What happened on your birthday?

What’s Your Vietnam War Draft Lottery Number?

The Vietnam War draft lottery ran from 1969 to 1972. If you were born on December 25, would your number have been called?

  • Vietnam War 1969 Lottery
    CalledDrafted
    84
  • Vietnam War 1970 Lottery
    Not CalledNot drafted
    361
  • Vietnam War 1971 Lottery
    Not CalledNot drafted
    135
  • Vietnam War 1972 Lottery
    CalledDrafted
    6

Read on to learn more about the Vietnam war draft lottery.





more events on December 25

  • 2006

    James Brown, the “Godfather of Soul”, dies at age 73.

  • 1991

    Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet Union’s first and last executive president, resigns. The Soviet Union no longer exsists.

  • 1979

    Egypt begins major restoration of the Sphinx.

  • 1976

    Over 100 Muslims, returning from a pilgrimage to Mecca, die when their boat sinks.

  • 1975

    Merry Christmas!Christmas is the festival celebrating the birth of Christ and is observed in most countries on December 25. Christmas is sometimes called Yule (from the Anglo-Saxon) or Noel (from the French). Christian churches throughout the world hold special services on Christmas Day to give thanks for the birth of Christ.nnIn addition to religious observances, Christmas is a time of merrymaking and feasting. North American customs are a combination of those of the various European countries from which the original settlers came. On Christmas Eve children hang stockings for Santa Claus to fill with gifts. The Christmas tree, usually an evergreen, was first used in Germany. Topped with a star or spire and decorated with colored lights and shiny ornaments, the tree plays an important part in the celebration.nnMistletoe was sacred to the Druids, priests of ancient Britain and Gaul. The Norse used holly and the Yule log to keep away evil spirits. Gifts were exchanged during the Roman celebration of the Saturnalia, a feast to the god Saturn. Gift-giving came to symbolize the gifts brought to the Christ Child by the Magi.nnThe most popular Christmas legend however, is that of Santa Claus, whose name came from Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of children. Many of the qualities that Santa Claus is known for came from Clement C. Moore’s poem “A Visit From St. Nicholas.”

  • 1973

    U.S. astronauts onboard the Skylab space station take a seven-hour walk in space and photograph the comet Kohoutek.

  • 1965

    Entertainer Chris Noel gives her first performance for the USO at two hospitals in California; became a star on Armed Forces Radio and Television, entertaining troops in Vietnam; in 1984 Veterans Network honored her with a Distinguished Vietnam Veteran award.

  • 1962

    The Bay of Pigs captives, upon their return to the United States, vow to return to Cuba and topple Fidel Castro.

  • 1954

    Steve Wariner, country singer, songwriter, musician (“All Roads Lead to You,” “Life’s Highway”).

  • Annie Lennox, Scottish singer, songwriter, activist; member of Eurythmics band; winner of eight Brit Award, four Grammys, an MTV Video Music Award, a Billboard Century Award; won Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Into the West” in the soundtrack of the film The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.

  • 1950

    Karl Rove, White House Deputy Chief of Staff in the George W. Bush administration.

  • Scottish nationalists steal the Stone of Scone from the British coronation throne in Westminster Abbey. The 485 pound stone was recovered in April 1951.

  • 1949

    Sissy Spacek, actress; won Academy Award for Best Actress portraying country singer Loretta Lynn in Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980).

  • 1948

    Barbara Mandrell, country singer; twice Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year (“Sleeping Single in a Double Bed”).

  • Alia Baha Ad-Din Touqan, Queen consort of Jordan, third wife of King Hussein of Jordan; died in a helicopter crash in 1977; Amman’s international airport is named in her honor.

  • 1946

    Jimmy Buffett, singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer, actor (“Margaritaville,” “Cheeseburger in Paradise”).

  • Chiang Kai-shek offers a new Chinese constitution in Nanking pledging universal suffrage.

  • 1945

    Ken Stabler, pro football quarterback nicknamed “The Snake” for his ability to evade tacklers.

  • Noel Redding, singer, songwriter, musician; member of The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Noel Redding Band and other groups.

  • 1944

    Prime Minister Winston Churchill goes to Athens to seek an end to the Greek civil war.

  • 1941

    Free French troops occupy the French Islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon off the Canadian coast.

  • 1939

    Bob James, Grammy-winning jazz musician, arranger and producer.

  • Finnish troops enter Soviet territory.

  • 1936

    Princess Alexandra, the Honourable Lady Ogilvy, youngest granddaughter of King George V and Queen Mary.

  • 1927

    The Mexican congress opens land to foreign investors, reversing the 1917 ban enacted to preserve the domestic economy.

  • 1925

    Sam Pollock, general manager of the National Hockey League of Canada and the USA; member of Hockey Hall of Fame; a public square in Montreal is named in his honor.

  • U.S. troops in Nicaragua disarm insurgents in support of the Diaz regime.

  • 1924

    Rod Serling, screenwriter, producer; created The Twilight Zone TV series.

  • 1919

    Paul David, founder of the Montreal Heart Institute.

  • 1918

    Anwar Sadat, Egyptian president (1970 to 1981) and Nobel Peace Prize winner.

  • A revolt erupts in Berlin.

  • 1914

    German and British troops on the Western Front declare an unofficial truce to celebrate Christmas during World War I.

  • 1912

    Italy lands troops in Albania to protect its interests during a revolt there.

  • 1907

    Cab Calloway, band leader, the first Jazz singer to sell a million records.

  • 1870

    Rosa Luxemburg, Polish-born founder of the Spartacus League which later became the German Communist Party.

  • 1862

    President and Mrs. Lincoln visit hospitals in the Washington D.C. area on this Christmas Day.

  • John Hunt Morgan and his raiders clash with Union forces near Bear Wallow, Kentucky.

  • 1861

    Stonewall Jackson spends Christmas with his wife; their last together.

  • 1841

    Clara Barton, founder of the Red Cross.

  • 1776

    Patriot General George Washington crosses the Delaware River with 5,400 troops during the American Revolution. Washington hoped to surprise a Hessian force celebrating Christmas at their winter quarters in Trenton, New Jersey.

  • 1651

    The General Court of Boston levies a five shilling fine on anyone caught “observing any such day as Christmas.”

  • 1642

    Sir Isaac Newton, English mathematician and scientist who enunciated the laws of motion and the law of gravity.

  • 1621

    The governor of New Plymouth prevents newcomers from playing cards.

  • 1066

    William I is crowned king of England.

  • 800

    The pope crowns Charlemagne emperor in Rome.

  • 376

    In Milan, Ambrose, the Bishop of Milan, forces the emperor Theodosius to perform public penance for his massacre.