IF THERE’S ONE day each year you’d be forgiven for ignoring the news, it’s Christmas Day. And yet!

Even though the world might seem to stop as you intoxicate yourself with Celebrations, After Eights and whatever Christmas movie is on TV, the news actually does continue, and over the years several major news stories have broken on Christmas Day.

This quiz will test your knowledge of Christmas Day news stories and historical events over the last few decades. Enjoy!

Referring to the words 'Merry Christmas', Donald Trump in 2017 tweeted the following: "I am proud to have led the charge against the assault of our _______ and _______ phrase.

Alamy

Strong and powerful

Happy and delightful

Christian and righteous

Cherished and beautiful

On Christmas Day 2009, St Mel's Cathedral was destroyed in which Irish county?

Alamy

Longford

Leitrim

Louth

Cork

Why were 21 people rushed to hospital following a 2019 Christmas Day mass in France?

Alamy

A nativity set goat got loose

The communion wine was stale

Carbon monoxide poisoning

The crucifix fell down

Which world leader was born on 25 December, 1971?

Justin Trudeau

Rishi Sunak

Emmanuel Macron

Leo Varadkar

Charlie Chaplin died on Christmas Day in what year?

Alamy

1967

1977

1987

1997

Which former Soviet Union president resigned from the role on Christmas Day?

Alamy

Nikita Kruschev

Leonid Brezhnev

Konstantin Chernenko

Mikhail Gorbachev

Members of which spacecraft became the first people to enter orbit around the Moon on Christmas Eve, 1968?

Alamy

Apollo 1

Apollo 8

Apollo 11

Apollo 13

The president of which country was assassinated on Christmas Day, 1989?

Alamy

Poland

Hungary

Romania

Moldova

How many Covid-19 cases did the Republic of Ireland announce on 25 December, 2021?

Alamy

137

1,376

13,765

What was the name of the storm that battered Ireland on 26 December, 1998?

Alamy

Boxer

Stephen

Marcus

Morgan

Answer all the questions to see your result!

You scored out of !

Christmas News Expert

You can't even pull yourself away from the news for one day

You scored out of !

Christmas News Hobbyist

You have a glance at the news on Christmas.

You scored out of !

Christmas Enjoyer (No News)

You do not check the news on Christmas

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Quiz: How well do you remember these Christmas Day news stories and historical events?

Making a difference

A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.