Today In History, Dec. 25: Revolutionary War
Today is Friday, Dec. 25. This is Christmas Day.
Today's Highlight in History:
1776: Revolutionary War
In 1776, Gen. George Washington and his troops crossed the Delaware River for a surprise attack against Hessian forces at Trenton, New Jersey.
1915: "Stop! Look! Listen!"
In 1915, the Irving Berlin musical revue "Stop! Look! Listen!" (featuring the song "I Love a Piano") opened on Broadway, beginning a run of 105 performances.
1926: Hirohito
In 1926, Hirohito became emperor of Japan, succeeding his father, Emperor Yoshihito.
1931: New York's Metropolitan Opera
In 1931, New York's Metropolitan Opera broadcast an entire live opera over radio for the first time: "Hansel and Gretel" by Engelbert Humperdinck.
1973: "The Sting"
In 1973, "The Sting," starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford as a pair of 1930s grifters, was released by Universal Pictures.
1989: Billy Martin
In 1989, former baseball manager Billy Martin, 61, died in a traffic accident near Binghamton, New York.
1989: Nicolae Ceausescu
In 1989, ousted Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife, Elena, were executed following a popular uprising.
1991: Mikhail S. Gorbachev
In 1991, Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev went on television to announce his resignation as the eighth and final leader of a communist superpower that had already gone out of existence.
1995: Dean Martin
In 1995, singer Dean Martin died at his Beverly Hills home at age 78.
2005: Birgit Nilsson
Ten years ago: Opera singer Birgit Nilsson died in her native Sweden at age 87.
2005: Pope Benedict XVI
Ten years ago: Pope Benedict XVI marked his first Christmas as pontiff, calling for concrete actions to back up "signs of hope" in the Middle East and urging peace in Darfur, Sudan and the Korean peninsula.
2010: Afghanistan
Five years ago: The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, Gen. David Petraeus, crisscrossed the country, making a Christmas visit to coalition troops at some of the main battle fronts in a show of appreciation and support in the tenth year of the war against the Taliban.
2010: Bethlehem
Five years ago: The West Bank town of Bethlehem bustled with its biggest crowd of Christian pilgrims in years.
2010: Bud Greenspan
Five years ago: Olympics documentary filmmaker Bud Greenspan, 84, died in New York.
2010: Carlos Andres Perez
Five years ago: Former Venezuelan President Carlos Andres Perez died in Miami.
2010: Pakistan
Five years ago: A female suicide bomber attacked an aid center in Pakistan, killing at least 45 people.
2014: "The Interview"
One year ago: The black comedy "The Interview" opened in 331 locations in the U.S., culminating in the truly unprecedented move by a major studio to release a film in theaters and on digital platforms simultaneously.
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