12 Events That Happened On Christmas

The Treaty of Ghent was signed on Christmas Day 1814, officially ending the War of 1812 between the British and the United States.

The War of 1812 was the first declared war of the United States' history. It was important for a couple of big reasons: Never again would Britain and the U.S. go to war, in fact, they would become great allies; it marked the entry of the U.S. into international relations as being a recognized nation. Another highlight of the war is that the British invaded Washington D.C. and burned down the White House. It was probably an act of catharsis.

William the Conqueror was perhaps the single most influential ruler in all of British history. Why? Well, he kinda took over the whole place.

William of Normandy was a viking descendant whose ancestors had conquered the region and settled into the French Aristocracy. The invasion started when Edward the Confessor changed his heir at the last-minute from William of Normandy to Harold Godwinson. So William sailed across the channel and destroyed Harold at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. From then on, the aristocracy would be French, and the nature of English kingship would be changed forever. He was crowned on Christmas Day, 1066.

On Christmas Day, 1642, one of the most brilliant minds in the history of humanity was born: Sir Isaac Newton.

Isaac Newton would become the epitome of British intellectualism. He made monumental contributions to mathematics, optics and much much more. Newton's greatest work is today most likely recognized as the "Principia," or the Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy. Newton believed the soul and spirit was just as important, if not more so, than the physical. Later in life, he would devote his life alchemy, prophecy, and the occult, still making great strides in science, and pushing the boundaries of the esoteric at the same time.

Christmas Morning, the year 800: In Rome, Pope Leo III has coronated Charlemagne, or Charles the Great, as the first Holy Roman Emperor since the fall of the Western Roman Empire almost 300 years earlier.

Charlemagne is one of those kings that you might wish immortal. During Europe's dark ages, he helped reflect the light of the East, and of the past. His domain, the Carolingian Empire, was the first power to unite most of Western Europe since Rome fell. His rule was also a Christianizing force, helping to secure Catholicism in Europe. He built roads, schools, churches, bringing civilization back to a seemingly forgotten European continent.

Yes, the thing you are using right this very minute was once not nonexistent! But its very first test run happened Christmas morning, 1990.

The internet was meant to be used by scientists and the military before it was also appropriated for public and commercial use. With this in mind, it comes as no surprise that CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) was behind the very first server to ever go online, which was named "info.cern.ch." Today, as you well know, the internet has become the game-changer that it is.

On Christmas Day 1868, all of the soldiers who fought against the Union in the American Civil War were officially pardoned by the President of the United States, Andrew Johnson.

The post-war era after the Civil War was a confusing one. The South had been economically eviscerated and was at the mercy of the northern states after rebelling. It was Lincoln's plan and legacy to smooth over as much animosity left over from the war as possible. To that end, Johnson believed that to pardon all the soldiers would be tantamount to forgiving the entire ordeal so that the nation might maintain its prestige in the western hemisphere, as well as the western world.

The Space Race was one of the highlights of the 20th century as well as the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union.

On Christmas morning in 1968, the Apollo 8 mission completed orbiting the moon. This was a major step in performing a successful manned flight to the moon just a year later. At a time in world history where scientific advancement came with national and idealogical pressures, this Christmas was a fantastic one to be an American!

As the story goes, at 11 P.M., Christmas Eve 1492, Columbus decided to try and get some rest after two days without sleep on the return trip back to Europe.

The seas were very calm that night, so it seemed the steersmen also decided to try and catch some sleep, leaving a cabin boy to steer the ship, something that was strictly forbidden to do. As it happens, the winds slowly picked up, causing the ship to run aground off the coast of Haiti. The next day, on Christmas, Columbus stripped the ship and repurposed the wood to be used in the fort La Navidad (Christmas).

The Soviet war in Afghanistan is largely considered Russia's Vietnam and a complex conflict that ultimately helped create the current quagmire that is the Middle East.

On Christmas Day 1979, the Soviets sent in tanks to Afghanistan. The war lasted from 1979 to 1989, the Soviet-Afghan War raged on in the Middle East. The Afghans were given aid and help by the CIA. The war would ultimately help cause some of the economic disparity which many historians believe lead to the collapse of the Soviet Union. The conflict served to destabilize the entire region and had a major hand in creating the situation which we see today in the Middle East.

The crossing of the Delaware on Christmas morning and the subsequent Battle of Trenton is one of the great victories of the United States in the Revolution and guess what...it happened on Christmas!

After a fairly long string of defeats, George Washington was ready to catch the British by surprise with a Christmas guerrilla ambush which resulted in very few casualties for the Americans, as well as a decisive victory over the British and their Hessian mercenaries. The battle would signify that there was still fight left in the Continental Army, and that the war had yet to be won. This moment became one that gave the patriots hope in their cause, that they could secure their independence.

The dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics didn't happen overnight, but it did become official when its last leader resigned.

On Christmas Day, 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev, the very last Soviet Premiere resigned from office and declared the Soviet Union dissolved. This event marked the end of nearly a half century of living under constant threat of nuclear war. No longer could we pursue reckless foreign policy underneath the guise of anti-communism. The world breathed a gigantic sigh of relief as international tensions between the two superpowers eased, and only one stood among the nonexistent ashes.

The spirit of Christmas is much more powerful than we might think. Even during one of the most horrible wars of human history, the Christmas spirit stopped the bloodshed, if only for a day.

The year was 1914: The First World War had not been the quick and glorious war all had expected it to be. No. It was the brutal, stagnant, war of attrition as history now knows it. But that Christmas, a miracle happened: along much of the fronts, there was no fighting, but there was a good deal of drinking and merriment. Going against the wishes of both sides' high command, many soldiers went into No Man's Land to share a drink, a game of cards, or to play some football.

Christmas cheer has a way of presenting and sustaining itself, even in the midst of such a terrible war. At a time when tens of thousands of lives could be wiped out in mere hours, just how many lives did the Christmas of 1914 save?