December 23 holidays in 2025

Historical Events on December 23

• 1783: George Washington puts in his resignation as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army.
• 1893: The opera “Hansel and Gretel” by Engelbert Humperdinck is performed for the very first time.
• 1913: The Federal Reserve System is created when United States’ President Woodrow Wilson signs the Federal Reserve Act into law.
• 1914: Australian and New Zealand forces enter Cairo, Egypt during WWI.
• 1916: In the Sinai Peninsula, Turkish forces are defeated by Allied forces at the Battle of Magdhaba during World War I.
• 1940: The Italian ship Antonietta is sunk by Greek Submarine Papanikolis during WWII.
• 1941: After over two weeks of combat, the Imperial Japanese Army occupies Wake Island during World War II.
• 1947: In Bell Labs, the transistor is demonstrated for the first time.
• 1948: Allied authorities at Sagamo Prison in Tokyo, Japan execute 7 Japanese political and military leaders who were convicted of war crimes by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East.
• 1954: A kidney is successfully transported into a patient by Joseph Murray and J. Hartwell Harrison for the first time.
• 1968: After 11 months of internment in North Korea, 82 sailors from the USS Pueblo are released.
• 1972: 16 survivors of the Andes flight disaster are finally rescued after 73 days.

Famous Birthdays on December 23

• American businesswoman and 1^st African-American millionaire, Madam C.J. Walker is born in 1867.
• American architect and painter, John Marin is born in 1870.
• American actor James Gregory is born in 1911.
• American R&B singer, Esther Philips is born in 1935.
• American football player Willie Wood is born in 1936.
• American painter Nelson Shanks is born in 1937.
• American actress Joan Severance is born in 1958.
• American singer-songwriter Victoria Williams is born in 1958.
• NHL player T.J. Oshie is born in 1986.
• Italian footballer Tommaso Bellazzini is born in 1987.
• New Zealand rugby player Owen Franks is born in 1987.