TODAY IN HISTORY

Sunday, December  25, 2011 AP Highlight in History:  On Dec. 25, 1990, the World Wide Web was born as computer scientists Tim Berners-Lee and Robert Cailliau created the first hyperlinked Web page.   AP Photo/Keystone, Martial Trezzini
On this date in: 336 The first recorded celebration of Christmas on Dec. 25 took place in Rome. 1066 William the Conqueror was crowned king of England. 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. 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, 61, died when the pickup truck he was riding in crashed. 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. AP Photo 1995 Singer Dean Martin died at age 78. 2006 Soul singer James Brown died at age 73. 2009 Passengers aboard a Northwest Airlines flight foiled an attempt to blow up the plane as it was landing in Detroit by seizing suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a Nigerian accused of trying to set off explosives in his underwear.		Video Highlights of This Day in History Today's Birthdays: Actress Sissy Spacek turns 62 years old today. AP Photo/Evan Agostini Name Profession Age Gary Sandy Actor ("WKRP In Cincinnati") 66 Jimmy Buffet Rock musician 65 Larry Csonka Football Hall of Famer 65 Barbara Mandrell Country singer 63 Karl Rove Former White House aide 61 Annie Lennox Rock singer (Eurythmics) 57 Rickey Henderson Baseball Hall of Famer 53 Christina Romer Former chairwoman of the Council of Economic Advisers 53 Dido Rock singer 40 Ryan Shaw R&B singer 31 Actress CCH Pounder ("The Shield") turns 59 years old today. AP Photo/Matt Sayles