This Day in History for December 23 – Van Gogh Cuts Off His Ear and More

Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history:

1823 – ‘A Visit from St. Nicholas,’ more commonly known as ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,’ is published anonymously (More info)

1888 – Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh, suffering from severe depression, cuts off the lower part of his left ear with a razor (More info)

1913 – The Federal Reserve Act is signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson, creating the Federal Reserve (More info)

1972 – The 16 survivors of the Andes flight disaster are rescued after 73 days, having survived by cannibalism; the ordeal is later profiled in the movie ‘Alive’ (More info)

1993 – ‘Philadelphia,’ the first major Hollywood movie to focus on AIDS, opens in theaters (More info)

It's also Popcorn Popping Day, and Transistor Day; the transistor was invented on this date in 1947 by Bell Laboratories