On This Day - December 19, 2026

Chapman & Hall of London publishes the novella A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. The holiday classic continues to be a perennial favorite.

Robert Ripley begins writing his "Believe It or Not" column for the New York Globe.

During his monologue on the Tonight Show, Johnny Carson jokes about shortages. "You know what else is disappearing from the supermarket shelves? Toilet paper! Ha, ha, ha! You can laugh now. There is an acute shortage of toilet paper in the good ol' United States." In the days preceding Carson's monologue, Representative Harold Froehlich (R) of Wisconsin predicted a toilet paper shortage due to paper pulp shortages and pulp exports. But he also predicted shortages of all kinds of paper products. Shortages did materialize and shoppers faced empty shelves from coast to coast. Suppliers and purchasing agents were unable to fill orders.

Raging Bull, starring Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, and Joe Pesci, is released nationally in the United States. Directed by Martin Scorsese the film follows the life of professional boxer Jake LaMotta who held the world middleweight boxing title from 1949-1951. The film won Academy Awards for Best Actor and Best Film Editing.

Twenty-three-year-old Wayne Gretzky, playing for the Edmonton Oilers, becomes the youngest and the 18th National Hockey League player to score 1000 points. December 19th Celebrated Birthdays