Britannica On This Day December 26 2023 * Indian Ocean tsunami, Henry Miller is featured, and more *

This Day in History: December 26

Featured Event

2004





Indian Ocean tsunami
On this day in 2004, a large earthquake shook the Indian Ocean floor west of the island of Sumatra, triggering a devastating tsunami that swamped coastal areas from Thailand to Africa and killed more than 200,000 people.

More Events On This Day

Boxing Day is celebrated as a public holiday in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about English culture and custom.]
Matt Cardy/Getty Images
2006

American politician Gerald R. Ford—who was the 38th president of the United States (1974–77) and the country's only chief executive who was not elected as either president or vice president—died in California.Sort fact from fiction in our presidents of the United States quiz
The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum
1985

The slain body of American zoologist Dian Fossey—the world's leading authority on the mountain gorilla—was found in Rwanda; it was widely suspected that she was killed by poachers.
Liam White/Alamy
1973

The horror classic The Exorcist, an adaptation of William Peter Blatty's book about a young girl possessed by the Devil, was released in the United States. The recipient of 10 Oscar nominations, including for director William Friedkin, it became one of the highest-grossing films of all time.Test your knowledge of scary movies
:copyright: 1973 Warner Brothers, Inc.
1966

Celebrations for the first Kwanzaa began in the United States, and the holiday continued until January 1; the annual event, which affirms African family and social values, was created by Maulana Karenga.How much do you know about African American history?
Purestock/Thinkstock
1963

The Beatles' single I Want to Hold Your Hand, with I Saw Her Standing There on the B-side, was first released in the United States; hugely successful, it helped launch Beatlemania.Take our Beatlemania quiz
PRNewsFoto/Apple Corps Ltd./EMI Music/AP Images
1943

The German battle cruiser Scharnhorst was sunk by the British battleship Duke of York during World War II.How much do you know about World War II?
1908

American boxer Jack Johnson defeated Tommy Burns in Sydney to become the first black fighter to win the world heavyweight championship.Test your knowledge of boxing
UPI/Bettmann Archive
1893

Mao Zedong, chairman of the People's Republic of China, was born.Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about China
Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
1805

Napoleon enforced harsh penalties on Austria with the signing of the Treaty of Pressburg.Test your knowledge of Napoleon
Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1961.9.15
1791

English mathematician and inventor Charles Babbage, who is credited with having conceived the first automatic digital computer, was born.How much do you know about computers and technology?
Courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, London
1647

Charles I and the Scots reached a secret agreement whereby the Scots offered to support the king's restoration to power in return for his acceptance of Presbyterianism in Scotland and its establishment in England for three years.Take our quiz about kings and emperors
:copyright: Photos.com/Getty Images

Featured Biography

Henry Miller
American author

BornDecember 26, 1891
New York City, New York
(Birthday tomorrow)
DiedJune 7, 1980 (aged 88)
Pacific Palisades, California




David Sedaris
American humorist and essayist



Phil Spector
American record producer



Steve Allen
American entertainer



Mao Zedong
Chinese leader



Henry Miller
American author