On this day: December 24

Published: Dec 22 2012 01:13:40 AM EST   Updated On: Dec 24 2012 02:00:00 AM EST

"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.

OTD December 24 - Vasco da Gama
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1524: Vasco da Gama, the Portuguese explorer who in 1498 became the first European to reach India by sea, dies of malaria in Cochin, India.

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