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Events on Tuesday 23 December 1823 1
1823A Visit from St. Nicholas publishedPoem that shaped the modern image of Santa Claus appears in printThe poem beginning "' Twas the night before Christmas" was published anonymously in the Troy Sentinel newspaper in New York state. Later attributed to Clement Clarke Moore, it helped fix the enduring image of Santa Claus as a jolly, sleigh-driving gift-giver. The poem became one of the best-known pieces of English-language verse associated with Christmas.