1818
Franz Gruber of Oberndorf, Germany composed the music for Silent Night to words written by Josef Mohr
The traditional song was sung for the first time during Midnight Mass this night
1867
It was Christmas Eve that R.H. Macy’s department store in New York City remained open until midnight to catch last-minute shoppers.
The store took in a record $6,000, giving itself a very Merry Christmas!
1943
Proud Kansan, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, was appointed as the supreme commander of Allied forces
After World War II, Eisenhower served as Army Chief of Staff under President Harry S. Truman, and then accepted the post of President at Columbia University
Eisenhower entered the 1952 presidential race as a Republican to counter the non-interventionism of Senator Robert A. Taft, campaigning against “communism, Korea and corruption”
…he won in a landslide, defeating Democratic candidate Adlai Stevenson
1968
Apollo 8, and three astronauts, James A. Lovell, William Anders and Frank Borman, reached the moon
They orbited the moon 10 times before coming back to Earth
Seven months later man first landed on the moon
2000
36 minutes after the end of a game, both the New England Patriots and the Miami Dolphins were called back to the playing field
The teams had to play the final 3 seconds of the game which the Dolphins had won 27-24
The end result did not change
2008
The world’s largest Santa was unveiled
The 525 feet long sculpture is the centerpiece at the world-renowned ice festival in the city of Harbin, where temperatures drop to well below freezing in the winter
An estimated 800,000 tourists from around China visited the festival, which traditionally runs from mid-December to early February
-Tyler Jackson
