This Day in History - December 25, 2024

Happy Halloween! We start with a brief history of Samhain. In 1517, priest and scholar Martin Luther nailed a piece of paper containing 95 Theses to the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany. In 1926, escape artist and illusionist Harry Houdini died. In 1950, Earl "Big Cat" Llo ... Show More

In 1961, the Soviet Union dropped Tsar Bomba and its detonation was the largest in human history. In 1974, Muhammad Ali and George Foreman fought in Kinshasa, Zaire in the 'Rumble in the Jungle.' In 1938, Orson Welles scared a lot of folks with his radio dramatization of H.G. Wel ... Show More

In 1929, Black Tuesday saw 16 million shares sold and a 12% plummet in market value. In 1998, Hurricane Mitch made landfall in Honduras. There were 11,374 fatalities in Central America. In 1998, 77-year old John Glenn was launched back into space. In 1969, a message was sent over ... Show More

During the holiday season, learn about a rare moment of peace during the First World War. On Christmas Eve 1914, troops on both the Allied and German sides ceased fighting and instead came together and celebrated. Learn more about how the truce came about and hear first-hand acco ... Show More

It’s Christmas eve, 1914. On the Western Front, a British soldier peers out across No Man’s Land. A sound catches his attention – not artillery fire, but music. The enemy are singing Silent Night. The Christmas Truce of 1914 remains a unique historical anomaly. But how did these ... Show More

It’s Christmas eve, 1914. On the Western Front, a British soldier peers out across No Man’s Land. A sound catches his attention – not artillery fire, but music. The enemy are singing Silent Night. The Christmas Truce of 1914 remains a unique historical anomaly. But how did these ... Show More

As we approach the centenary of the Armistice, Gary Sheffield explores the final moments of the conflict that devastated the world for four and a half years Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adc ... Show More

<p>Amid the bloodshed of World War I, the Pope pled for a truce on Christmas Day. The commanding powers refused the truce, but soldiers across Europe crossed battle lines to spend Christmas the enemy. Check out our HowStuffWorks article to learn more.</p><p> </p> Learn more about ... Show More