August 25 :: Historical Events

Famous Events

• 1248 - The Dutch city of Ommen receives city rights and fortification rights from Otto III, the Archbishop of Utrecht.


• 1537 - The Honourable Artillery Company, the oldest surviving regiment in the British Army, and the second most senior, is formed.


• 1580 - Battle of Alcântara. Spain defeats Portugal.


• 1609 - Galileo Galilei demonstrates his first telescope to Venetian lawmakers.


• 1758 - Seven Years' War: Frederick II of Prussia defeats the Russian army at the Battle of Zorndorf.


• 1768 - James Cook begins his first voyage.


• 1814 - Washington, D.C. is burned and White House is destroyed by British forces during the War of 1812.


• 1825 - Uruguay declares its independence from Brazil.


• 1830 - The Belgian Revolution begins.


• 1835 - The New York Sun perpetrates the Great Moon Hoax.


• 1894 - Shibasaburo Kitasato discovers the infectious agent of the bubonic plague and publishes his findings in The Lancet.


• 1910 - Yellow Cab is founded.


• 1912 - The Kuomintang, the Chinese nationalist party, is founded.


• 1916 - The United States National Park Service is created.


• 1920 - Polish-Soviet War: Battle of Warsaw, started on August 13, now ends. The Red Army is defeated.


• 1921 - The first skirmishes of the Battle of Blair Mountain occur.


• 1933 - Diexi earthquake shook Mao County, Sichuan, China and killed 9,000 people.


• 1942 - World War II: Battle of Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea.


• 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 Allied air attack, losing one destroyer and one transport sunk, and one light cruiser heavily damaged.


• 1944 - World War II: Paris is liberated by the Allies.


• 1945 - Ten days after World War II ended with Japan announcing its surrender, armed supporters of the Communist Party of China killed Baptist missionary John Birch, regarded by a portion of the American right as the first victim of the Cold War.


• 1948 - House Un-American Activities Committee holds first-ever televised congressional hearing: "Confrontation Day" between Whittaker Chambers and Alger Hiss.


• 1950 - President Harry Truman orders the US Army to seize control of the nation's railroads to avert a strike.


• 1981 - Voyager 2 spacecraft makes its closest approach to Saturn


• 1989 - Tadeusz Mazowiecki chosen as the first non-communist Prime Minister in Central and Eastern Europe.


• 1989 - Voyager 2 spacecraft makes its closest approach to Neptune, the outermost planet in the Solar System.


• 1989 - Mayumi Moriyama becomes Japan's first female cabinet secretary.


• 1991 - Belarus declares independence from the Soviet Union


• 1997 - Egon Krenz, the former East German leader, was convicted of a shoot-to-kill Berlin Wall policy.


• 2003 - The Tli Cho land claims agreement is signed between the Dogrib First Nations and the Canadian federal government in Rae-Edzo (now called Behchoko).

Famous Births

• 1530 - Tsar Ivan IV of Russia (d. 1584)


• 1561 - Philippe van Lansberge, Dutch astronomer (d. 1632)


• 1624 - François de la Chaise, French confessor of Louis XIV of France (d. 1709)


• 1662 - John Leverett the Younger, American educator (d. 1724)


• 1719 - Charles-Amédée-Philippe van Loo, French painter (d. 1795)


• 1724 - George Stubbs, British painter (d. 1806)


• 1741 - Karl Friedrich Bahrdt, German theologian (d. 1792)


• 1744 - Johann Gottfried Herder, German writer (d. 1803)


• 1767 - Antoine Louis Léon de Richebourg de Saint-Just, French revolutionary and writer (d. 1794)


• 1786 - King Ludwig I of Bavaria (d. 1868)


• 1796 - James Lick, American land baron (d. 1876)


• 1802 - Nikolaus Lenau, Austrian poet (d. 1850)


• 1803 - Luís Alves de Lima e Silva, the Duque de Caxias, Brazilian military leader


• 1819 - Allan Pinkerton, American private detective (d. 1884)


• 1836 - Bret Harte, American writer (d. 1902)


• 1841 - Emil Theodor Kocher, Swiss medical researcher; Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1917)


• 1845 - King Ludwig II of Bavaria (d. 1886)


• 1867 - James W. Gerard, American jurist and diplomat (d. 1951)


• 1868 - Nikolaos Levidis, Greek shooter


• 1882 - Seán T. O'Kelly, Irish politician (d. 1966)


• 1893 - Henry Trendley Dean, American dental researcher (d. 1962)


• 1898 - Helmut Hasse, German mathematician (d. 1975)


• 1900 - Hans Adolf Krebs, German physician and biochemist; Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1981)


• 1902 - Stefan Wolpe, German-born composer (d. 1972)


• 1903 - Arpad Elo, American chess writer (d. 1992)


• 1905 - Faustina Kowalska, Polish mystic (d. 1938)


• 1909 - Ruby Keeler, Canadian singer and actress (d. 1993)


• 1909 - Michael Rennie, English actor (d. 1971)


• 1911 - Vo Nguyen Giap (Võ Nguyên Giáp), Vietnamese general and statesman


• 1912 - Erich Honecker, East German politician (d. 1994)


• 1913 - Walt Kelly, American cartoonist (d. 1973)


• 1913 - Don DeFore, American actor (d. 1993)


• 1915 - Walter Trampler, American violist (d. 1997)


• 1916 - Van Johnson, American actor


• 1916 - Frederick Chapman Robbins, American pediatrician and virologist; Nobel Prize laureate (d. 2003)


• 1916 - Saburo Sakai, Japanese aviator (d. 2000)


• 1917 - Mel Ferrer, Cuban-American actor, film director and film producer (d. 2008)


• 1918 - Leonard Bernstein, American conductor and composer (d. 1990)


• 1918 - Richard Greene, English actor (d. 1985)


• 1919 - George Wallace, American politician (d. 1998)


• 1921 - Monty Hall, Canadian-born game show host


• 1921 - Brian Moore, Irish-born writer (d. 1999)


• 1921 - Bryce Mackasey, Canadian politician (d. 1999)


• 1925 - Thea Astley, Australian writer, (d. 2004)


• 1927 - Althea Gibson, American tennis player (d. 2003)


• 1928 - Herbert Kroemer, German-born physicist, Nobel Prize laureate


• 1928 - Darrell Johnson, American baseball player (d. 2004)


• 1930 - Sean Connery, Scottish actor


• 1930 - Graham Jarvis, Canadian actor (d. 2003)


• 1930 - Bruce Allpress, New Zealand actor


• 1931 - Hal Fishman, Los Angeles based local news anchor. (d. 2007)


• 1931 - Regis Philbin, American television host


• 1933 - Wayne Shorter, American jazz musician


• 1933 - Tom Skerritt, American actor


• 1934 - Lise Bacon, French Canadian politician


• 1934 - Eddie Ilarde, Filipino disk jockey, television host, and Senator


• 1935 - Charles Wright, American poet


• 1938 - David Canary, American actor


• 1938 - Frederick Forsyth, English author


• 1939 - John Badham, American film director


• 1940 - José Van Dam, Belgian baritone


• 1944 - Anthony Heald, American actor


• 1944 - Conrad Black, newspaper magnate


• 1944 - Jacques Demers, Canadian hockey coach


• 1946 - Rollie Fingers, American baseball player


• 1946 - Charles Ghigna (Father Goose), American poet and Children's Author


• 1946 - Charlie Sanders, American football player


• 1949 - Martin Amis, English novelist


• 1949 - John Savage, American actor


• 1949 - Gene Simmons, Israeli-born musician (Kiss)


• 1949 - Fariborz Lachini, Canadian-Iranian composer


• 1950 - Charles Fambrough, American jazz musician


• 1951 - Rob Halford, English singer (Judas Priest)


• 1951 - Bill Handel, American radio personality


• 1952 - Geoff Downes, English keyboardist (Buggles, Yes, Asia)


• 1954 - Elvis Costello, English musician


• 1956 - Henri Toivonen, Finnish rally driver


• 1958 - Tim Burton, American film director


• 1958 - Christian LeBlanc, American actor


• 1960 - Ashley Crow, American actress


• 1961 - Billy Ray Cyrus, American singer and actor


• 1961 - Joanne Whalley, British actress


• 1962 - David Packer, American actor


• 1962 - Vivian Campbell, Irish musician (Def Leppard, Whitesnake, Dio)


• 1964 - Maxim Kontsevich, Russian mathematician


• 1964 - Blair Underwood, American actor


• 1964 - Vassilios Kotronias, Greek chess grandmaster


• 1964 - Marti Noxon, American television writer and producer


• 1965 - Mia Zapata, American singer (The Gits) (d. 1994)


• 1966 - Albert Belle, American Major League Baseball player


• 1966 - Derek Sherinian, American keyboardist


• 1966 - Robert Maschio, American Actor ("The Todd" in Scrubs)


• 1967 - Jeff Tweedy, American singer (Wilco)


• 1968 - Rafet El Roman, Turkish singer and composer


• 1968 - Yuri Mitsui, Japanese actress, model and racing driver


• 1968 - Stuart Murdoch, Scottish musician (Belle & Sebastian)


• 1968 - Takeshi Ueda, Japanese singer and composer


• 1968 - Rachael Ray, American chef and television personality


• 1968 - Spider One, American musician (Powerman 5000)


• 1969 - Cameron Mathison, Canadian actor


• 1970 - Robert Horry, American basketball player


• 1970 - Jo Dee Messina, American country music singer


• 1970 - Claudia Schiffer, German model


• 1971 - Mike Lockwood, professional wrestler (d. 2003)


• 1971 - Thalia Sodi, Mexican actress and singer


• 1972 - Marvin Harrison, American football player


• 1973 - Fatih Akin, Turkish-German film director


• 1973 - Olavi Mikkonen, Swedish heavy metal guitarist (Amon Amarth)


• 1974 - Eric Millegan, American actor


• 1974 - Dave Luza, Dutch comedian


• 1974 - Pablo Ozuna, Dominican baseball player


• 1975 - Jeremy Horn, American MMA Fighter


• 1976 - Alexander Skarsgård, Swedish actor


• 1977 - Sophie Cadieux, Quebec actress


• 1977 - Diego Corrales, American boxer (d. 2007)


• 1977 - Jonathan Togo, American actor


• 1978 - Kel Mitchell, American actor


• 1979 - Marlon Harewood, English footballer


• 1980 - Neal Musser, American baseball player


• 1981 - Rachel Bilson, American actress


• 1981 - Clare Oliver, Australian cancer activist (d. 2007)


• 1983 - James Righton, Musician (Klaxons)


• 1983 - James Rossiter, British racing driver


• 1983 - Janet Chow, Miss Hong Kong 2006 Runner-Up


• 1987 - Stacey Farber, Canadian actress


• 1987 - Blake Lively, American actress


• 1987 - Justin Upton, American baseball player


• 1987 - James Wesolowski, Australian soccer player


• 1987 - Liu Yifei, Chinese actress and singer


• 1988 - Angela Park, Brazilian golfer


• 1988 - Raymond Quinn, English singer


• 1992 - Miyabi Natsuyaki, Japanese singer


• 1994 - Josh Flitter, American actor


• 1997 - Holly Gibbs, English child actor


• 1998 - China Anne McClain, American actress

Famous Deaths

• 383 - Gratian, Roman Emperor


• 471 - Gennadius I, Patriarch of Constantinople


• 1192 - Hugh III, Duke of Burgundy (b. 1142)


• 1270 - King Louis IX of France (b. 1214)


• 1282 - Thomas Cantilupe, English saint


• 1330 - Sir James Douglas, Scottish soldier (b. 1286)


• 1482 - Margaret of Anjou, queen of Henry VI of England (b. 1429)


• 1554 - Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, English politician (b. 1473)


• 1632 - Thomas Dekker, English dramatist


• 1650 - Richard Crashaw, English poet


• 1688 - Henry Morgan, Welsh privateer


• 1699 - King Christian V of Denmark (b. 1646)


• 1711 - Edward Villiers, 1st Earl of Jersey, English politician


• 1742 - Carlos Seixas, Portuguese composer (b. 1704)


• 1774 - Niccolò Jommelli, Italian composer (b. 1714)


• 1776 - David Hume, Scottish philosopher and historian (b. 1711)


• 1792 - Jacques Cazotte, French writer (b. 1719)


• 1822 - William Herschel, German-born astronomer (b. 1738)


• 1867 - Michael Faraday, English scientist (b. 1791)


• 1900 - Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher (b. 1844)


• 1900 - Kuroda Kiyotaka, Prime Minister of Japan (b. 1840)


• 1904 - Henri Fantin-Latour, French painter (b. 1836)


• 1904 - William Hall, Canadian Royal Naval sailor (b. 1827)


• 1908 - Henri Becquerel, French physicist, Nobel laureate (b. 1852)


• 1924 - Mariano Álvarez, Filipino general (b. 1818)


• 1925 - Franz Conrad von Hötzendorf, Austro-Hungarian field marshal (b. 1852)


• 1938 - Aleksandr Kuprin, Russian writer (b. 1870)


• 1939 - Babe Siebert, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1904)


• 1942 - George Edward Alexander Windsor, Duke of Kent (b. 1902)


• 1945 - John Birch, American intelligence officer and missionary (b. 1918)


• 1950 - Earl Caddock, professional wrestler (b. 1888)


• 1956 - Alfred Kinsey, American research biologist (b. 1894)


• 1965 - Moonlight Graham, American baseball player


• 1967 - Stanley Bruce, eighth Prime Minister of Australia (b. 1883)


• 1967 - Paul Muni, Polish actor (b. 1895)


• 1967 - George Lincoln Rockwell, American Nazi Party leader (b. 1918)


• 1971 - Ted Lewis, American musician and entertainer (b. 1890)


• 1976 - Eyvind Johnson, Swedish writer, Nobel laureate (b. 1900)


• 1979 - Stan Kenton, American musician and bandleader (b. 1911)


• 1980 - Gower Champion, American dancer, actor, and choreographer (b. 1919)


• 1984 - Truman Capote, American author (b. 1924)


• 1984 - Waite Hoyt, American baseball player (b. 1899)


• 1984 - Viktor Chukarin, Soviet gymnast (b. 1921)


• 1985 - Samantha Smith, American social activist (b. 1972)


• 1990 - Morley Callaghan, Canadian writer (b. 1903)


• 1999 - Rob Fisher, English musician (b. 1956)


• 2000 - Carl Barks, American cartoonist (b. 1901)


• 2000 - Jack Nitzsche, American record producer (b. 1937)


• 2001 - Aaliyah, American singer and actress (b. 1979)


• 2001 - Carl Brewer, Canadian ice hockey player (b. 1938)


• 2001 - Ken Tyrrell, former race driver and founder of Tyrrell Racing (b. 1924)


• 2001 - Philippe Léotard, French actor and singer (b. 1940)


• 2002 - Dorothy Hewett, Australian writer (b. 1923)


• 2005 - Peter Glotz, German politician (b. 1939)


• 2007 - Ray Jones, English professional footballer (b. 1988)

Famous Holidays and observances

• Roman festivals - Opiconsivia held in honor of Ops.


• Roman Catholic Saints - Genesius of Arles, Saint Louis IX of France, Saint Joseph Calasanz.


• Uruguay - National Day (independence from Brazil in 1825).