Historical Events
"The Sting"
"The Sting" directed by George Roy Hill, starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford, with music inspired by Scott Joplin, premieres in Los Angeles and New York (Best Picture 1974)
- 1st pictures of a comet from space (Comet Kohoutek), taken by NASA astronauts Jerry Carr and William Pogue during a spacewalk from Skylab 4
- Arab oil ministers cancel January 5 percent production cut; Saudi Arabian oil minister promises 10 percent OPEC production rise
Johan Cruyff's Second Award
Ballon d'Or: Ajax forward Johan Cruyff wins his second award for best European football player ahead of Juventus goalkeeper Dino Zoff and Bayern Munich striker Gerd Müller
- The ARPANET crashes when a programming bug causes all ARPANET traffic to be routed through the server at Harvard University, causing the server to freeze
- Tommy Chambers (Scotland) finishes 51 yr cycle tour (799,405 miles)
Famous Birthdays
- Alexandre Trudeau, Canadian journalist, born in Ottawa, Canada
Famous Deaths
- Gabriel Voisin, French aviation pioneer and luxury automobile manufacturer, dies at 93
- İsmet İnönü, Turkish military officer and statesman (President of Turkey, 1938-50; Prime Minister, 1923-37 and 1961-65), dies at 89
Died in 1973 1973 Highlights
About December 25, 1973
Day of the Week: Tuesday
How Long Ago? 50 years, 4 months and 8 days
Leap Year: No
Generation: Generation X
Chinese Zodiac: Ox
Star Sign: Capricorn
Holidays: Christmas (India), Christmas Day (Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States)
Music Charts
#1 Song: Time In A Bottle - Jim Croce
#1 Song: Merry Xmas Everybody - Slade
