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Today (December 21)
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December 21  "Chitty Bang Bang 1", a model for the car in the book Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car is a children's story written by Ian Fleming and illustrated by John Burningham. It was initially published in three volumes, the first of which was released on 22 October 1964, before being published as one book. The story concerns the exploits of Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang, a car with hidden powers and abilities, and its owners, the Pott family. Fleming, better known as the creator of James Bond, took his inspiration for the subject from a series of aero-engined racing cars called "Chitty Bang Bang" (example pictured), built by Louis Zborowski in the early 1920s. Fleming wrote the book while convalescing after having had a major heart attack; he had created the story as a bedtime story for his son, Caspar. Fleming did not live to see Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang published; he died of a heart attack on 11 August 1964. The story was loosely adapted as the 1968 film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, which in turn was later adapted as a stage musical. (Full article...)
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December 21: December solstice (09:20 UTC, 2024) .jpg) Crew of Apollo 8
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December 21
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Tomorrow (December 22)
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December 22  The Tomb of Antipope John XXIII was created by Donatello and Michelozzo for the Florence Baptistery adjacent to the Duomo. It was commissioned after Antipope John XXIII's death on December 22, 1419, and completed during the 1420s, establishing it as one of the early landmarks of Renaissance Florence. John XXIII had a long history of cooperation with Florence, which had viewed him as the legitimate pontiff during the Western Schism. Its design included figures of the three Virtues in niches, John XXIII's family arms, a gilded bronze recumbent effigy laid out above an inscription-bearing sarcophagus, and a Madonna and Child in a half-lunette, with a canopy. At its completion, the monument was the tallest sculpture in Florence. The tomb monument was the first of several collaborations between Donatello and Michelozzo; attribution of each design element to the artists, as well as interpretations of its design and iconography, have been debated by art historians. (Full article...)
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December 22: Yule begins; Dongzhi Festival in China (2023) .jpg) Aerial view of the Kingston Fossil Plant coal fly ash slurry spill
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December 22
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In two days (December 23)
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December 23  Cranial remains of the Bonn–Oberkassel dog The Bonn–Oberkassel dog was a Late Paleolithic (c. 12,000 BCE) dog whose partial skeletal remains were found buried alongside two humans in Bonn, Germany. Initially identified as a wolf upon its discovery in 1914, its remains were later separated and lost within the University of Bonn's collections. These were reunited in the late 1970s, and the animal was re-identified as an early domestic dog and dated to the Late Glacial Interstadial. It likely suffered and survived canine distemper as a puppy, a disease with an almost 100-percent fatality rate in wild dogs and wolves. The puppy's survival likely required intensive care from humans, including food, water, and regular cleaning. This may show a close emotional bond between the humans and the dog, and possibly that it was regarded as a pet – perhaps by the humans it was buried alongside. The dog died aged around 7.5 months for unclear reasons; it may have died from natural causes, or have been sacrificed to be buried alongside the humans. (Full article...) |
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December 23: Night of the Radishes in Oaxaca City, Mexico; Festivus  Vincent van Gogh
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December 23  TARDIS in "The Church on Ruby Road", the 2023 Christmas special Since 2005, nineteen Christmas or New Year's special episodes have aired on the British science-fiction television series Doctor Who. During its original run, from 1963 to 1989, episodes were occasionally broadcast over holiday periods, but rarely made mention of the holidays. When Doctor Who was revived in 2005, special Christmas episodes were produced yearly until 2017. From 2019 to 2022, the series transitioned to New Year's Day specials instead, returning to Christmas specials in 2023. The holiday episodes have proved to be a success with viewers, bringing in larger viewing figures than regular episodes. Doctor Who revolves around an alien known as the Doctor, who travels with a companion in a time and space machine called the TARDIS (pictured). A twentieth special, "Joy to the World", is set to be released on 25 December 2024. (Full list...) | |||
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December 23
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In three days (December 24)
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December 24  Aftermath of the Brinks Hotel bombing The Brinks Hotel bombing occurred in Saigon on December 24, 1964, during the Vietnam War. Two Viet Cong operatives detonated a car bomb under the hotel, which housed United States Army officers. The explosion killed two Americans and injured approximately 60 other people. The Viet Cong commanders had two objectives: to demonstrate their ability to strike in South Vietnam should the United States decide to launch air raids against North Vietnam, and to show the South Vietnamese that the Americans could not be relied upon for protection. The bombing prompted debate within United States president Lyndon B. Johnson's administration. Most of his advisers favored retaliatory bombing of North Vietnam and the introduction of American combat troops, while Johnson preferred the existing strategy of training the Army of the Republic of Vietnam to protect South Vietnam from the Viet Cong. In the end, Johnson decided not to take retaliatory action. (Full article...)
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.jpg) Wreckage of the Tangiwai disaster
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December 24
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In four days (December 25)
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December 25  Trainor in 2014 A Very Trainor Christmas is a Christmas album by Meghan Trainor (pictured), released on October 30, 2020, by Honest OG Recording and Epic Records. Trainor co-wrote the album with her brothers, Ryan and Justin, among others. It features artists such as Earth, Wind & Fire, Seth MacFarlane, Trainor's cousins and her father. The album covers Christmas standards such as "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" (1951) and "Last Christmas" (1984), as well as six original recordings. Trainor promoted A Very Trainor Christmas with public appearances and televised performances, and by the release of Trainor and MacFarlane's cover of "White Christmas" (1942), which reached number one on the Adult Contemporary chart. Critical commentary for the album was generally positive; it reached number seven on the US Top Holiday Albums chart. A deluxe edition was released on October 29, 2021, followed by a new version of the album on October 11, 2024. (This article is part of a featured topic: Meghan Trainor albums.)
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December 25: Christmas (Western Christianity; Gregorian calendar); Quaid-e-Azam Day in Pakistan  Halley's Comet
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December 25
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In five days (December 26)
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December 26  Tony Cascarino, Gillingham's leading scorer in 1984–85 During Gillingham F.C.'s 1984–85 season, they competed in the Football League Third Division, the third tier of the English football league system. It was the 53rd season in which Gillingham competed in the Football League, and the 35th since they were voted back into the league in 1950. Gillingham started the season with five wins in the first seven games and were challenging for a place in the top three of the league table, which would result in promotion to the Second Division. The team's performances then declined, and by November they were in mid-table. They won 12 out of 16 games to go back up to second place, before a poor run in March meant that they again dropped out of the promotion places. Gillingham finished the season fourth in the table, missing promotion by one place. They also competed in three knock-out competitions, winning no trophies, but won three times to reach the fourth round of the 1984–85 FA Cup before losing. The team played 56 competitive matches, and won 30. (Full article...)
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December 26: Boxing Day in the Commonwealth; Wren Day in Ireland and the Isle of Man; Kwanzaa begins (African diaspora in the Americas)  Johann Sebastian Bach
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December 26
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In six days (December 27)
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December 27  Palo priest with ritual objects Palo is an African diasporic religion that developed in Cuba during the late 19th or early 20th century. It draws heavily upon the traditional Kongo religion of Central Africa, and from Catholicism and Spiritism. Central to Palo is the nganga, usually made from an iron cauldron. Many nganga are regarded as material manifestations of ancestral or nature deities known as mpungu. The nganga may contain a wide range of objects, among the most important being sticks and human remains, the latter called nfumbe. In Palo, the presence of the nfumbe means that the spirit of that dead person inhabits the nganga and serves the possessor. The nganga is "fed" with the blood of sacrificed animals and other offerings. Palo is most heavily practiced in eastern Cuba although it is found throughout the island and abroad, including in other parts of the Americas such as Venezuela, Mexico, and the United States. Palo adherents have faced problems with police for grave robbery to procure human bones. (Full article...)
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 Japanese aircraft carrier Hōshō
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December 27 The ninth generation of the Pokémon franchise features 120 fictional species of creatures introduced to the core video game series in the Nintendo Switch games Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. The first Pokémon of the generation were revealed on 27 February 2022 in a Pokémon Presents livestream presentation. In these games and their sequels, the player assumes the role of a Trainer whose goal is to capture and use the creatures' special abilities to combat other Pokémon. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet take place in Paldea, which is heavily based on Spain, as well as other areas in the Iberian Peninsula, with the game's DLC expansions The Teal Mask and The Indigo Disk taking place in the Kitakami region and the Blueberry Academy, respectively. Kitakami is based on Japan, while the Blueberry Academy is a school environment set in the Unova region, the main location of the 2010 games Pokémon Black and White. (Full list...) | |||
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December 27
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In seven days (December 28)
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December 28 George E. Mylonas (1898–1988) was a Greek archaeologist of ancient Greece and of Aegean prehistory. He excavated widely, particularly at Olynthus, Eleusis, and Mycenae, where he made the first archaeological study and publication of Grave Circle B, the earliest known monumentalized burials at the site. Mylonas was born in Smyrna, then part of the Ottoman Empire, and received an elite education. In 1924, he began working for the American School of Classical Studies at Athens. He took part in excavations at Corinth, Nemea and Olynthus under its auspices. He studied and taught at universities in Greece and the United States. He was prominent in the Archaeological Society of Athens and in efforts to conserve the monuments of the Acropolis of Athens. He had co-responsibility for the excavation of Mycenae's Grave Circle B in the early 1950s, and from 1957 until 1985 he excavated on the citadel of the site. His excavations at Mycenae have been credited with bringing coherence to the site. (Full article...)
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.jpg) Canadian Armour Passing Through Ortona
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December 28 The featured picture for this day has not yet been chosen. In general, pictures of the day are scheduled in order of promotion to featured status. See Wikipedia:Picture of the day/Guidelines for full guidelines. | |