NEA DATEBOOK

TODAY’S HISTORY: In 1776, after staging a surprise attack, George Washington and the Continental Army scored a major upset victory over the British in the Battle of Trenton.

In 1908, boxer Jack Johnson defeated Tommy Burns, becoming the first African American heavyweight champion.

In 1966, the pan-African holiday Kwanzaa, founded by professor Maulana Karenga, was celebrated for the first time.

In 2004, a powerful earthquake in the Indian Ocean triggered a massive tsunami that claimed the lives of at least 226,000 in Southeast Asia and east Africa.

TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS: Thomas Gray (1716-1771), poet; Charles Babbage (17911871), mathematician/inventor; Mao Zedong (1893-1976), Chinese leader; Richard Widmark (1914-2008), actor; Steve Allen (1921-2000), entertainer; Alan King (1927-2004), actor/ comedian; John Walsh (1945- ), TV personality/ activist; David Sedaris (1956- ), writer; Lars Ulrich (1963- ), musician; Jared Leto (1971- ), actor/musician; Chris Daughtry (1979- ), singer-songwriter; Kit Harington (1986- ), actor.

TODAY’S FACT: Despite its impact in the Colonies, the Battle of Trenton was fought by relatively small numbers on both sides — an estimated 2,400 Continental Army soldiers defeated the 1,500-strong British/Hessian garrison.

TODAY’S SPORTS: In 1919, Boston Red Sox owner Harry Frazee sold Babe Ruth’s contract to the New York Yankees.

TODAY’S QUOTE: “A good [short story] would take me out of myself and then stuff me back in, outsized, now, and uneasy with the fit.” — David Sedaris

TODAY’S NUMBER: 23,500 — length (in miles) of China’s high-speed rail system, the longest network of its kind in the world. The 175-mile section connecting Beijing to Shijiazhuang opened on this day in 2012.

TODAY’S MOON: Full moon (Dec. 26).