Some notable facts about this date, for more, visit http://www.onthisday.com
Facts
1 1st Christmas, according to calendar-maker Dionysus Exiguus
800 Pope Leo III crowns Charles the Great (Charlemagne), Roman Emperor
1066 Duke William of Normandy ('William the Conqueror) crowned King of England
1741 Astronomer Anders Celsius introduces Centigrade temperature scale
1868 Despite bitter opposition, US President Andrew Johnson grants unconditional pardon to all persons involved in Southern rebellion (Civil War)
1991 Mikhail Gorbachev formally resigns as President of USSR in a televised speech
Deaths
Seems to be a bad day if you are a singer, a lot of notable names in that profession have died today
795 Adrian I, Italian Pope (772-95), dies at 95
1635 Samuel de Champlain, French explorer and founder of Quebec City, dies of a stroke at 61
1676 William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle, English soldier (b. 1592)
1977 Charlie Chaplin, British actor and comedian (Modern Times, The Kid), dies in Switzerland at 88
1980 Fred Emney, British actor (Let the People Sing, Adventures of a Private Eye, Lilac Domino), dies at 80
1989 Nicolae Ceausescu, Communist dictator of Romania, executed at 71
1995 Dean Martin [Dino Paul Crocetti], American singer and actor (Martin and Lewis, The Dean Martin Show), dies at 78
1998 John Pulman, English snooker player (b. 1926)
2006 James Brown, rhythm & blues, gospel, jazz, soul and funk singer or simply The Godfather of Soul (Genius of Love, Hot Pants) dies at 73 from heart failure
2008 Eartha Kitt, American actress and singer (Santa Baby), dies at 81
2016 George Michael [Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou], English singer-songwriter and pop superstar (Wham!, I Want Your Sex), dies of suspected heart failure at 53
Sport
1930 1st US bobsled run open to public (Lake Placid, NY)
1951 1st Christmas Day in test cricket, Aust v WI at Adelaide
1951 West Indies defeat Australia by 6 wkts on 3rd day of 3rd Test Cricket
Films and TV
1962 "To Kill a Mockingbird", a film adaptation of the novel by Harper Lee, directed by Robert Mulligan and starring Gregory Peck, is released (Gregory Peck - Best Actor Academy Awards 1963)
1973 "The Sting" directed by George Roy Hill and starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford premieres in Los Angeles and New York (Best Picture 1974)
1990 "The Godfather Part III" directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Al Pacino, Diane Keaton and Andy Garcia premieres
Born on this day
1971 Dido, Kensington, pop singer and rap/dance music vocalist (Eminem's 'Stan', 'No Angel'), born in London, England
1975 Marcus Trescothick, English cricketer
A Couple of Pics from those no longer with us
Eartha Kitt
George Michael