25th December

[chenrezig]

440 Church leaders agreed to fix the date of the birth of Christ. Previously some people had celebrated it in May, others in January.

1066 William the Conqueror, the first Norman King of England, was crowned at Westminster Abbey. To press his claim to the English crown, William had invaded England in October 1066, leading his army to victory over the English forces of King Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings.

1176 The first Eisteddfod (Festival of the Arts) took place at Cardigan Castle.

1642 Isaac Newton, who formulated the laws of motion was born (Julian calendar then in use) at Woolsthorpe Manor, Lincolnshire. He was a physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian, and has been considered by many to be the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived.

1643 Christmas Island (a territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean) was discovered and named by Captain William Mynors of the East India Company.

1652 The Puritan government ordered all Churches to remain closed on Christmas Day.

1800 The first Christmas tree in Britain was erected at Queen’s Lodge, Windsor by the German-born Queen Charlotte, wife of George III. She brought the idea over from Germany where the first reports of Christmas trees go back to 1521.

1864 The traditional swim in the ice-cold Serpentine in London’s Hyde Park was initiated.

1865 Evangeline Booth, the 4th General of The Salvation Army was born, in South Hackney, London, She was the seventh of eight children born to William Booth and Catherine Mumford, who had earlier in the year founded The Christian Mission, which became the Salvation Army in 1878.

1866 The US yacht Henrietta sailed into Cowes harbour on the Isle of Wight, and thus became the winner of the first Transatlantic Yacht Race.

1914 The Christmas truce between British and German troops continued. At 2 a.m. a German band went along the trenches playing Home Sweet Home and God Save the King.

1932 King George V made the first Royal Christmas broadcast to the Empire. Queen Elizabeth II made her first Christmas broadcast in 1952, and her first television Christmas message was broadcast in 1957.

1950 The Stone of Scone, the Scottish coronation stone which had been in Westminster Abbey for 650 years was stolen by Scottish nationalists. The Stone, weighing 458lb (208kg) was said to have been taken from Scotland by Edward I.

1977 Charlie Chaplin, the English born comic genius of silent films, died, aged 88.

2003 Scientists failed to make contact with British-built Mars probe Beagle 2, which should have landed on the Red Planet 'on this day'.

[wendy]

440 Church leaders agreed to fix the date of the birth of Christ. Previously some people had celebrated it in May, others in January.
4523

[chenrezig]

So nice that wherever you are in the world we can all celebrate together  654 4523

[annie]

ch123