The "discovery" of the Piltdown Man was announced on this day in 1912. There's more to the story in the December 26, 2016 episode of Stuff You Missed in History Class. 

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On this day in 1892, the Tchaikovsky composed ballet, The Nutcracker, premiered in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

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The observance of Saturnalia begins on December 17, although we don't know precisely which year the first Saturnalia was observed. There's more detail in the December 23, 2009 episode of Stuff You Missed in History Class.

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On this day in 1790, the Aztec sun stone, a circular stone marked by carvings of calendar signs and images related to the Aztec creation myth, was rediscovered in Mexico City. 

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American colonists in Boston protested British rule with the Boston Tea Party incident on this day in 1773.

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On this day in 755, Chinese General An Lushan proclaimed himself emperor, marking the beginning of the An Lushan Rebellion against the Tang dynasty.

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Sitting Bull, the Hunkpapa Lakota leader and seminal Native American figure, was killed at the Standing Rock Indian Reservation on this day in 1890.

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Filipino revolutionary Emilio Jacinto was born on this day in 1875. 

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Roald Amundsen and his expedition became the first people to reach the South Pole, beating Robert Falcon Scott's expedition, on this day in 1911.

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On this day in 1948, two engineers from DuMont Laboratories received a patent for their cathode-ray tube amusement device. 

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