On this day: December 24
"Silent Night" is first performed, the Library of Congress burns, NORAD begins tracking Santa, and man orbits the Moon for the first time, all on this day.
1886: Film director Michael Curtiz, best known for winning an Oscar for directing 1942's "Casablanca," is born in Budapest, Hungary. Curtiz also directed many other classic movies, including "The Adventures of Robin Hood," "Captain Blood," "Angels with Dirty Faces," "Yankee Doodle Dandy," "Mildred Pierce" and "White Christmas."
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