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What happened on December 24th?
The USSR entered a war it couldn’t escape
Matthew Jones
December 24, 2024
1979 The Soviet Union Invades Afghanistan
On December 24th, 1979, in an attempt to aid the Afghan communist government in its fight against anti-communist Muslim guerrillas, the USSR began an invasion that would last ten years and result in the deaths of more than a million Afghans. The USSR also saw heavy casualties, and the expense of the conflict, in addition to the loss of personnel and equipment, is widely regarded as a significant factor in the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The photo shows the fighters of the "Zenith" group on the eve of the operation to capture the Tajbeg Palace in December 1979.
🗞️Today’s Headlines
Everything important that’s ever happened on December 24:
2009 ─ Indian cricketer Virat Kohli scored his first of 81 centuries, the second-highest total of any international cricketer in history.
1951 ─ Idris I was proclaimed king of an independent United Kingdom of Libya, a position he held for 18 years, during which he promoted the country’s oil reserves, until being forced out by a coup d'etat.
1943 ─ General Dwight D. Eisenhower was appointed supreme commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force during World War II. Six months later he would order the assault on Normandy.
1942 ─ Admiral François Darlan, a leading figure in France’s Vichy government, was assassinated in Algiers by the 20-year-old son of a French journalist.
1814 ─ The Treaty of Ghent was signed to end the War of 1812 between the US and the United Kingdom. News of the treaty did not reach the US for some time, however, so fighting continued for several more months.
🎂 Today’s Birthdays
On December 24, we’re singing to:
Galba (24) ─ Galba, the Roman emperor following Nero’s suicide, who reigned a mere seven months before an uprising resulted in his murder.
Howard Hughes (1905) ─ Despite becoming an infamous recluse, Hughes was a successful film producer, record-breaking pilot, successful defense contractor, and an early investor in Las Vegas casinos.
Ava Gardner (1922) ─ One of Hollywood’s biggest draws of the 1950s and ‘60s, Gardner starred in The Barefoot Contessa and The Sun Also Rises, among many other hit films.
Stephenie Meyer (1973) ─ American author of 10 novels, most notably the four-novel Twilight saga, which sold over 100 million copies and inspired five movies that together grossed over $3 billion.
🪦Who Died Today?
On December 24, we’re saying goodbye to:
Vasco da Gama (1524) ─ Portuguese explorer who was the first European to reach India by sea, after countless others died trying. Da Gama was briefly governor of India before dying of malaria.
Harold Pinter (2008) ─ 2005 Nobel Prize winner in literature and British screenwriter and playwright who found critical and popular success over a more than 50-year career.
William Makepeace Thackeray (1863) ─ Most famous for his novel Vanity Fair, the British author popularized the word “snob” and relentlessly satirized Great Britain’s upper class.
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