THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
“May we think of freedom, not as the right to do as we please, but as the opportunity to do what is right.” — Peter Marshall
TODAY IS
Today is Saturday, Dec. 26, the 361st day of 2020. There are five days left in the year.
HIGHLIGHT IN HISTORY
On Dec. 26, 2004, more than 230,000 people, mostly in southern Asia, were killed by a 100-foot-high tsunami triggered by a 9.1-magnitude earthquake beneath the Indian Ocean.
TEN YEARS AGO
A powerful East Coast blizzard stranded thousands of travelers and dumped more than a foot of snow in some areas.
ON THIS DATE
In 1776, British forces suffered a major defeat in the Battle of Trenton during the Revolutionary War.
In 1799, former President George Washington was eulogized by Col. Henry Lee as “first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen.”
In 1908, Jack Johnson became the first African-American boxer to win the world heavyweight championship as he defeated Canadian Tommy Burns in Sydney, Australia.
In 1910, the London Palladium, Britain’s famous variety theater, first opened.
In 1996, 6-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey was found beaten and strangled in the basement of her family’s home in Boulder, Colorado. (To date, the slaying remains unsolved.)
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
“America’s Most Wanted” host John Walsh is 75.
Baseball Hall of Fame catcher Carlton Fisk is 73.
Baseball Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith is 66.
Former Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., is 65.
Rock musician Lars Ulrich (Metallica) is 57.
Actor Nadia Dajani is 55.
Actor-singer Jared Leto is 49.
Rock singer Chris Daughtry is 41.
Actor KIT HARINGTON is 34.
Actor Eden Sher is 29.
