December 25th, 1776. A surprise attack during the Revolutionary War breeds new life into the American cause. General George Washington and his Continental Army troops cross the Delaware River and strike Hessian Forces at Trenton, New Jersey.

1991. The Soviet Union’s president Mikhail Gorbachev announces his resignation as the eighth and final leader of a communist superpower that had already ceased to exist.

1989. A violent end for the last hardline communist ruler in Eastern Europe. Romania’s ousted leader Nicolae Ceauşescu and his wife Elena are executed by a firing squad after a popular uprising.

1818. The popular Christmas Carol “Silent Night” is performed for the first time at the Church of St. Nicholas in Oberndorf, Austria.

1977. Charle Chaplin, comedian and one of the first big movie stars, dies in Switzerland at age 88.

2006. James Brown, the undeniable "Godfather of Soul", dies of heart failure. The pompadour dynamo, whose classic singles include "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag", was 73 years old.

And 1995. "When the moon hits your eyes, like a big pizza pie, that’s amore…" Dean Martin, singer, actor and TV host dies in Beverly Hills, California. He was 78 years old.

Today in history, December 25th. Sandy kozel, the Associated Press.

点击进入参与历史上的今天节目>>>

声明：音视频均来自互联网链接，仅供学习使用。本网站自身不存储、控制、修改被链接的内容。"沪江英语"高度重视知识产权保护。当如发现本网站发布的信息包含有侵犯其著作权的链接内容时，请联系我们，我们将依法采取措施移除相关内容或屏蔽相关链接。