Soldiers and officers along the Western Front during World War I put down their guns on December 24, 1914, to observe an unofficial "Christmas truce". Soldiers along parts of the front held joint celebrations, even exchanging gifts and carolling. The event was also marked by prisoner swaps and joint efforts to bury the dead in No Man's Land.
The high command on both sides disapproved of the truce, and it was only observed in much more minor fashion in 1915. It was discarded altogether in later war years, likely because the soldiers themselves had lost any fellow-feeling for the enemy after years of war. Air France Airbus A300 flight AF8969 was hijacked by armed militants at the Algiers Houari Boumedienne Airport on December 24, 1994.
The Armed Islamic Group of Algeria flew the plane to Marseille, where elite French counter-terrorism operatives stormed the plane and killed all four hijackers. The militants killed three passengers during the ordeal. A panicked stampede sparked by a false cry of "Fire" saw 73 people killed at a Christmas party in Michigan, US, on December 24, 1913.
The party was largely attended by striking mine workers and their families, in the Italian Hall in Calumet. Of the dead, 59 were children. Despite rumours the call of "fire" had been made by an anti-unionist, a hurried inquest initially did not pinpoint a cause of death.
The Citizens' Alliance, an anti-union group that had opposed the miners strike, was implicated by union members. French .