12 History Lessons + 7 Births & 7 Deaths for December 29, 2025
Today’s History:
- 1170 – Archbishop Thomas Becket is murdered in Canterbury Cathedral by four knights associated with King Henry II, a shock that quickly turns Becket into a martyr and a major medieval pilgrimage figure.
- 1812 – War of 1812: USS Constitution defeats HMS Java off the coast of Brazil, reinforcing the American frigate’s fearsome reputation at sea.
- 1835 – The Treaty of New Echota is signed, agreeing to cede Cherokee lands east of the Mississippi and becoming the legal pretext for the Trail of Tears.
- 1845 – The United States annexes the Republic of Texas, bringing Texas into the Union and intensifying sectional and geopolitical tensions that soon shape the Mexican–American War era.
- 1890 – The Wounded Knee Massacre occurs in South Dakota, widely regarded as the last major armed conflict between the United States and the Plains tribes.
- 1911 – Mongolia declares independence from the Qing dynasty, installing the Bogd Khan as monarch in a major break from imperial Chinese rule.
- 1937 – A new Irish constitution takes effect, replacing the Irish Free State with the state officially called “Ireland” (Éire).
- 1940 – World War II: A heavy Luftwaffe raid sparks the “Second Great Fire of London,” compounding wartime devastation in the capital.
- 1978 – Ohio State football coach Woody Hayes is fired after striking an opposing player during the Gator Bowl, a defining scandal in major-college sports history.
- 1989 – Dissident playwright Václav Havel is elected president of Czechoslovakia, symbolizing the Velvet Revolution’s triumph and the broader Eastern Bloc collapse.
- 1996 – Guatemala signs peace accords ending a 36-year civil war, closing one of Latin America’s longest and most brutal modern internal conflicts.
- 2021 – Ghislaine Maxwell is convicted in federal court for her role in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking operation, a major outcome in one of the era’s most notorious criminal cases.
Today’s Birthdays:
- 1938 – Jon Voight – American actor and Academy Award winner whose career spans New Hollywood classics and decades of film and television roles. (87)
- 1947 – Ted Danson – American actor best known for Cheers, with a long-running TV career that includes The Good Place and multiple awards. (78)
- 1959 – Patricia Clarkson – American actor known for acclaimed character work across film and television, including award-winning supporting roles. (66)
- 1972 – Jude Law – English actor whose career ranges from prestige dramas to major franchises, known for versatility and leading-man presence. (53)
- 1982 – Alison Brie – American actor known for Community, GLOW, and a wide slate of comedy-drama film roles and voice work. (43)
- 1995 – Ross Lynch – American actor and singer who broke out through Disney projects and later took on darker dramatic roles in film and TV. (30)
- 1996 – Dylan Minnette – American actor and musician known for 13 Reasons Why and film roles in contemporary thrillers and dramas. (29)
Today’s Deaths:
- 1170 – Thomas Becket – Archbishop of Canterbury whose murder made him one of the most famous martyrs in medieval Christianity. (c. 50–51)
- 1926 – Rainer Maria Rilke – Bohemian-Austrian poet whose lyrical modernism shaped 20th-century European literature. (51)
- 1952 – Fletcher Henderson – American pianist, bandleader, and arranger, a key architect of big-band jazz and swing-era orchestration. (55)
- 1986 – Andrei Tarkovsky – Russian film director whose visionary style made him one of cinema’s most influential auteurs. (54)
- 2020 – Pierre Cardin – French fashion designer and entrepreneur known for futuristic haute couture and a global licensing empire. (98)
- 2022 – Pelé – Brazilian football legend, a three-time World Cup champion and one of the sport’s most iconic global figures. (82)
- 2024 – Jimmy Carter – 39th U.S. President and later humanitarian leader, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for post-presidency diplomacy and service. (100)
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