Famous people born on December 24th
December 24 brings together an unusually wide-ranging set of birthday figures, spanning poets and physicists, saints and statesmen, screen icons and industrial leaders. The date mixes foundational thinkers from the early modern world with innovators who shaped modern media, technology, and public life. Across 36 notable births, the common thread is outsized influence in how people read, govern, discover, and entertain.
Notable highlights
- Matthew Arnold (1822) - A leading Victorian poet-critic whose essays helped define "culture" as a moral and intellectual ideal.
- Juan Ramon Jimenez (1881) - Nobel-winning Spanish poet celebrated for musical, pure lyricism and the enduring prose-poem "Platero y yo".
- James Prescott Joule (1818) - Demonstrated the mechanical equivalent of heat, a cornerstone step toward the first law of thermodynamics.
- Benjamin Rush (1745) - Physician and civic reformer who signed the U.S. Declaration of Independence and influenced early American medical practice.
- Howard Hughes (1905) - Aviation and film magnate who set flight records and built a business empire shadowed by intense privacy and obsession.
- Ava Gardner (1922) - Hollywood star whose presence in films like "The Killers" made her a defining screen icon of mid-century cinema.
- Mary Higgins Clark (1927) - Bestselling "Queen of Suspense" whose domestic thrillers helped shape modern popular crime fiction.
- Mary Barra (1961) - Automotive executive who became the first woman to lead a major global carmaker, steering GM through major strategic shifts.
- Mark Millar (1969) - Comic writer behind influential creator-owned hits like "Kick-Ass" and "Kingsman", later adapted into major films.
- Ignatius of Loyola (1491) - Founder of the Society of Jesus, whose Spiritual Exercises and educational legacy reshaped global Catholic life.
On this day
- 1814 - The Treaty of Ghent is signed, ending the War of 1812 between the United States and Great Britain.
- 1914 - The Christmas Truce sees soldiers on parts of the Western Front pause fighting and fraternize during World War I.
- 1943 - U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower is appointed Supreme Allied Commander for the upcoming invasion of Western Europe.
- 1979 - The Soviet Union begins its intervention in Afghanistan, triggering a prolonged conflict with global repercussions.