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events in history on Christmas
CORONATIONS, PEACE AGREEMENTS, AND PARDONS AMONG CHRISTMAS HISTORIC HAPPENINGS
by solange deLisle
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Christians around the world celebrate Christmas as the birthdate of Jesus of Nazareth, but his birth is not the only historical event that happened on the holiday observed by billions of people around the world.
History.com detailed seven other historical happenings in a 2018 article. These events include coronations, peace treaties, and pardons that occurred on either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, in chronological order.
The first event occurred in the year 800 when Charlemagne, known as the Father of Europe, was crowned Holy Roman Emperor. Charlemagne, a devout Catholic, received this title during a ceremony by Pope Leo III on Christmas Day at St. Peter’s Basilica. The “controversial coronation” meant that Charlemagne was “a divinely appointed leader for most of Europe” and restored the Western Roman Empire’s name, according to History. com. The coronation also gave Charlemagne power equal to that of the Byzantine Empress Irene, ruler of the Eastern Empire in Constantinople. Charlemagne served in this position for 13 years. 266 years later, another coronation took place on Christmas Day in England. William, Duke of Normandy, was crowned king of England at Westminster Abbey in London in 1066. The man, who is often referred to as William the Conqueror, received his crown months after defeating King Harold II during the Battle of Hastings. This battle ultimately ended William’s invasion of the British Isles, according to History.com. His rule lasted for 21 years. Now-famous British structures including the Tower of London and Windsor Castle were built during his reign.
Christmas Day was an important milestone in American history and a turning point during the Revolutionary War. General George Washington led 2,400 troops over the freezing Delaware River at night into New Jersey in 1776. Washington’s daring venture led to a victory for the colonial forces over the British on Dec. 26 with minimal bloodshed, according to History. com. Washington took 1,000 Hessian prisoners during the attack, many of whom were too disoriented for battle after celebrating the holiday. Washington’s troops and the prisoners had to recross the Delaware River the same day because they were not prepared to hold the city.
Leaders from the United States and Britain came together to sign a famous peace agreement known as the Treaty of Ghent on Christmas Eve, 1814. This event occurred less than four decades later, amidst another war with Britain. The event stopped the war that began nearly two years earlier. History.com reported that peace negotiations began approximately four months earlier in Ghent, Belgium – the same month that the White House and U.S. Capitol were burned by British forces. Under the terms of the agreement, both sides agreed to end the war, with neither side claiming victory. The agreement also meant that conquered territories were given up and captured soldiers and vessels were sent back to their countries of origin. It took more than a year for the treaty to take effect in America, since it was not ratified until February 1815.
President Andrew Johnson gave former Confederate rebels the gift of amnesty on Christmas Day, 1868. History. com reported that under Proclamation 179, Johnson pardoned “all and every person” who fought against the U.S. during the Civil War. Many people deemed this move an “unconditional act of forgiveness” for people living in the South. The Dec. 25 pardon was the fourth following the war; the first was issued more than three years prior. The earlier proclamations gave legal and political rights back to Confederate soldiers as long as they signed “oaths of allegiance” to the U.S., but those pardons only applied to certain people, including those whose property was valued at more than $20,000.
The next historic event, known as the Christmas Truce, occurred during World War I. Troops from Germany, Britain,
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Washington Crossing the Delaware painting by Emanuel Leutze.
France, and Belgium took part in a holiday ceasefire on the battleground on Christmas Eve, 1914. It is believed that the Germans spearheaded the truce by decorating trenches with Christmas trees and candles and singing holiday songs, according to History.com. British soldiers responded by singing the wellknown carol “The First Noel,” which led to handshakes in the bombed-out area in between the trenches. The soldiers reportedly exchanged gifts and shared cigarettes and whiskey, while some Scottish, English, and German troops took the lull in gunfire as an opportunity to play a game of soccer together. Eventually, the troops went back to their own trenches to return to battle. This spontaneous Christmas Truce would serve as a reminder that even though there were different sides to a war, the soldiers shared a special bond and compassion for each other no matter which side they were on.
Astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and William Anders spent Christmas Eve, 1968 in space during the Apollo 8 mission. These men were the first to orbit the moon. History.com noted that the three astronauts accomplished several other “firsts” during the mission, including leaving the Earth’s gravitational pull, seeing the entire Earth from space, and catching sight of the dark side of the moon. The broadcast of the mission was also historic; it became one of the most watched televised events. The astronauts showed viewers photos of the moon and Earth during their Christmas Eve trip to space. They also read the first lines of the book of Genesis from the Bible. The televised portion of the lunar mission ended with the now-famous line “Merry Christmas, and God bless all of you, all of you on the good Earth.”
We now can appreciate how Christmas has become more than a day to be around family, exchange gifts, and celebrate the birth of a savior, though many of us might not have known that the Christian holiday has a connection to American and world history. It is a day known for new reigns, peace on the battlefield, forgiveness of wartime enemies, and a memorable trip to outer space.
Modul Apollo 8 flying to the Moon. Space exploration program.
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