December 25: Christmas (Western Christianity; Gregorian calendar); Hanukkah (Judaism) begins at sunset; Quaid-e-Azam Day in PakistanMikhail Gorbachev1046 HenryIII was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope ClementII.1724 Johann Sebastian Bach led the first performance of Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ, based on the Christmas hymn written by Martin Luther in 1524.1831 A Baptist preacher named Samuel Sharpe began an unsuccessful eleven-day slave revolt in Jamaica.1991 In a nationally televised speech, Mikhail Gorbachev (pictured) resigned as President of the Soviet Union.2009 A fire destroyed Longford's 19th-century StMel's Cathedral, considered the "flagship cathedral" of the Irish midlands.Humphrey Bogart (b.1899)Atal Bihari Vajpayee (b.1924)Billy Martin (d.1989)Zail Singh (d.1994)More anniversaries: December 24December 25December 26ArchiveBy emailList of days of the yearAbout