between rival gangs on a downtown Toronto street packed with Boxing Day shoppers.