On This Day
What Happened on December 23 in History
8 events that happened on December 23, oldest first. Every entry is written in our own words and links to its source.
Colonial America and the Revolution
1783
George Washington resigned his commission as commander in chief of the Continental Army.
With the Treaty of Paris signed, Washington appeared before Congress and gave up his command, then returned home to Mount Vernon. He told Congress he resigned with satisfaction the appointment he had accepted with diffidence.
Source: history.com
The Young Republic and the Civil War Era
1823
The poem A Visit from St. Nicholas was first published, anonymously, in a New York newspaper.
The Troy Sentinel printed the verses now known as The Night Before Christmas. The poem helped fix the modern image of Santa Claus as a jolly elf who flies in a reindeer-drawn sleigh and comes down the chimney on Christmas Eve.
Source: history.com
The Early 1900s and the World Wars
1913
President Woodrow Wilson signed the Federal Reserve Act, creating the nation's central banking system.
The law set up a Federal Reserve Board and twelve regional reserve banks. Unlike the economies of Europe, the U.S. economy had run without a central bank since Andrew Jackson's destruction of the Second Bank of the United States.
Source: millercenter.org
1941
Japanese forces captured Wake Island, an American outpost in the Pacific.
The Japanese assault on the island had begun on December 8, 1941, just after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Two days after Wake fell, the British colony of Hong Kong also surrendered to Japan.
Source: millercenter.org
The Cold War
1948
Former Japanese prime minister Hideki Tojo and six other wartime leaders were executed in Tokyo for war crimes.
The International Military Tribunal for the Far East had sentenced the seven to death in November, including Iwane Matsui, linked to the Rape of Nanking. Sixteen other defendants received life sentences.
Source: history.com
1968
North Korea released the crew of the USS Pueblo after 11 months in captivity.
North Korean warships had seized the American intelligence ship in January 1968. After an American general signed a prearranged document, the 82 surviving crewmen walked across the Bridge of No Return at Panmunjom. North Korea also returned the body of one crewman who had died.
Source: history.com; history.state.gov
1972
Franco Harris made the Immaculate Reception to give the Pittsburgh Steelers a playoff win over the Oakland Raiders.
The rookie running back caught a deflected pass and ran for the winning touchdown in the final seconds, giving Pittsburgh a 13 to 7 victory. It is remembered as one of the greatest plays in NFL history.
Source: history.com
1981
President Ronald Reagan announced sanctions against Poland's government over its crackdown on Solidarity.
In a Christmas address to the nation, Reagan condemned the martial law imposed that month and blamed Soviet pressure. He suspended government food shipments to the Polish government, Polish civil aviation privileges and Polish fishing rights in U.S. waters.
Source: reaganlibrary.gov; millercenter.org