On This Day - December 25, 2026

Johann Georg Palitzsch sights Halley's comet. His sighting confirms Edmund Halley's prediction of the comet's passage and it is the first comet to return as predicted.

The first regularly scheduled steam locomotive passenger train in the United States made its first run. Named the Best Friend of Charleston, it covered six miles that Christmas Day, connecting 141 passengers to and from State and Dorchester Roads and Sans-Souci in Charleston, South Carolina.

For the first time, Bing Crosby performed White Christmas by Irving Berlin on his self-named weekly radio show.

Hubble Space Telescope gets new lenses. Astronauts aboard the space shuttle Discovery complete maintenance work installing corrected optics. December 25th Celebrated (And Not So Celebrated) Birthdays