Today in History: Dec. 26

Today is Thursday, Dec. 26, the 361st day of 2024. There are five days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Dec. 26, 2004, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake beneath the Indian Ocean triggered a tsunami with waves up to 100 feet (30 meters) high, killing an estimated 230,000 people.

Also on this date:

In 1908, Jack Johnson became the first Black boxer to win the world heavyweight championship as he defeated Canadian Tommy Burns in Sydney, Australia.

In 1941, during World War II, Winston Churchill became the first British prime minister to address a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress.

In 1966, Kwanzaa was first celebrated.

In 1990, Nancy Cruzan, a young woman in an irreversible vegetative state whose case led to a U.S. Supreme Court decision on the right to die, died at a Missouri hospital.

In 1991, the USSR was formally dissolved through a declaration by the Supreme Soviet.

In 2006, former President Gerald R. Ford died in Rancho Mirage, California, at age 93.

In 2021, South African Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu died at 90; the retired archbishop had been an uncompromising foe of apartheid and a modern-day activist for racial justice and LGBTQ rights.

Today’s Birthdays: “America’s Most Wanted” host John Walsh is 79. Baseball Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk is 77. Baseball Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith is 70. Humorist David Sedaris is 68. Rock musician Lars Ulrich (Metallica) is 61. Actor-musician Jared Leto is 53. Rock singer Chris Daughtry is 45. Actor Beth Behrs is 39. Actor Kit Harington is 38.