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On This Day in History — August 25
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Highlights of August 25
- 2012 — The NASA space probe Voyager 1 became the first man-made object to enter interstellar space. Read more
- 2012 — The skeleton of King Richard III of England was discovered under a car park in Leicester. Read more
- 2011 — Mexican drug war: Fifty-two people were killed in an arson attack at a casino in Monterrey, Mexico. Read more
- 2001 — American singer Aaliyah and several members of her record company were killed when their overloaded aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from Marsh Harbour Airport in The Bahamas. Read more
- 1989 — The NASA spacecraft Voyager 2 made its closest approach to Neptune and provided definitive proof of the existence of the planet's rings (pictured). Read more
- 1975 — Bruce Springsteen released his commercial breakthrough album, Born to Run. Read more
- 1967 — Founder of the American Nazi Party George Lincoln Rockwell was assassinated by John Patler, a former member of his group. Read more
- 1942 — World War II: Japanese forces attacked the Australian base at Milne Bay during the New Guinea campaign. Read more
- 1914 — World War I: During the sack of Louvain in Belgium, German troops burned the town's Catholic university, destroying hundreds of medieval manuscripts. Read more
- 1875 — Matthew Webb became the first person to swim across the English Channel, doing so in approximately 21 hours 40 minutes. Read more
- 1835 — The New York Sun perpetrated the Great Moon Hoax, publishing articles about the supposed discovery of life on the Moon (lithograph pictured). Read more
- 1758 — Seven Years' War: Prussian forces engaged the Russians at the Battle of Zorndorf in present-day Sarbinowo, Poland. Read more
- 1609 — Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei (pictured) demonstrated his first telescope to Venetian lawmakers. Read more
- 1537 — The Honourable Artillery Company, now the oldest surviving regiment in the British Army, was granted a royal charter by Henry VIII. Read more
- 1270 — Philip III became King of France following the death of his father Louis IX during the Eighth Crusade. Read more
- 1258 — George Mouzalon, the regent of the Empire of Nicaea, was assassinated as part of a conspiracy led by nobles under the future emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos. Read more
Events
- 2017 — Hurricane Harvey makes landfall in Texas as a powerful Category 4 hurricane, the strongest hurricane to make landfall in the United States since 2004. Read more
- 2017 — Conflict in Rakhine State (2016–present): One hundred seventy people are killed in at least 26 separate attacks carried out by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, leading to the governments of Myanmar and Malaysia designating the group as a terrorist organisation. Read more
- 2012 — Voyager 1 spacecraft enters interstellar space, becoming the first man-made object to do so. Read more
- 2011 — Fifty-two people are killed during an arson attack caused by members of the drug cartel Los Zetas. Read more
- 2010 — A Filair Let L-410 Turbolet crashes on approach to Bandundu Airport, killing 20. Read more
- 2006 — Former Prime Minister of Ukraine Pavlo Lazarenko is sentenced to nine years imprisonment for money laundering, wire fraud, and extortion. Read more
- 2005 — Hurricane Katrina makes landfall in Florida. Read more
- 2003 — NASA successfully launches the Spitzer Space Telescope into space. Read more
- 2001 — American singer Aaliyah and several members of her entourage are killed as their overloaded aircraft crashes shortly after takeoff from Marsh Harbour Airport, Bahamas. Read more
- 1997 — Egon Krenz, the former East German leader, is convicted of a shoot-to-kill policy at the Berlin Wall. Read more
- 1991 — Belarus gains its independence from the Soviet Union. Read more
- 1991 — The Battle of Vukovar begins. An 87-day siege of Vukovar by the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), supported by various Serb paramilitary forces, between August and November 1991 (during the Croatian War of Independence). Read more
- 1991 — Linus Torvalds announces the first version of what will become Linux. Read more
- 1989 — Voyager 2 spacecraft makes its closest approach to Neptune, the last planet in the Solar System at the time, due to Pluto being within Neptune's orbit from 1979 to 1999. Read more
- 1989 — Pakistan International Airlines Flight 404, carrying 54 people, disappears over the Himalayas after takeoff from Gilgit Airport in Pakistan. The aircraft was never found. Read more
- 1985 — Bar Harbor Airlines Flight 1808 crashes near Auburn/Lewiston Municipal Airport in Auburn, Maine, killing all eight people on board including peace activist and child actress Samantha Smith. Read more
- 1981 — Voyager 2 spacecraft makes its closest approach to Saturn. Read more
- 1980 — Zimbabwe joins the United Nations. Read more
- 1980 — The last performance of the Jahrhundertring at the Bayreuth Festival receives ovations of 45 minutes. Read more
- 1967 — George Lincoln Rockwell, founder of the American Nazi Party, is assassinated by a former member of his group. Read more
- 1961 — President Jânio Quadros of Brazil resigns after just seven months in power, initiating a political crisis that culminates in a military coup in 1964. Read more
- 1960 — The Games of the XVII Olympiad commence in Rome, Italy. Read more
- 1958 — The world's first publicly marketed instant noodles, Chikin Ramen, are introduced by Taiwanese-Japanese businessman Momofuku Ando. Read more
- 1950 — To avert a threatened strike during the Korean War, President Truman orders Secretary of the Army Frank Pace to seize control of the nation's railroads. Read more
- 1948 — The House Un-American Activities Committee holds first-ever televised congressional hearing: "Confrontation Day" between Whittaker Chambers and Alger Hiss. Read more
- 1945 — Ten days after World War II ends with Japan announcing its surrender, armed supporters of the Chinese Communist Party kill U.S. intelligence officer John Birch, regarded by some of the American right as the first victim of the Cold War. Read more
- 1945 — The August Revolution ends as Emperor Bảo Đại abdicates, ending the Nguyễn dynasty. Read more
- 1944 — World War II: Paris is liberated by the Allies. Read more
- 1942 — World War II: Second day of the Battle of the Eastern Solomons; a Japanese naval transport convoy headed towards Guadalcanal is turned back by an Allied air attack. Read more
- 1942 — World War II: Battle of Milne Bay: Japanese marines assault Allied airfields at Milne Bay, New Guinea, initiating the Battle of Milne Bay. Read more
- 1941 — World War II: Anglo-Soviet invasion of Iran: The United Kingdom and the Soviet Union jointly stage an invasion of the Imperial State of Iran. Read more
- 1940 — World War II: The first Bombing of Berlin by the British Royal Air Force. Read more
- 1939 — As part of its S-Plan, the Irish Republican Army carries out the 1939 Coventry bombing in which five civilians were killed. Read more
- 1939 — The United Kingdom and Poland form a military alliance in which the UK promises to defend Poland in case of invasion by a foreign power. Read more
- 1933 — The Diexi earthquake strikes Mao County, Sichuan, China and kills 9,000 people. Read more
- 1933 — Nazi Germany and the Zionist Federation of Germany signed the Haavara Agreement. The agreement was a major factor in breaking the anti-Nazi boycott of 1933 and facilitated Jewish emigration from Germany and into British Mandate of Palestine. Read more
- 1920 — Polish–Soviet War: Battle of Warsaw, which began on August 13, ends with the Red Army's defeat. Read more
- 1916 — The United States National Park Service is created. Read more
- 1914 — World War I: Japan declares war on Austria-Hungary. Read more
- 1914 — World War I: The library of the Catholic University of Leuven is deliberately destroyed by the German Army. Hundreds of thousands of irreplaceable volumes and Gothic and Renaissance manuscripts are lost. Read more
- 1912 — The Kuomintang is founded for the first time in Peking. Read more
- 1904 — Russo-Japanese War: The Battle of Liaoyang begins. Read more
- 1894 — Kitasato Shibasaburō discovers the infectious agent of the bubonic plague and publishes his findings in The Lancet. Read more
- 1883 — France and Viet Nam sign the Treaty of Huế, recognizing a French protectorate over Annam and Tonkin. Read more
- 1875 — Captain Matthew Webb becomes the first person to swim across the English Channel, traveling from Dover, England, to Calais, France, in 21 hours and 45 minutes. Read more
- 1835 — The first Great Moon Hoax article is published in The New York Sun, announcing the discovery of life and civilization on the Moon. Read more
- 1830 — The Belgian Revolution begins. Read more
- 1825 — The Thirty-Three Orientals declare the independence of Uruguay from Brazil. Read more
- 1823 — American fur trapper Hugh Glass is mauled by a grizzly bear while on an expedition in South Dakota. Read more
- 1814 — War of 1812: On the second day of the burning of Washington, British troops torch the Library of Congress, United States Treasury, Department of War, and other public buildings. Read more
- 1758 — Seven Years' War: Frederick II of Prussia defeats the Russian army at the Battle of Zorndorf. Read more
- 1651 — A parliamentarian army defeats a royalist army under James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby, in the battle of Wigan Lane during the Third English Civial War. Read more
- 1630 — Portuguese forces are defeated by the Kingdom of Kandy at the Battle of Randeniwela in Sri Lanka. Read more
- 1609 — Galileo Galilei demonstrates his first telescope to Venetian lawmakers. Read more
- 1580 — War of the Portuguese Succession: Spanish victory at the Battle of Alcântara brings about the Iberian Union. Read more
- 1543 — António Mota and a few companions become the first Europeans to visit Japan. Read more
- 1537 — The Honourable Artillery Company, the oldest surviving regiment in the British Army, and the second most senior, is formed. Read more
- 1270 — Philip III, although suffering from dysentery, becomes King of France following the death of his father Louis IX, during the Eighth Crusade. His uncle, Charles I of Naples, is forced to begin peace negotiations with Muhammad I al-Mustansir, Hafsid Sultan of Tunis. Read more
- 1258 — Regent George Mouzalon and his brothers are killed during a coup headed by the aristocratic faction under Michael VIII Palaiologos, paving the way for its leader to ultimately usurp the throne of the Empire of Nicaea. Read more
- 1248 — The Dutch city of Ommen receives city rights and fortification rights from Otto III, the Archbishop of Utrecht. Read more
Born on August 25
- 2006 — Kimi Antonelli, Italian race car driver Read more
- 2004 — Evann Girault, French-Nigerien sabre fencer Read more
- 2003 — Rebeka Jančová, Slovak alpine ski racer Read more
- 2000 — Nicki Nicole, Argentine rapper and singer-songwriter Read more
- 1998 — China Anne McClain, American actress and singer Read more
- 1995 — Ong Seong-wu, South Korean singer and actor Read more
- 1995 — Dowoon, South Korean musician Read more
- 1994 — Edmunds Augstkalns, Latvian ice hockey player Read more
- 1994 — Caris LeVert, American basketball player Read more
- 1992 — Miyabi Natsuyaki, Japanese singer and actress Read more
- 1992 — Ricardo Rodriguez, Swiss footballer Read more
- 1990 — Max Muncy, American baseball player Read more
- 1989 — Hiram Mier, Mexican footballer Read more
- 1989 — Jaakko Ohtonen, Finnish actor Read more
- 1988 — Angela Park, Brazilian-American golfer Read more
- 1988 — Giga Chikadze, Georgian mixed martial artist and kickboxer Read more
- 1987 — Stacey Farber, Canadian actress Read more
- 1987 — Velimir Jovanović, Serbian footballer Read more
- 1987 — Blake Lively, American model and actress Read more
- 1987 — Amy Macdonald, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist Read more
- 1987 — Justin Upton, American baseball player Read more
- 1987 — Adam Warren, American baseball player Read more
- 1987 — James Wesolowski, Australian footballer Read more
- 1986 — Rodney Ferguson, American footballer Read more
- 1984 — Florian Mohr, German footballer Read more
- 1984 — Anya Monzikova, Russian-American model and actress Read more
- 1983 — James Rossiter, English race car driver Read more
- 1982 — Jung Jung-suk, South Korean footballer (died 2011) Read more
- 1982 — Nick Schultz, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
- 1981 — Rachel Bilson, American actress Read more
- 1981 — Jan-Berrie Burger, Namibian cricketer Read more
- 1981 — Camille Pin, French tennis player Read more
- 1979 — Marlon Harewood, English footballer Read more
- 1979 — Philipp Mißfelder, German historian and politician (died 2015) Read more
- 1979 — Deanna Nolan, American basketball player Read more
- 1978 — Kel Mitchell, American actor, producer, and screenwriter Read more
- 1978 — Robert Mohr, German rugby player Read more
- 1977 — Masumi Asano, Japanese voice actress and producer Read more
- 1977 — Andy McDonald, Canadian ice hockey player Read more
- 1977 — Jonathan Togo, American actor Read more
Died on August 25
- 2026 — Tim Curry, English actor and singer (born 1946) Read more
- 2026 — Dolly Parton, American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist and businesswoman (born 1946) Read more
- 2024 — Salim Al-Huss, Lebanese statesman, 34th Prime Minister of Lebanon (born 1929) Read more
- 2022 — Mable John, American blues vocalist (born 1930) Read more
- 2019 — Ferdinand Piëch, Austrian business magnate and engineer (born 1937) Read more
- 2018 — John McCain, American politician (born 1936) Read more
- 2017 — Rich Piana, American bodybuilder (born 1971) Read more
- 2016 — Marvin Kaplan, American actor (born 1927) Read more
- 2015 — José María Benegas, Spanish lawyer and politician (born 1948) Read more
- 2015 — Francis Sejersted, Norwegian historian and academic (born 1936) Read more
- 2014 — William Greaves, American director and producer (born 1926) Read more
- 2014 — Marcel Masse, Canadian educator and politician, 29th Canadian Minister of National Defence (born 1936) Read more
- 2014 — Nico M. M. Nibbering, Dutch chemist and academic (born 1938) Read more
- 2014 — Uziah Thompson, Jamaican-American drummer and producer (born 1936) Read more
- 2014 — Enrique Zileri, Peruvian journalist and publisher (born 1931) Read more
- 2013 — Ciril Bergles, Slovene poet and translator (born 1934) Read more
- 2013 — António Borges, Portuguese economist and banker (born 1949) Read more
- 2013 — William Froug, American screenwriter and producer (born 1922) Read more
- 2013 — Liu Fuzhi, Chinese academic and politician, 3rd Minister of Justice for China (born 1917) Read more
- 2013 — Raghunath Panigrahi, Indian singer-songwriter (born 1932) Read more
- 2013 — Gylmar dos Santos Neves, Brazilian footballer (born 1930) Read more
- 2012 — Florencio Amarilla, Paraguayan footballer, coach, and actor (born 1935) Read more
- 2012 — Neil Armstrong, American pilot, engineer, and astronaut (born 1930) Read more
- 2012 — Roberto González Barrera, Mexican banker and businessman (born 1930) Read more
- 2012 — Donald Gorrie, Scottish politician (born 1933) Read more
- 2011 — Lazar Mojsov, Macedonian politician (born 1920) Read more
- 2009 — Ted Kennedy, American politician (born 1932) Read more
- 2009 — Mandé Sidibé, Malian economist and politician, Prime Minister of Mali (born 1940) Read more
- 2008 — Ahmad Faraz, Pakistani poet (born 1931) Read more
- 2008 — Kevin Duckworth, American basketball player (born 1964) Read more
- 2007 — Benjamin Aaron, American lawyer and scholar (born 1915) Read more
- 2007 — Ray Jones, English footballer (born 1988) Read more
- 2006 — Noor Hassanali, Trinidadian-Tobagonian lawyer and politician, 2nd President of Trinidad and Tobago (born 1918) Read more
- 2005 — Peter Glotz, Czech-German academic and politician (born 1939) Read more
- 2003 — Tom Feelings, American author and illustrator (born 1933) Read more
- 2002 — Dorothy Hewett, Australian author and poet (born 1923) Read more
- 2001 — Aaliyah, American singer and actress (born 1979) Read more
- 2001 — Carl Brewer, Canadian ice hockey player (born 1938) Read more
- 2001 — Üzeyir Garih, Turkish engineer and businessman, co-founded Alarko Holding (born 1929) Read more
- 2001 — Ken Tyrrell, English race car driver and businessman, founded Tyrrell Racing (born 1924) Read more
Holidays & observances
Christian feast day:
Æbbe of Coldingham; Christian feast day:
Aredius; Christian feast day:
Genesius of Arles; Christian feast day:
Genesius of Rome; Christian feast day:
Ginés de la Jara (or Genesius of Cartagena); Christian feast day:
Gregory of Utrecht; Christian feast day:
Joseph Calasanz; Christian feast day:
Louis IX of France; Christian feast day:
Blessed Ludovicus Baba; Christian feast day:
Blessed Ludovicus Sasada; Christian feast day:
Blessed Luis Sotelo; Christian feast day:
Blessed María del Tránsito Cabanillas; Christian feast day:
Emily de Vialar; Christian feast day:
Menas of Constantinople; Christian feast day:
Blessed Miguel de Carvalho; Christian feast day:
Patricia of Naples; Christian feast day:
Blessed Pedro Vásquez; Christian feast day:
Thomas de Cantilupe (or of Hereford); Christian feast day:
August 25 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics); Day of Songun (North Korea); Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Uruguay from Brazil in 1825.; Soldier's Day (Brazil)
Events, births and deaths from Wikipedia contributors, “August 25”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Lists are selections; the full record lives at the source.