OTD in 1945, General George S. Patton died of injuries sustained in a car crash on December 9, 1945.

December 23rd, 1927: The Santa Claus Bank Robbery - Cisco, Texas.

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At noon Marshall Ratliff, Henry Helms, Robert Hill, and Louis Davis entered the First National Bank of Cisco with guns drawn. Ratliff, dressed in a borrowed Santa Claus costume, entered the bank vault. Some of the bank customers escaped and alerted the police and town citizens. Gunfire ensued when Ratliff came out of the vault with a sack containing money. Two policemen were mortally wounded, and Ratliff and Davis were also wounded, Davis severely. As their escape car was almost out of gas and one of the tires had been shot out, the robbers commandeered another car, but the driver took the keys with him. They then left the wounded Davis in the car, forgetting the moneybag. The fugitives escaped on foot, stole a series of cars, and had more gunfights over the next several days. They were finally captured in Graham, Texas. The infamous Santa Claus Bank Robbery led to the largest manhunt ever seen in the state at that time.

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A more detailed article of this notorious bit of Texas history.

#OTD in 1910: Lt. Theodore G. Ellyson becomes the first naval officer sent to flight training when he was ordered to report to the Glenn H. Curtiss Aviation Camp at North Island, San Diego, California. pic.twitter.com/VLANOPDPuS

— U.S. Naval Institute (@NavalInstitute) December 23, 2025

Some good:

On this day in 1814, the Treaty of Ghent was signed in Belgium, ending the War of 1812 between the United States and Britain—restoring pre-war boundaries with no territorial changes or clear victor. Signed on Christmas Eve, news took weeks to cross the Atlantic, so fighting… pic.twitter.com/dMxuSqkYyV

— Manifest History (@ManifestHistory) December 24, 2025

Some…not so much.

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December 24, 1865: The Ku Klux Klan had its beginnings in the law office of Thomas M. Jones in Pulaski, Tennessee. The name evolved from the Greek kyklos (circle), suggested by John B. Kennedy ('always an unswerving Democrat'). It was broken down into the more euphonic form Ku Klux by James R. Crowe, who added Klan as a reflection of the area's predominantly Scottish-Irish population.

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On December 24, 1943 General Dwight D. Eisenhower was appointed Supreme Allied Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force.
In this capacity he commanded Operation Overlord, the largest combined sea, air, and land military operation in history, which was successfully launched against Nazi-occupied Europe on June 6, 1944.
General Eisenhower's uniform and pistol are on exhibit in the American Wars Gallery on the second floor of the West Point Museum.
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Today in history
1868: U.S. President Andrew Johnson grants an unconditional pardon to all persons involved in the Civil War.
1896: John Philip Sousa composes the patriotic march "The Stars and Stripes Forever."
1991: Mikhail Gorbachev formally resigns as President of the USSR in a televised speech.
Birthdays today include Clara Barton, filmmaker Charles Path, Louis Chevrolet, Humphrey Bogart, Cab Calloway, Anwar Sadat, Rod Serling, and O'Kelly Isley of the Isley Brothers.

Thanks for posting that. I had never heard or read that before!

KingofHazor said:

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Thanks for posting that. I had never heard or read that before!

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Which post are you referring to?

ABATTBQ87 said:

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KingofHazor said:

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Thanks for posting that. I had never heard or read that before!

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Which post are you referring to?

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Your post on the proximity fuse.

FYI, to determine which post someone is replying to, you can click on the "In reply to _____________" words and that will take you to the applicable post. But I should have made it clear in my reply, for convenience sake. My apologies, but thanks again for your post.

KingofHazor said:

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ABATTBQ87 said:

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KingofHazor said:

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Thanks for posting that. I had never heard or read that before!

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Which post are you referring to?

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Your post on the proximity fuse.

FYI, to determine which post someone is replying to, you can click on the "In reply to _____________" words and that will take you to the applicable post. But I should have made it clear in my reply, for convenience sake. My apologies, but thanks again for your post.

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I did not know about that function, so thank you for that information

Eli Whiteley goes off on the nazies and earns the MOH

https://www.army.mil/article/242104/despite_wounds_courageous_soldier_led_his_platoon_through_battle

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All in all, Whiteley's courage under intense fire led to the death of nine Germans and the capture of 23 more. His leadership during the battle led to an Allied victory that shattered any remaining enemy resistance in the area.

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I get "access denied" on the Whitely article

https://www.army.mil/article/242104/despite_wounds_courageous_soldier_led_his_platoon_through_battle

Not sure why but my guess something with my iPad

https://www.cmohs.org/recipients/eli-l-whiteley

ABATTBQ87 said:

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A regret of my time at A&M is that I didn't attend his funeral in December 1986, as I was living in room 128 of Dorm 9, aka Whitely Hall

December 8, 1986 Battalion

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I wander which 1st Cavalry Division had grave duty month of December in 1986. I was in the 1st Cavalry Division 85-87 then 88-89 I never got assigned to graves duty that would have been a huge honor.

December 27, 1975

CBS Sports' Brent Musburger throws it to Las Vegas for the semifinals of the #NFL Players Association Arm Wrestling Competition during halftime of the Rams-Cardinals 1975 NFC Divisional Playoff.

The Patriots' Julius Adams vs. the Bills' Joe DeLamielleure,… pic.twitter.com/XuPRH7DaDl

— Kevin Gallagher (@KevG163) December 28, 2025

For years I've kind of had a memory of Pearson getting away with a shove but I just rewatched it and he really didn't.

Most surprising thing, the video showed Landry smiling on the sideline after the play.

1845 . . . .

Martin Cash said:

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1845 . . . .

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Texas, Our Texas....

USA*** said:

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Martin Cash said:

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1845 . . . .

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Texas, Our Texas....

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On this day in 1845, the United States Congress voted to annex Texas. Statehood was first proposed in 1837, but was rejected by President Martin Van Buren. Constitutional scruples and fear of war with Mexico were the reasons given for the rejection, but antislavery sentiment in… pic.twitter.com/8U8eteHhid

— Trevor P. Wardlaw (@1thread6flags) December 29, 2025

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On this day in 1845, the United States Congress voted to annex Texas. Statehood was first proposed in 1837, but was rejected by President Martin Van Buren. Constitutional scruples and fear of war with Mexico were the reasons given for the rejection, but antislavery sentiment in the United States undoubtedly influenced Van Buren and continued to be the chief obstacle to annexation. Under President James Polk the United States Congress passed the Annexation Resolution in February 1845. Texas president Anson Jones called the Texas Congress into session on June 16, 1845, and a convention of elected delegates met on the Fourth of July. Both the Texas Congress and the convention voted for annexation, and a constitution was drawn up. The document was ratified by popular vote in October 1845 and accepted by the United States Congress on December 29, 1845. On February 19, 1846, President Jones of the Republic of Texas handed over control of the new state government to Governor James Pinckney Henderson.

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