With the holidays coming up, you may think toward the future. For example, you may think about relatives who are coming over or what gifts you’ll get. But let’s take a turn back into history.

On the first day of Christmas, Mieszko Lambert was coronated as King of Poland in 1025.

On the second day of Christmas, the first soccer game was played between Hallam and Sheffield in Sheffield, England in 1860

On the third day of Christmas, Charles Darwin sets out on his journey to the Galapagos Islands in the HMS Beagle in 1831

On the fourth day of Christmas Iowa was admitted to the union as a new state in 1846

On the fifth day of Christmas Sun Yat-Sen became the President of the Republic of China in 1912

On the sixth day of Christmas Munster and Meath defeat King Brian Boru in the battle of Glenmama in Ireland in 999

On the seventh day of Christmas, the Tupolev-144 had its maiden flight in 1968

On the eighth day of Christmas, the Roman senate chooses Pertinax to be Commodore of the Roman Empire in 193

On the ninth day of Christmas, Manila, Philippines was captured by the Japanese forces in 1942

On the tenth day of Christmas, Martial Law was declared in Honduras to prevent banana pickers from rioting in 1932

On the eleventh day of Christmas Topsy, the elephant was electrocuted to death at Luna Park in Coney Island in 1903

On the twelfth day of Christmas Edward, the Confessor dies, sparking a Norman Conquest in 1066