August 25th

The first human to walk on the moon, Neil Armstrong, died after suffering complications from a heart bypass.

Edward "Ted" Kennedy, who served as a Democratic senator from Massachusetts since 1962, dies. He was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in 2008.

Tennis champion Pete Sampras announced his retirement during a news conference at the U.S. Open in New York.

Singer and actress Aaliyah died in a plane crash in the Bahamas.

Former Supreme Court Justice Lewis F. Powell died at age 90.

The tobacco industry agreed to an $11.3 billion settlement with the state of Florida.

Michael Schumacher Makes His Formula One Debut. The German race car champion competed in his first Formula One race in the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa Francorchamps. While he did not win that race, he would go on to win 91 Formula One Grand Prix races.

UN security council authorizes military action against Iraq.

Samantha Smith, the schoolgirl whose letter to Soviet leader Yuri V. Andropov resulted in her peace tour of the communist country, was killed with her father in an airplane crash in Maine.

Author Truman Capote was found dead in Los Angeles.

The album "Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen was released.

President Harry S. Truman ordered the Army to seize control of the nation's railroads to avert a strike.

Paris was liberated from Nazi occupation by Allied forces.

The United States signed a peace treaty with Germany.

The Department of the Interior created the National Park Service to manage and preserve national parks and monuments for future generations.

Japanese scientist Shibasaburo Kitasato discovers the infectious agent of the bubonic plague and publishes his findings in The Lancet.

Captain Matthew Webb became the first person to swim across the English Channel, traveling from Dover, England, to Calais, France, in 22 hours.

First Installment of the Great Moon Hoax is Published. The New York-based newspaper The Sun published a series of articles, starting on this day, that detailed the discovery of civilization on the Moon.

Uruguay Declares Independence from the Brazilian Empire. The Empire consisted of present-day Brazil and Uruguay and had declared its independence from Portugal in 1822. Despite the declaration of independence, Uruguay's independence was not recognized by the Empire until August 1928, when the Treaty of Montevideo was signed.

Captain James Cook departs from Plymouth, England, on his first voyage on board the Endeavour, bound for the Pacific Ocean.

Hundreds of French colonists arrived in Louisiana, with some of them settling in present-day New Orleans.

Galileo demonstrates his 1st telescope to Venetian lawmakers.