Today in History – August 25th

Published August 25, 2012 |

1227, Genghis Khan, Khagan of Mongol Empire (b. 1162) died.
1537, The Honourable Artillery Company, the oldest surviving regiment in the British Army, and the second most senior, is formed.
1609, Galileo Galilei demonstrates his 1st 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 1st voyage.
1776, David Hume, Scottish philosopher and historian (b. 1711) died.
1786, King Ludwig I of Bavaria (d. 1868) was born.
1819, James Watt, Scottish inventor (b. 1736) died.
1825, Uruguay declares its independence from Brazil.
1830, The Belgian Revolution begins.
1835, The New York Sun perpetrates the Great Moon Hoax. bit.ly/xa08mC
1867, Michael Faraday, English scientist (b. 1791) died.
1875, Captain Matthew Webb became 1st person to swim across the English Channel, traveling from Dover, England, to Calais, France.
1900, Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher (b. 1844) died.
1912, The Kuomintang, the Chinese nationalist party, is founded.
1914, WWI: The library of the Catholic University of Leuven is deliberately destroyed by the German Army.
1916, The US National Park Service is created.
1918, Leonard Bernstein, American conductor and composer (d. 1990) was born.
1919, George Wallace, American politician (d. 1998) was born.
1920, Polish-Soviet War: Battle of Warsaw, which began on August 13, ends. The Red Army is defeated.
1921, The 1st skirmishes of the Battle of Blair Mountain occur.
1939, The UK and Poland form a military alliance in which the UK promises to defend Poland in case of invasion by a foreign power.
1942, George Edward Alexander Windsor, Duke of Kent (b. 1902) died.
1942, WWII: Battle of Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea.
1944, WWII: Paris is liberated by the Allies.
1948, The House Un-American Activities Committee holds 1st-ever televised congressional hearing.
1950, President Harry Truman orders the US Army to seize control of the nation’s railroads to avert a strike.
1956, Alfred Kinsey, American research biologist (b. 1894) died.
1981, Voyager 2 spacecraft makes its closest approach to Saturn
1984, Truman Capote, American author (b. 1924) died.
1989, Mayumi Moriyama becomes Japan’s 1st female cabinet secretary.
1989, Voyager 2 spacecraft makes its closest approach to Neptune, the outermost planet in the Solar System.
1991, Belarus gains its independence from the Soviet Union
1991, Linus Torvalds announces the 1st version of what will become Linux.
1991, The Airbus A340 aircraft makes its 1st flight.
2009, Edward M. “Ted” Kennedy, United States Senator from Massachusetts (b. 1932) died.

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Chris Rivait

Chris loves history and hopes that Yesteeyear becomes a place where everyone can share their history knowledge. Chris owns an Internet Marketing company, Arrivait Marketing. He has a wonderful wife and four great children.