Kwaanza, Babe Ruth and The Sun

1. Happy Kwaanza! The week-long celebration, held from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, honors African American culture with the lighting of daily candles, gifts and feasting. The holiday was first celebrated in 1966.

2. On Dec. 26, 1799, more than 4,000 people attended George Washington’s funeral at Mount Vernon. Martha Washington watched the ceremony from a balcony at Mount Vernon.  

3. On this day in 1919, the Boston Red Sox sold slugger Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees for $200,000.

4. On Dec. 26, 2004, a 9.3 magnitude earthquake killed 230,000 in Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and the Maldives.

5. Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich turns 48 today. Other birthdays include American music producer and convicted murderer Phil Spector (b.1939), American talk show host John Walsh (b.1945) and American essayist David Sedaris (b.1956).

6. The weather today will be sunny with a high temperature of 47 degrees. The evening will be partly cloudy with a low around 30, according to the National Weather Service.