On This Day - December 24, 2026

Daniel Stover and William Hance of Freeport, IL, obtained patent No. 418,142 for their invention of a bicycle with a back-pedal brake.

Anthony, Esther, and Andrew Nemethy move into the first completely solar-heated house named the Dover Sun House. Located in Dover, MA, three women funded and designed the house. Amelia Peabody funded the project while Dr. Maria Telkes of the MIT Solar Laboratory designed the heating system. The architect was Eleanor Raymond.

Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" is #1 on the music charts.

The Apollo 8 astronauts host a live broadcast from orbit around the moon. Frank Borman, Bill Anders, and Bill Lovell read from the book of Genesis during the broadcast and show pictures of the Earth and Moon. During the mission, they also capture the iconic Earthrise photo. December 24th Celebrated (And Not So Celebrated) Birthdays