| Kit Carson, Western scout. | |
| Howard Hughes, reclusive billionaire, moviemaker, plane builder. | |
| Robert Joffrey, Choreographer | |
| Christmas Eve | |
| Vasco daGama Day | |
| 'Silent Night' is composed by Franz Gruber and sung next day | |
| Library of Congress burns, 35,000 volumes are destroyed. | |
| Confederate veterans form the Ku Klux Klan in Pulaski, TN | |
| Giuseppe Verdi's 'Aida' premieres in Cairo, at Suez canal opening | |
| the first radio program is broadcast, in Brant Rock, Mass | |
| Enrico Caruso gave his last public performance | |
| first radioactive isotope medicine administered, Berkeley, CA | |
| Libya gains independence from Italy | |
| Soviet Luna 13 lands on moon | |
| Apollo 8 astronauts broadcast seasons greetings from the moon. | |
By Scott Labrecque version 9.4.0.0