An Island for Christmas: Captain Cook Names Kiritimati
On Christmas Eve 1777, Captain James Cook sighted a low coral atoll in the Pacific and named it Christmas Island, now known as Kiritimati.
Tagged: christmas
The Night Radio Learned to Sing
On Christmas Eve 1906, Reginald Fessenden transmitted what is remembered as the first radio broadcast of music and voice from Brant Rock, Massachusetts.
A Christmas Eve Message From the Moon
On Christmas Eve 1968, the crew of Apollo 8 broadcast live from lunar orbit, reading from Genesis and giving the world the iconic 'Earthrise' photo.
Six Thousand Copies by Christmas: Dickens's Carol Goes on Sale
On December 19, 1843, Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol went on sale in London — and all 6,000 copies sold out within days.
December 9, 1965: 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' Premieres
On December 9, 1965, a low-budget cartoon about a sad kid and a scrawny tree became a Christmas institution.
'Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus'
On September 21, 1897, The Sun published a little girl's question and an editor's timeless answer — the most reprinted newspaper editorial in English.