On This Day for December 25 - Christmas celebrated worldwide, Anwar Sadat is featured, and more

This message contains graphics. If you do not see the graphics, click here to view. December 25 FEATURED BIOGRAPHY Anwar Sadat READ MORE   FEATURED EVENT Today Christmas celebrated worldwide READ MORE   Advertisement Advertisement   MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY 2006: American singer and songwriter James Brown, known as "the Godfather of Soul," died at the age of 73. [Test your knowledge of music.] 1991: Mikhail Gorbachev resigned the presidency of the Soviet Union, which ceased to exist at the end of the year. [How much do you know about Russian history?] 1977: Charlie Chaplin, the British comedic actor and director who is widely regarded as one of the most important figures in motion-picture history, died in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland. [Take our quiz about movies.] 1962: The film adaptation of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird premiered and became a classic, especially noted for Gregory Peck's portrayal of Atticus Finch. [ Test your knowledge of To Kill a Mockingbird.] 1821: Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross, was born in Oxford, Massachusetts. [Take our quiz about the United States.] 1776: During the American Revolution, General George Washington crossed the Delaware River and surprised the British at Trenton, New Jersey. [Read our timeline of the American Revolution.] SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY 1971 Justin Trudeau prime minister of Canada 1876 Mohammed Ali Jinnah Pakistani governor-general 1899 Humphrey Bogart American actor 1924 Atal Bihari Vajpayee prime minister of India 1949 Nawaz Sharif prime minister of Pakistan 1924 Rod Serling American writer SEE ALL BIOS ON THIS DAY   Advertisement   FOLLOW: To unsubscribe from Britannica e-mails, click here. Encyclopædia Britannica 325 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 200 Chicago, Illinois 60654 United States © 2020 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc. Privacy Policy • Help