So you want to have a drink but you aren't sure why? Here are some GREAT reasons to call your friends over and have a party.

December 25th
- Christmas Day, Christian holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. (International)

- Christian Feast Day:

- Constitution Day (Taiwan)

- Malkh-Festival (Nakh peoples of Chechenya and Ingushetia)

- Quaid-e-Azam's Day (Pakistan)

- The first day of the Cali Fair (Cali)


December 25th
- 1818 - The first performance of "Silent Night" takes place in the church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorf, Austria.

- 1000 - The foundation of the Kingdom of Hungary: Hungary is established as a Christian kingdom by Stephen I of Hungary.

- 2009 - Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab unsuccessfully attempts a terrorist attack against the US while on board Northwest Airlines Flight 253

- 2004 - Cassini orbiter releases Huygens probe which successfully landed on Saturn's moon Titan on January 14, 2005.

- 2003 - The ill-fated Beagle 2 probe, released from the Mars Express Spacecraft on December 19, disappears shortly before its scheduled landing.

- 2000 - Russian President Vladimir Putin signs a bill into law that officially establishes a new National Anthem of Russia, with music adopted from the anthem of the Soviet Union that was composed by Alexander Vasilyevich Alexandrov.

- 1991 - Mikhail Gorbachev resigns as president of the Soviet Union (the union itself is dissolved the next day). Ukraine's referendum is finalized and Ukraine officially leaves the Soviet Union.

- 1990 - The first successful trial run of the system which would become the World Wide Web.

- 1989 - Nicolae Ceau?escu, former communist dictator of Romania and his wife Elena are condemned to death and executed under a wide range of charges.

- 1977 - Prime Minister of Israel Menachem Begin meets in Egypt with President of Egypt, Anwar Sadat.

- 1974 - Cyclone Tracy devastates Darwin, Northern Territory Australia.

- 1974 - Marshall Fields drives a vehicle through the gates of the White House, resulting in a four-hour standoff.

- 1968 - Apollo program: Apollo 8 performs the very first successful Trans Earth Injection (TEI) maneouver, sending the crew and spacecraft on a trajectory back to Earth from Lunar orbit.

- 1968 - 42 Dalits are burned alive in Kilavenmani village, Tamil Nadu, India, a retaliation for a campaign for higher wages by Dalit labourers.

- 1965 - The Yemeni Nasserite Unionist People's Organisation is founded in Taiz

- 1963 - Turkish Cypriot Bayrak Radio begins transmitting in Cyprus after Turkish Cypriots are forcibly excluded from Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation.

- 1950 - The Stone of Scone, traditional coronation stone of British monarchs, is taken from Westminster Abbey by Scottish nationalist students. It later turns up in Scotland on April 11, 1951.

- 1947 - The Constitution of the Republic of China goes into effect.

- 1946 - The first in Europe artificial, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction was initiated within Soviet nuclear reactor F-1.

- 1941 - Admiral Chester W Nimitz arrives at Pearl Harbor to assume command of the U.S. Pacific Fleet

- 1941 - World War II: Battle of Hong Kong ends, beginning the Japanese Occupation of Hong Kong.

- 1932 - A magnitude 7.6 earthquake in Gansu, China kills ~70,000 people.

- 1927 - The Vietnamese Nationalist Party is founded.

- 1926 - Emperor Taish? of Japan dies. His son, Prince Hirohito succeeds him as Emperor Sh?wa.

- 1914 - World War I: Known as the Christmas truce, German and British troops on the Western Front temporarily cease fire.

- 1868 - U.S. President Andrew Johnson grants unconditional pardon to all Civil War Confederate soldiers.

- 1837 - Battle of Lake Okeechobee: United States forces defeat Seminole Native Americans.

- 1826 - The Eggnog Riot at the United States Military Academy concludes after beginning the previous evening.

- 1776 - George Washington and his army cross the Delaware River to attack the Kingdom of Great Britain's Hessian mercenaries in Trenton, New Jersey.

- 1643 - Christmas Island found and named by Captain William Mynors of the East India Ship Company vessel, the Royal Mary.

- 1599 - The city of Natal, Brazil is founded.

- 1553 - Battle of Tucapel: Mapuche rebels under Lautaro defeats the Spanish conquistadors and executes the governor of Chile, Pedro de Valdivia.

- 1261 - John IV Lascaris of the restored Eastern Roman Empire is deposed and blinded by orders of his co-ruler Michael VIII Palaeologus.

- 1223 - St. Francis of Assisi assembles the first Nativity scene.

- 1130 - Count Roger II of Sicily is crowned the first King of Sicily.

- 1100 - Baldwin of Boulogne is crowned the first King of Jerusalem in the Church of the Nativity.

- 1066 - William the Conqueror is crowned king of England, at Westminster Abbey, London.

- 800 - Coronation of Charlemagne as Holy Roman Emperor, in Rome.


December 25th
- 1988 - Eric Gordon, American basketball player

- 1988 - Lukas Hinds-Johnson, German rugby player

- 1987 - Justin Sweeney, Australian rules footballer

- 1986 - Doug Loft, English footballer

- 1985 - Leon Pisani, Welsh singer

- 1985 - Perdita Weeks, British actress

- 1984 - Chris Cahill, Samoan footballer

- 1984 - Alastair Cook, English cricketer

- 1984 - Georgia Moffett, British actress

- 1984 - The Veronicas, Australian singers (twin sisters)

- 1982 - Shawn Andrews, American football player

- 1982 - Rob Edwards, Welsh footballer

- 1982 - Shystie, British rapper-songwriter

- 1982 - Trenesha Biggers, American professional wrestler

- 1981 - Katie Wright, American actress

- 1981 - Willy Taveras, baseball player

- 1980 - Marcus Trufant, American football player (Seattle Seahawks)

- 1980 - Reika Hashimoto, Japanese actress

- 1980 - Locó, Angolan footballer

- 1980 - Laura Sadler, British actress (d. 2003)

- 1978 - Joel Porter, Australian footballer

- 1978 - Simon Jones, English cricketer

- 1977 - Uhm Ji-won, South Korean actress

- 1977 - Israel Vasquez, Current WBC Super bantamweight champion

- 1976 - Tuomas Holopainen, Finnish keyboardist and songwriter (Nightwish)

- 1976 - Armin van Buuren, Dutch DJ & Producer

- 1975 - Marcus Trescothick, English cricketer

- 1975 - Hideki Okajima, Japanese baseball player

- 1975 - Rob Mariano, American reality show contestant

- 1974 - Nagma, Indian actress

- 1973 - Robbie Elliott, English footballer

- 1973 - Chris Harris, American professional wrestler

- 1973 - Alexandre Trudeau, Canadian journalist

- 1973 - Ewen Macintosh, English Actor

- 1972 - Josh Freese, American drummer

- 1972 - Mac Powell, American musician, singer/songwriter (lead singer of Third Day)

- 1971 - Dido, English singer

- 1971 - Justin Trudeau, Canadian media personality and politician

- 1971 - Noel Hogan, Irish musician

- 1970 - Emmanuel Amuneke, Nigerian footballer

- 1968 - Helena Christensen, Danish model

- 1968 - Jim Dowd, American ice hockey player

- 1967 - Jason Thirsk, American bass player (d. 1996)

- 1966 - Toshihiro Arai, Japanese rally driver

- 1965 - David Rath, Czech politician

- 1964 - Gary McAllister, Scottish footballer

- 1964 - Tim Royes – Music Video Director and Editor

- 1964 - Bob Stanley, English musician (Saint Etienne), filmmaker and journalist

- 1962 - Dean Cameron, American actor

- 1962 - Darren Wharton, British keyboardist (Thin Lizzy and Dare)

- 1961 - Ingrid Betancourt, Colombian senator

- 1960 - Ron Bottitta, British actor

- 1959 - Michael P. Anderson, astronaut (d. 2003)

- 1958 - Hanford Dixon, American football player

- 1958 - Rickey Henderson, baseball player

- 1958 - Cheryl Chase, American voice actor

- 1957 - Chris Kamara, English footballer and commentator

- 1957 - Shane MacGowan, Irish musician

- 1955 - Alannah Myles, Canadian singer

- 1954 - Annie Lennox, Scottish singer

- 1954 - Steve Wariner, American country music singer

- 1952 - CCH Pounder, Guyana-born actress

- 1952 - Desireless, French singer

- 1950 - Peter Boardman, British mountaineer (d. 1982)

- 1950 - Manny Trillo, baseball player

- 1950 - Yehuda Poliker, Israeli singer-songwriter

- 1950 - Karl Rove, former American presidential advisor

- 1949 - Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan

- 1949 - Simone Bittencourt de Oliveira, Singer and icon of the Brazilian music

- 1949 - Sissy Spacek, American actress

- 1949 - Joe Louis Walker, American musician

- 1948 - Barbara Mandrell, American singer and actress

- 1948 - Alia al Hussein, of Jordan (d. 1977)

- 1948 - Joel Natalino Santana, Brazilian soccer coach

- 1946 - Jimmy Buffett, American singer and songwriter

- 1946 - Larry Csonka, American football player

- 1946 - Gene Lamont, American baseball player and manager

- 1945 - Noel Redding, English musician (d. 2003)

- 1945 - Rick Berman, Star Trek producer

- 1945 - Gary Sandy, American actor

- 1945 - Mike Pringle, Scottish politician

- 1944 - Kenny Everett, British entertainer (d. 1995)

- 1944 - Henry Vestine, American musician (d. 1997)

- 1944 - Nigel Starmer-Smith, English Rugby Union commentator.

- 1944 - Jairzinho, Brazilian footballer

- 1943 - Hanna Schygulla, German actress

- 1943 - Wilson Fittipaldi Júnior, Brazilian racing driver

- 1940 - Pete Brown, English poet and lyricist

- 1939 - Bob James, American composer and musician

- 1938 - Noel Picard, Quebec ice hockey player

- 1938 - Duane Armstrong, American painter

- 1937 - O'Kelly Isley, Jr., American singer (The Isley Brothers) (d. 1986)

- 1936 - HRH Princess Alexandra of Kent

- 1936 - Ismail Merchant, Indian-born film producer (d. 2005)

- 1935 - Stephen Barnett, American legal scholar who opposed the Newspaper Preservation Act of 1970 (d. 2009)

- 1935 - Al Jackson, baseball player

- 1935 - Anne Roiphe, American author and feminist

- 1932 - Mabel King, American actress (d. 1999)

- 1930 - Emmanuel Agassi, Iranian boxer and father of Andre Agassi

- 1930 - Salah Jaheen, Egyptian poet and cartoonist (d. 1986)

- 1929 - Stuart Hall, British radio and television presenter

- 1929 - Chris Kenner, American singer and songwriter (d. 1976)

- 1928 - Dick Miller, American actor

- 1927 - Nellie Fox, baseball player (d. 1975)

- 1927 - Ram Narayan, Indian sarangi player

- 1926 - Enrique Jorrín, Cuban composer and musician (d. 1987)

- 1925 - Carlos Castaneda, Peruvian-born author (d. 1998)

- 1924 - Rod Serling, American television writer (d. 1975)

- 1924 - Atal Bihari Vajpayee, former Prime Minister of India

- 1923 - Rene Girard, French historian, literary critic and philosopher

- 1921 - Zaib-un-Nissa Hamidullah, Pakistani journalist (d. 2000)

- 1919 - Naushad Ali, Indian music director (d. 2006)

- 1919 - Paul David, French Canadian cardiologist, founder of the Montreal Heart Institute (d. 1999)

- 1919 - Noele Gordon, English actress (d. 1985)

- 1918 - Anwar Sadat, President of Egypt, Nobel laureate (d. 1981)

- 1918 - Ahmed Ben Bella, politician, first President of Algeria

- 1915 - Pete Rugolo, Italian-born composer

- 1914 - James Muir Cameron Fletcher, New Zealand industrialist (d. 2007)

- 1913 - Henri Nannen, German journalist (d. 1966)

- 1912 - Tony Martin, American singer and actor

- 1912 - Natalino Otto, Italian singer (d. 1969)

- 1911 - Louise Bourgeois, sculptor (d. 2010)

- 1908 - Quentin Crisp, English author (d. 1999)

- 1908 - Jo-Jo Moore, baseball player (d. 2001)

- 1908 - Zora Arkus-Duntov, Belgian-American automotive engineer (d. 1996)

- 1908 - Ernest L. Massad, U.S. Army general (d. 1993)

- 1907 - Cab Calloway, American bandleader (d. 1994)

- 1907 - Glenn McCarthy, American oil tycoon and businessman (d. 1988)

- 1907 - Mike Mazurki, Ukrainian-born actor (d. 1990)

- 1906 - Lew Grade, Ukrainian-born film producer (d. 1998)

- 1906 - Ernst Ruska, Nobel laureate (d. 1988)

- 1904 - Gerhard Herzberg, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1999)

- 1902 - Barton MacLane, American actor (d. 1969)

- 1901 - Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester (d. 2004)

- 1899 - Humphrey Bogart, American actor (d. 1957)

- 1891 - Clarrie Grimmett, Australian cricketer (d. 1980)

- 1890 - Noel Odell, British mountaineer (d. 1987)

- 1890 - Robert Ripley, collector of odd facts (d. 1949)

- 1889 - Lila Bell Wallace, American magazine publisher (Reader's Digest) (d. 1984)

- 1887 - Conrad Hilton, American hotelier (d. 1979)

- 1886 - Kid Ory, American musician (d. 1973)

- 1884 - Evelyn Nesbit, American actress (d. 1967)

- 1883 - Hugo Bergmann, German and Israeli Jewish philosopher (d. 1975)

- 1878 - Louis Chevrolet, Swiss-born race car driver (d. 1941)

- 1876 - Muhammad Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan (d. 1948)

- 1876 - Adolf Otto Reinhold Windaus, Nobel laureate (d. 1959)

- 1875 - Theodor Innitzer, Austrian cardinal (d. 1955)

- 1874 - Lina Cavalieri, Italian soprano (d. 1944)

- 1873 - Otto Frederick Hunziker, Swiss-born American dairy educator (d. 1959)

- 1870 - Helena Rubinstein, Polish-born American cosmetics industrialist (d. 1965)

- 1865 - Evangeline Booth, the 4th General of The Salvation Army (d. 1950)

- 1864 - Thomas Cahill, American soccer coach (d. 1951)

- 1863 - Charles Pathé, French pioneer of film and record industries (d. 1957)

- 1861 - Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, Indian founder of Banaras Hindu University (d. 1946)

- 1860 - Manuel Dimech, Maltese philosopher and social reformer (d. 1921)

- 1856 - Hans von Bartels, German painter (d. 1913)

- 1856 - Pud Galvin, American professional baseball pitcher (d. 1902)

- 1829 - Patrick Gilmore, Irish-American composer (d. 1892)

- 1821 - Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross (d. 1912)

- 1810 - Alexandros Rhizos Rhankaves, Greek poet and statesman (d. 1892)

- 1771 - Dorothy Wordsworth, English diarist and sister of William Wordsworth (d. 1855)

- 1763 - Claude Chappe, French telecommunications pioneer (d. 1805)

- 1757 - Benjamin Pierce, U.S. politician (d. 1839)

- 1745 - Chevalier de Saint-Georges - "Black Mozart", African–French Swordsman, Soldier of Fortune, and Composer (d. 1799)

- 1742 - Charlotte von Stein, German friend of Goethe (d. 1827)

- 1730 - Philip Mazzei, Italian physician and friend of Thomas Jefferson (d. 1816)

- 1716 - Johann Jakob Reiske, German scholar and physician (d. 1774)

- 1711 - Jean Joseph de Mondonville, French composer (d. 1772)

- 1700 - Leopold II of Anhalt-Dessau, Prussian general (d. 1758)

- 1674 - Thomas Halyburton, Scottish theologian (d. 1712)

- 1667 - Ehrengard von der Schulenburg, English royal mistress (d. 1743)

- 1665 - Lady Grizel Baillie, Scottish songwriter (d. 1746)

- 1652 - Archibald Pitcairne, Scottish physician (d. 1713)

- 1642 - Isaac Newton, English scientist (d. 1727)

- 1628 - Noël Coypel, French painter (d. 1707)

- 1584 - Margaret of Austria, queen of Spain and Portugal (d. 1611)

- 1583 - Orlando Gibbons, English composer (d. 1625)

- 1461 - Christina of Saxony, queen of Denmark and Norway (d. 1521)

- 1250 - John IV Laskaris, Byzantine Emperor (d. c. 1305)

