DECEMBER 24
1923: President Calvin Coolidge inaugurates the tradition of lighting the national Christmas Tree, at the Ellipse outside of the White House in Washington, D.C. The tree is a 48-foot-tall balsam fir from Coolidge's home state of Vermont and is adorned with 2,500 electric light bulbs.
1777:Kiritimati, also called Christmas Island, is discovered by James Cook.
1968: The crew of Apollo 8 celebrate Christmas Eve while orbiting the moon, some 250,000 miles away from Earth. Astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and William Anders read verses from the Book of Genesis in a message of Yuletide peace and goodwill, transmitted directly to millions of television viewers around the world. They are the first men to orbit the moon and to see its "dark side," which is always facing away from stargazers on Earth.
1992: President George H. W. Bush pardons Caspar Weinberger, former secretary of defense, and five other Reagan administration officials involved in the Iran-Contra affair, precluding Weinberger's impending trial for charges relating to the arms-for-hostages scandal.
1906:Reginald Fessenden transmits the first radio broadcast.
1818 :"Silent Night" composed
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