On This Day
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Christmas Island founded and named by Captain William Mynors of the East India Ship Company vessel, the Royal Mary.

Christmas Island, officially the Territory of Christmas Island, is an Australian external territory in the Indian Ocean comprising the island of the same name.

Christmas Island, officially the Territory of Christmas Island, is an Australian external territory in the Indian Ocean comprising the island of the same name. It is about 350 kilometres (190 nautical miles) south of Java and Sumatra and about 1,550 km (840 nmi) north-west of the closest point on the Australian mainland. It has an area of 135 square kilometres (52 sq mi). Christmas Island's geographic isolation and history of minimal human disturbance has led to a high level of endemism among its flora and fauna, which is of interest to scientists and naturalists. The territory derives its name from its discovery on Christmas Day 1643 by Captain William Mynors.

The first European to sight Christmas Island was Richard Rowe of the Thomas in 1615. Mynors gave it its name.

Historical Significance

Christmas Island, officially the Territory of Christmas Island, is an Australian external territory in the Indian Ocean comprising the island of the same name.

Events Before

  1. Georgeana (York) in Maine becomes the first incorporated American city

    Georgeana (York) in Maine becomes the first incorporated American city

  2. Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens discovers Mars's southern polar cap

    Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens discovers Mars's southern polar cap

  3. English Civil War begins between Royalists and Parliamentarians

    English Civil War begins between Royalists and Parliamentarians

  4. Dutch explorer Abel Tasman is the first European to discover Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania)

    Abel Janszoon Tasman was a Dutch seafarer and explorer, best known for his voyages of 1642 and 1644 in the service of the Dutch East India Company (VOC).

  5. Dutch explorer Abel Tasman sights the South Island of present day New Zealand; initially he calls it Staten Landt and ch

    Dutch explorer Abel Tasman sights the South Island of present day New Zealand; initially he calls it Staten Landt and changes it a year later to Nieuw Zeeland [1]

Events After

  1. Two hundred members of the Peking imperial family and court commit suicide out of loyalty to the last Ming Emperor, Chon

    Two hundred members of the Peking imperial family and court commit suicide out of loyalty to the last Ming Emperor, Chongzhen

  2. "Areopagitica", a pamphlet by John Milton decrying censorship, is published

    John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, and civil servant. His 1667 epic poem Paradise Lost was written in blank verse and included 12 books, written in a time of immense religious flux and...

  3. Perplexed pilgrims in Boston report America's first UFO sighting

    Perplexed pilgrims in Boston report America's first UFO sighting

  4. Parliamentary army wins battle of Nantwich, Cheshire, English Civil War

    Nantwich is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England.

  5. Connecticut passes the first US livestock branding law

    Connecticut passes the first US livestock branding law

More from the 1640s

Francesco Cavalli's opera "Giasone" premieres in Venice (the most popular opera of the 17th century)

Giasone (Jason) is an opera in three acts and a prologue with music by Francesco Cavalli and a libretto by Giacinto Andrea Cicognini.

The English Rump Parliament votes to put Charles I on trial for treason and other high crimes

The trial of Charles I took place in January 1649, marking the first time a reigning monarch was tried and executed by his own subjects.

Dutch East India Company conquers the city of Malacca, killing about 7,000 people

Dutch East India Company conquers the city of Malacca, killing about 7,000 people

Georgeana (York) in Maine becomes the first incorporated American city

Georgeana (York) in Maine becomes the first incorporated American city

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on December 25, 1643?
Christmas Island, officially the Territory of Christmas Island, is an Australian external territory in the Indian Ocean comprising the island of the same name. It is about 350 kilometres (190 nautical miles) south of Java and Sumatra and about 1,550 km (840 nmi) north-west of the closest point on the Australian mainland. It has an area of 135 square kilometres (52 sq mi).
Why is Christmas Island founded and named by Captain William Mynors of the East Indi... significant?
Christmas Island, officially the Territory of Christmas Island, is an Australian external territory in the Indian Ocean comprising the island of the same name.

Explore More

December 25 in HistoryYear 1643