A Blast frm the Past

Today is Dec. 26.

In 2001, authorities identified the man who tired to ignite explosives hidden in his sneakers aboard a Paris to Miami jetliner as Richard Reid, a 28-year-old unemployed British citizen. He was overcome by fellow passengers and crew members before he could strike his match. Officials said he had attended the same London mosque as Zacarias Moussaoui, a defendant charged with conspiracy in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on America.

On Christmas night 1776, American forces under Gen. George Washington crossed the Delaware River under cover of darkness, and the next day, they attacked and defeated Hessian mercenary troops fighting for the British in Trenton, N.J. More than 1,000 Hessians were taken prisoner. The Battle of Trenton marked a turning point in the Revolutionary War.

The famous painting, "George Washington Crossing the Delaware," was inspired by the battle.

It was on this date in 1972 that Harry Truman, 33rd president of the United States, died at age 88. Truman had become president in April 1945 upon the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was elected to a full term in 1948 but declined to seek re-election in 1952 and retired to his home in Independence, Mo.

In 1974, Jack Benny, one of America's foremost comedians, died of cancer. A veteran of every aspect of show business from vaudeville to the movies, he was best known for his radio and TV shows in which he portrayed himself as a mildly neurotic, self-important tightwad and though born in 1894, never got any older than 39. In real life, he was said to be generous, modest and considerate.

A young woman who had been the focus of a right-to-die case that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court died on this date in 1990 in a Missouri hospital. Nancy Cruzan had suffered irreversible brain damage, and her family fought to have her removed from life-support systems and let her die in peace.

It was on this date in 1996 that child beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey, age 6, was found slain in a basement room of her family's posh Boulder, Colo., home. Her parents had awoken that morning to find the child missing and a ransom note on the stairs. JonBenet's killing remains unsolved.

And in 1908, Jack Johnson became the first African American to win the world heavyweight title when he knocked out Canadian Tommy Burns in the 14th round in a championship bout near Sydney, Australia. Johnson held the heavyweight title until 1915.

We now return you to the present, already in progress.