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Cryptologic Bytes

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"On This Date in Cryptologic History" Calendar

Learn about a wide variety of historical events related to cryptology, computers, math, cybersecurity, Intelligence, and more.

December 2026

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S M T W T F S
29 Nov 30 Dec 1 2 3 4 5
1887: U.S. Navy began using "The U.S. Navy Secret Code"
1932: Polish Cipher Bureau Success!
1950: ATLAS became operational.
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
1952: Pre-employment Polygraph at NSA.
Pearl Harbor Day
1992: Premiere of William Gibson's "Agrippa"
1898: Official End of Spanish-American War
1941: Germany and Italy Declared War on the U.S.
1906: Birth of Grace Hopper - computer pioneer and U.S. Navy Rear Admiral
1815: Birth of Ms. Ada Lovelace, the world's first computer programmer
13 14 15 16 17 18 19
1977: Filing for RSA Patent
1562: Death of Johannes Trithemius
1972: NSOC Inaugurated
1993: National Cryptologic Museum Opened to the Public
2013: Death of Dr. Lowell K. "Jim" Frazer
1801: Patterson's "Perfect Cipher" Letter sent to Thomas Jefferson
1958: First NSA Holiday Party.
Anniversary of NCM Opening to Public
20 21 22 23 24 25 26
1881: First telephone ciphony device invented by James Harris Rodgers.
1988: Terrorist bombing of Pan Am flight over Scotland.
1961: SP4 James Davis - first American cryptologist killed in Vietnam.
1968: "Pueblo" crew released by North Korea.
1928: Friedman's Coded Holiday Gram
Holiday Season Memories - NSA Building Messages
1946: Meredith Gardner broke into KGB message re: Manhattan Project.
2001: Shoe-bomber Richard Reid arrested.
20 Dec 1969: Anniversary of the Capture of North Vietnamese Notebooks
27 28 29 30 Dec 31 Jan 1 2
1948: Stone Board report on centralizing U.S. cryptologic organizations was issued.
1951: Brownell Committee established - led to creation of NSA.
1921: William Friedman at Office of the Chief Signal Officer
Tuesday, December 1, 2026
Sunday, December 6, 2026
Monday, December 7, 2026
Wednesday, December 9, 2026
Thursday, December 10, 2026
Friday, December 11, 2026
Monday, December 14, 2026
Tuesday, December 15, 2026
Wednesday, December 16, 2026
Thursday, December 17, 2026
Friday, December 18, 2026
Saturday, December 19, 2026
Sunday, December 20, 2026
Monday, December 21, 2026
Tuesday, December 22, 2026
Wednesday, December 23, 2026
Thursday, December 24, 2026
Friday, December 25, 2026
Sunday, December 27, 2026
Monday, December 28, 2026
Thursday, December 31, 2026

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