This Day in History

On Dec. 25, 1776, Gen. George Washington and his troops crossed the Delaware River for a surprise attack against Hessian forces at Trenton, New Jersey, during the American Revolutionary War.

Also on this date:

In 1066, William the Conqueror was crowned King of England.

In 1818, "Silent Night (Stille Nacht)" was publicly performed for the first time during the Christmas Midnight Mass at the Church of St. Nikolaus in Oberndorf, Austria.

In 1868, President Andrew Johnson granted unconditional pardons to "every person who directly or indirectly" supported the Confederacy in the Civil War.

In 1926, Hirohito became emperor of Japan, succeeding his father, Emperor Yoshihito.

In 1989, ousted Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu (chow-SHES'-koo) and his wife Elena were executed following a populist 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 Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab (OO'-mahr fah-ROOK' ahb-DOOL'-moo-TAH'-lahb), who tried to set off explosives in his underwear. (Abdulmutallab later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison.)

In 2021, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, the world's largest and most powerful space telescope, was rocketed aloft from French Guiana in South America on a quest to see light from the first stars and galaxies and search the universe for signs of life.

Today's Birthdays: Football Hall of Famer Larry Csonka is 79. Country singer Barbara Mandrell is 77. Actor Sissy Spacek is 76. Former White House adviser Karl Rove is 75. Actor CCH Pounder is 73. Singer Annie Lennox is 71. Country singer Steve Wariner is 71. Model and businesswoman Helena Christensen is 57. Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is 54. Actor Jeremy Strong is 47.