December 25, 2011 03:05 EST
Today is Sunday, Dec. 25, the 359th day of 2011. There are six
days left in the year. This is Christmas Day.
Today's Highlight in History:
On Dec. 25, 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.
On this date:
In A.D. 336, the first recorded celebration of Christmas on Dec.
25 took place in Rome.
In 1066, William the Conqueror was crowned king of England.
In 1776, Gen. George Washington and his troops crossed the
Delaware River for a surprise attack against Hessian forces at
Trenton, N.J.
In 1818, "Silent Night," written by Franz Gruber and Father
Joseph Mohr, was performed for the first time, at the Church of St.
Nikolaus in Oberndorf, Austria.
In 1931, New York's Metropolitan Opera broadcast an entire live
opera over radio for the first time: "Hansel and Gretel" by
Engelbert Humperdinck.
In 1936, American newspaperman Arthur Brisbane, 72, died in New
York.
In 1941, during World War II, Japan announced the surrender of
the British-Canadian garrison at Hong Kong.
In 1961, Pope John XXIII formally announced the upcoming
convocation of the Second Vatican Council, which opened in Oct.
1962.
In 1989, ousted Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu
(chow-SHES'-koo) and his wife, Elena, were executed following a
popular uprising.
In 2009, passengers aboard Northwest Airlines Flight 253 foiled
an attempt to blow up the plane as it was landing in Detroit by
seizing a man who tried to set off explosives in his underwear.
Ten years ago: From Mazar-e-Sharif to Kandahar in Afghanistan
and the USS Theodore Roosevelt in the Arabian Sea, American forces
celebrated Christmas with carols, touch football and turkey
dinners. In his traditional "Urbi et Orbi" message, Pope John
Paul II turned his thoughts at Christmas to children -- Palestinian,
Israeli, American, Afghan and African -- declaring that humanity's
hope depended on helping them.
Five years ago: James Brown, the "Godfather of Soul," died in
Atlanta at age 73. Pope Benedict XVI used his Christmas Day address
to call for a peaceful resolution of conflicts worldwide and
appealed for greater caring of the poor, the exploited and all who
suffer.
One year 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. A female suicide bomber attacked an aid center
in Pakistan, killing at least 45 people. The West Bank town of
Bethlehem bustled with its biggest crowd of Christian pilgrims in
years. Former Venezuelan President Carlos Andres Perez died in
Miami. Olympics documentary filmmaker Bud Greenspan, 84, died in
New York.
Today's Birthdays: Singer Tony Martin is 98. Actor Dick Miller
is 83. Author Anne Roiphe is 76. Actress Hanna Schygulla
(SHEE'-goo-lah) is 68. Rhythm-and-blues singer John Edwards (The
Spinners) is 67. Actor Gary Sandy is 66. Singer Jimmy Buffett is
65. Pro and College Football Hall-of-Famer Larry Csonka is 65.
Country singer Barbara Mandrell is 63. Actress Sissy Spacek is 62.
Former White House adviser Karl Rove is 61. Actress CCH Pounder is
59. Singer Annie Lennox is 57. Reggae singer-musician Robin
Campbell (UB40) is 57. Country singer Steve Wariner is 57. Singer
Shane MacGowan (The Pogues, The Popes) is 54. Baseball Hall of
Famer Rickey Henderson is 53. The former Chair of the Council of
Economic Advisers, Christina Romer, is 53. Actress Klea Scott is
43. Rock musician Noel Hogan (The Cranberries) is 40. Singer Dido
is 40. Rock singer Mac Powell (Third Day) is 39. Rhythm-and-blues
singer Ryan Shaw is 31. Country singer Alecia Elliott is 29. Pop
singers Lisa and Jess Origliasso (The Veronicas) are 27.
Thought for Today: "One of the most glorious messes in the
world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas Day.
Don't clean it up too quickly." -- Andy Rooney, CBS News
commentator (1919-2011).
Copyright 2011, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Source: http://www.wgme.com/template/inews_wire/wires.regional.me/2fb87110-www.wgme.com.shtml
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