On This Day - December 24, 2026

National days, ongoing national weeks and months, and global observances for December 24, 2026. Plus historical events and birthdays.

2026

Ongoing National Weeks

These observances run for a full week; this calendar day falls inside the week.

Ongoing National Months

These observances last the full month; this date is part of that month-long celebration.

Showing the first 12 on this date; there are more month-long observances. See the full months list for December.

Historical Events on December 24

Events that occurred on December 24 throughout history

1889

Daniel Stover and William Hance of Freeport, IL, obtained patent No. 418,142 for their invention of a bicycle with a back-pedal brake.

1948

Anthony, Esther, and Andrew Nemethy move into the first completely solar-heated house named the Dover Sun House. Located in Dover, MA, three women funded and designed the house. Amelia Peabody funded the project while Dr. Maria Telkes of the MIT Solar Laboratory designed the heating system. The architect was Eleanor Raymond.

1968

The Apollo 8 astronauts host a live broadcast from orbit around the moon. Frank Borman, Bill Anders, and Bill Lovell read from the book of Genesis during the broadcast and show pictures of the Earth and Moon. During the mission, they also capture the iconic Earthrise photo. December 24th Celebrated (And Not So Celebrated) Birthdays

1968

Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" is #1 on the music charts.