Important Events From This day in History December 26th

 

2004 South East Asia -- Tsunami

2004 : A tsunami caused by an earthquake under the Indian Ocean killed over 10,000 people in southern Asia, with many more feared dead. The tsunami in the Indian Ocean travelled at high speed and slammed into coastal areas with little or no warning. Officials in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and India have all reported death tolls in the thousands and the figures are expected to rise sharply over the next few days. Over the next 7 days the death toll rose to more than 216,000 people in 13 countries. At least 128,000 people died in Indonesia alone. This made it one of the worst natural disasters in modern times. Find More What happened in 2004

1862 U.S.A. -- US - Dakota War Mass Execution

The largest mass execution in United States history takes place on this day in Mankato, Minnesota when 38 Dakota prisoners were executed by hanging. 392 Native Americans of the Dakota tribe were taken prisoner and put on trial at the end of the US-Dakota War. 303 of them were convicted and sentenced to death and 16 were given prison sentences in rushed trials where the defendants were not represented. President Lincoln reviewed the trial transcripts and commuted most of the sentences.

1908 U.S.A. -- Brothers

1908 : In Montana Fred McCullom was murdered by his brother Harry in his father's pharmacy while the store was full of Christmas shoppers. The Marshal was called in but could not subdue the brothers.

1921 France -- Helene Jacqueline

Ten year old Helene Jacqueline was recognized by the French army as a hero. German soldiers shot her father and brother, but she would not reveal secret information about the underground French army to the enemy.

1932 Turkey -- Restriction On Narcotic Drugs

In Turkey President Muatapha Kemal issued restrictions on narcotic drugs. At a Christmas day meeting he decreed that 3 narcotics factories were to be closed and poppy growing would be limited to medical use only.

1933 Japan -- Nissan Started

Nissan car company is started in Japan, it begins by selling it's cars under the Datsun name.

1940 North Africa -- French Fight For Colonies

North Africa's fate rested on General Maxine Weygand, previous leader of the French military, who was commissioned to go to Africa and maintain the French colonies according to the wishes of the Vichy government. France did not want to surrender her colonies to the German-Italian partnership.

1941 U.S.A. -- Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill becomes the first British prime minister to address a joint meeting of the United States Congress when he tells them the progress of the war in Europe.

1947 U.S.A. -- Severe Snow Storm

A severe snowstorm covers the Northeastern part of the United States , burying New York City under 25.8 inches of snow in 16 hours; the severe weather was blamed for some 80 deaths.

1956 Hungary -- World Bank Loan

Soviet-led Hungary was in an economic crisis and Premier Janos Kadar was going to ask the World Bank for a loan of 100 million dollars. Hungary was ready to take money even from capitalist countries. However, reports from Washington claimed that Kadar would not get the loan.

1968 Venezuela -- Peace Corps

Fifty-five Peace Corps members would be sent to Venezuela to improve public services at local levels. California State College was training them and the group was made up of architects, engineers, and lawyers.

1978 Switzerland -- Low Inflation

While inflation was an issue in many other countries West Germany and Switzerland had managed to keep their inflation rates down to 4%.

1985 Honduras -- Jose Azcona Hoyo

Liberal party candidate, Jose Azcona Hoyo led three other hopefuls and won 50% of the votes. His three other opponents totaled 423,040 and Azcona won 519,394 votes.

1990 Iran -- fatwa on Salman Rushdie

1990 : Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has said the death sentence on writer Salman Rushdie for alleged blasphemy will remain in force. The fatwa on Salman Rushdie for publication of the The Satanic Verses considered offensive to the Islamic faith.

1997 Canada -- Rich and Poor Divide Increasing

The wealthy and the impoverished in Canada were getting further apart despite a robust economy. Thirty-five thousand families were studied and 1/5 of the impoverished were getting poorer while 1/5 of the wealthiest were getting richer.

1999 Guatemala -- Alfonso Portillo

Guatemala's hold it's first peacetime presidential elections in nearly 40 years and Alfonso Portillo becomes the president.

2004 Sri Lanka -- Rail Disaster

The "Queen of the Sea" train is struck by the Indian Ocean Tsunami killing an estimated 2000 passengers when it is buried under 40 ft of water. The Tsunami was created when the strongest earthquake in 40 years originates from the Indian Ocean close to Indonesia, measuring 9.3 on the Richter Scale.

2005 Iran -- Nuclear Program

Iran denied that Russia gave them a proposition to move their nuclear enrichment plants to Russian soil. However, Russia claimed that they did invite Iran to do so.

2007 Iraq -- The Iraqi government amnesty for insurgents

2007 : Iraq says that it may well grant amnesty to the thousands of prisoners in U.S. and Iraqi custody. These could be released if Iraqi lawmakers pass a law offering general pardons. The draft law offering amnesty to detainees was approved by the cabinet and forwarded to parliament on Wednesday, December 26th according to the Agence France-Presse. Mowaffaq al-Rubaie, Iraq's national security adviser, had said earlier in the month that the draft law was aimed at improving reconciliation between majority Shi'ite and minority Sunni Muslims.

2008 Afghanistan -- News of the Taleban threatening to kill girls if they attend school

The Taleban have ordered the closure of all girls’ schools in the Swat valley, and warned parents and teachers of the consequences if their ban is flouted. The announcement was been made in mosques and broadcast on radio. The militants have set a deadline of January 5th for its order to be obeyed, or it would blow up school buildings and attack schoolgirls. It also told women not to set foot outside their homes without being fully covered. 'Female education is against Islamic teachings and spreads vulgarity in society,' declared the leader of the group that has control over parts of the North West Frontier Province.

2011 North Korea -- Former South Korean First Lady Mourns Late North Korean Leader

26th December, 2011 : Former South Korean first lady, Lee Hee-ho, was the highest profile mourner from South Korea to visit North Korea to mourn Kim Jong-il's death. Officials stated that her visit was not political in any way.

2012 United States -- Fontella Bass Dies

26th December, 2012 : Soul singer Fontella Bass died at the age of seventy-two after suffering complications from a heart attack. Bass was most well known for her 1965 song "Rescue Me" that had reached the top of the R&B charts in the United States.

2013 China -- Mao Zedong's Birthday Anniversary Celebrated

Communist founder of the Republic of China Mao Zedong's birthday anniversary was celebrated across the country. The celebration marks the 120th birthday of the leader who died in 1976.

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