Johann Georg Palitzsch sighted the return of Halley’s Comet.
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Governor William Bradford of Plymouth Colony forbade game playing on Christmas.
Christmas was celebrated in Rome, marking the first time in recorded history that the holiday was celebrated.
The show trial of Romanian Communist dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu occurred.
The Wolf of Wall Street, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill, was released.
Mikhail Gorbachev resigned from his position as Prime Minister of the Soviet Union.
