Yi I
26 December 1536 – 1584
Korean scholar of Confucianism.

Thomas Gray
26 December 1716 – 30 July 1771
English poet, wrote ‘Winter in a Country Churchyard’.

Charles Babbage
26 December 1791 – 18 October 1871
English mathematician and engineer who conceptualised programmable computers and invented ‘the Difference Engine’ (can be seen at The Science Museum, London).

Clemens Winkler
26 December 1838 – 8 October 1904
German scientist who discovered Germanium, the metal originally used in transistors.

Maurice Utrillo
26 December 1883 – 5 November 1955
French artist whose paintings can be seen in the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco; Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Musée d’Orsay, Paris; Musée des Augustins, Toulouse; Courtauld Institute of Art, London; Tate Gallery, London.

Henry Miller
26 December 1891 – 7 June 1980
American author, wrote ‘Tropic of Cancer’.

Robert Ripley
26 December 1893 – 27 May 1949
American cartoonist who developed the ‘Believe It or Not’ series.

Steve Allen
26 December 1921 – 30 October 2000
American comedian and entertainer.

Caroll Spinney
26 December 1933
American puppeteer with the children’s TV programme Sesame Street.

Today’s events
26 December 1898 – The element Radium is isolated by Pierre and Marie Curie.
26 December 1933 – The Japanese auto(car) firm Nissan Motors is launched.
26 December 1975 – The Russian supersonic aircraft Tupolev Tu-144 begins regular service.