| 2008 | One of 11 payloaders of Chandrayaan-1 sent by India to space sent a new picture of the moon. |
| 1861 | Madan Mohan Malaviya, an educationist of India and honored with Bharat Ratna, was born. |
| 1924 | Former Prime Minister of the country and honored with Bharat Ratna, Atal Bihari Vajpayee was born. |
| 1643 | William Myers, captain of the ship of the East India Company, Ryall Mary, landed on a deserted island and named it Christmasland. |
| 1665 | The French East India Company was formed in India to compete with Britain in political, economic and imperialist matters during the reign of Louis XIV. |
| 1763 | Maharaja Surajmal of Bharatpur was killed. |
| 1771 | The Mughal ruler Shah Alam II sat on the throne of Delhi under the patronage of the Marathas. |
| 1800 | Christmas Day was first made a public holiday on an international scale. |
| 1861 | Madan Mohan Malviya, a social worker and the leader of the Kashi Hindu University, was born in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. |
| 1972 | Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, the last Governor General of India, died in Madras (now Chennai), the capital of Tamil Nadu. |
| 1968 | In Tamil Nadu, India, the families of striking Dalit workers were led by a gang allegedly by their landlords. |
| 1994 | The 7th President of India, Giani Zail Singh, died in Chandigarh. |