On This Day: 24 December

24 December in Indian history

• 1999Jihadists linked to al-Qaeda hijacked Indian Airlines Flight 814 to force the release of Islamist figures held in prison in India.India
• 1737The Marathas defeat the combined forces of the Mughal Empire, Rajputs of Jaipur, Nizam of Hyderabad, Nawab of Awadh and Nawab of Bengal in the Battle of Bhopal.India

24 December in world history

• 2021Burmese military forces killed at least 40 civilians during the Mo So massacre in Kayah State, Myanmar.
• 2018A helicopter crash kills Martha Érika Alonso, first female Governor of Puebla, Mexico, and her husband Rafael Moreno Valle Rosas, former governor.
• 2005Chad–Sudan relations: Chad declares a state of belligerence against Sudan following a December 18 attack on Adré, which left about 100 people dead.
• 2003The Spanish police thwart an attempt by ETA to detonate 50 kg of explosives at 3:55 p.m. inside Madrid's busy Chamartín Station.
• 1971LANSA Flight 508 is struck by lightning and crashes in the Puerto Inca District in the Department of Huánuco in Peru, killing 91.
• 1968Apollo program: The crew of Apollo 8 enters into orbit around the Moon, becoming the first humans to do so. They performed ten lunar orbits, took the Earthrise photograph, broadcast live TV pictures, and read the first ten verses of Genesis.
• 1964The Viet Cong bombed the Brinks Hotel in Saigon, killing two U.S. Army officers and raising fears of an escalation of the Vietnam War.
• 1955According to legend, the NORAD Tracks Santa program began after children began calling the Continental Air Defense Command Center to inquire about Santa Claus's whereabouts due to a misprinted phone number in an advertisement.
• 1953Tangiwai disaster: In New Zealand's North Island, at Tangiwai, a railway bridge is damaged by a lahar and collapses beneath a passenger train, killing 151 people.
• 1929Assassination attempt on Argentine President Hipólito Yrigoyen.
• 1871Aida, one of Giuseppe Verdi's most popular operas, made its debut in Cairo, Egypt.
• 1865Six Confederate veterans of the American Civil War founded a social club they named the Ku Klux Klan, which later became a white supremacist group.
• 1818The Christmas carol "Silent Night" (audio featured) by Joseph Mohr and Franz Gruber was first performed in a church in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria.
• 1814Representatives of the United Kingdom and the United States sign the Treaty of Ghent, ending the War of 1812.
• 1500A joint Venetian–Spanish fleet captures the Castle of St. George on the island of Cephalonia.
• 759The Tang-dynasty poet Du Fu departed for Chengdu, where he lived for the next five years and composed poems about life in his thatched cottage.

Born on 24 December

• 1997Neeraj Chopra, Indian javelin throwerIndia
• 1971Ricky Martin, Puerto Rican singer-songwriter and actor
• 1956Anil Kapoor, Indian actor and producerIndia
• 1946Jeff Sessions, American lawyer and politician, 44th Attorney General of Alabama and 84th Attorney General of the United States
• 1943Tarja Halonen, Finnish lawyer and politician, 11th President of Finland
• 1942Indra Bania, Indian actor, director, and playwright (died 2015)India

Died on 24 December

• 1987M. G. Ramachandran, Sri Lankan-Indian actor, producer, and politician, 5th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (born 1917)India
• 1987Joop den Uyl, Dutch journalist, economist, and politician, 45th Prime Minister of the Netherlands (born 1919)
• 1965William M. Branham, American minister and theologian (born 1906)
• 1524Vasco da Gama, Portuguese explorer and politician, Governor of Portuguese India (born 1469)India

Frequently asked questions

What happened on 24 December in history?

2021: Burmese military forces killed at least 40 civilians during the Mo So massacre in Kayah State, Myanmar. 2018: A helicopter crash kills Martha Érika Alonso, first female Governor of Puebla, Mexico, and her husband Rafael Moreno Valle Rosas, former governor. 2005: Chad–Sudan relations: Chad declares a state of belligerence against Sudan following a December 18 attack on Adré, which left about 100 people dead. 2003: The Spanish police thwart an attempt by ETA to detonate 50 kg of explosives at 3:55 p.m. inside Madrid's busy Chamartín Station.

What happened on 24 December in Indian history?

1999: Jihadists linked to al-Qaeda hijacked Indian Airlines Flight 814 to force the release of Islamist figures held in prison in India. 1737: The Marathas defeat the combined forces of the Mughal Empire, Rajputs of Jaipur, Nizam of Hyderabad, Nawab of Awadh and Nawab of Bengal in the Battle of Bhopal.

Which famous people were born on 24 December?

Neeraj Chopra, Indian javelin thrower (1997); Ricky Martin, Puerto Rican singer-songwriter and actor (1971); Anil Kapoor, Indian actor and producer (1956); Jeff Sessions, American lawyer and politician, 44th Attorney General of Alabama and 84th Attorney General of the United States (1946).

Which day is observed on 24 December?

Christmas Eve (Christianity) and its related observances: Aðfangadagskvöld, the day when the 13th and the last Yule Lad arrives to towns. (I; 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); Christmas Eve (Christianity) and its related observances: Nochebuena (Spain and Spanish-speaking countries).