December 25

Merry Christmas to all!

Events

• 317 BC: Philip III of Macedon is executed by forces loyal to Olympias, mother of Alexander the Great.
• 1: Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem (according to St. Dionysius the Lesser).
• 390: Byzantine Emperor, Theodosius I accepts responsibility for mass killings that occurred in Thessaloniki.
• 858: Photius the Great is named Patriarch of Constantinople in place of Ignatius I who was deposed. The event led to a strain in the relations of the Eastern Orthodox Church with the Roman Catholic Church which refused to accept the appointment.
• 1261: Michael VIII Palaeologus has 11-year old John IV Lascaris blinded, removing him from contention for the Byzantine throne.
• 1916: Archbishop Theocletus I publically excommunicates Eleftherios Venizelos in central Athens.
• 1947: The Democratic Army of Greece attacks Konitsa, in the hope of making it the seat of the "Provisional Democratic Government".

Sports

• 1935: Leonidas Andrianopoulos quits football at the age of 24 in order to work in his father's business. Olympiakos - Ujpest (0-1, Kahlai), his last game.

Births

• 1250: John IV Lascaris, Byzantine emperor

Deaths

• 1966: Nikolaos Dandolas, known as Nick the Greek, dies at the age of 83. Considered one of the biggest gamblers in American history.
• 2016: George Michael, singer/songwriter

Namesdays

• Christmas is name day for Christos and Christina