Pumpkin Pie Day
National Pumpkin Pie Day is celebrated on December 25th in the United States, making it a sweet companion to Christmas festivities! It’s all about enjoying one of America’s most iconic desserts—pumpkin pie. Pumpkin pie became a holiday staple in the U.S. during the 19th century. The largest pumpkin pie ever made weighed over 3,699 pounds and measured 20 feet in diameter! Pumpkins are native to North America, and early settlers used them in savory dishes before sweet pies became popular.
Here are famous historical events that happened on December 25th, across different eras and fields:
History
336 AD – The earliest recorded celebration of Christmas is noted in Rome.
800 AD – Charlemagne is crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Leo III in Rome.
1066 – William the Conqueror is crowned King of England after the Norman Conquest.
1642 – Isaac Newton is born in England (December 25 under the old Julian calendar).
1758 – Halley’s Comet is successfully predicted to return, confirming Edmond Halley’s theory.
1776 – George Washington leads troops across the Delaware River during the American Revolutionary War (the operation began Christmas night).
1818 – The Christmas carol “Silent Night” is first performed in Austria.
1914 – The Christmas Truce occurs during World War I, when soldiers briefly stop fighting and celebrate together.
1939 – The movie “A Christmas Carol” airs on radio, helping popularize the story in modern media.
1965 – The first NBA Christmas Day games are televised nationwide.
1968 – The Apollo 8 astronauts become the first humans to orbit the Moon and broadcast a Christmas message to Earth.
1989 – The movie “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” is released.
1991 – Mikhail Gorbachev resigns, officially marking the end of the Soviet Union.
2020 – The NBA hosts multiple Christmas Day games watched by millions worldwide.
Here are the December 25 birthdays, listed in chronological order with brief descriptions:
1642 – Isaac Newton
English mathematician and physicist; one of the most influential scientists of all time, known for the laws of motion and universal gravitation.
1778 – Sir Humphry Davy
British chemist and inventor who discovered several chemical elements and invented the miner’s safety lamp.
1821 – Clara Barton
American humanitarian and nurse; founder of the American Red Cross and a pioneer in disaster relief.
1899 – Humphrey Bogart
Iconic American film actor best known for classic movies like Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon.
1922 – Ava Gardner
American actress and singer, one of Hollywood’s leading stars during the 1940s and 1950s.
1949 – Sissy Spacek
American actress acclaimed for dramatic roles, including her Oscar-winning performance in Coal Miner’s Daughter.
1954 – Annie Lennox
Scottish singer-songwriter and activist; lead vocalist of Eurythmics and a successful solo artist.
1958 – Rickey Henderson
Legendary American baseball player, widely regarded as the greatest leadoff hitter and base stealer in MLB history.
1968 – Helena Christensen
Danish supermodel and photographer; one of the original “supermodels” of the 1990s.
1971 – Dido
English singer-songwriter known for emotional, melodic pop hits like Thank You and White Flag.
1971 – Jared Leto
American actor and musician; Academy Award–winning actor and lead singer of Thirty Seconds to Mars.
1971 – Justin Trudeau
Canadian politician serving as Prime Minister of Canada since 2015.
1975 – Luis Castillo
Dominican former professional baseball pitcher; played for multiple MLB teams and known for his consistency.
Here are notable deaths that occurred on December 25, listed chronologically with brief descriptions:
336 – Pope Mark
Pope of the Catholic Church; his death established December 25 as a significant date in Church history.
795 – Pope Adrian I
One of the most influential medieval popes; strengthened the alliance between the papacy and Charlemagne.
1006 – Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah
Fatimid caliph of Egypt; a controversial ruler known for religious reforms and political instability.
1066 – William the Conqueror (crowned, not death)
Not a death, but notable: crowned King of England on December 25.
1609 – Cesare Ripa
Italian aesthetician and author; known for Iconologia, influential in Renaissance art symbolism.
1625 – Giambattista Marino
Italian poet and founder of the Baroque literary style known as Marinism.
1932 – Johnny Ace
American R&B singer who died at the height of his popularity.
1977 – Charlie Chaplin
English actor, filmmaker, and composer; one of the most important figures in the history of cinema.
1989 – Nicolae Ceaușescu
Romanian communist dictator; executed following the Romanian Revolution.
2006 – James Brown
American singer and musician known as the “Godfather of Soul,” hugely influential in funk and modern music.
2016 – George Michael
English singer-songwriter and producer; global pop icon and member of Wham!
