TODAY INHISTORY
Today isThursday, Dec. 24, the 359thdayof2020. There are seven days left in the year. This is Christmas Eve.
TODAY'SHIGHLIGHT
OnDec. 24, 1814, the United States and Britain signed the TreatyofGhent, which ended theWarof 1812 following ratificationbyboth the BritishParliament and the U.S. Senate.
ONTHISDATE
In 1524, Portuguese navigatorVascodaGama — whohad discovereda sea route aroundAfrica to India — died in Cochin, India.
In 1851, firedevastated the LibraryofCongress in Washington, D.C., destroying about 35,000volumes. In 1865, several veterans of the ConfederateArmy formeda private social club inPulaski, Tennessee, that was the original version of theKu Klux Klan. In1913,73people, mostof themchildren,diedinacrush ofpanic afterafalse cryof “Fire!”duringaChristmas partyforstrikingminersand theirfamiliesattheItalian Hall inCalumet,Michigan.
In1943, PresidentFranklin D.Rooseveltappointed Gen.DwightD.Eisenhower supremecommanderofAllied forcesinEuropeaspartof OperationOverlord.
theApollo8 astronauts,orbitingthemoon, readpassagesfromtheOld TestamentBookofGenesis duringaChristmasEve telecast.
In1980,Americans rememberedtheU.S. hostagesinIranbyburning candlesorshining lightsfor 417seconds— onesecondfor eachdayofcaptivity. In1984,actorPeterLawford, 61, diedinLosAngeles. In1992,PresidentBush pardonedformerDefense SecretaryCasparWeinberger andfiveothersintheIranContrascandal.
In1993, theRev.Norman VincentPeale,whoblended Christianandpsychiatric principlesintoamessageof “positivethinking,”diedin Pawling,NewYork,atage95. In2014, SonyPicturesbroadly released“TheInterview” online— anunprecedented counterstrokeagainst thehackerswho’dspoiled theChristmasopeningof thecomedydepictingthe assassinationofNorthKorean leaderKimJongUn.
In2016, IsraeliPrimeMinister BenjaminNetanyahuaccused PresidentBarackObama ofa“shamefulambush”at theUnitedNationsandsaid hewaslooking forwardto workingwithhis“friend” DonaldTrump; Netanyahu’s commentscameadayafter theU.S.brokewithpast practiceandallowedthe SecurityCounciltocondemn IsraelisettlementsintheWest BankandeastJerusalem. Tenyearsago: PopeBenedict XVIusheredin ChristmasEve withaneveningMassamid heightenedsecurityconcerns followingpackagebombings attwoRomeembassies andChristmasEvesecurity breachesattheVaticanthe previous twoyears. Fiveyearsago: Christian faithful fromaroundthe worlddescendedonthe biblical cityofBethlehem forChristmasEve celebrationsasanoutburst of Israeli-Palestinian violence dampenedthetypically festivemood. California Gov.Jerry Brownpardoned RobertDowneyJr. foranearly 20-year-old felonydrug conviction that sent the Oscar-nominatedactor to jail fornearlyayear. William Guest, 74, amemberof GladysKnightandthe Pips, died inDetroit.
Oneyearago: WiththeNotre DameCathedral inParis unable tohost Christmas services forthe first time sincetheFrenchRevolution becauseofdamagefrom afireearlier intheyear, the clergy, choirandcongregation relocatedtoaGothic church next totheLouvreMuseum forChristmasEveand ChristmasDayservices.