On Dec. 26, 2004, the world's most powerful earthquake in 40 years erupted underwater off the Indonesian island of Sumatra and sent walls of water barreling thousands of miles, killing more than 200,000 people in half a dozen countries across South and Southeast Asia.
On Dec. 26, 1893, Mao Tse-tung, the Chinese statesman who led the communist revolution in China and became its first communist leader, was born. Following his death on Sept. 9, 1976, his obituary appeared in The Times.
Go to obituary » | Other birthdays »
On This Date
| 1799 | George Washington was eulogized by Col. Henry Lee as "first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen." |
|---|---|
| 1865 | James H. Nason of Franklin, Mass., received a patent for a coffee percolator. |
| 1893 | Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong was born in Hunan province. |
| 1908 | Jack Johhnson became the first black heavyweight boxing champion when he knocked out Tommy Burns in Sydney, Australia. |
| 1917 | The U.S. government took over operation of the nation's railroads. |
| 1944 | Tennessee Williams' play "The Glass Menagerie" premiered at the Civic Theatre in Chicago. |
| 1947 | Heavy snow blanketed the Northeast, burying New York City under 25.8 inches of snow in 16 hours; the severe weather was blamed for some 80 deaths. |
| 1972 | Harry S. Truman, the 33rd president of the United States, died in Kansas City, Mo., at age 88. |
| 1996 | Six-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey was found beaten and strangled in the basement of her family's home in Boulder, Colo. The slaying remains unsolved. |
| 2004 | Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts broke Dan Marino's single-season touchdown pass record when he threw his 48th and 49th of the season in a victory over San Diego. |
| 2006 | Gerald R. Ford, the 38th president of the United States, died in Rancho Mirage, Calif., at age 93. |
Historic Birthdays
Mao Tse-tung
12/26/1893 - 9/9/1976
Chinese statesman and leader of his nation's communist revolution.
Go to obituary »
| 64 |
Leopold Mannes 12/26/1899 - 8/11/1964 American co-developer of Kodachrome film |
|---|---|
| 88 |
Henry Miller 12/26/1891 - 6/7/1980 American novelist |
| 93 |
Sir Norman Angell 12/26/1872 - 10/7/1967 English economist and Nobel Peace Prize winner |
| 79 |
George Dewey 12/26/1837 - 1/16/1917 American naval commander |
| 69 |
Dion Boucicault 12/26/1820 - 9/18/1890 Irish-born American playwright and actor |
| 79 |
Charles Babbage 12/26/1791 - 10/18/1871 English mathematician and inventor |
| 54 |
Thomas Gray 12/26/1716 - 7/30/1771 English poet |