Today in History

Today is Tuesday, Dec. 25, the 360th day of 2012. There are six days left in the year. This is Christmas Day.

Today's Highlight in History:

On Dec. 25, A.D. 336, the first recorded celebration of Christmas on Dec. 25 took place in Rome.

On this date:

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 1868, President Andrew Johnson granted an unconditional pardon to all persons involved in the Southern rebellion that resulted in the Civil War.

In 1887, Conrad Hilton, founder of the hotel chain bearing his name, was born in San Antonio, Territory of New Mexico.

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

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 1937, the NBC Symphony Orchestra, led for the first time by conductor Arturo Toscanini, performed a Christmas concert featuring works by Vivaldi, Mozart and Brahms.

In 1941, during World War II, Japan announced the surrender of the British-Canadian garrison at Hong Kong.

In 1962, the movie version of "To Kill a Mockingbird," adapted from the Harper Lee novel and starring Gregory Peck, opened in Los Angeles.

In 1989, ousted Romanian President Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife, Elena, were executed following a popular uprising.

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.

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: Pope John Paul II delivered a Christmas message in which he said war had to be and could be avoided even in a world made fearful by terrorism. A major storm made for a white Christmas in parts of the U.S.; the severe weather ultimately was blamed for some two dozen deaths. Katie Hnida became the first woman to play in a Division I-A football game when she attempted an extra point following a New Mexico touchdown in the Las Vegas Bowl. (Hnida, a walk-on junior, had her kick blocked, but by then she had already made history in the 27-13 loss to UCLA.)

Five years ago: A tiger at the San Francisco Zoo escaped her enclosure and killed a park visitor; two brothers also were mauled, but survived. (The tiger was killed by police.) Russia's military successfully test-fired a new intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads. A ruptured gasoline pipeline exploded near Nigeria's main city of Lagos, killing at least 40 people.

One year ago: Five members of a family, including three children and their grandparents, died in a Christmas morning blaze in Stamford, Conn., that was blamed on burning embers in a trash can. A 56-year-old man dressed as Santa Claus shot and killed his estranged wife, their two teenage children and three other relatives at an apartment in Grapevine, Texas, before taking his own life. A suicide bombing of a Catholic church near Nigeria's capital left at least 44 people dead.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Dick Miller is 84. Author Anne Roiphe is 77. Actress Hanna Schygulla is 69. Rhythm-and-blues singer John Edwards (The Spinners) is 68. Actor Gary Sandy is 67. Singer Jimmy Buffett is 66. Pro and College Football Hall-of-Famer Larry Csonka is 66. Country singer Barbara Mandrell is 64. Actress Sissy Spacek is 63. Former White House adviser Karl Rove is 62. Actress CCH Pounder is 60. Singer Annie Lennox is 58. Reggae singer-musician Robin Campbell (UB40) is 58. Country singer Steve Wariner is 58. Singer Shane MacGowan (The Pogues, The Popes) is 55. Baseball Hall of Famer Rickey Henderson is 54. The former Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, Christina Romer, is 54. Actress Klea Scott is 44. Rock musician Noel Hogan (The Cranberries) is 41. Singer Dido is 41. Rock singer Mac Powell (Third Day) is 40. Rhythm-and-blues singer Ryan Shaw is 32. Country singer Alecia Elliott is 30. Pop singers Lisa and Jess Origliasso (The Veronicas) are 28.

Thought for Today: "My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?" -- Bob Hope, American comedian (1903-2003).

Copyright 2012, The Associated Press. All rights reserved.