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On this day

Did you know?

Voltairine de Cleyre

... that Voltairine de Cleyre (pictured), despite losing her ability to move or speak due to illness, refused to accept last rites by scowling at the priest?
... that tourte de blettes, a sweet pie made with Swiss chard, is traditionally eaten in Nice on Christmas Eve?
... that Casanova's friend Edoardo Tiretta built a bazaar in India?
... that Christmas: A Biography states that, despite its Christian origins, Christmas has been mostly secular since its inception in the fourth century?
... that Oh Hee-ok was the last surviving female Korean independence activist?
... that the Christmas carp traditionally swims in a bathtub for a few days before becoming Christmas Eve dinner?
... that Italian anti-Mafia prosecutor Nicola Gratteri survived three assassination attempts within three weeks?
... that in 2016 two thieves stole $350,000 worth of rare books in Oakland, California, and tried to sell some of them to Moe's Books nearby?
... that energy executive Chris Wright once drank fracking fluid to prove that it was not dangerous?

On this day

Christmas Island (Kiritimati)

759 – The Tang-dynasty poet Du Fu departed for Chengdu, where he lived for the next five years and composed poems about life in his thatched cottage.
1777 – An expedition led by English explorer James Cook reached Christmas Island (pictured), the largest coral atoll in the world.
1814 – The United Kingdom and the United States signed a peace treaty in Ghent, present-day Belgium, ending the War of 1812.
1987 – About 20,000 protesters marched in a civil rights demonstration in Forsyth County, Georgia, United States.
1999 – Jihadists linked to al-Qaeda hijacked Indian Airlines Flight 814 to force the release of Islamist figures held in prison in India.

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