Date·Lore

On This Day · The 358th day of the year

December 24

December 24 carries an unusually long memory — its events reach back as far as 759. Most of the weight falls in the 20th century, where conflict is a recurring thread.

♑ZodiacCapricorn ◈BirthstoneTurquoise ❀Birth flowerHolly

Capricorn is the sign for December 24 — read more on the Capricorn page, or see December's birthstone & birth flower.

Compiled & reviewed by · Last reviewed September 6, 2026

What happened on December 24?

December 24 is the 358th day of the year. It marks 10 notable events in history, dated between 759 and 2021. Famous people born on December 24 include Galba, Brigetta Barrett and Nicholas Meyer.

Released on December 24

Movies, games, albums & shows

2025

  • Movie Anaconda

Release data from TMDB & IGDB.

Events

10 notable moments
  1. 759

    Tang dynasty

  2. 1814

    United Kingdom

  3. 1871

    Aida

  4. 1913

    Italian Hall disaster

  5. 1914

    World War I

  6. 1924

    Albania

  7. 1929

    Argentina

  8. 1939

    World War II

  9. 2008

    Lord's Resistance Army

  10. 2021

    Tatmadaw

Famous birthday twins

Born on December 24

Galba

b. -3

Brigetta Barrett

b. 1990

Nicholas Meyer

b. 1945

James Prescott Joule

b. 1818

George I of Greece

b. 1845

Tarja Halonen

b. 1943

Dima Bilan

b. 1981

Hamid Karzai

b. 1957

Deaths

  • 2008Harold Pinter
  • 1997Toshiro Mifune
  • 1982Louis Aragon
  • 1541Andreas Karlstadt
  • 1524Vasco da Gama

Holidays & observances

  • —Christian feast day: Adela and Irmina
  • —Christian feast day: Paola Elisabetta Cerioli
  • —Christian feast day: Adam and Eve
  • —Christian feast day: December 24 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)
  • —Christmas Eve (Christianity) and its related observances: Aðfangadagskvöld, the day when the 13th and the last Yule Lad arrives to towns. (Iceland)
  • —Christmas Eve (Christianity) and its related observances: Feast of the Seven Fishes (Italian Americans)
  • —Christmas Eve (Christianity) and its related observances: Juleaften (Denmark)/Julaften (Norway)/Julafton (Sweden)
  • —Christmas Eve (Christianity) and its related observances: Nittel Nacht (certain Orthodox Jewish denominations)

The factual record above — event titles, dates, names, and observances — is drawn from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) license. DateLore adds curation, structure, and original editorial commentary. DateLore is not affiliated with the Wikimedia Foundation.

About the author

Roman Tailor compiles and reviews every date on DateLore. He's the writer and editor behind the site's editorial essays and the day-by-day almanac. Corrections and questions are welcome — read more about DateLore or get in touch.

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