Important Events From This day in History – 26th December

Today in History

• 2004 Massive tsunami causes damage and kills thousands in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Thailand

  A 9.1 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, triggered the tsunami. As measured by the Richter scale, the earthquake was the third most powerful in recorded history. The other two were the 9.5 magnitude Valdivia earthquake in Chile in 1960 and the 9.2 magnitude Prince William Sound earthquake in Alaska in 1964. The Indian Ocean earthquake, which killed approximately 200,000 people, is regarded as one of the deadliest natural disasters in recent history.

• 1982 The December issue of Times magazine proclaimed the personal computer as the “Man of the Year”

  The Man of the Year tradition began in 1927 in Time magazine to identify and showcase those significantly influencing the year and its events. In 1999, the feature was renamed Person of the Year.

• 1966 First Kwanzaa celebrations

  Maulana Karenga, a professor of Africana Studies and a key figure in the Black Power movement, founded the week-long cultural holiday celebrated among the African diaspora in the United States. The holiday is observed annually from December 26 to January 1 and honours African culture and heritage.

• 1941 Fourth Thursday of November set as Thanksgiving Day in the US

  Since 1863, the holiday has been officially observed in the United States. After their first harvest in 1621, early settlers in the Massachusetts Bay Colony are thought to have observed the first Thanksgiving.

• 1898 The Curies announce the existence of Radium

  The radioactive element has the atomic number 88 and the symbol Ra. It is a highly toxic element in its pure form and is not widely used for scientific purposes.