Editing December 26 (section)

===1901–present===
*[[1919]] &ndash; [[Babe Ruth]] of the [[Boston Red Sox]] is sold to the [[New York Yankees]] by owner [[Harry Frazee]], allegedly establishing the [[Curse of the Bambino]] superstition.
*[[1926]] &ndash; World premiere of [[Jean Sibelius|Sibelius]]'s tone poem ''[[Tapiola (Sibelius)|Tapiola]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=List of Sibelius' Works of the 1920s|url=http://www.sibelius.fi/english/musiikki/kron_1920-1929.htm|accessdate=2009-04-18|archive-date=2022-08-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220815004023/http://www.sibelius.fi/english/musiikki/kron_1920-1929.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*[[1941]] &ndash; U.S. President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] signs a bill establishing the fourth Thursday in November as [[Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving Day]] in the United States.
*1941 &ndash; British Prime Minister Winston Churchill [[Winston Churchill's address to Congress (1941)|addresses a joint meeting]] of the U.S. Congress.<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. Senate: Churchill's Historic Speech to Congress |url=https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/senate-stories/churchills-historic-speech-to-congress.htm |access-date=2023-04-21 |website=senate.gov}}</ref>
*[[1943]] &ndash; [[World War II]]: German warship ''[[German battleship Scharnhorst|Scharnhorst]]'' is sunk off Norway's [[North Cape (Norway)|North Cape]] after a [[Battle of the North Cape|battle against major Royal Navy forces]].
*[[1944]] &ndash; World War II: [[George S. Patton]]'s [[United States Army Central|Third Army]] [[Siege of Bastogne|breaks the encirclement]] of surrounded U.S. forces at [[Bastogne]], Belgium.
*[[1948]] &ndash; Cardinal [[József Mindszenty]] is arrested in Hungary and accused of [[treason]] and conspiracy.
*  1948   &ndash; The last [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] troops withdraw from [[North Korea]].
*[[1963]] &ndash; [[The Beatles]]' "[[I Want to Hold Your Hand]]" and "[[I Saw Her Standing There]]" are released in the United States, marking the beginning of Beatlemania on an international level.
*[[1966]] &ndash; The first [[Kwanzaa]] is celebrated by [[Maulana Karenga]], the chair of [[Africana studies|Black Studies]] at [[California State University, Long Beach]].
*[[1968]] &ndash; The [[Communist Party of the Philippines]] is established by [[Jose Maria Sison]], breaking away from the [[Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas-1930]].
*[[1972]] &ndash; [[Vietnam War]]: As part of [[Operation Linebacker II]], 120 American [[Boeing B-52 Stratofortress|B-52 Stratofortress]] bombers attacked [[Hanoi]], including 78 launched from [[Andersen Air Force Base]] in [[Guam]], the largest single combat launch in [[Strategic Air Command]] history.
*[[1975]] &ndash; [[Tu-144]], the world's first commercial [[supersonic aircraft]], surpassing [[Mach number|Mach&nbsp;2]], goes into service.
*[[1978]] &ndash; The inaugural [[Paris-Dakar|Paris-Dakar Rally]] begins.<ref name="dakar1">{{cite web|title=History (dakar.com)|url=https://www.dakar.com/en/historical|publisher=Dakar|accessdate=2022-01-08}}</ref><ref name="pdf">{{cite web|title=History of Dakar – RETROSPECTIVE 1979-2007|url=http://www.dakar.com/2009/DAK/presentation/docs/histo_1979_2007_us.pdf|url-status=dead|publisher=Dakar|accessdate=2009-01-07|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100601010721/http://www.dakar.com/2009/DAK/presentation/docs/histo_1979_2007_us.pdf|archivedate=2010-06-01}}</ref>
*[[1980]] &ndash; Witnesses report the first of several sightings of [[Rendlesham Forest incident|unexplained lights]] near [[RAF Woodbridge]], in [[Rendlesham Forest]], [[Suffolk]], England, United Kingdom, an incident called "Britain's [[Roswell UFO incident|Roswell]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.suffolk.police.uk/aboutus/yourrighttoinformation/freedomofinformation/publicationscheme/idoc.ashx?docid=cdf0ea85-e6d5-4a75-bcd4-cb5e385eb526&version=-1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130715010101/http://www.suffolk.police.uk/aboutus/yourrighttoinformation/freedomofinformation/publicationscheme/idoc.ashx?docid%3Dcdf0ea85%2De6d5%2D4a75%2Dbcd4%2Dcb5e385eb526%26version%3D%2D1|title =  Unusual Lights Incident Rendlesham |archive-date = 15 July 2013 |publisher = Suffolk Constabulary |url-status=dead |work=suffolk.police.uk}}</ref>
*[[1989]] &ndash; [[United Express Flight 2415]] crashes on approach to the [[Tri-Cities Airport (Washington)|Tri-Cities Airport]] in [[Pasco, Washington]], killing all six people on board.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ranter|first=Harro|title=ASN Aircraft accident British Aerospace 3101 Jetstream 31 N410UE Pasco-Tri-Cities Airport, WA (PSC)|url=https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19891226-0|url-status=live|access-date=2021-12-01|website=aviation-safety.net|publisher=[[Aviation Safety Network]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050421114121/http://www.aviation-safety.net:80/database/record.php?id=19891226-0 |archive-date=2005-04-21 }}</ref>
*[[1991]] &ndash; The [[Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union]] meets and formally [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|dissolves the Soviet Union]], ending the [[Cold War]].<ref>{{cite book|first1=Zbigniew|last1=Brzezinski|author-link1=Zbigniew Brzezinski|first2=Zbigniew K.|last2=Brzezinski|first3=Paige|last3=Sullivan|title=Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States: Documents, Data, and Analysis|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vt5OLD3vp4UC&pg=PR5|year=1997|publisher=[[M. E. Sharpe]]|isbn=978-1-56324-637-1|page=5}}</ref>
*[[1994]] &ndash; Four [[Armed Islamic Group of Algeria|Armed Islamic Group]] [[Aircraft hijacking|hijackers]] seize control of [[Air France Flight 8969]]. When the plane lands at [[Marseille]], a [[National Gendarmerie|French Gendarmerie]] assault team boards the aircraft and kills the hijackers.
*[[1998]] &ndash; [[Ba'athist Iraq|Iraq]] announces its intention to fire upon U.S. and British warplanes that patrol the northern and southern [[Iraqi no-fly zones|no-fly zones]].
*[[1999]] &ndash; The storm [[Cyclone Lothar|Lothar]] sweeps across Central Europe, killing 137 and causing US$1.3 billion in damage.
*[[2003]] &ndash; The 6.6 {{M|w}} [[2003 Bam earthquake|Bam earthquake]] shakes southeastern [[Iran]] with a maximum [[Mercalli intensity scale|Mercalli intensity]] of IX (''Violent''), leaving more than 26,000 dead and 30,000 injured.
*[[2004]] &ndash; The 9.1–9.3 {{M|w}} [[2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami|Indian Ocean earthquake]] shakes northern [[Sumatra]] with a maximum [[Mercalli intensity scale|Mercalli intensity]] of IX (''Violent''). One of the largest observed [[tsunami]]s, it affected coastal and partially mainland areas of [[Thailand]], [[India]], [[Sri Lanka]], the [[Maldives]], [[Malaysia]], [[Myanmar]], [[Bangladesh]], and [[Indonesia]]; death toll is estimated at 227,898.
*  2004   &ndash; [[Orange Revolution]]: The final [[2004 Ukrainian presidential election|run-off election]] in Ukraine is held under heavy international scrutiny.
*[[2006]] &ndash; [[2006 Hengchun earthquakes|Two earthquakes in Hengchun, Taiwan]] measuring 7.0 and 6.9 on the [[moment magnitude scale]] kill two and disrupt telecommunications across [[Asia]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ndtv.com/environment/EARTHQUAKE.asp?id=98556&callid=1|title= Clean up work begins after Taiwan quake|website=ND TV|date=December 27, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929135806/http://www.ndtv.com/environment/EARTHQUAKE.asp?id=98556&callid=1|archive-date=September 29, 2007}}</ref>
*[[2012]] &ndash; China [[High-speed rail in China|opens]] the [[List of high-speed railway lines|world's longest]] high-speed [[Beijing–Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong High-Speed Railway|rail route]], which links [[Beijing]] and [[Guangzhou]].
*[[2015]] &ndash; [[2015 Garland tornado|A violent EF-4 tornado]] hits [[Garland, Texas]], killing nine and injuring almost 500 others.<ref name=":5">{{cite web |last1=US Department of Commerce |first1=NOAA |title=12/26/15 North TX Tornado Outbreak |url=https://www.weather.gov/fwd/dec26tornadoes |access-date=3 August 2024 |website=weather.gov |publisher=National Weather Service Fort Worth TX}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |agency=Associated Press |date=2015-12-27 |title=Dallas area tornadoes leave 11 dead and dozens injured |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/dec/27/dallas-tornadoes-deaths-injuries-storms-southeast |access-date=2024-07-28 |work=The Guardian|issn=0261-3077}}</ref>
*[[2021]] &ndash; [[2021 Garland shooting|Three people are killed]] when a 13-year-old opens fire on civilians at a [[Texaco]] convenience store in Garland, Texas.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-02-12 |title=Man found guilty in 2021 Garland shooting that left 3 teens dead. But his teen son, the suspected gunman, remains at large |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/12/us/garland-triple-homicide-father-charged-capital-murder/index.html |access-date=2024-10-09 |publisher=CNN}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-12-28 |title=Suspect arrested after Texas convenience store shooting that killed 3 |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/three-dead-one-critical-garland-texas-convenience-store-shooting-rcna10034 |access-date=2024-10-09 |publisher=NBC News}}</ref>