Cleveland History
December 23, 1814 – Cleveland received its charter as a village, officially establishing a local government and formal civic identity for the growing settlement in the Connecticut Western Reserve.
December 27, 1964 – The Cleveland Browns defeated the Baltimore Colts 27–0 in the NFL Championship Game at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. This was Cleveland’s last major sports championship until 2016.
December 28, 1907 – The Cleveland Trust Company Building was completed at East 9th Street and Euclid Avenue. Designed by George B. Post with murals by Francis Millet, it remains a prominent Beaux-Arts architectural landmark.
World History
December 22, 1894 – French army officer Alfred Dreyfus was convicted of treason and sentenced to life imprisonment. The case became one of the most controversial political scandals in French history, known as the Dreyfus Affair. His wrongful conviction highlighted deep antisemitism in French society.
December 23, 1972 – The “Immaculate Reception” took place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In one of the most iconic moments in American football, Franco Harris of the Pittsburgh Steelers made a game-winning touchdown catch after the ball was deflected, defeating the Oakland Raiders.
December 24, 1914 – The Christmas Truce began on the Western Front during World War I. British and German troops spontaneously ceased fire, sang carols, and even exchanged gifts and played soccer in no man’s land. It remains one of the most well-known instances of wartime peace.
December 25, 1776 – George Washington led Continental troops across the icy Delaware River, surprising Hessian forces in Trenton, New Jersey the next morning. The bold move resulted in a key Revolutionary War victory that boosted American morale.
December 26, 2004 – A 9.1-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, triggered a massive tsunami across the Indian Ocean, killing approximately 230,000 people in over a dozen countries. It is one of the deadliest natural disasters in modern history.
