DonWilson

December 25: Christmas (Western Christianity; Gregorian calendar); Hanukkah (Judaism) begins at sunset; Quaid-e-Azam Day in Pakistan

Mikhail Gorbachev

1046 – Henry III was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Clement II.
1724 – Johann Sebastian Bach led the first performance of Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ, based on the Christmas hymn written by Martin Luther in 1524.
1831 – A Baptist preacher named Samuel Sharpe began an unsuccessful eleven-day slave revolt in Jamaica.
1991 – In a nationally televised speech, Mikhail Gorbachev (pictured) resigned as President of the Soviet Union.
2009 – A fire destroyed Longford's 19th-century St Mel's Cathedral, considered the "flagship cathedral" of the Irish midlands.

More anniversaries:

Aftermath of the Magdeburg car attack

A multi-vehicle crash in Minas Gerais, Brazil, leaves 41 people dead.
A car attack (aftermath pictured) at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, kills five people and injures more than two hundred others.
In France, Dominique Pelicot and 49 other men are convicted of the serial rape of his then-wife Gisèle Pelicot.
A 7.3-magnitude earthquake hits Vanuatu's capital, Port Vila, leaving at least sixteen people dead.

Adoration of the Magi in the Snow

... that the Adoration of the Magi in the Snow (pictured), recently re-dated, is now known to be the earliest of Bruegel's snow paintings?
... that the Philly Specials, formed by three football players from the Philadelphia Eagles, have recorded Christmas music with Stevie Nicks and Boyz II Men?
... that heavy spring rains caused a poor harvest of the Dickinson pumpkin, leading to a canned pumpkin shortage for Christmas in 2015?
... that Holiday Seasoning was promoted with the release of holiday seasonings?
... that HMT Night Hawk was sunk on Christmas Day 1914 while trawling for mines off Scarborough, England?
... that the National Gingerbread House Competition, despite its name, has featured gingerbread merry-go-rounds, sea monsters, and even the Statue of Liberty?
... that Pflaumentoffel, edible figures made from prunes, were sold by children in German Christmas markets in the 19th century?
... that "The Christmas Invasion" led to Christmas specials becoming a staple for Doctor Who?
... that A. krampus has been found living in southeastern Brazil?