December 25 in history — What Happened Today in History

The body of American child beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey was found in her family's Boulder, Colorado, home. Her murder remains unsolved.

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.

Romanian Revolution: Deposed President of Romania Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife, Elena, are condemned to death and executed after a summary trial.

Iraqi Airways Flight 163, a Boeing 737-270C, is hijacked and crashes in Arar, Saudi Arabia, killing 63 people.

Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin meets in Egypt with its president Anwar Sadat.

EgyptAir Flight 864, a Boeing 707-366C, crashes on approach to Don Mueang International Airport, killing 71 people.

A fire at the Daeyeonggak Hotel in Seoul, South Korea kills 164 people.

Apollo program: Apollo 8 performs the first successful Trans-Earth injection (TEI) maneuver, sending the crew and spacecraft on a trajectory back to Earth from Lunar orbit.

Kilvenmani massacre: Forty-four Dalits (untouchables) are burnt to death in Kizhavenmani village, Tamil Nadu, a retaliation for a campaign for higher wages by Dalit laborers.

Turkish Cypriot Bayrak Radio begins transmitting in Cyprus after Turkish Cypriots are forcibly excluded from Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation.

The Soviet Union conducts its final above-ground nuclear weapon test, in anticipation of the 1963 Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.

A bomb explodes at the home of Harry T. Moore and Harriette V. S. Moore, early leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, killing Harry instantly and fatally wounding Harriette.

The Stone of Scone, traditional coronation stone of British monarchs, is taken from Westminster Abbey by Scottish nationalist students. It later turns up in Scotland on April 11, 1951.

The first European self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction is initiated within the Soviet Union's F-1 nuclear reactor.

Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, appointed commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet on December 17, arrives at Pearl Harbor.

World War II: Battle of Hong Kong ends, beginning the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong.

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.

A magnitude 7.6 earthquake in Gansu, China kills 275 people.

B. R. Ambedkar and his followers burn copies of the Manusmriti in Mahad, Maharashtra, to protest its treatment of Dalit people.

The National Protection War breaks out against the Empire of China, as military leaders Cai E and Tang Jiyao proclaim the independence of Yunnan and begin a campaign to restore the Republic.

World War I: A series of unofficial truces occur across the Western Front to celebrate Christmas.

Disfellowshipped Adventist lay preacher Felix Manalo begins the new religious movement known as the Iglesia ni Cristo with the baptism of its first members.

Wagner's Siegfried Idyll is first performed.

Pardons for ex-Confederates: United States President Andrew Johnson grants an unconditional pardon to all Confederate veterans.

Second Seminole War: American general Zachary Taylor leads 1,100 troops against the Seminoles at the Battle of Lake Okeechobee.

The Great Jamaican Slave Revolt begins; up to 20% of Jamaica's slaves mobilize in an ultimately unsuccessful fight for freedom.

The Eggnog Riot at the United States Military Academy concludes after beginning the previous evening.

The Handel and Haydn Society, oldest continually performing arts organization in the United States, gives its first performance.

Rusev, Bulgarian-American professional wrestler

Yulia Svyrydenko, Ukrainian politician, 19th Prime Minister of Ukraine

Chris Cahill, Samoan footballer

Alastair Cook, English cricketer

Chris Richard, American basketball player

Shawn Andrews, American football player

Rob Edwards, Welsh footballer

Ethan Kath, Canadian keyboard player, songwriter and producer

Chris Rene, American singer-songwriter and producer

Trenesha Biggers, American wrestler and model

Camille Herron, American ultramarathon runner

Christian Holst, Danish-Faroese footballer

Willy Taveras, Dominican baseball player

Valery Khalilov, Russian military musician and composer (born 1952)

George Michael, British singer and songwriter (born 1963)

Vera Rubin, American astronomer (born 1928)

George Clayton Johnson, American author and screenwriter (born 1929)

Dorothy M. Murdock, American author and historian (born 1961)

Ricardo Porro, Cuban-French architect (born 1925)

Geoff Pullar, English cricketer (born 1935)

David Ryall, English actor (born 1935)

Anthony J. Bryant, American historian and author (born 1961)

David R. Harris, English geographer, anthropologist, archaeologist and academic (born 1930)

Wayne Harrison, English footballer (born 1967)

Mike Hegan, American baseball player and sportscaster (born 1942)

Lola Lange, Canadian rural feminist and appointee to the Royal Commission on the Status of Women (born 1922)