THE DAY IN HISTORY · DECEMBER 25

December 25 in history

What happened on December 25: 4 moments from the Maps of History atlases, in 800, 1915, 1954 and 1991, each linked to the map that shows it.

800

In St Peter’s, Charlemagne is crowned Emperor of the Romans — resurrecting a title that will haunt European politics for a thousand years.

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1915 — National Protection War

25 Dec 1915 — Yunnan’s generals declare war on Yuan’s monarchy, and the rest of the southwest follows. They win, but their victory sets a consequential precedent. Provincial armies have shown that they can bring down a central government, and they will remember it.

READ THIS MOMENT → · SEE IT ON THE CHINA IN REVOLUTION MAP → · THE FULL STORY →

1954 — Qinghai–Tibet and Sichuan–Tibet highways

25 Dec 1954 — Two highways, the Qinghai–Tibet and Sichuan–Tibet routes, open to Lhasa. Soldiers built much of them over passes above 4,000 meters, and Golmud grew from the road-builders’ tent camp. For the first time a Chinese government can send an army and its supplies into Tibet by truck, making the 1951 agreement enforceable on Beijing’s terms.

READ THIS MOMENT → · SEE IT ON THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC UNDER MAO MAP → · THE FULL STORY →

1991 — Dissolution of the Soviet Union

25 Dec 1991 — Gorbachev resigns from a country that no longer exists. At 7:32 p.m., the red banner is lowered over the Kremlin. A flag, rather than a treaty, marks the end of the Cold War.

READ THIS MOMENT → · SEE IT ON THE COLD WAR MAP → · THE FULL STORY →