December 23

1790: French archaeologist Jean-François Champollion, who first deciphered the Rosetta Stone, unlocking the language of ancient Egypt, was born. 1823: The poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" by Clement C. Moore (" 'Twas the Night Before Christmas...") was published. 1870: Thomas Edison was issued a patent for an "Improvement in Magneto Electric Machines." 1880: Thomas Edison incorporated the Edison Electric Light Company of Europe. 1939: German aircraft designer Anthony Fokker, creator of the Red Baron's famous DR-1 triplane, died. 1968: Astronauts on Apollo 8 became the first men to orbit the Moon, and took the famous "Earthrise" photo. 1973: Gerard Kuiper, who discovered Miranda, a moon of Uranus, and Nereid, a moon of Neptune, and after whom the Kuiper Belt is named, died. 1975: The Metric Conversion Act of 1975 was signed into law. 1986: The experimental airplane Voyager, piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, completed the first non-stop, around-the-world flight without refueling as it landed safely at Edwards AFB in CA.