This Day in History: Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami kill 230,000 and leave over 43,000 missing

Following are some of the major events to have occurred on December 26:

1908 – American Jack Johnson became the first black boxer to win the world heavyweight title, defeating Canadian Tommy Burns in Sydney.

1972 – Harry S. Truman, 33rd U.S. president (1945-53), died.

1989 – Romania’s National Salvation Front named Ion Iliescu president, a day after announcing the execution of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.

2000 – Russia’s President Vladimir Putin signed into law bills restoring the music selected by Soviet dictator Josef Stalin as Russia’s national anthem.

2002 – Iran abolished stoning as a form of capital punishment.

2004 – An earthquake measuring 9.15 struck off the west coast of northern Sumatra, unleashing a tsunami that crashed into Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and India and left nearly 230,000 people dead with over 43,000 missing.

2004 – Ha Seung-Jin becomes first Korean player in the NBA when he signs with the Portland Trail Blazers.

2005 – Australian media tycoon Kerry Packer dies.

2006 – Former U.S. President Gerald Ford dies.

2006 – Hundreds killed when an oil pipeline in Lagos, Nigeria explodes.

2013 – World record crowd attends first day of fourth Ashes cricket test between Australia and England at Melbourne cricket ground.

(Reuters)