Dec. 26 (UPI) -- On this date in history:
In 1776, American forces under Gen. George Washington, having crossed the Delaware River on Christmas night, defeated Hessian mercenary troops fighting for the British at the Battle of Trenton, N.J.
In 1908, Jack Johnson, with a 14th-round KO of Tommy Burns in Australia, became the first Black American to win the world heavyweight boxing title.
In 1917, President Woodrow Wilson signed an order giving the federal government control over operation of U.S. railroads for the duration of World War I.
In 1935, Shenandoah National Park was established in northern Virginia after years of raising funds to purchase the land and forcing people who lived there from their homes through eminent domain. With more than 200,000 acres of protected land, the park is home to part of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Shenandoah River.
