This Day in History
Today: December 24, 2025
502
Chinese emperor Xiao Yan names Xiao Tong his heir designate.[1]
640
Pope John IV is elected, several months after his predecessor's death.[2]
759
Tang dynasty poet Du Fu departs for Chengdu, where he is hosted by fellow poet Pei Di.
971
Battle of Ayn Shams: The Fatimids under Jawhar defeat the Qarmatians at the gates of Cairo, putting an end to the First Qarmatian invasion of Egypt.[3]
1144
The capital of the crusader County of Edessa falls to Imad ad-Din Zengi, the atabeg of Mosul and Aleppo.[4]
1294
Pope Boniface VIII is elected, replacing St. Celestine V, who had resigned.[5]
1500
A joint Venetian–Spanish fleet captures the Castle of St. George on the island of Cephalonia.[6]
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.[7]
1777
Kiritimati, also called Christmas Island, is discovered by James Cook.[8]
1800
The Plot of the rue Saint-Nicaise fails to kill Napoleon Bonaparte.[9]
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