December 26 in History

• 1647

  December 26, 1647:

  A secret agreement is reached between the Scots and Charles I of Great Britain and Ireland allowing the former to practice Presbyterianism in Scotland and to establish it in England for three years in exchange for their support to restore him to power.

• 1908

  December 26, 1908:

  Canadian boxer Tommy Burns is beaten by American boxer Jack Johnson to claim the world heavyweight championship as the first black man to do so.

• 1931

  December 26, 1931:

  “Of Thee I Sing”, a musical play scored by George Gershwin, premieres on Broadway.

• 1940

  December 26, 1940:

  “The Philadelphia Story”, an American romantic comedy film starring Katharine Hepburn, James Stewart and Cary Grant, is released.

• 1943

  December 26, 1943:

  Duke of York, a British battleship, sinks Germany’s Scharnhorst.

• 1963

  December 26, 1963:

  “I Want to Hold Your Hand”, a song by The Beatles is released in the US almost a month after its UK release.

• 1973

  December 26, 1973:

  The American supernatural horror film, “The Exorcist” is released.

• 1982

  December 26, 1982:

  TIME magazine names the personal computer as its “Man of the Year”.

• 1985

  December 26, 1985:

  American primatologist Dian Fossey’s slain body is discovered in her cabin in Rwanda, where she had been researching mountain gorillas for years.

• 2004

  December 26, 2004:

  A tsunami in the Indian Ocean destroys property and lives (estimated 200,000) in coastal areas along the ocean.