Today in History for 25th December 2016:
Historical Events
1814 – Rev Samuel Marsden of the Church Missionary Society holds the first Christian service in New Zealand on land, at Rangihoua
1818 – Handel’s Messiah, premieres in the US in Boston
1933 – Belgian Working people’s party accept Henry de Mans Plan of Labor
1938 – George Cukor announces Vivien Leigh will play Scarlett O’Hara in “Gone with the Wind”
1979 – 9th Fiesta Bowl: #10 Pittsburgh beats Arizona, 16-10
1979 – USSR airlifts invasionary army to Afghanistan
Famous Birthdays
1861 – Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, Indian founder of Banaras Hindu University (d. 1946)
1936 – Ismail Merchant, Bombay India, producer (Householder)
1941 – Lex Hixon, religious teacher/author
1948 – Barbara Mandrell, singer/TV host (Mandrell Sisters), born in Houston, Texas
1953 – Arnella Flynn, Errol Flynn’s daughter, born in Rome, Italy
1976 – Armin van Buuren, Dutch DJ and Producer
Famous Deaths
1765 – Antonio Tonelli, composer, dies at 79
1784 – Yosa Buson, Japanese painter (b. 1716)
1895 – Raul d’Avila Pompeia, Brazilian writer (Boarding-school), dies at 32
2004 – Gennady Strekalov, Russian cosmonaut (b. 1940)
2005 – Birgit Nilsson, Swedish singer (b. 1918)
2009 – Vic Chesnutt, American singer and songwriter (b. 1964)