Recorded history by calendar date
What happened on December 25?
Explore notable historical events, births, deaths, and observances connected with December 25. This page organizes a useful shortlist from recorded history so the date is easy to scan, cite, and explore further.
Looking for the weekday and calendar conversions too? View December 25, 2026 for the same month and day in the closest available year.
Events
0
Births
2
Deaths
1
Observances
2
On This Day in History
Major events, milestones, and turning points that happened on this date.
Curated highlights
The shortlist below is ordered to surface the most notable items first while keeping the page readable. When a holiday or observance is relevant, you’ll also see direct links into the related countdown pages.
Historical Events
No curated event entries are in this shortlist for this date yet.
Births
1642
Isaac Newton is born
Physicist and mathematician Isaac Newton was born in Woolsthorpe, England, later formulating the laws of motion and universal gravitation.
1899
Humphrey Bogart is born
Actor Humphrey Bogart was born in New York and later became one of classic Hollywood’s defining stars.
Deaths
1977
Charlie Chaplin dies
Filmmaker and performer Charlie Chaplin died in Switzerland after one of cinema’s most influential careers.
Observances / Holidays
December 25
Christmas Day
Christmas is observed in many parts of the world as a Christian holy day and cultural holiday.
Why dates can carry multiple meanings
A single month-day can connect political milestones, scientific breakthroughs, notable lives, and annual observances. That is why Whatistheday groups this archive into events, births, deaths, and observances rather than mixing everything into one long timeline.
Some observances are fixed on the same Gregorian date every year, while others move because they follow lunar, lunisolar, or rule-based calendars. For calculation details, see the methodology page.
How long ago?
Curious how many days have passed since iconic moments in history? Browse our Days Since directory — live counters for the Moon landing, the fall of the Berlin Wall, 9/11, and more.
Who was born on December 25?
See famous people born on this date — filterable by footballers, actors, musicians, scientists and more. View birthdays for December 25 →