December 26
1492
Christopher Columbus established the first Spanish settlement in the New World.
1776
George Washington defeated the Hessians at Trenton.
1865
James H. Nason received a patent for a coffee percolator.
1966
The first Kwanzaa is celebrated.
1972
The 33rd president of the United States, Harry S. Truman, died in Kansas City, Mo.
1985
Zoologist Dian Fossey was found murdered in Rwanda.
1996
JonBenet Ramsey was found murdered in her Boulder, Colo., home.
2004
In the Indian Ocean, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake, the largest in 40 years, triggered a tsunami that ultimately killed more than 280,000.
Birthdays
Mao Zedong
1893–1976, Founder of People’s Republic of China
Frederick II
Holy Roman emperor (1194)
Thomas Gray
poet (1716)
Charles Babbage
mathematician (1791)
George Dewey
admiral (1837)
Steve Allen
comedian, actor, author (1921)
Carlton Fisk
baseball player (1947)
Jared Leto
actor (1971)