Historical Events1725 - Benjamin Franklin arrives in London [OS=Dec 24 1724]1945 - US jeep-aircraft carrier Ommaney Bay sinks after Japanese kamikaze attack1947 - Arthur Schwartz, Ira Gershwin, and George S. Kaufman's musical "Park Avenue" closes at the Shubert Theater, NYC, after 72 performances1951 - Korean War: Chinese forces recapture Seoul1987 - Sixteen die in a train crash in Chase, MarylandMore Historical Events Famous Birthdays1839 - Carl Humann, German engineer and self-made archaeologist who discovered the Pergamon altar, born in Steele, Prussia (d. 1896)1882 - Aristarkh Lentulov, Russian artist, born in Nizhny Lomov, Russia (d. 1943)1965 - Yvan Attal, Israeli-French actor (Love Without Pity) and director (The Accusation), born in Tel Aviv, Israel1970 - Sean Lumpkin, American NFL safety (New Orleans Saints), born in Golden Valley, Minnesota1998 - Liza Soberano, Filipino-American actress (Forevermore; Everyday I Love You), born in Santa Clara, CaliforniaMore Famous Birthdays Famous Deaths1729 - Joseph de Montesquiou earl d'Artagnan, French lt-general, dies at 771898 - Frantisek Pivoda, Czech composer, dies at 731955 - G. G. van der Hoeven, Dutch editor-in-chief (NRC newspaper), dies at 822004 - Joan Aiken, British writer of children's books (The Whispering Mountain, The Wolves Of Willoughby Chase), dies at 792010 - Johan Ferrier, Surinamian politician (b. 1910)More Famous Deaths