12 History Lessons + 7 Births & 7 Deaths for December 23, 2025
Today’s History:
- 1783 – George Washington resigns his commission as commander in chief of the Continental Army in Annapolis, a defining precedent for civilian control of the military.
- 1793 – The Battle of Savenay ends in a crushing Republican victory, effectively closing the “Virée de Galerne” phase of the War in the Vendée during the French Revolution.
- 1823 – “Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas” (later known as “’Twas the Night Before Christmas”) is first published anonymously in the Troy Sentinel, shaping modern Santa mythology.
- 1913 – President Woodrow Wilson signs the Federal Reserve Act, creating the Federal Reserve System and reshaping U.S. monetary policy.
- 1919 – Britain’s Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act receives Royal Assent, opening major professions and jury service to women under law.
- 1941 – World War II: After intense fighting, Wake Island is occupied by Japan following the surrender of U.S. forces.
- 1947 – John Bardeen and Walter Brattain demonstrate the transistor at Bell Labs, a technological turning point that accelerates the digital age.
- 1948 – Former Japanese premier Hideki Tojo and other convicted wartime leaders are executed following the Tokyo Trials.
- 1954 – The first successful kidney transplant between identical twins is performed in Boston, proving organ transplantation can work clinically.
- 1968 – North Korea releases 82 crew members of the USS Pueblo after nearly a year of captivity, concluding a major Cold War standoff.
- 1970 – The World Trade Center’s North Tower “tops out,” reaching its full structural height and briefly becoming the world’s tallest building.
- 1972 – The “Immaculate Reception” gives the Steelers their first playoff win, becoming one of the most mythic single plays in NFL history.
Today’s Birthdays:
- 1933 – Akihito – Emperor of Japan (1989–2019), later Emperor Emeritus, associated with a modernized, postwar symbolic monarchy. (92)
- 1943 – Harry Shearer – American actor, comedian, and satirist, widely known for voicing multiple core characters on The Simpsons. (82)
- 1944 – Wesley Clark – American general and former Supreme Allied Commander Europe (NATO), later a prominent public-policy and political figure. (81)
- 1946 – Susan Lucci – American actor and TV icon, best known as Erica Kane on All My Children. (79)
- 1964 – Eddie Vedder – American singer-songwriter, lead vocalist and primary lyricist of Pearl Jam. (61)
- 1967 – Carla Bruni – Italian-French singer-songwriter and model who served as First Lady of France (2008–2012). (58)
- 2002 – Finn Wolfhard – Canadian actor and musician best known for Stranger Things and for major film roles in It and Ghostbusters. (23)
Today’s Deaths:
- 1939 – Anthony Fokker – Dutch aviation pioneer and aircraft manufacturer whose designs were central to early military and civil aviation. (49)
- 1948 – Hideki Tojo – Japanese prime minister during World War II, executed after conviction at the Tokyo Trials. (63)
- 2000 – Victor Borge – Danish-American comedian and pianist who fused classical performance with comedy for mass audiences. (91)
- 2007 – Oscar Peterson – Canadian jazz piano virtuoso and multiple-Grammy winner, considered one of the greatest in the genre. (82)
- 2013 – Mikhail Kalashnikov – Russian small-arms designer best known for the AK-47 family of rifles. (94)
- 2020 – Leslie West – American guitarist and singer, co-founder of Mountain and the driving force behind “Mississippi Queen.” (75)
- 2021 – Joan Didion – American writer and journalist, a defining voice of New Journalism and modern memoir. (87)
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