CELEBRATIONS ON DECEMBER 25th      Christmas Day,   also known as The First Day of Christmas  or Christmastime.     It is Christian holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ (Christian Communities,   International) ..         Constitution Day (Taiwan) ..         Quaid-e-Azam's Day (Pakistan) ..         The first day of the Cali Fair (Cali, Colombia) ..         Malkh-Festival (Nakh people of Chechenya & Ingushetia) ..         Holiday,   a mock-holiday celebrated by Pastafarians (The church of the flying spaghetti monster),   The Holiday does not take place on a specific date so much as it is the Holiday season itself ..         Medieval European New Year (Occasionally) ..         National Pumpkin Pie Day ..         A'Phabet Day, also known as No -L- Day ......         Christian Feast Day of Anastasia of Sirmium (Catholic Church) ..                    CELEBRATIONS THIS WEEK      Christmas Week,   also known as The Twelve Days of Christmas,   December 25th through January 6th ..         Holiday Week,   Final Week of December ..         Yuletide,   Final Week of December ..         Las Posadas,   December 16th through December 24th (Spain, Mexico, Guatamala, Southern USA) ........         Saturnalia (Ancient Rome),   December 17th - 23rd ..         Christmas Bird Count Week,   December 14th through February 5th ..         Halcyon Days,   7 days before   and 7 days after the Winter Solstice ..         It's About Time Week,   Final Week of December ..                    PADDY's JOKES OF THE DAY    ..     REASONS SANTA IS PROBABLY A WOMAN ..     1.   Santa *remembers* it's Christmas.     'Nuf said.       2.   Santa doesn't explain what exactly you did to deserve that coal in your stocking;     if you have to ask,   maybe that's the problem!       3.   A man simply would not care if you were naughty or nice.       4.   Matching shoes and belt?   Only a woman would accessorize a pantsuit like that!       5.   No guy would ever name his animals Dancer and Prancer.                    LILLY's DRINK OF THE DAY    ..     WHITE CHRISTMAS ..     4 oz. Egg Nog,     1/2 oz. White Chocolate Liqueur,     1 oz. Southern Comfort,     Serve in a Snifter and sprinkled with Edidble                    SCOTTY's TOASTS OF THE DAY    ..     - 1 -     "A Christmas wish...     May you never forget what is worth remembering,     or remember what is best forgotten.     - Traditional         - 2 -     "May peace and plenty be the first to lift the latch on your door,     and happiness be guided to your home by the candle of Christmas."     - Traditional
..  CHRISTMAS    ..     Christmas is the most widely celebrated holiday in the Christian world on all continents.     It is the day when Jesus was born,   so it is celebrated as a very happy holiday,   because according to Christianism,   Jesus came to save people’s souls from hell   and help them repent and gain the redemption of their souls.     Depending on the calendar (the Gregorian and the Julian ones)   it is celebrated on the December 25th in Catholic countries   and on January 7th in Orthodox countries.     The two calendars differ in 13 days,   so it explains the difference in dates,   but no matter which calendar you follow,   it is told that New Year cannot come before Jesus was born (Christmas always comes first),   so there is the Orthodox New Year celebrated on January 13th.         The first year in historical documents that shows a celebration of this holiday is 354 AD.     The oldest written reference of a festival to mark the return of the sun is made to the Mesopotamians.     They held a 12-day festival to help the god Marduk tame the monsters of chaos for one more year.     There are hundreds of mega-lithic structures throughout Europe   and sacred sites in the Americas,   Asia,   Indonesia,   and the Middle East   are oriented to the solstices and the equinoxes.         It is considered that some elements of this festivity have their origins way back in Pagan religion   (for example the burning of a yule log),   because some pagan people were converted to Christians.     The Druids believed mistletoe fell from heaven and grew onto a tree that sprang from Earth.     Mistletoe thus represented the joining of heaven and earth,   and God's reconciliation with mankind.     A kiss under mistletoe symbolized acceptance and reconciliation.         The word Yule meant “infant” in the language of the Chaldeans,   who lived in the Middle East.     The Germanic tribes of Northern Europe,   including the Anglo Saxons,   celebrated “Yule-day”   or “Child's Day.”         Some scholars suspect that Christians chose to celebrate Christ's birth on December 25th to make it easier to convert the pagan tribes.     Referring to Jesus as the "light of the world" also fit with existing pagan beliefs about the birth of the sun.     The ancient "return of the sun" philosophy had been replaced by the "coming of the son" message of Christianity.         Patron saint of children and sailors,   Saint Nicholas was a 4th-century bishop from Asia Minor.     He was famous for giving gifts to children.     The Feast Day of Saint Nicolas on December 6th,   became a children's holiday in Holland,   where he is known as Sint Nikolaas.     English colonists in New York (previously the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam) called him “Santa Claus”   because they couldn't pronounce the Dutch name.     The English began celebrating the feast day on Christmas.         Evergreens and trees were cherished at solstice as a natural symbol of rebirth and life amid winter whiteness.     The annual Tree Festival is still celebrated among nature-based faiths such as Wicca.     This tree festival was eventually adopted as use for the Christmas tree.         The modern Christmas custom of displaying a wreath on the front door of one's house,   is borrowed from Ancient Rome's New Year's celebrations.     Romans wished each other "good health" by exchanging branches of evergreens.     They called these gifts strenae after Strenia,   the goddess of health.     It became the custom to bend these branches into a ring   and display them on doorways.         The modern Christmas tree was likely born in the 8th century,   when St. Boniface was converting the Germanic tribes.     The tribes worshipped oak trees,   decorating them for the winter solstice.     St. Boniface cut down an enormous oak tree,   that was central to the worship of a particular tribe,   but a fir tree grew in its place.     The evergreen was offered as a symbol of Christianity,   which the newly converted Germans began decorating for Christmas.     Prince Albert,   who was German,   introduced the Christmas tree to England after his marriage to Queen Victoria in 1840.     German immigrants to Pennsylvania brought Christmas trees to America.         Hot cockles was a popular game at Christmas in medieval times.     Players took turns striking a blindfolded player,   who had to guess the name of the person delivering each blow.     One of the most popular Christmas time decoration,   holly has sharp edges,   symbolic of the crown of thorns worn by Jesus at his crucifixion.     The red berries represent blood.         The custom of the Yule log has been noted in France and Italy as far back as the 1200s.     It later spread throughout Europe.     On Christmas Eve an enormous log would be cut and placed in the hearth.     The log would be sprinkled with salt,   oil,   and mulled wine,   and prayers said to protect the house from the Devil and lightning.         In the celebration of Christmas people often try to emulate the circumstances of the birth of Jesus Christ as written in the New Testement through art,   song,   and prayer.     The first nativity scene was displayed in Italy in 1223 by St. Francis of Assisi.     Kriss Kringle,   another name for Santa Claus,   was developed in Germany around 1600.     German Protestants recognized December 25th,   the birth of the Christ child,   Christkindl,   as the time to give gifts.     “Christkindl” evolved into “Kriss Kringle.”         Christmas Carols are songs that are sung during the holiday,   mostly by children. Many carols were adaptions originating from national,   folk songs that taken religious form.         Silent Night was written in 1818,   by an Austrian priest Joseph Mohr.     He was told the day before Christmas that the church organ was broken   and would not be prepared in time for Christmas Eve.     He was saddened by this and could not think of Christmas without music,   so he wanted to write a carol that could be sung by choir to guitar music.     He sat down and wrote three stanzas.     Later that night the people in the little Austrian Church sang "Stille Nacht" for the first time.         The custom of sending Christmas cards started in Victorian England.     Earlier,   some adults had written Christmas letters.     In 1843,   British businessman Sir Henry Cole asked artist John Calcott Horsley to print some Christmas cards.     One thousand cards were printed in black and white   and then colored by hand.     The cards,   which depicted a happy family raising a toast to the recipient,   were criticized for promoting drunkenness.     In 1851 Richard Pease,   a variety store owner,   commissioned the first printed Christmas card in the U.S.A..     He was hired to design a card that showed people feeding and clothing the poor   with another picture of a Christmas party.     The first Christmas card said,   "Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to you."     Of the original one thousand cards he printed for Henry Cole,   only twelve exist today.         Some scholars believe a confectioner developed candy canes to represent Jesus.     The shape of the "J" was for Jesus,   or the shepherd's staff.     The white color symbolized purity,   while the red stripes indicated blood.     Peppermint is similar to hyssop,   the Middle Eastern mint mentioned in the Bible.         The persistent theme of christmas is joyous celebration,   family,   and gift giving.         .. CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD  ..       More than 160 countries celebrate Christmas.     A few countries refer to the holiday as Family Day,   including Angola and Uruguay.     Some countries,   like Jordan,   India,   and Pakistan,   designate December 25th as an official holiday for only Christians.         Christmas is celebrated in Albania ..   Andorra ..   Angola ..   Anguilla   ..   Antigua & Barbuda ..   Argentina ..   Armenia ..   Aruba ..   Australia ..   Austria ..   Bahamas ..   Bangladesh ..   Barbados ..   Belarus ..   Belgium ..   Belize ..   Benin ..   Bermuda ..   Bolivia ..   Bonaire, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria ..   Burkina Faso ..   Burundi ..   Cameroon ..   Canada ..   Cape Verde Islands ..   Cayman Islands ..   Central African Republic ..   Chad ..   Chile ..   Colombia ..   Cook Islands ..   Costa Rica ..   Croatia ..   Cuba ..   Curacao ..   Cyprus ..   Czech Republic ..   Denmark ..   Djibouti ..   Dominica ..   Dominican Republic ..   East Timor ..   Ecuador ..   El Salvador ..   Equatorial Guinea ..   Estonia ..   Falkland Islands ..   Faroe Islands ..   Fiji ..   Finland ..   France ..   French Guiana ..   French Polynesia ..   Gabon ..   Gambia ..   Georgia ..   Germany ..   Ghana ..   Gibraltar ..   Greece ..   Greenland ..   Grenada ..   Guadeloupe ..   Guam ..   Guatemala ..   Guinea ..   Guinea Bissau ..   Guyana ..   Haiti ..   Honduras ..   Hong Kong ..   Hungary ..   Iceland ..   Indonesia ..   Ireland ..   Isle of Man ..   Italy ..   Ivory Coast ..   Jamaica ..   Japan ..   Kenya ..   Kiribati ..   Kyrgyzstan ..   Latvia ..   Lebanon ..   Lesotho ..   Liberia ..   Liechtenstein ..   Lithuania ..   Luxembourg ..   Macau ..   Macedonia ..   Madagascar ..   Malawi ..   Malaysia ..   Mali ..   Malta ..   Marshall Islands ..   Martinique ..   Mauritius ..   Mexico ..   Micronesia ..   Moldova ..   Monaco ..   Montenegro ..   Montserrat ..   Myanmar/Burma ..   Namibia ..   Nauru ..   Netherlands ..   New Caledonia ..   New Zealand ..   Nicaragua ..   Niger ..   Nigeria ..   Niue ..   Norway ..   Pakistan ..   Palau ..   Panama ..   Papua New Guinea ..   Paraguay ..   Peru ..   Philippines ..   Poland ..   Portugal ..   Puerto Rico ..   Romania ..   Russia ..   Rwanda ..   Saba ..   Samoa ..   Sao Tome & Principe ..   Scotland ..   Senegal ..   Serbia ..   Seychelles ..   Sierra Leone ..   Singapore ..   Sint Maarten/St. Martin ..   Slovakia ..   Slovenia ..   Solomon Islands ..   South Africa ..   South Korea ..   Spain ..   Sri Lanka ..   St. Eustatius ..   St. Kitts & Nevis ..   St. Lucia ..   St. Pierre & Miquelon ..   St. Vincent & the Grenadines ..   Sudan ..   Suriname ..   Swaziland ..   Sweden ..   Switzerland ..   Syria ..   Tanzania ..   Tonga ..   Trinidad & Tobago ..   Turks & Caicos Islands ..   Tuvalu ..   Uganda ..   Ukraine ..   United Kingdom ..   United States of America ..   Uruguay ..   US Virgin Islands ..   Vanuatu ..   Vatican City State ..   Zaire (Democratic Congo) ..   Zambia ..   and Zimbabwe .. .         In the Netherlands and Germany,   the Santa Claus figure often rode through the sky on a horse to deliver presents to children.     He often wore a bishops robes   and was sometimes accompanied by Black Peter,   an elf who whipped naughty children.     In addition to the tradition of Saint Nicholas,   the three Wise Men gave gifts to the baby Jesus,   starting the Christmas gift tradition.     In both countries,   December 25th is referred to as the First day of Christmas.       In Belarus,   December 25th is referred to as Catholic Christmas.       In Belgium,   St. Nicholas pays two visits to each house.       In Brazil,   People celebrate Christmas partly by enjoying the balmy weather outdoors.       In Bosnia-Herzegovina is referred to as Western Christians Christmas.       In China,   Christians call Santa Claus Dun Che Lao Ren,   which means Christmas Old Man.       In Czech Republic,   Christmas is called Svatek vanocni.       In Ethiopia,   Christmas is called Genna.       In France,     a Yule log-shaped cake called a Buche de Noel is traditionally served.       In Greece,   the killantzaroi,   or goblins that appear during the 12-day period between Christmas and Epiphany.       In Haiti,   Christmas is referred to as Bain de Noël (Frotte feuilles) or Fete des Membres.       In Mauritius,   Christmas is referred to as Natal.       In Mexico,   Christmas is called Día de Navidad.     The pastorelas are reenactments of Mary and Joseph's search for an inn.       In Sweden,   the Christmas season begins on December 13th,   The feast day of St. Lucia.     On this day it is traditional for the eldest daughter in every family to wear an evergreen wreath with seven lighted candles on her head.       In Switzerland,   Christmas is Weihnachtstag.       In Syria,   Christian children receive their gifts from a camel.           .. MODERN CHRISTMAS FACTS   ..       The first president to decorate the White House Christmas tree in the United States was Franklin Pierce.       Child singer Jimmy Boyd was 12-years-old when he sang the Christmas favorite 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.'       In the movie "A Christmas Story,"   when Flick's tongue sticks to the flagpole,   a hidden suction tube was used to safely create the illusion that his tongue had frozen to the metal.       In the movie "Elf,"   the costumes for the elves were modeled after those used in the 1964 television special "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer."
 HISTORICAL EVENTS ON DECEMBER 25th    ..     1 The first Christmas, according to calendar-maker Dionysus Exiguus         274 Roman Emperor Aurelian dedicates a temple to Sol Invictus on the supposed day of the winter solstice and day of rebirth of the Sun         333 Emperor Constantine the Great elevates his youngest son Constans to the rank of Caesar         337 Earliest possible date that Christmas was celebrated on Dec 25th         350 Vetranio meets Constantius II at Naissus (Serbia) and is forced to abdicate his title (Caesar). Constantius allows him to live as a private citizen on a state pension         352 1st definite date Christmas was celebrated on Dec 25th         390 Roman emperor Theodosius admits debt on mass murder in Thessalonica         496 Clovis I, king of the Franks, is baptized into the Catholic faith at Reims, by Saint Remigius         498 French king Clovis baptises himself         597 England adopts Julian calendar         604 Battle at Etampes (Stampae): Burgundy beat Neustriers         800 Coronation of Charlemagne, Pope Leo III crowns Charles the Great (Charlemagne), Holy Roman Emperor, in Rome         875 Charles, the Bare, crowned emperor of Rome         967 John XIII crowned Otto II the Red German compassionate emperor         969 Johannes I Tzimisces, crowned emperor of Byzantium         979 Rotardus appointed as bishop of the kingdom         999 Heribertus becomes bishop of Cologne         1000 The foundation of the Kingdom of Hungary, Hungary is established as a Christian kingdom by Stephen I of Hungary. Monarch Istvan crowned king of Hungary         1046 Pope Clemens VI crowns Henry III RC-German emperor         1048 Parliament of Worms: Emperor Henry III names his cousin count Bruno van Egisheim/Dagsburg as Pope Leo IX         1066 William the Conqueror is crowned king of England, at Westminster Abbey, London         1100 Boudouin I of Boulogne crowned the first King of Jerusalem in the Church of the Nativity         1101 Henry I of Limburg becomes duke of Neth-Lutherans         1121 Norbertus van Xanten finds order of the Norbertijnen         1130 Anti-pope Anacletus II crowns Count Roger II the Norman, the first King of Sicily         1223 St Francis of Assisi assembles 1st Nativity scene (Greccio, Italy)         1261 John IV Lascaris of the restored Eastern Roman Empire is deposed and blinded by orders of his co-ruler Michael VIII Palaeologus         1492 Columbus' ship Santa Maria docks at Dominican Republic         1522 Turkish troops occupy Rhodos         1553 Battle of Tucapel, Mapuche rebels under Lautaro defeat the Spanish conquistadors and executes the governor of Chile, Pedro de Valdivia         1582 Zealand & Brabant adopt Gregorian calendar, yesterday was Dec 14th         1599 The city of Natal, Brazil is founded         1613 Johan Sigismund of Brandenburg becomes protestant         1621 Gov William Bradford of Plymouth forbids game playing on Christmas         1640 Pierre de Fermat writes to Marin Mersenne about Fermat's church thesis         1641 Emperor Ferdinand III makes appointments with Sweden & France         1643 Christmas Island founded and named by Captain William Mynors of the East India Ship Company vessel, the Royal Mary         1651 Massachusetts General Court ordered a fine (five shillings) for "observing any such day as Christmas"         1683 English Whig-leader duke of Monmouth flees to Holland         1688 English king James II lands in Ambleteuse, France         1688 Lord Delamere sides with King James II         1717 Floods ravage Dutch coast provinces, 1000s killed         1741 Astronomer Anders Celcius introduces Centigrade temperature scale         1745 Prussia andAustria sign Treaty of Dresden giving much of Silesia to the Prussians         1758 Halley's comet 1st sighted by Johann Georg Palitzsch during return         1760 Jupiter Hammon, NY slave, publishes poetry in "An Evening Throught"         1775 Pope Pius VI encyclical on the problems of the pontificate         1776 George Washington and the Continental Army cross the Delaware River at night to attack and & defeats 1,400 Hessian forces serving Great Britain at Trenton, New Jersey, the next day         1815 The Handel and Haydn Society, oldest continuously performing arts organization in the United States, gives its first performance         1818 1st known Christmas carol ("Silent Night, Holy Night") sung (Austria)         1818 Handel's Messiah, US premieres in Boston         1826 The Eggnog Riot at the United States Military Academy concludes after beginning the previous evening         1830 Hector Berlioz's "Symphony Fantastic," premieres         1831 Louisiana & Arkansas are 1st states to observe Christmas as holiday         1832 Charles Darwins celebrates Christmas in St Martin at Cape Receiver         1833 Charles Darwins celebrates Christmas in Port Desire, Patagonia         1834 Charles Darwins celebrates Christmas on Beagle at Tres Montes, Chile         1835 Charles Darwins company celebrates Christmas in Pahia, New Zealand         1837 Battle of Lake Okeechobee. US forces defeat Seminole Indians         1843 1st theatre matinee (Olympic Theatre, NYC)         1848 New Haven Railroad opens         1862 40,000 watch Union army men play baseball at Hilton Head, SC         1868 Despite bitter opposition, U.S. President Andrew Johnson grants unconditional pardon to all Civil War Confederate soldiers involved in Southern rebellion         1875 Lambs Club in NY forms         1888 1st indoor baseball game played at fairgrounds in Philadelphia         1894 1st midwestern football team to play on west coast, U of Chicago defeats Stanford 24-4 at Palo Alto, CA in football         1896 "Stars & Stripes Forever" written by John Philip Sousa         1899 Farmers send/guide belegerd Ladysmith Kerstpudding/desire in grenade         1900 Arthur Schnitzlers "Leutnant Gustl" forbidden in Germany         1901 Battle at Tweefontein Orange-Free state: Boers surprise attack Brits         1902 Clyde Fitch' "Girl with Green Eyes," premieres in NYC         1905 V Herbert/H Blossoms musical "Mlle Modiste," premieres in NYC         1911 Edward Knoblock's "Kismet," premieres in NYC         1914 Legendary/unofficial "Christmas Truce" takes place (Brits & Germans)         1915 Irving Berlin & Harry B Smith's musical premieres in NYC         1917 "Why Marry," 1st drama to win Pulitzer Prize, premieres in NYC         1917 Hirsch & Harbach's musical "Going Up," premieres in NYC         1922 Lenin dictates his "Political testament"         1923 Imperial Theater opens at 249 W 45th St NYC         1926 Emperor Taishō of Japan dies. His son, Prince Hirohito succeeds him as Emperor Shōwa (1926-1989)         1927 The Vietnamese Nationalist Party is founded         1928 Christmas Day attendance at cricket MCG (Vic v NSW) 14,887. NSW (v Vic) go from 8-74 to 9-113 to be 9-367 at stumps         1929 Grimmett takes 6-146 for SA, Queensland all out 380 Crowd 5,390         1930 First US bobsled run open to public, Mt Van Hoevenberg bobsled run at Lake Placid, NY opens         1930 Slinger Nitschke scores 142 SA v Qld at Adelaide before 5,422         1930 Tasmania all out 280, WI 2-139 at Hobart Crowd 2,500         1931 Albert Lonergan scores 137 SA v Qld at Adelaide before 5,697         1931 Fleetwood-Smith takes 5-69 Victoria v Tas at Hobart         1931 NY's Metropolitan Opera broadcasts an entire opera over radio         1932 A magnitude 7.6 earthquake in Gansu, China kills 275 people         1932 During King George V Christmas dinner speech, his chair collapes         1933 Another Christmas Day five-wicket haul by Clarrie Grimmett         1933 Belgian Working people's party accept Henry de Mans Plan of Labor         1933 Stan Smith takes 8-33 for Victoria v Tasmania at Hobart         1934 Four centuries for SA as they make 7-644 v Qld before 6,180         1934 Samson Raphaelson's "Accent on Youth," premieres in NYC         1936 Belgian bishops condemn fascism & communism         1936 Ron Hamence scores 104 for SA v Queensland before 4,865         1937 Arturo Toscanini conducts 1st Symphony of the Air over NBC Radio         1937 Queensland all out for 93 v SA in front of 10,436         1938 George Cukor announces Vivien Leigh will play Scarlett O'Hara         1939 Grimmett & Ward rip through Qld except Bill Brown (156)         1939 Montgomery Ward introduces Rudolph the 9th reindeer         1940 Bradman out 1st ball for SA v Victoria before 6213         1940 Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Harts "Pal Joey," premieres in NYC         1941 Admiral Chester W. Nimitz arrives at Pearl Harbor to assume command of the U.S. Pacific Fleet         1941 Admiral Émile Muselier seizes the archipelago of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, which become the first part of France to be liberated by the Free French Forces         1941 Japan announces surrender of British-Canadian garrison at Hong Kong, beginning the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong in World War II         1941 Japanese aircraft carriers Akagi, Kagu back in Kure, Japan         1942 Admiral Dalans murderer of Bosinier de la Chapelle, sentenced to death         1942 British Col S W Bailey reaches Mihailovics headquarter         1942 Russian artillery & tank battle on German armies at Stalingrad         1946 Constitution accepted in Taiwan         1946 The first in Europe artificial, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction is initiated within Soviet nuclear reactor F-1         1947 Taiwan passes Human Rights laws (Day of Earth Law)         1947 The Constitution of the Republic of China goes into effect         1950 Cleveland Browns beat LA Rams 30-28 in NFL championship game         1950 The Stone of Scone, traditional coronation stone of British monarchs taken from Scone in Scotland by Edward I in 1296, is taken from Westminster Abbey by Scottish nationalist students & smuggled back to Scotland. It later turns up in Scotland on April 11, 1951         1951 First Christmas Day in Test Crickets, Aust v WI at Adelaide. West Indies defeat Australia by 6 wkts on 3rd day of 3rd Test Cricket         1953 Avalanche of lava kills 150 (Ruapehu volcano, New Zealand)         1954 WSFA TV channel 12 in Montgomery, AL (NBC) begins broadcasting         1955 Pope Pius XII encyclical on sacred music & popular music         1957 Ed Gein found insane of murder         1958 Alan Freed's Christmas Rock & Roll Spectacular opens         1959 A synagogue in Cologne Germany desecrated with swatstikas         1959 Richard Starkey receives his 1st drum set         1959 Sony brings transistor TV 8-301 to the market         1962 USSR performs nuclear test at Novaya Zemlya USSR         1963 Turkish Cypriot Bayrak Radio begins transmitting in Cyprus after Turkish Cypriots are forcibly excluded from Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation         1963 Walt Disney's "The Sword in the Stone" is released         1964 "Goldfinger" premieres in US         1964 George Harrison's girlfriend Patti Boyd attacked by female Beatle fans         1965 The Yemeni Nasserist Unionist People's Organisation is founded in Ta'izz         1967 Paul McCartney & Jane Asher get engaged         1968 42 Dalits are burned alive in Kilavenmani village, Tamil Nadu, India, a retaliation for a campaign for higher wages by Dalit labourers         1968 Apollo 8 performs the very first successful Trans-Earth injection (TEI) maneuver, sending the crew and spacecraft on a trajectory back to Earth from Lunar orbit         1968 Frank Borman's Christmas reading while orbiting Moon         1969 5 Israeli gunboats escape from Cherbourg harbor         1969 India all out for 163 at Madras v Aust, Ashley Mallett 5-91         1971 Longest NFL game (82m40s) as Dolphins beat Chiefs 27-24         1971 Operation PUSH (People United to Save Humanity) form Jesse Jackson         1971 Worst hotel fire in history kills 163 at Taeyokale Hotel in Seoul         1972 England beats India by six wickets in the 1st Test Cricket at Delhi         1973 The ARPANET crashes when a programming bug causes all ARPANET traffic to be routed through the server at Harvard University, causing the server to freeze         1973 Tommy Chambers (Scotland) finishes 51 yr cycle tour (799,405 miles)         1974 Cyclone Tracy devastates Darwin, Northern Territory Australia         1974 Marshall Fields drives a vehicle through the gates of the White House, resulting in a four-hour standoff         1976 Egyptian SS Patria sinks in Red Sea, about 100 killed         1976 Takeo Fukuda becomes Japanese premier         1977 Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin meets in Egypt with President of Egypt Anwar Sadat         1979 Opening day of 4th Test Cricket, India 8-112 v Pakistan at Kanpur         1979 USSR airlifts invasionary army to Afghanistan         1982 Mudassar Nazar scores century, then Imran rips through Indians         1983 First live telecast of Christmas Parade         1984 NBA's Bernard King scores 60 points         1987 Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, who escaped 2 days earlier, recaptured         1989 Japanese scientist achieve -271.8°C, coldest temp ever recorded         1989 Nicolae Ceaușescu, former communist President of Romania and his wife, First-Deputy Prime-Minister Elena are condemned to death and executed after a summary trial         1990 "Godfather III" premieres         1990 The first successful trial run of the system which would become the World Wide Web         1991 Last day of a washout Pakistan v Sri Lanka at Gujranwala         1991 Mikhail Gorbachev resigns as president of the Soviet Union (the union itself is dissolved the next day). Ukraine's referendum is finalized and Ukraine officially leaves the Soviet Union         1994 "Comedy Tonight" closes at Lunt-Fontanne Theater NYC after 8 perfs         1997 For first time US movie box office receipts pass $6 billion         1997 Jerry Seinfeld says this is the final season of his TV show         2000 Russian President Vladimir Putin signs a bill into law that officially establishes a new National Anthem of Russia, with music adopted from the anthem of the Soviet Union that was composed by Alexander Vasilyevich Alexandrov         2003 The ill-fated Beagle 2 probe which was released from the Mars Express Spacecraft on December 19, disappears shortly before its scheduled landing         2004 Cassini orbiter releases Huygens probe which successfully landed on Saturn's moon Titan on January 14, 2005         2009 Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab unsuccessfully attempts a terrorist attack against the US while on board a flight to Detroit Metro Airport Northwest Airlines Flight 253         2012 8 people are killed and thousands left homeless after two fires strike Manila, Philippines         2012 A Antonov An-72 military plane crashes while descending toward Shymkent, Kazakhstan, killing all 27 people.
 SCOTTY's QUOTE OF THE DAY    ..     "What I don't like about office Christmas parties is looking for a job the next day."     - Phyllis Diller                    PADDY's BEERS OF THE DAY    ..     - Eastern Hemisphere -     Christmas Ale,   brewed by Brouwerij in St. Bernardus, Belgium.     It is a Belgian Strong Dark Ale with an ABV of 10.0%.         - Western Hemisphere -     Christmas Ale,   brewed by Anchor Brewing Company in California, USA.     It is a Winter Warmer with an ABV of 5.5%                  LILLY's WINE OF THE DAY    ..     Wilson Creek Almond Champagne.     It is a Champagne from Temecula Valley, CA, USA,   priced at approximately $17 per bottle.                  FAMOUS BIRTHS ON DECEMBER 25th    ..     1 Jesus Christ (observed), according to calendar-maker Dionysus Exiguus         1250 John IV Laskaris, Byzantine emperor (d. 1305)         1461 Christina of Saxony, queen of Denmark and Norway (d. 1521)         1583 Orlando Gibbons, English composer (O Clap Your Hands) and organist (d. 1625)         1587 Margarita of Austria, Queen to Philip III of Spain (d. 1611)         1601 Jose Ximenez, composer         1624 Angelus Silesius (Johann Scheffler), German mystic (St Seelenlust)         1628 Noël Coypel, French painter (d. 1707)         1642 Isaac Newton, English physicist (Gravity, Laws of Motion), mathematician, astronomer, philosopher, and theologian (d. 1727)         1646 Harald Vallerius, composer         1652 Archibald Pitcairne, Scottish physician (d. 1713)         1665 Grizel Baillie, Scottish songwriter (d. 1746)         1667 Ehrengard von der Schulenburg, English royal mistress (d. 1743)         1667 Melusine von der Schulenburg, Duchess of Kendal (d. 1743)         1674 Thomas Halyburton, Scottish theologian (d. 1712)         1686 Giovanni Battista Somis, Italian violinist and composer (d. 1763)         1696 Prince Johann Ernst of Saxe-Weimar (d. 1715)         1698 Jacobus Houbraken, Dutch engraver, illustrator         1700 Leopold II, Prussian general, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau (d. 1758)         1711 Jean-Joseph Cassenea de Mondonville, French composer (d. 1772)         1716 Johann Jakob Reiske, German physician and scholar (d. 1774)         1717 Pius VI (Giovanni A Braschi), Italian Pope (1775-99)         1721 William Collins, English Politician (Mayor-Chichester), poet         1728 Johann Adam Hiller, German composer and conductor (d. 1804)         1730 Philip Mazzei, Italian physician, friend of Thomas Jefferson (d. 1816)         1742 Charlotte von Stein, German assistant of Duchess Anna Amalia of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel, friend of Goethe (d. 1827)         1745 Chevalier de Saint-George, Caribbean-French composer, conductor, and violinist (d. 1799)         1750 John "Christmas" Beckwith, composer         1757 Benjamin Pierce, American politician, 17th Governor of New Hampshire (d. 1839)         1763 Claude Chappe, French engineer (Optical telegraph) (d. 1805)         1765 Joseph Mazzinghi, composer         1771 Dorothy Wordsworth, English author and poet (d. 1855)         1775 Antun Sorkocevic, composer         1776 Sydney, Lady Morgan, Irish author (d. 1859)         1808 Stephen Cleeg Rowan, Commander (Union Navy) (d. 1890)         1810 Alexandros Rhizos Rhankaves, Greek poet and statesman (d. 1892)         1811 Wilhelm E Freiherr von Ketteler, German politician, Bishop of Mainz         1813 Milledge Luke Bonham, American Military Officer (Confederacy) (d. 1890)         1814 Jan de Liefde II, Dutch vicar, founder (Coop of Welfare of the People)         1815 Temistocle Solera, composer         1821 Clara Barton, American nurse, humanitarian, founder (American Red Cross) (d. 1912)         1823 Preston Smith, Brigadier General (Confederate Army) (d. 1863)         1825 Esteban Salas y Castro, composer         1829 Patrick S Gilmore, Irish-American composer (d. 1892)         1831 Johann Herbeck, composer         1832 Thomas Alfred Smyth, Major General (Union volunteers) (d. 1865)         1837 Cosima Liszt, wife of Austrian composer Richard Wagner         1856 Hans von Bartels, German painter (d. 1913)         1856 James (Pud) Galvin, American baseball player, pitcher, shut-out every opposing team in 1884 (d. 1902)         1859 Raoul Gunsbourg, composer         1860 Manwel Dimech, Maltese journalist, author, philosopher, and social reformer (d. 1921)         1861 Madan Mohan Malaviya, Indian educator and politician, founder (Banaras Hindu University) (d. 1946)         1863 Charles Pathé, French pioneer of film and record industries (d. 1957)         1864 Thomas Cahill, American soccer player and coach (d. 1951)         1865 Evangeline Cory Booth, English 4th General of the Salvation Army (1904-1934) (d. 1950)         1867 Alfred Kerr, writer         1868 Eugenie Besserer, American actress (Jazz Singer)         1870 Helena Rubinstein, Polish-American cosmetics industrialist (d. 1965)         1870 Lloyd Hildebrand, French cyclist (d. 1924)         1871 Katherine McKinley, American daughter of William McKinley (d. 1875)         1873 Otto Frederick Hunziker, Swiss-American dairy educator (d. 1959)         1874 Lina Cavalieri, Italian soprano (d. 1944)         1875 Theodor Innitzer, Austrian cardinal, Archbishop of Vienna (d. 1955)         1875 Walter Lees, English cricketer         1876 Adolf Otto Reinhold Windaus, German chemist (Nobel Prize laureate) (d. 1959)         1876 Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Indian-Pakistani lawyer and politician, founder and governor of Pakistan (1947) (d. 1948)         1877 Noël Bas, French gymnast (d. 1960)         1878 Louis Chevrolet, Swiss-American race car driver (d. 1941)         1878 Noël Leslie, Countess of Rothes (d. 1956)         1878 W Starling Burgess, yacht designer (America Cup's Enterprise)         1881 Joseph V McCarthy, baseball manager (NY Yankees)         1883 Fran Lhotka, composer         1883 Hugo Bergmann, German-Israeli philosopher (d. 1975)         1883 Maurice Utrillo, French painter (Port St Martin, Montmartre)         1884 Evelyn Nesbit, American actress (d. 1967)         1884 Samuel Berger, American boxer (d. 1925)         1886 Kid Ory, American trombonist and bandleader (d. 1973)         1887 Conrad Hilton, American businessman, founder (Hilton Hotels & Resorts) (d. 1979)         1887 Jacobus W G Balfoort, Dutch actor (Bulldog Drummond)         1887 John Davidson, American actor (Charlie Chan-Chinese Cat)         1889 Lila Bell Wallace, American publisher, co-founded Reader's Digest (d. 1984)         1890 Noel Odell, English geologist and mountaineer (d. 1987)         1890 Robert Ripley, American cartoonist, anthropologist, collector of odd facts, founder (Ripley's Believe It or Not!) (d. 1949)         1891 Clarrie Grimmett, Australian cricketer (d. 1980)         1891 Earle Foxe, American actor (Dance Fools Dance)         1891 Kenneth A N Anderson, British general (Dunkerk, North Africa)         1892 Rebecca West (Cicely Isabel Fairfield), English author         1893 Bert Bertram, actor (How to Steal a Million)         1893 Fred Hillebrand, American actor (Martin Kane)         1898 Theo Swagemakers, Dutch portrait painter         1899 Frank Fergusson, actor (My Friend Flicka, Peyton Place)         1899 Humphrey Bogart, American actor (Casablanca) (d. 1957)         1899 Raphael Soyer, artist (Depression Scenes in NYC)         1900 Barton Maclane, American actor (Gen Peterson-I Dream of Jeannie)         1900 Gladys Swarthout, American mezzo-soprano (La Gioconda)         1900 W L "Tich" Cornford, English cricketer         1901 Alice C, English duchess of Gloucester, Aunt of Elizabeth II (d. 2004)         1902 Barton MacLane, American actor (Geisha Boy, Peterson-I Dream of Jeannie) (d. 1969)         1903 Antiochos Evanghelatos, composer         1903 Corry Lievens (Isabella MJ Adriaens), Flemish actress (Blue Bird)         1903 J Edward Bromberg, Hungarian actor (Mark of Zorro, Under 2 Flags)         1904 Gerhard Herzberg, German-Canadian physicist and chemist (molecular structure) (Nobel Prize laureate 1971) (d. 1999)         1906 Clark M Clifford, US Secretary of Defense (1968-1969)         1906 Ernst Ruska, German chemist (Nobel Prize laureate) (d. 1988)         1906 Herman J Scheltema (NEM Pareau), Dutch jurist, poet         1906 Lew Grade, Ukrainian-English movie producer (Boys from Brazil) (d. 1998)         1906 William McChesney Martin, American Chairman of Federal Reserve Bank (1951-1970)         1907 Cab(ell) Calloway, American singer-songwriter and bandleader (Minnie the Moocha, Jazzball) (d. 1994)         1907 Glenn McCarthy, American oil businessman, founder (Shamrock Hotel) (d. 1988))         1907 Mike Mazurki, Ukrainian-American actor (d. 1990)         1908 Ernest L. Massad, American general (d. 1993)         1908 Frank Ferguson, American actor (Wagons West, Dynamite, My Gal Sal)         1908 Helen Twelvetrees, actress (State's Attorney, Painted Desert)         1908 Jan Seidel, composer         1908 Jo-Jo Moore, American baseball player (d. 2001)         1908 Quentin Crisp, English author (d. 1999)         1908 Zora Arkus-Duntov, Belgian-American automotive engineer (d. 1996)         1909 Louis van Lint, Belgian painter         1909 Marguerite Churchill, actress (Dracula's Daughter, Big Trail)         1909 Mike Mazurki, Austrian actor, wrestler (Centerfold Girls)         1909 Zora Arkus-Duntov, Belgian-American engineer (d. 1996)         1910 David Lichine (Lichtenstein), Russian-American dancer (Make Mine Music)         1911 Burne Hogarth, strip-cartoon artist         1911 Louise Bourgeois, French-American sculptor (d. 2010)         1912 Donald McRae, New Zealand cricketer         1912 Herman W Filarski, Dutch bridge journalist         1912 Leighton Noble, singer, bandleader         1912 Natalino Otto, Italian singer (d. 1969)         1912 Tony Martin, American singer (Tony Martin Show, Tonight We Love)         1912 Werner Fussan, composer         1912 Willian Noel Moffet, architect         1913 Henri Nannen, German journalist (d. 1966)         1913 Tony Martin (Alvin Morris), American singer(It's a Blue World, To Each) and actor (d. 2012)         1914 James Muir Cameron Fletcher, New Zealand industrialist (d. 2007)         1915 Noelle de Mosa, Dutch-British dancer, teacher (Brigadoon)         1915 Nora Dunfee, actress (Forrest Gump, Lorenzo's Oil)         1915 Pete Rugolo, Italian composer (Fugitive), bandleader (d. 2011)         1916 Ahmed Ben Bella, Algerian soldier and politician, 1st President of Algeria (d. 2012)         1916 Daniel Devoto, composer         1917 Lincoln Verduga Loor, Ecuadorian journalist and politician (d. 2009)         1918 Ahmed Ben Bella, Algerian politician, first President of Algeria, (d. 2012)         1918 Anwar el-Sadat, Egyptian politician, 3rd President of Egypt (1970-81) (Nobel Prize laureate 1978) (d. 1981)         1918 Eddie Safranski, American orchestra leader (Jonathan Winters Show)         1919 Naushad Ali, Indian composer and director (d. 2006)         1919 Noele Gordon, English actress (d. 1985)         1919 Paul David, French-Canadian cardiologist and politician, founder (Montreal Heart Institute) (d. 1999)         1920 Artur Agostinho, Portuguese journalist, actor (Capas Negras, Leao da Estrela) (d. 2011)         1920 Henry Charnock, oceanographer         1921 Zaib-un-Nissa Hamidullah, Pakistani journalist (d. 2000)         1922 Kitty Kallen, American singer (Judge For Yourself)         1923 Louis Lane, American conductor (Oere Orch 1968-73)         1923 René Girard, French historian, critic, and philosopher         1924 Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Indian politician, 10th Prime Minister of India         1924 Rod Serling, American screenwriter and producer, created The Twilight Zone (d. 1975)         1925 Carlos Castaneda, Peruvian-American author (d. 1998)         1925 Christmas F Tinto, South African ANC'er, UDF-leader         1925 Ned Garver, American baseball player         1925 Ossi Reichert, German giant slalom skiier (Olympic-gold-1956)         1925 Sam Pollock, Canadian businessman (d. 2007)         1926 Enrique Jorrín, Cuban composer and violinist (d. 1987)         1926 Febo Conti, Italian actor (d. 2012)         1927 Nellie Fox, American baseball player, infielder (White Sox) (AL MVP 1959) (d. 1975)         1927 Ram Narayan, Indian sarangi player         1928 Dick Miller, American actor (The Terminator)         1928 Earl Brown, American actor (Stovall-Operation Petticoat)         1929 Billy Horton, Musician (The Silhouettes)         1929 Chris Kenner, American singer-songwriter (d. 1976)         1929 Irish McCalla, American actress (Sheena Queen of Jungle)         1929 Stuart Hall, English radio and television host         1930 Emmanuel Agassi, Iranian boxer, father of Andre Agassi         1930 Salah Jaheen, Egyptian poet and cartoonist (d. 1986)         1931 Carlos Castaneda, American writer, mystic (Eagle's Gift, Fire From Within)         1931 Uzo Egonu, painter, print maker         1932 Jose Maria Capricorne, Curacaos graphically designer, painter         1932 Mabel King, American actress (The Jerk) (d. 1999)         1932 Peter John Swales, football club chairman         1934 Bob Martinez, American Polititcian (Gov-Fl)         1934 Giancarlo Baghetti, racing driver, journalist         1934 John Ashley, American actor (Clipper-Straightaway)         1934 McKinley Mitchell,American gospel singer (The Town I Live In)         1935 Al Jackson, American baseball player         1935 Anne Roiphe, American author and activist         1935 Gunter Friedrichs, composer         1935 Jeanne Hopkins Lucas, American politician (d. 2007)         1935 Sadiq al-Mahdi, Sudanese politician, Prime Minister of Sudan         1935 Stephen Barnett, American academic and scholar (d. 2009)         1936 Alexandra, English princess, Lady Ogilvy of Kent, daughter of sir Angus Ogilvy         1936 Ismail Merchant, Indian-English director and producer (Householder) (d. 2005)         1937 O'Kelly Isley Jr., American singer-songwriter (The Isley Brothers) (d. 1986)         1938 David Borden, American composer         1938 Duane Armstrong, American painter         1938 Noel Picard, Canadian ice hockey player         1938 Wibo van de Linde, Dutch TV host, director (Avro)         1939 Bob James, American keyboard player and songwriter (Fourplay)         1939 Christopher Wates, English real estate developer         1939 Ghulam Ahmad Bilour, Pakistani businessman         1940 Frans Moor, Dutch politician (PvdA)         1940 Pete Brown, English poet and songwriter         1941 Don Pullen, pianist, composer         1941 Lex Hixon, religious teacher, author         1941 Ronald Perera, composer         1942 Enrique Morente, Spanish singer-songwriter (d. 2010)         1942 Françoise Dürr, French tennis player (1976 US indoor Doubles)         1942 Mani Kaul, director (Idiot, Nazar, Dhrupad, Duvidha)         1943 Hanna Schygulla, German actress (Love is Colder than Death)         1943 Hedley Howarth, New Zealand cricketer         1943 Ravish Malhotra, India cosmonaut (Soyuz T-11 backup)         1943 Trevor Lucas, Musician (Fairport Convention)         1943 Wilson Fittipaldi Júnior, Brazilian race car driver         1944 Henry Vestine, American guitarist (Canned Heat, The Mothers of Invention) (d. 1997)         1944 Jairzinho, Brazilian footballer         1944 Kenny Everett, English comedian, radio host, TV personality (Kenny Everett Show) (d. 1995)         1944 Nigel Starmer-Smith, English rugby player and journalist         1944 Rick (Richard) Berman, producer (Star Trek Generations)         1945 Gary Sandy, American actor (Andy-WKRP in Cincinnati, Another World)         1945 Ken "The Snake" Stabler, American football player, NFL quarterback (Oak Raiders, Super Bowl XI)         1945 Mike Pringle, Scottish politician         1945 Noel Redding, English singer-songwriter and bass player (The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Fat Mattress, Road, The Noel Redding Band) (d. 2003)         1945 Rick Berman, American television producer         1945 Steve Mancha (Clyde Wilson), US singer-songwriter (Too Many Cooks)         1946 Gene Lamont, American baseball player and manager         1946 Jimmy Buffett, American singer-songwriter (Margaritaville), guitarist, producer, and actor         1946 Larry Csonka, American football player, NFL running back (Miami Dolphins, NY Giants)         1946 Stuart Wilson, Actor (Enemy of the State)         1947 Connie Petracek, American pistol shooter (Olympics 92, 96)         1947 Twink Caplan, American actress (Clueless) and comedian         1948 Alia al-Hussein, Egyptian wife of Hussein of Jordan (d. 1977)         1948 Barbara Mandrell, American singer-songwriter, actress, TV host (Mandrell Sisters)         1948 Joel Santana, Brazilian footballer and coach         1948 Merry Clayton, rocker         1949 Dan Pastorini, NFL QB (Raiders)         1949 Joe Louis Walker, American singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer         1949 Nawaz Sharif, Pakistani politician, 12th Prime Minister of Pakistan         1949 Simone Bittencourt de Oliveira, Brazilian singer         1949 Sissy Spacek, American actress (Carrie, Badlands, Coal Miner's Daughter)         1950 Barry Pearson, NFLer         1950 Karl Rove, American journalist, White House Deputy Chief of Staff         1950 Manny Trillo, Venezuelan baseball player, infielder (Philadelphia Phillies)         1950 Peter Boardman, English mountaineer and author (d. 1982)         1950 Yehuda Poliker, Israeli singer-songwriter         1951 Ria Thielsch, Dutch singer (Luv)         1952 C. C. H. Pounder, Guyanese-American actress (The Sheild, Avatar)         1952 Desireless, French singer         1953 Arnella Flynn, Italian Errol Flynn's daughter         1953 Dave Wasick, NFL football player         1954 Annie Lennox, Scottish singer-songwriter (The Tourists, Eurythmics)         1954 Robin Campbell, British reggae vocalist, guitarist (UB40)         1954 Steve Wariner, American country singer-songwriter and guitarist (Small Town Girl)         1955 Alannah Myles, Canadian singer         1955 Claus Strigel, director (Obituary for the Automobile, Act of God)         1955 William Andrews, actor (Sealed Cargo)         1956 Mansoor Akhtar, Pakistani cricketer         1957 Chris Kamara, English footballer and sportscaster         1957 Jan Rot, Dutch composer, writer (Wrong Nights)         1957 Jillie Mack, actress (Magnum PI), Mrs Tom Selleck         1957 Shane MacGowan, Irish singer-songwriter (The Pogues, The Nips, Shane MacGowan and The Popes)         1958 Alannah Myles, Canadian singer-songwriter         1958 Cheryl Chase, American voice actress and singer         1958 Hanford Dixon, American football player         1958 Joop Hiele, soccer player (Dordrecht '90, Go Ahead Eagles)         1958 Konstantin Kinchev, Russian singer-songwriter and guitarist (Alisa)         1958 Martin Wiesner, German footballer         1958 Rickey Henderson, American baseball player (Oakland A's, NY Yankees) (stolen base king)         1959 Chris Spice, Australian field hockey coach (Olympics-96)         1959 Michael P. Anderson, American astronaut (STS 89) (d. 2003)         1959 Missy Cleveland, American playmate (April, 1979)         1959 Ton Lokhoff, Dutch soccer player (NAC)         1960 Ron Bottitta, English actor         1961 Ingrid Betancourt, Colombian senator         1961 Storm Davis, baseball player         1961 Íngrid Betancourt, Colombian politician         1962 Darren Wharton, British Keyboardist (Thin Lizzy and Dare)         1962 Dean Cameron, American actor (Herbie-Spencer)         1962 Mary Ellen Clark, American diver (Olympics-2 bronze-92, 96)         1963 Joop Gall, Dutch soccer player (FC Groningen)         1964 Anil Kaul, Indian-Canadian badminton player (Olympics-96)         1964 Bob Stanley, English keyboard player, songwriter, producer, and journalist (Saint Etienne)         1964 Gary McAllister, Scottish footballer         1964 Janet Soulsby, Australian golfer (Curtis Cup 1982)         1964 Peter Hanson, English-Dutch actor (Darling How Could You)         1964 Raymond Libregts, soccer player (MVV)         1964 Tim Royes, American Music Video Director and Editor         1965 David Rath, Czech doctor and politician         1965 Dmitri Mironov, Russian NHL defenseman (Pitts Penguins, Anaheim)         1965 Kathleen Luciano, German WPVA volleyballer (Nationals-17th-1993)         1966 Craig Veasey, NFL defensive tackle/defensive end (Houston Oilers)         1966 Javier Frana, Argentinan tennis star         1966 Sandy Corn, model, Penthouse Pet (March, 1991)         1966 Toshi Arai, Japanese race car driver         1967 Jason Thirsk, American bass player (Pennywise and Humble Gods) (d. 1996)         1967 Kathleen Franey, American 1.5k runner         1968 Corey Widmer, NFL linebacker (NY Giants)         1968 Don Silvestri, NFL & WLAF kicker (NY Jets, London Monarchs)         1968 Helena Christensen, Danish model, actress (Inferno)         1968 Jim Dowd, American ice hockey player, NHL center (Vancouver Canucks)         1968 Scott Bullett, American outfielder (Chicago Cubs)         1969 Bernhard Jr, Prince of Netherlands         1970 Azhar Saeed, UAE cricketer (opening batsman 1996 World Cup)         1970 Emmanuel Amuneke, Nigerian footballer         1970 Ghalid Salamat, soccer player (MVV)         1970 Nagma, Indian actress         1970 Stu Barnes, Canadian NHL center (Florida Panthers)         1971 Dido, English singer-songwriter, rap & dance music vocalist (Eminem's 'Stan', 'No Angel')         1971 Justin Trudeau, Canadian politician, media personality         1971 Marlon Forbes, safety (Chicago Bears)         1971 Noel Hogan, Irish guitarist and producer (The Cranberries, Mono Band, Arkitekt)         1971 Noelle Parker, Actress (Ernest Saves Christmas)         1971 Terry Vaughn, CFL receiver (Calgary Stampeders)         1972 Fantasia (Tonya Manley), American dancer, actress (Pump it Up)         1972 Josh Freese, American drummer and songwriter (The Vandals and Devo)         1972 Mac Powell, American singer-songwriter and producer (Third Day)         1973 Alexandre Trudeau, Canadian journalist         1973 Chris Harris, American professional wrestler         1973 Robbie Elliott, English footballer         1974 Chris Naeole, guard (New Orleans Saints)         1974 Grayson Shillingford, NFL wide receiver (Seattle Seahawks)         1974 Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano, Mexican drug lord (d. 2012)         1974 Nagma, Indian actress         1975 Choi Sung-Yong, South Korean footballer         1975 Daniel Mustard, American singer-songwriter         1975 Hideki Okajima, Japanese baseball player         1975 Marcus Trescothick, English cricketer         1975 Rob Mariano, American reality show contestant, winner (Survivor: Redemption Island)         1976 Armin van Buuren, Dutch DJ and producer         1976 Scott Vermillion, American soccer defender (Olympics-gold-96)         1976 Tuomas Holopainen, Finnish keyboard player, songwriter, and producer (Nightwish and For My Pain         )         1976 Yazmin Fiallos, Miss Universe-Honduras (1996)         1977 Israel Vázquez, Mexican boxer, WBC Super bantamweight champion         1977 Jim Greco, American skateboarder         1977 Uhm Ji-won, South Korean actress         1978 Bridgetta Tomarchio, American actress and model         1978 Joel Porter, Australian footballer         1978 Simon Jones, English cricketer         1979 Hyun Young-Min, South Korean footballer         1979 Robert Huff, English race car driver         1980 Kahi, South Korean singer, dancer, and actress (After School)         1980 Laura Sadler, English actress (d. 2003)         1980 Locó, Angolan footballer         1980 Marcus Trufant, American football player (Seattle Seahawks)         1980 Reika Hashimoto, Japanese actress         1981 Katie Wright, American actress         1981 Moneca Delain, Actress (Trick 'r Treat)         1981 Trenesha Biggers, American wrestler         1981 Willy Taveras, Dominican baseball player         1982 Chris Rene, American singer-songwriter and producer         1982 Dev, Indian actor         1982 Ethan Kath, Canadian keyboard player, songwriter, and producer (Crystal Castles and Kïll Cheerleadër)         1982 Rob Edwards, Welsh footballer         1982 Shawn Andrews, American football player         1982 Shystie, British rapper-songwriter         1983 Sean Dubravac, Producer (The Employer)         1984 Alastair Cook, English cricketer         1984 Chris Cahill, Samoan footballer         1984 Georgia Moffett, English actress (The Doctor's Daughter)         1984 Jessica Origliasso, Australian singer-songwriter (The Veronicas) and actress         1984 Lisa Origliasso, Australian singer-songwriter and actress (The Veronicas)         1985 Leon Pisani, Welsh singer-songwriter (V)         1985 Perdita Weeks, Welsh actress (Hamlet)         1986 Doug Loft, English footballer         1987 Jorgie Porter, English actress         1987 Julian Lage, American guitarist and composer         1987 Justin Sweeney, Australian footballer         1988 Christina Alexandra, Actress (Unaired Pilot)         1988 Eric Gordon, American Basketball Player         1988 Lukas Hinds-Johnson, German rugby player         1990 Daniel Vassalli, Actor (The Pictures to Prove It)         1991 Gaite Jansen, Actress (170 Hz)         1992 Anna Neubauer, Actress (Echte Wiener 2 - Die Deppat'n und die Gspritzt'n)         1993 Emi Takei, Actress (Rurouni Kenshin)         1994 David LaTorre, Actor (Teachers)         1995 Brandon Tyler Russell, Actor (Smitty)         2001 Igor Ozzy, Actor (Tainá 3 - A Origem)         2004 Lou the Chihuahua, Canine Actor (The Soup).
 PADDY's WHISKEY OF THE DAY    ..     Compass Box Hedonism Blended Grain Whisky,   A blended grain Whiskey from Compass Box.     It is Priced at approximately $60 per bottle.                  FAMOUS DEATHS ON DECEMBER 25th    ..     795 Adrian I, Italian Pope (772-95) (b. 700)         820 Leo V, the Armenian, Byzantine general, Emperor (813-20), murdered (b. 775)         940 Makan ibn Kaki, Iranian warlord         1156 Peter the Venerable, French theologist, 9th abbot of Cluny (b. 1092)         1249 Peter Nolascus, Spanish monastery founder, Saint         1513 Johannes Amerbach, Swiss publisher, printer         1530 Babur, emperor of Delhi         1635 Samuel de Champlain, French soldier, geographer, explorer, founder (Quebec City) (b. 1567)         1676 Matthew Hale, Lord Chief Justice of England (b. 1609)         1676 William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle, English soldier and politician (b. 1592)         1683 Kara Mustafa Pasha, Turkish grand-vizier (1676-83), Ottoman general, executed (b. 1634)         1758 James Hervey, English clergyman (b. 1714)         1763 Suraj Mal, Indian ruler of Bharatpur (b. 1707)         1765 Antonio Tonelli, composer         1765 Václav Prokop Diviš, Czech theologian and natural scientist (b. 1698)         1784 Yosa Buson, Japanese painter (b. 1716)         1788 John Logan, Scottish conductor (Ode to the Cuckoo)         1824 Barbara von Krüdener, German mystic and author, renounced nobility (b. 1764)         1842 Bedrich Divis Weber, composer         1848 Johann Erik Nordblom, composer         1868 Linus Yale Jr., American engineer and inventor (cylinder lock) (b. 1821)         1875 Young Tom Morris, Scottish golfer (b. 1851)         1878 Anna Claypoole Peale, American painter of miniatures         1880 Fridolin Anderwert, Swiss Federal Councillor (b. 1828)         1883 Marek Konrad Sokolowski, composer         1895 Raul d'Avila Pompeia, Brazilian writer (Boarding-school)         1904 Per Jonas Fredrik Vilhelm Svedbom, composer         1916 Albert Chmielowski, Polish saint, founder (the Albertine Brothers) (b. 1845)         1916 Solko van den Bergh, Dutch target shooter (b. 1854)         1916 St. Albert Chmielowski, Polish Catholic saint (b. 1845)         1921 Hans Huber, composer         1921 Vladimir Korolenko, Russian journalist, author, and activist (b. 1853)         1922 Alphonse Goovaerts, composer         1925 Karl Abraham, German psychoanalyst (b. 1877)         1925 Sergei Jessenin, writer         1926 Yoshihito, 123rd Emperor of Japan (1912-1926) (b. 1879)         1927 Sergei D Sazonov, Russian Foreign minister (1910-1916)         1928 Miles Burke, American boxer (b. 1885)         1930 Harvey Worthington Loomis, composer         1933 Francesc Macià i Llussà, Catalan politician, 122nd President of Catalonia (b. 1859)         1935 Paul Bourget, French author and critic (b. 1852)         1936 Pierre Maurice, composer         1938 Karel Čapek, Czech author (b. 1890)         1940 Agnes Ayres, American actress (Johnny Belinda, Sheik) (b. 1898)         1942 Vojislav Vuckovic, composer         1943 Ilona Durigo, Hungarian singer         1943 Raymond Huntington Woodman, composer         1944 George Steer, South African-English journalist (b. 1909)         1945 Franz Kröwerath, German rower (b. 1880)         1946 W. C. Fields, American comedian and actor (Bank Dick, It's A Gift) (b. 1880)         1947 Gaspar G. Bacon, American politician, 51st Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts (b. 1886)         1949 Leon Schlesinger, American film producer, founder (Warner Bros. Cartoons) (b. 1884)         1950 Neil Francis Hawkins, English politician (b. 1903)         1950 Xavier Villaurrutia, Mexican poet (Nostalgia de la muerte)         1951 Harry T Moore, American NAACP official, killed by bomb         1952 Margrethe Mather, American photographer (b. 1886)         1953 Patsy Donovan, Irish-American baseball player (b. 1865)         1953 William Haselden, English cartoonist (b. 1872)         1954 Johnny Ace, American rhythm and blues singer, accidentally shoots himself in the head (b. 1929)         1954 Liberty Hyde Bailey, American botanist (Plantbreeding)         1954 Rosario Scalero, composer         1956 Robert Walser, Swiss author (b. 1878)         1957 Charles Pathé, French film and record producer, founded Pathé and Pathé Records (b. 1863)         1957 Frederick Law Olmsted, American architect (Central Park)         1961 Otto Loewi, German-American pharmacologist (Nobel Prize laureate) (b. 1873)         1961 Owen Brewster, American politician, Senator, 54th Governor of Maine (b. 1888)         1961 Rheinhold Rudenberg, inventor of electron microscope         1963 Tristan Tzara, Romanian-French poet (b. 1896)         1964 Cheerio Meredith, actress (One Happy Family)         1970 Michael Peto, Hungarian-English photographer and journalist (b. 1908)         1971 Byron Arnold, composer         1973 Gabriel Voisin, French engineer, aviation pioneer (b. 1880)         1973 İsmet İnönü, Turkish general and politician, 2nd President of Turkey (b. 1884)         1975 Gaston Gallimard, French publisher, founder (Éditions Gallimard) (b. 1881)         1976 Arthur Mitchell, English cricketer         1976 Frankie Darro, actor (Radio Ranch, Valley of Wanted Men)         1977 Charlie Chaplin, English actor (Modern Times) and director (b. 1889)         1979 Joan Blondell, American actress (Real McCoys) (b. 1906)         1979 Jordi Bonet, Canadian painter and sculptor (b. 1932)         1979 Lee Bowman, actor (Ellery Queen, Miami Undercover)         1980 Fred Emney, actor (Adventures of a Private Eye)         1980 Louis Neefs, Belgian singer         1980 Oscar Romero, archbishop of El Salvador, murdered         1983 Joan Miro, Spanish surrealist painter (b. 1893)         1985 George Rhodes, orchestra leader (Sammy Davis Jr Show)         1988 Edward Pelham-Clinton, 10th Duke of Newcastle, English lepidopterist (b. 1920)         1988 Ooka Shohei, Japanese novelist (b. 1909)         1988 Shōhei Ōoka, Japanese author (b. 1909)         1989 Barrel Regtien, student leader         1989 Billy Martin, American baseball player and manager, killed in a car accident (b. 1928)         1989 Elena Ceaușescu, Romanian politician, wife of Romania's dictator Nicolea, executed (b. 1916)         1989 Nicolae Ceaușescu, Romanian politician, 11th President of Romania, executed (b. 1918)         1989 Ton Regtien, Dutch student leader         1990 Marguerite N Wittenberg, entertainer         1991 Curt Bois, actor (Great Waltz, Boat is Full)         1991 Mahmood Hussain, Pakistani cricketer         1991 Orane Demazis, French actress (Marius, Fanny et Caesar)         1991 Sal Provenza, entertainer         1992 Garrison H Davidson, American lt-gen commandant (West Point)         1992 Helen B M Fennell Joseph, English-South African anti-apartheid         1992 Monica Dickens, English journalist, author (b. 1915)         1992 Richard H Ichord, American leader of House Un-American Activities Committee         1992 Ted Croker, RAF-pilot, sect English soccer team (sponsoring)         1993 Pierre Victor Auger, French physicist (b. 1899)         1994 Pierre Dreyfus, French director of Renault (1955-75)         1994 Zail Singh, Indian politician, 7th President of India (1982-1987) (b. 1916)         1995 Dean Martin, American singer and actor (Return to Me) (b. 1917)         1995 Emmanuel Levinas, French philosopher (b. 1906)         1995 Jimmy Boucher, Irish cricketer         1995 Nikolai (Nicolas Leonidovich) Slonimsky, musicologist         1996 Bill Hewitt, Canadian sportscaster (b. 1928)         1996 Derek Prouse, writer, actor, director (Le Scandale)         1996 Jon Benet Ramsey, American child beauty queen, murdered at only 6 years old. Killer never found         1996 Rupert John, gov-gen of Grenadines (1970-76)         1997 Anatoli Boukreev, Kazakh mountaineer (b. 1958)         1997 Denver Pyle, American actor (Dukes of Hazzard) (b. 1920)         1997 Giorgio Strehler, theatre director         1997 Laurence Gower, academic         1998 Bryan MacLean, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (Love) (b. 1946)         1998 John Pulman, English snooker player (b. 1926)         1999 Peter Jeffrey, English actor (b. 1929)         2000 Neil Hawke, Australian cricketer and footballer (b. 1939)         2000 Willard Van Orman Quine, American philosopher (b. 1908)         2002 William T. Orr, American actor and producer (b. 1917)         2003 Nicholas Mavroules, American politician (b. 1929)         2004 Gennady Strekalov, Russian cosmonaut (b. 1940)         2005 Birgit Nilsson, Swedish singer (b. 1918)         2005 Derek Bailey, English guitarist (b. 1930)         2005 Robert Barbers, Filipino police officer and senator (b. 1944)         2006 Hiroaki Hidaka, Japanese serial killer (b. 1962)         2006 James Brown (the Godfather of Soul), American rhythm & blues, gospel, jazz, soul and funk singer-songwriter (Sex Machine), producer, and actor (The Famous Flames) (b. 1933)         2007 Desmond Barrick, English Cricketer (b. 1927)         2007 Jim Beauchamp, American baseball player (b. 1939)         2007 Mighty King Kong, Kenyan reggae musician. (b. 1973)         2008 Eartha Kitt, American actress and singer (b. 1927)         2009 Vic Chesnutt, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (brute., The Undertow Orchestra) (b. 1964)         2010 Carlos Andrés Pérez, Venezuelan politician, 66th President of Venezuela (b. 1922)         2011 Ben Breedlove, American blogger (b. 1993)         2011 Giorgio Bocca, Italian journalist (b. 1920)         2011 Jim Sherwood, American saxophonist (The Mothers of Invention) (b. 1942)         2012 Augusto Bracca, Venezuelan composer (b. 1918)         2012 Edward Hughes, American bishop (b. 1920)         2012 Erico B. Aumentado, Filipino journalist, lawyer, and politician (b. 1940)         2012 Frank Calabrese Sr. (Frankie Breeze), American mafia hitman (b. 1937)         2012 Halfdan Hegtun, Norwegian radio host and politician (b. 1918)         2012 Henry Ford Kamel, Ghanaian banker and politician (b. 1961)         2012 Jane Dixon, American bishop (b. 1937)         2012 Joe Krivak, American football coach (b. 1935)         2012 Othmar Schneider, Austrian skier (b. 1928)         2012 Rachel Douglas-Home, 27th Baroness Dacre, English wife of William Douglas-Home (b. 1929)         2012 Rudolf Müller, German bishop (b. 1931)         2012 Sita bint Fahd Al Damir, Saudi Arabian wife of Khalid of Saudi Arabia (b. 1922)         2012 Turki bin Sultan, Saudi Arabian politician (b. 1959).