Friday, December 25th
The 359th day of 2009.
There are 6 days left in the year.
Go to a previous date.
Go to lesson
Today's Highlights in History
On Dec. 25, 1991, Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev went on TV to announce his resignation as the eighth and final leader of a Communist superpower that had already gone out of existence. (Go to article.)
On Dec. 25, 1918, Anwar el-Sadat, the Egyptian president who won the Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating a peace treaty with Israel, was born. Following his death on Oct. 6, 1981, his obituary appeared in The Times. (Go to obit. | Other Birthdays)
Editorial Cartoon of the Day
On December 25, 1866, Harper's Weekly featured a cartoon about Santa Claus and Christmas. (See the cartoon and read an explanation.)
On this date in:
1066 William the Conqueror was crowned king of England.
1223 St. Francis of Assisi assembled one of the first Nativity scenes, in Greccio, Italy.
1776 Gen. George Washington and his troops crossed the Delaware River for a surprise attack against Hessian forces at Trenton, N.J.
1818 "Silent Night" was performed for the first time, at the Church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorff, Austria.
1821 Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross, was born in Oxford, Mass.
1868 President Andrew Johnson granted an unconditional pardon to everyone involved in the Southern rebellion that resulted in the Civil War.
1926 Hirohito became emperor of Japan, succeeding his father, Emperor Yoshihito.
1946 Comedian W.C. Fields died at age 66.
1977 Comedian Charlie Chaplin died at age 88.
1989 Ousted Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife, Elena, were executed.
1989 Former New York Yankees player and manager Billy Martin died at age 61 when the pickup truck he was riding in crashed.
1995 Singer Dean Martin died at age 78.
2002 Katie Hnida became the first woman to play in a Division I football game when she attempted an extra point for New Mexico against UCLA in the Las Vegas Bowl.
2006 Soul singer James Brown died at age 73.
2008 Singer-actress Eartha Kitt died at age 81.
Current Birthdays
Annie Lennox turns 55 years old today.
AP Photo/Dan Steinberg Rock singer Annie Lennox (Eurythmics) turns 55 years old today.
96 Tony Martin
Singer
81 Dick Miller
Actor
66 Hanna Schygula
Actress
65 John Edwards
R&B singer (The Spinners)
64 Gary Sandy
Actor ("WKRP In Cincinnati")
63 Larry Csonka
Football Hall of Famer
61 Barbara Mandrell
Country singer
60 Sissy Spacek
Actress
59 Karl Rove
Former White House aide
57 CCH Pounder
Actress ("The Shield")
55 Robin Campbell
Reggae musician (UB40)
55 Steve Wariner
Country singer
52 Shane MacGowan
Singer (The Pogues)
51 Rickey Henderson
Baseball player
51 Christina Romer
President-elect Barack Obama's choice to head Council of Economic Advisers
41 Klea Scott
Actress
38 Dido
Rock singer
38 Noel Hogan
Rock musician (The Cranberries)
37 Mac Powell
Rock singer (Third Day)
34 Hideki Okajima
Baseball player
27 Alecia Elliott
Country singer
Historic Birthdays
Anwar el-Sadat
12/25/1918 - 10/6/1981
Egyptian president (1970-81); signed historic peace treaty with Israel
(Go to obit.)
50 Rod Serling
12/25/1924 - 6/28/1975
American television writer and producer
86 Cab Calloway
12/25/1907 - 11/18/1994
American jazz composer, singer and bandleader
57 Humphrey Bogart
12/25/1899 - 1/14/1957
American actor
55 Robert Ripley
12/25/1890 - 5/27/1949
American newspaper cartoonist; founded "Ripley's Believe It or Not!"
91 Conrad Hilton
12/25/1887 - 1/3/1979
American businessman; founded Hilton Hotels chain
42 Franz Rosenzweig
12/25/1886 - 12/10/1929
German-Jewish philosopher
71 Maurice Utrillo
12/25/1883 - 11/5/1955
French painter
62 Louis Chevrolet
12/25/1878 - 6/6/1941
French-born American automobile designer
90 Clara Barton
12/25/1821 - 4/12/1912
Founder of the American Red Cross
Go to a previous date.
SOURCE: The Associated Press
Front Page Image Provided by UMI
Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
Children's Privacy Notice