On This Day for December 26 - Indian Ocean tsunami, Henry Miller is featured, and more

This message contains graphics. If you do not see the graphics, click here to view. December 26 FEATURED BIOGRAPHY Henry Miller READ MORE   FEATURED EVENT 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami READ MORE   Advertisement Advertisement   MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY Today: Boxing Day is celebrated as a public holiday in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about English culture and custom. ] 2006: American politician Gerald R. Ford—who was the 38th president of the United States (1974–77) and the country's only chief executive who was not elected as either president or vice president—died in California. [ Sort fact from fiction in our presidents of the United States quiz.] 1985: The slain body of American zoologist Dian Fossey—the world's leading authority on the mountain gorilla —was found in Rwanda; it was widely suspected that she was killed by poachers. 1973: The horror classic The Exorcist, an adaptation of William Peter Blatty's book about a young girl possessed by the Devil, was released in the United States. The recipient of 10 Oscar nominations, including for director William Friedkin , it became one of the highest-grossing films of all time. [Test your knowledge of scary movies.] 1963: The Beatles' single I Want to Hold Your Hand, with I Saw Her Standing There on the B-side, was first released in the United States; hugely successful, it helped launch Beatlemania. [Take our Beatlemania quiz.] 1908: American boxer Jack Johnson defeated Tommy Burns in Sydney to become the first black fighter to win the world heavyweight championship. [Test your knowledge of boxing.] SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY 1893 Mao Zedong Chinese leader 1940 Phil Spector American record producer 1791 Charles Babbage British inventor and mathematician 1956 David Sedaris American humorist and essayist 1891 Henry Miller American author 1921 Steve Allen American entertainer SEE ALL BIOS ON THIS DAY   Advertisement   FOLLOW: To unsubscribe from Britannica e-mails, click here. Encyclopædia Britannica 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 Chicago, Illinois 60654 United States © 2020 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Privacy Policy • Help