1777 – Kiritimati (Christmas Island) was discovered by James Cook on the 24th December 1777.
1837 ~ Elisabeth of Austria the Empress of Austria, Queen of Hungary, and wife of Franz Joseph I was born in in Munich, Bavaria on the 24th December 1837 (died 10th September 1898 aged 60).
1865 – The Ku Klux Klan was formed on the 24th December 1865.
1881 – Charles Wakefield Cadman the American composer was born on the 24th December 1881 (died 1946).
1905 – Howard Hughes the American engineer and director was born on the 24th December 1905 (died 1976).
1914 – The “Christmas truce” during World War I began on the 24th December 1914.
1922 – Ava Gardner the American actress was born on the 24th December 1922 (died 1990).
1924 – Lee Dorsey the American singer was born on the 24th December 1924 (died 1986).
1947 – Kevin Sheedy the Australian footballer and coach was born on the 24th December 1947.
1968 – The crew of Apollo 8 entered into orbit around the Moon on the 24th December 1968, becoming the 1st humans to do so. The Apollo 8 performed 10 lunar orbits while broadcasting live TV pictures for the famous Christmas Eve Broadcast, one of the most watched programs in history.
1974 – Cyclone Tracy devastated Darwin, Australia on the 24th December 1974.
1982 – Robert Coppola Schwartzman the American singer-songwriter and guitarist from Rooney was born on the 24th December 1982. YouTube video: When Did Your Heart Go Missing? (2007)..
1991 ~ Louis_Tomlinson the English singer from One Direction was born on the 24th December 1991.
YouTube video: This Day in History ~ 24th December…